Trying to understand lists of actions

[jknecht]

Here's where I've been running into problems:

I know a Projects list is just supposed to have the name of the project on it, but I am finding it easier to create a page in my notebook for each project, then list steps needed to accomplish it, with dates if needed, and little checkboxes. It just seems easier to keep the actions with their projects rather than to have a separate page of Next Actions and a separate page of Projects. That way, I know what stage each project is at.

This seems to be the way Omnifocus works.

Any opinions?

The primary issue I can see with this approach is that it becomes difficult to have a consolidated view of all the things you could be doing within a given context.

For example, if you have several home improvement/maintenance projects (eg. change burned out light bulb in kitchen, change furnace filter, de-scale shower head, replace door knob on bedroom door, rake leaves) and the next action for each one of those projects is to buy something at the hardware store, how would you know what you need to buy the next time you are in the hardware store?

If each next action is only written on the page of the project it belongs to, you'd have to flip through your notebook and look at each project to see if there is anything you need to buy. Conversely, if you had each of those next actions on a separate '@Hardware Store' list, you would have the complete list of everything you need to buy in one easy-to-review location.

[ladyinblack1964]

Yes, I see your point. I might be better off keeping those project lists with all the actions on them, and then copying the actions to my "@Home" and "@Work" pages. That way I have the bigger picture and the smaller picture.

I'm going to have to rethink this. Right now I'm working in NoteBook and Omnifocus and trying to determine which I want to use. both have features that work very well with GTD--I just want something with a short learning curve. Since I usually use a Franklin planner, I thought Notebook would work best.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[sdann]

First off, I don't use Omnifocus. In Thinking Rock, I create projects and then assign a task by context as the next action for each project. The program lists these next actions by context. If I finish one next action for a project, the project then is highlighted in red, indicating that I need to assign a new next action, which I then do. The NAs are visible in 2 places - in the context list and under the respective projects. Is that perhaps how Omnifocus does it?

[ladyinblack1964]

Yes, it is rather like that--you can check off what you've done.

I'm also taking a look at TR--this is the first I've heard of it and it sounds intriguing. And it's free 1

[kabell]

I think what annoys me most is the very simple single items that take longer than 2 minutes, but less than 15, and keep getting pushed down the list. That makes me really feel like a failure - I go two weeks and still haven't put my clothes away in the bedroom.

Yes! And here's my solution that really works well for me.

David Allen says in GTD, that you can have any amount of "inboxes", even though he recommends keeping the numbers down. I daily go through theese inboxes:

Snail-mail
E-mail
Voice mail
My GTD software inbox
My Hipster-PDA

So that's 5 already. Here's the thing about daily routines - they are NOT next actions. They are inboxes!

Yes, your kitchen sink is an inbox, and you should empty it as often as possible.

Look at your kitchen, at each individual item - does it take more than 2 minutes to complete? (e.g. washing a single glass). If the answear is no - do it now.

Look ar your room and scan for clothe - treat each item of clothe as an inbox object: Does it take longer than 2 minutes to proces? If not, do it NOW.

In GTD the single most important task is to have all your inboxes empty, and all your lists complete. Realizing that doing the dishes, cleaning the room, going out with the garbage etc. is just as much an "inbox" as your e-mail inbox makes it a lot easier for me.

"Stuff" piling up in my room distracts me just as much as not having all my meetings next week lined up in my calender. Every single item of close, of unwashed dishes, of dirty laundy, empty refrigerator etc. should be taken care of before you get to any of those important projects that are on your action lists. If not, it will clutter your mind, also subconsciously while you're at work.

--

It would be interesting to further discuss "physical" things as "emptying" inboxes. Looking through my room, and I see it needs cleening (seeing that = emptying my inbox), so I ask myself immediately: Does it take longer than 2 minutes? Here it's a yes, so it becomes a next-action or goes into my calendar.

But everytime I feel hungry, and notice that, I ask myself (sub-consciously): Does it take more than two minutes? If not, I do it right away. But if I'm at the university in the middle of class, and ask myself "I'm hungry - does it take longer than 2 minutes to get food?" the answear is yes, and it becomes a high-priority next-action.

Even going to the toilet is like "emptying the inbox" - and we usually decide to do it right away. But still, under some circumstances it's to much hazzle to do it right now (while driving, at a job interview etc.), and now it just becomes a very high-priority next-action.

Even brushing one's teeths each evening is an act of "emptying an inbox" - your mouth! (tooth brushing is just a very physical way of doing it and the next action - flushing - is obvious, but it wasn't when you started out).

So, look at thoose daily routines where you're behind, and see if you can identify any of them as an inbox. If so, realize that when you go through the traditional GTD-inboxes, this one also needs to be taken care of now, and it's more important that start working on your project that has a deadline in two days - at least if your ultimate goal is "mind like water".

Thoughts on this?

[Brent]

kabell wrote, "In GTD the single most important task is to have all your inboxes empty, and all your lists complete."

I disagree. I don't think GTD has one single most important task. What about GTD freeing you to think strategically about your work? Isn't that more important?

[sdann]

Yes, your kitchen sink is an inbox, and you should empty it as often as possible.

Including the kitchen sink...

Even your outbox, if you have one, is an inbox for filing. When I had asked on this forum if it was alright to use an outbox, so that I don't have to get up after every piece was processed, I was told by some that the outbox is really only an inbox. Just that symbolic suggestion had a great impact on me.

I like the idea of treating all these household areas as inboxes. If your bedroom is covered in your clothes, that looks like one big inbox. Time to process. That may also be a good reason to not just drop things where they are, but to put as much away as possible. Now I know this is not possible all the time - just look at my bedroom when I'm getting ready for a big event - but mentally this must help.

Another example is the snail mail. You pull it from your mailbox (inbox) and place it in your home in a stack, preferably in your household inbox. But, if you instead place the stack of mail on your foyer table, wouldn't that now be an inbox?

[kabell]

kabell wrote, "In GTD the single most important task is to have all your inboxes empty, and all your lists complete."

I disagree. I don't think GTD has one single most important task. What about GTD freeing you to think strategically about your work? Isn't that more important?

I guess you're right - it's language barriers here. What I meant is, that the single most important goal (this is valid, at least for me) is to have every commitment down on paper, so they aren't messing with your head. This will of course lead to better focus and thereby better productivity, but to achieve this, everything needs to be in a trusted system.

As David said somewhere (paraphrased): Having 95% of all your commitments down on paper, compared to 100%, is small in numbers, but it's a whole different world in terms of how you feel.

[Brent]

What I meant is, that the single most important goal (this is valid, at least for me) is to have every commitment down on paper, so they aren't messing with your head.

And even there, I disagree. I think the weekly review is even more important, as lots of people have tried getting everything out of their head, and within a few weeks are faced with an out-of-date, out-of-control monster of a system.

I think a consistent weekly review can fix an incomplete, broken system. But a complete, broken system won't work without regular reviews.

I suspect we're in violent agreement.

Anyway, back to inboxes. Yes, a foundational productivity pillar is emptying your inboxes frequently. It's certainly a learned skill; folks aren't born knowing this stuff.