Inconsistency in GTD?

[Tom_Hagen]

Often, when discussing the weekly review, GTD "officials" mention the ordering of subsequent actions in the project - checking off completed ones and appointing new ones. Similarly, gurus from various types of software, when asked about some automatic connection between the project and next actions, indicate that a weekly review is enough for them.
Similarly - if I remember correctly - Allen suggests not to mix the action execution phase with the work definition phase. And that makes sense too. On the other hand - I know from experience - that such delays can deprive us of certain opportunities to make further progress in the project during the week, as long as we define the next action in advance.

I would like to ask about your experience/optimum: after implementing a given action, do you define the next one immediately - if the project requires it, or do you wait and for how long?

 

[mcogilvie]

I mostly define a new action immediately after checking one off. Sometimes it is a next action to regroup, review, and find new concrete next action(s). Sometimes I will do more on a project than just the listed next action. This is all in line with the “next action as bookmark” point of view.” If I don’t have a next action on a project, I will catch it in the weekly review. Think of it as a safety feature. I do a brief daily review most mornings; while not “required” by GTD, it’s completely ok if it’s useful to you. The objectives are always clarity, simplicity and effectiveness, as revealed by experience. It’s important to develop confidence in finding your own best practices.

 

[schmeggahead]

I like to setup a general structure for larger multistep outcomes. I'm finding that as I work through steps in a project, I naturally follow through on next steps, mostly because it is clear that the other steps follow the ones I just completed. When my intuition creates an action that is not the very next physical visible action, I do a bit of writing down the actions around that action until I find the actual next one. Then I order those actions and usually work directly from project support materials to progress further. When I move off of working toward that outcome, I update my notes in project support. Then, I do fully clarify the next action or put a vague notion of where I am into IN to process later. As always, the review is the rear guard to make sure a project doesn't stall.

On my current large outcome (revitalize our laundry room) I find myself creating checklists (there are over 50 doors and drawer to paint) with the prep, putty, sand, paint, install hardware, mount/place in a grid for each of the items. I have a limited capacity to allow the paint to cure, so I've set it up for 5 pieces at a time. The checklist makes it easy to keep track. I made this after I worked through a few of them to find the step order. Experience with repetitive steps like this can help to determine what structure is needed to control the execution. David suggests a sort of right sizing of the control and tracking structure for multistep outcomes. I find that starting in on actions delivers me to a functional structure for the control. And that functional structure changes as my need for control goes up and down in granularity.

Hope this helps,
Clayton

"I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s." – William Blake

 

[Lucas W.]

Making it short - I keep it natural and without frictions.

In most cases the next action is quite natural consequence of the previous one - so I add it at once without too much braining.

If I missed something out then daily or weekly list checking do the job.

 

[FocusGuy]

after implementing a given action, do you define the next one immediately - if the project requires it, or do you wait and for how long?

Very interesting question. When I finish an action, the very next action comes most of the time naturally. Action over 2 mn goes into omnifocus directly into the project as reference material or I feel in a creative mode i work on the project it self. i use Omnifocus as a reminder reference material folder . I will come back later. in reality it is very simple and easy on the flow of action.
Nb : Reference material is not perfectly set up. It is on my list for 2024. I still dont know if I will make it on paper, digital or mixt as it already is.

 

[ivanjay205]

I struggle with this mixed advice as well. Personally, I have a lot of sequential things that need to happen. And my mind is more relaxed when I line them all up and they are set so the actions present themselves as I can do them. I understand the official reasoning behind against this is project plans change and you can accidentally hide next actions from yourself if an improper setup is present (I have done this and it stinks lol). What I do know is use an emoji arrow icon to clue me in to the project setup. I use a mixed arrows image for parallels projects and a straight arrow for sequential. So if I add something to a sequential proejct that triggers my mind to look at the project and ensure it is in the right place.

But I do try to minimze sequential project setups

 

[cfoley]

For me, a series of actions represents a plan, so it goes with my plan for the project. Nothing wrong with writing a plan up front. Most of my sequential plans are for repeat projects, so I have checklists in my reference system for those.

I agree that writing the first item of the checklist on my next action list is not helpful, so my next action is "Do checklist X".

Most of the time, I get through the checklist in one sitting, but if I get interrupted, I write the next action as "Continue checklist X from item Y".

Similarly, if something unexpected happens, then I set the checklist aside and write the real next action.

 

[mcogilvie]

I struggle with this mixed advice as well. Personally, I have a lot of sequential things that need to happen. And my mind is more relaxed when I line them all up and they are set so the actions present themselves as I can do them. I understand the official reasoning behind against this is project plans change and you can accidentally hide next actions from yourself if an improper setup is present (I have done this and it stinks lol). What I do know is use an emoji arrow icon to clue me in to the project setup. I use a mixed arrows image for parallels projects and a straight arrow for sequential. So if I add something to a sequential proejct that triggers my mind to look at the project and ensure it is in the right place.

But I do try to minimze sequential project setups

My experience is that laying out sequential future tasks did relieve anxiety on the front end, at least when my GTD practices were not so solid. However, that planning usually turned out to be not worth the trouble: things changed, issues were resolved by others, projects became irrelevan, et cetera. I still occasionally write down future next actions, but I mostly don’t take them too seriously. Your experiences may be different, of course.

 

[fooddude]

It depends. If I'm working on a project i start at my next action and just keep going until I stop. the very next action will be put in my contexts or I will wait for weekly review of projects to add it. I almost never, when putting a project on my list, write out all the next actions. There are too many variables. In other words my project list is just that. A list of what done looks like. It makes me anxious to see all post here with the project listing, cross referencing, and moving a next action to a list, putting it on a calendar etc. I don't know how anyone actually gets anything done.

 

[Tom_Hagen]

Thank you very much for all your answers.

 

[Oogiem]

after implementing a given action, do you define the next one immediately - if the project requires it, or do you wait and for how long?

Most of mine I can define all the actions at the beginning. I know it's not typical, most GTD folks say not to define too much in advance becaue things change but in my world somewhere between 80-90% of my projects can be fully defined up front so why not do it that way?So if I don't already have the next actions defined I do them as soon as I am done or as soon as I can but most I don't have to worry, the actiosn will show up automatically.