@Agenda how do you use it?

[Borisoff]

I had weekly review today. While processing I got myself wondering where to put a Next Action - "ask my wife about the status of my passport". This action should be discussed in private so one option is to put it to @Home context, another option is @Agenda. The same question I have when need to meet and discuss something with co-workers (to put to @Office or @Agenda). I think @Agenda is more passive context and to make it active I should add corresponding @Call (Call Frank to discuss the Agenda) where @Office or @Home more active as I should start looking i.e. for my wife to discuss the status of the passport. The Next Action could "sit" for ages in @Agenda context unless you meet the needed person by pure accident. How do you use @Agenda?

Regards,

Eugene.

PS I think you should know all my context to give the right comments, they are @Agenda, @Home, @Office, @Waiting, @Call.

 

[mramm]

I would definitely put it in @Agenda. That is where I store all of the points that I want to talk to my bosses (@Home [wife] and @Work).

I usually just bullet point them and abbreviate them so that I remember what I wanted to ask them. It is not in use much now. I have been working with my wife since January, so I have more access to her to ask questions when I think of them.

Michael

 

[Borisoff]

I would definitely put it in @Agenda. That is where I store all of the points that I want to talk to my bosses (@Home [wife] and @Work).

I usually just bullet point them and abbreviate them so that I remember what I wanted to ask them. It is not in use much now. I have been working with my wife since January, so I have more access to her to ask questions when I think of them.

Michael

Michael, the question is how do you "activate" @Agenda items: when you meet the person or put corresponding @Call (arrange @Agenda discussion)?

E.

 

[tominperu]

I don't have one @Agenda list but various, for example I have @Agenda Landlord, @Agenda Ivana, @Agenda Estaban. Then I can look at these lists when I meet these people face to face, which isn't often. But, if I was going to discuss things by phone, they would be in @Calls.

The key is that these are reminders, and this is the reminder system that best works for me. Having all @Agendas together would mean I would develop a resistance to looking at a confusing list.

But that's just me. The best system is one where you are reminded of what you have to do ASAP, when you are able to do it - so in your case I suppose @Home. But it's your call.

Tom

 

[apinaud]

I don't have one @Agenda list but various

I use the Same system, I have an agenda for any relationship (personal or professional) that I interact in more than one action. My Wife, Boss, Technical Support, Distributors had their own Agenda. That keep me the focus to talk all the points in one call or visit.

In general I do not add a Next Action to talk to My Wife about the Agenda, I consider that a Context, so when I change to that context I pull my list. If I add to the list something that is Priority and I need quick response, then I add to the appropiate list Call Boss Re: Agenda - X Deal. That way I know that it is going to be an high Item if I let that go.

Also people gets use to that concept of the Agenda, and now automatically ask me, what else is on your list... I smile, but works like a charm...

One thing I do not do is create agendas for one time things, that goes in my lists, but a soon as I have more than 2 things to deal with you, you get your own context...

 

[mramm]

Michael, the question is how do you "activate" @Agenda items: when you meet the person or put corresponding @Call (arrange @Agenda discussion)?

E.

I put items to be discussed with my boss on my @Agenda: Boss list. The next time that I know I am going to see him, I review the list before hand to jog my memory on things, and then check them off when I talk to him. Of course, they usually move into another list or another new project.

If I take a call from someone who has a @Agenda list then I pull out my @agenda list and use it there.

If I need to call my boss, the on @Calls I have 'Call Boss', then I pull out my @Agenda list when I talk to him.

Michael

 

[Tspall]

If it's something you really need to talk about you could put a note in @Call (or @Home or where it's needed) for "Talk to Wife". You could even put "Talk to Wife [Agenda]" if you wanted to remind yourself that you have Agenda items to discuss. I've used this at work and it helps me to schedule the meeting to begin with, but I know where my Agenda items are once I get there.

 

[ommoran]

How I use it...

I use @Agenda by having a seperate agenda item for each person I deal with or wait for things from on a regular basis. These are people I speak to somewhere between every day and every week, plus senior executives.

I place a note in the Agenda item listing the things I need to talk to them about. If I find that the items have sat on the list for too long (during my weekly review) I either turn it into a call or an e-mail while doing the review.

Just FWIW.

 

[moises]

If you use Outlook or a similar digital system, you might be interested in my method. I stopped using @Agendas and started using another field ("Contacts" in Outlook, "Assignee" in my system) to track other people's NAs and Projects. For me, a conversation with my wife would go in the @Home context, with my wife's name as the Contact-Assignee.

I find this very helpful at work. Over the week I send 3 or 4 emails to John Doe regarding 3 or 4 open issues that I need his response from. At the end of the week John calls me about something entirely different. While I am on the phone with him I filter my Contact-Assignees column for JDoe. As we are talking I ask him the status of the 3 or 4 open issues we have. I would never remember all this stuff before I used the GTD system.

 

[GTDWorks]

I have 21 people who are recorded under my my @Agenda Category List.

