@Agendas or @Office?

[iTISTIC]

I have the following next action that needs to be completed:

- Get with accountant to review invoice and verify all charges are correct

Is this something I should put in my Account task under @Agendas, or something I should put as a regular task under @Office? It has to be done at the office, but it is also an Agenda of something I need to go over with the accountant. What's the best way to distinguish between the two?

I apologize for the influx of posts I'm making today. Just trying to get as many of these questions knocked out as I think of them as I possibly can.

 

[kewms]

If it were my system...

If I meet with the accountant regularly, I'll have an @accountant context which contains everything I need to bring up at our next meeting.

If I don't, or if the particular action is too urgent to wait for the next regular meeting, I'll create an appropriate @phone or @email item to set up a meeting or conference call.

I don't use the @agenda context much. It seems to me better suited to group meetings -- which I don't have many of -- than to meetings with individuals.

But it's your list, not mine.

Katherine

 

[Barry]

If I have a lot of items to discuss with the accountant, then having a list of those items (agenda) will be helpful. If I only have one item to discuss with the accountant, that won't make for much of an agenda and should just be a stand-alone item on a N/A list.

 

[iTISTIC]

If I have a lot of items to discuss with the accountant, then having a list of those items (agenda) will be helpful. If I only have one item to discuss with the accountant, that won't make for much of an agenda and should just be a stand-alone item on a N/A list.

Thanks Katherine & Barry.. I think this sums it up best. Good idea.

 

[1drummergirl]

This sounds more like a small project to me and the action should be more along the lines of "Call Accountant RE: Company Invoice" to either set an appointment to review the invoice or to discuss it over the phone if possible. I would put all questions in the note of the task and work on it from there. However, if I had more questions for the accountant, I would make an @Agenda item with his/her name and list ALL questions in there. I would still keep the other "Call" action to trigger an action.

To me the 'agenda' category only works for a small number of people that I see virtually every week. For these people, looking at my agenda list has become a habit when I meet with them. For example - I keep a running agenda for my husband which includes questions, reminders and waiting fors all in the same note. For everyone else, the item goes on the calls or email list. If I happen to see them in person, then so be it. But if I am likely to NOT see them, then I have to have a proactive approach.

 

[Elena]

Everyone here has given you great advice!
But I am wondering if this isn't stated too broadly.
This sounds more like a project than a Next Action.
What do you need to do to get that done?
Maybe it would be to call the accountant and set up a time? @Call
or to get a copy of the invoice first? @Office or wherever they are.
or once you have a copy, block out some time to review and highlight your questions. That sounds like a hard landscape task, because it has to be done before your appointment. (that you Called to set up.) so it goes on your Calendar. Do you see where this is going? There are multiple steps to solve this.
I know I am very guilty of trying to put more than one step in the NA. When I get bogged down, I have to take it back down to a more basic step, something I CAN do.
Hope this helps a little.
Elena

 

[luisr]

What I *HAVE* to do, and *WHEN* I have to do

Here's my suggestion: ask yourself if it's a "HAVE to do" or "WHEN to do"

My usage:

The "HAVE to do" is 'call accountant to set appointment about project x'.
It goes in @calls. (and I link task to the right project too).

My WHEN to do is "Appointment with accountant re: Project x"
It goes on the calendar - and I attach the Agenda to that meeting.
(I use Outlook & Palm Treo and link a Memo to the appointment. The memo IS the agenda).

Luis