Daily Short List

[Tspall]

I've done this from time to time. Sometimes, I get easily distracted by action items that don't need to be done right then, so it's helpful to filter out only the things I need to do at the moment. I don't do anything fancy, just a few short notes on an index card, crossing them off when I'm done. When I finish the list, I go to my action item and cross them off the "master" list. It's not an everyday thing, but it does help you to focus when it's needed.

[cornell]

I do it, I teach it, and it's an effective way to both control action overload, and to focus your day. I like it the night before, but first thing in the morning is fine too.

Re: MIT, I suggest picking one HIT (High Impact Task plus a mixture of fun, important, easy, hard, etc.

Re: Project focus, I like Mark Forster's Current Initiative idea. It's over the span of a week or so, and its action is the first order of business in the day.

More generally this comes under the category of "What is a good workday?" I find sticking to my plan as much as possible leads to a satisfying day.

More on the process here, FYI:

A Daily Planning Experiment: Two Weeks Of Accountable Rigorous Action
http://matthewcornell.org/2008/05/a-...us-action.html

Happy planning!

[michelle1908]

I do it as well, usually first thing in the morning. I just go through my next action list and place a star by things that absolutely have to get done that day. It helps me when I want to procrastinate to tackle those high payoff items first.

[cornell]

I now believe creating a daily plan (AKA your "Short List") is an absolutely necessity. I experimented with it [1] and will never, ever go back. I argued in 10 GTD "holes" (and How To Plug Them) that it addresses one of GTD's limitations. (Intentionally provocative

[1] A Daily Planning Experiment: Two Weeks Of Accountable Rigorous Action

[TesTeq]

I now believe creating a daily plan (AKA your "Short List") is an absolutely necessity.

It's just a belief...

In GTD you should put "things you must do on a given day" in your calendar. But there is no need to create a separate list of things that might be done on a given day.

[GTDWorks]

I use the GTD Coordinator and find there's plenty of room for the things that absolutely MUST be done today but small enough that I won't populate it with long, daily To Do lists. One thing I've learned frm the Coordinator is to use a Post-It Note for the kind of lists I need for the next day or so. I just keep moving it until I can finish it and throw it away.

[DanGTD]

Tim Ferris suggests to only have *two* important things (that make a difference) to do in a day, and to work on one of them before 11 am.

[TesTeq]

Leo Babauta suggests choosing only three Most Important Tasks (MITs) that will become the focus of your day.
( "The Power of Less", page 58 )

[Grey1618]

I love the GTD methodology, but I also find that a daily list is vital. As a poster above said, it's vital not to let it become a daily to-do list. For me it's a reminder of things I'm supposed to do everyday (Take vitamins, exercise) and goals if I have the time.

You can see a breakdown of how I use my daily list here.

[Yoshimi]

@Grey - If your keeping those sorts of list you might want to rake a look at the control journal used in flylady. It's primaily a methodology for getting your home in order, however the process she uses to help get to grips with these sorts of day to day things is great, and keeps these things off your NA lists.

The control journal format she uses could easily fit into a paper based system, too (ok I just realised I need to do this, typical)