Whenever I think of something that relates to my interaction with one of them, I add it in the Notes section under their name in my task in Entourage and review it before my next meeting with them, when I run into them unexpectedly, or during my Weekly Review.

If a contact needs to be made with that person before my next scheduled meeting, I add that to my @Computer or @Calls list and act on it accordingly.

 

[severance1970]

I don't use personalized Agendas lists or folders, since I rarely need to hold enough issues for any one person at a time to warrant it. I tried the recommended way, but for me it was too much overhead. I also found that when I did keep individual agenda lists I would forget to look at them at the appropriate time.

What I do now for all office agendas is keep a single Agendas folder for everything that requires me to get up from my desk, so I can batch and dispatch everything in a single loop and avoid getting up from my desk every 15 seconds. I don't write what I put in the folder on a list. The folder is the list. This works phenomenally well. I put non-work agendas on my @Home list or the context where I expect to see the person in question.

 

[mcgratsc]

@Agenda and @Waiting merged

I run my life by email and find using an amalgamation of @Waiting techniques solves my @Agenda needs.

I used to document everything that popped up on my @Agenda note for the relevent person. (Ask Joe about the new secret cookie recipe)Too often, when the time came to review the list of things, too many would result in that "Huh?" response. (Huh? What secret cookie recipe?)

Now, when an idea pops up, I send Joe an email "Next time we talk, let me in on the secret cookie recipe." If this is not something I can or should send a seperate email message about - lioke my grandmother, I'll send the message to myself. I cc myself on all such messages (just like every message I send as an assignment or intend to file as @Waiting). I have a mail handling rule that automatically files every message I've sent and received as a cc into my @Waiting folder.

When Joe calls me out of the blue, or we go through our weekly review, I go to my @Waiting folder, which is sorted to show all items listed by whom I sent it to. We review all the items I am waiting on him for, and he is ready to divulge the cookie recipe because I've warned him to be ready to discuss it.

I find this a bit more productive, and eliminates one more place for things to be filed and hide.

 

[jpm]

I use @Agendas for items I need to discuss in my next 1:1 meeting either with my boss, my direct reports, or my wife, etc. Anyone I have regular standing meetings with or see on a day to day basis. I copy each item as an outlook task and label it with the person's name and the date I recorded the item followed by a short description.

Then in the 1:1 meeting we go over any agenda items and all waiting fors. Fairly simple. Once you get in the habit of checking the list it's easy enough to handle.

 

[Borisoff]

I run my life by email and find using an amalgamation of @Waiting techniques solves my @Agenda needs.

The problem is that sometimes I can't discuss some of the issues by email or by phone.

 

[kewms]

The problem is that sometimes I can't discuss some of the issues by email or by phone.

Doesn't matter. You don't need to discuss the details in email, just remind the person to be prepared. "Next time we talk, could you give me an update on the Manhattan Project?"

Katherine

 

[Borisoff]

My customers don't have email or don't have time to check it

 

[darlakbrown]

Retraining to use Agendas

I think it is a matter of retraining yourself to remember to use the list. If your PDA or Outlook isn't convenient at work, you could keep your @Agendas on a 3x5 index card in your pocket in case you run into one of your workers (or need to capture another agenda item to the list.)

The point is to retrain yourself to trust your system.. Every time you think of something to tell somebody, is it better to add it to their agenda list or to send them a separate email each time. It depends on your situation and what is most productive in your situation.

Thanks for the great question.

 

[Nellas]

I have 21 people who are recorded under my my @Agenda Category List.

Whenever I think of something that relates to my interaction with one of them, I add it in the Notes section under their name in my task in Entourage and review it before my next meeting with them, when I run into them unexpectedly, or during my Weekly Review.

If a contact needs to be made with that person before my next scheduled meeting, I add that to my @Computer or @Calls list and act on it accordingly.

I use an approach that is similar.

I set up a personalized @ category (e.g. @boss; @Dr X; etc) for people with whom I have frequent contact with and it acts as my tickler file for future discussions with that person. If there is something that comes up that is time-sensitive and action-specific in nature, then I use the appropriate @[action] listing (@calls; @email; etc.)

 

[Borisoff]

I will explain how and why I use @Agenda as well. Probably there're will be suggestions on improvments. In general terms I'm a sales. I have to get in touch with people to make progress and get deals. I don't have the final system in my mind by this moment so I need your input here. I have potential sales that stay in Projects list. To move a project to the contract phase I need to meet with customers so I use @Agenda context to put the next planned activity with the customer. For example, @Agenda Mike: develop the need in a Cisco router (when done I will add the next step, i.e. Mike: work out criterias of choosing a router). The problem is a customer usually do not calls a sales and it's the sales responsibility to get in touch. That's why I usually add corresponding @Call context to activate @Agenda, i.e. @Call Mike: arrange a meeting to discuss the agenda.

If you have already a sales system in place based on GTD it would be nice if you can share it with all of us.

Regards,

Eugene.