Capturing Agenda Items

[ChrisSweetland]

I would like to hear some tips on capturing Agenda Items. In his book, I believe David recommended that we maintain an agenda list for our key associates, wife etc... The purpose, I think, is to have them handy when the occaision arises that we are in front of those people.

In my business, I run into people within my organization throughout the day that I am working on something with or for or that I have delegated to. One of the more difficult things for me is to recall things that I need to talk with those people about.

Thanks

 

[intrigueme@aol.com]

Re: Agendas

Chris -

I've used pre-printed forms for this in the past; but now that I have a Palm - I have these lists there.

I prefer the "@ People" designation and then within that I separate the friends and family by starting their "title" with "*" This way the people closest to me emotionally are driven to the top of the list.

The professional contacts I also list under "@ People" - but start their description with "Agenda: (name here)"

This gives me a quick & easy sort - whether you maintain these lists in your To-Do App; or Memo Pad.

 

[ChrisSweetland]

Rich:

Thanks for the reply. Is your @People designation a Category in Todo or Memo?

 

[intrigueme@aol.com]

Yes

(lol)

Actually, I've done it both ways. Currently it's in "To-Do," but it's really a matter of your personal psychology and how your mind "sees" those two electonic functions.

 

[Jason Womack]

Managing (any) lists...

We'll always walk a thin line between supporting more detailed "techie" kinds of conversations and questions, and maintaining the focus on the simple but powerful concepts that don't require that kind of granularity to implement successfully. There are already several postings about discrete software add-on's to the Palm, Outlook, etc. which is fine for the folks who are already deep into those tools, but which might be irrelevant to many of you. In fact, from our experience with lots of people, you can very easily get much too wrapped up in trying to make every detail fit and connect in all the ways you'd like it to. Systems must work when you have the flu, which means easy, simple, straightforward, without having to think too much or work too hard about fitting within a structure. Plain flat lists, tied together in a Weekly Review to keep them current, usually wins the day.

My recommendation continues to support the FUNCTIONALITY of a system. The form (in my opinion) is irrelevant to the effective use of an action management tool such as Getting Things Done. For example, whether I write my "@Agenda" actions on a paper list, or in an excel spreadsheet, it only really works if I am engaged and consistent about REVIEWING that list when I could do something at the computer. For me, speed and compact-ness are major features I look for for my own system. I use a Palm m505. I have added NO list management software on it, because the Palm designed it perfectly from the start! All I need is a list titled: @Computer, another titled: @Phone, etc. Now, after 6 years of working this system, I don't have to think "about" this system, I simply have an idea, get it out of my head, and go on to the next thing.

 

[Anonymous]

Lists

Jason

There's one problem I have with the approach you mention. I have well over 150 clients. When I am visiting one of them I'd like to see everything that has to do with them in one place. I'd rather not go through each list and try to find Customer ABC. While I'm there, I'd like to address everything that applies to them.

Anybody else have a more customer context related job? I want to do whats most important - not not necessarily whats most convenient (i.e. @phone, @computer). If doing whats most important requires me to be at the phone I'll find one!

In my case, doing whats most important often has to do with being in front of a customer.

 

[Anonymous]

I've used Palm handhelds going back to the Palm Pilot Personal and while they're great tools, I wouldn't say the software is perfect. No software is.

And if someone asks whether they keep a list in to-do or memo, I see no reason that would be out-of-bounds.

 

[Jason Womack]

Re: Lists

Jason

There's one problem I have with the approach you mention. I have well over 150 clients. When I am visiting one of them I'd like to see everything that has to do with them in one place. I'd rather not go through each list and try to find Customer ABC. While I'm there, I'd like to address everything that applies to them.

...just worked with a client yesterday, and we found a way to do a "search" (in Palm, called "find") and if we typed in one of her customer's names, EVERY : action, appointment, note, address and memo came to the front of the screen. She too, in CRM, has to have that info at hand when visiting clients. She seemed to think that this would serve her workflow...

 

[rossw]

Whenever I enter a NA which relates to a person, I start it with the person's name:

Val: agree which bills we can pay this month

project X steering team: have X escalate problem Y to Z

I use the alphabetical filter in Pocket Informant to bring up the "V" in any category to see what I have to work with anyone I meet. (Whether @waiting, @Bracknell office, @home, @phone or whatever.)

I am struggling to decide whetehr I still need an @agenda category - it's just one more list to forget to check...