I am trying to help a friend get started with some basic GTD methodology. She has an OVERFLOWING inbox (with MONTHS worth of papers, notes, old lists, etc. in it.) So many of her things are projects according to GTD definitions, but whenever we sit down to start processing, it takes forever if I challenge her to clarify the outcome and come up with a good outcome-oriented "title" for the project, create a project folder, initial project plan page, define a next action, etc. (We are doing all paper as that works best for her right now.)
Because she doesn't have a list yet of what everything is, each item that is unearthed seems vitally important to her and she loves clarifying it and talking about it and deciding the next action to move it forward. But I I know full well that some of these things really need to get parked on a Someday/Maybe list to get them out of the way for now. I think if we can just get through the initial piles and mind sweep, she'll be able to see that more effectively, but for now they all seem urgent.
So my question: Is is okay to write things on the Projects List that don't yet have a clearly defined outcome and outcome-oriented description, just so we can get the inbox under control. Another factor is that I only have about 2 hours/week to work with her and she doesn't "get it" enough yet to process things on her own. She's just working with what we get on the next actions list and trying to keep up with that, so in the meantime the inbox grows more full.
Being in this state of overwhelm is foreign to me as I've been doing some form of GTD for years and I have always been organized as well so I'm looking for strategies I can use to help her.
Because she doesn't have a list yet of what everything is, each item that is unearthed seems vitally important to her and she loves clarifying it and talking about it and deciding the next action to move it forward. But I I know full well that some of these things really need to get parked on a Someday/Maybe list to get them out of the way for now. I think if we can just get through the initial piles and mind sweep, she'll be able to see that more effectively, but for now they all seem urgent.
So my question: Is is okay to write things on the Projects List that don't yet have a clearly defined outcome and outcome-oriented description, just so we can get the inbox under control. Another factor is that I only have about 2 hours/week to work with her and she doesn't "get it" enough yet to process things on her own. She's just working with what we get on the next actions list and trying to keep up with that, so in the meantime the inbox grows more full.
Being in this state of overwhelm is foreign to me as I've been doing some form of GTD for years and I have always been organized as well so I'm looking for strategies I can use to help her.