C
Chet
Guest
I'm new here, so someone may have posted about what I'm about to post.
It's occurred to me that the term "To Do" sounds rather ad-hoc, i.e., one-off items you need to do. On the other hand. "Next Action" shows some continuity to what you're doing - you've done this, now what's the next action? Also, it gives a sense that you need to complete this next action for the project to progress, whereas a "to do" item does not look like it's attached to any project.
Psychologically (right word?), "Next Action" sounds more positive, more active, and I think I'm more likely to do a "Next Action" rather than a "To Do". Especially if it's listed with the project name at the top, as in:
Project:
Next Action:
In fact, I've been doing something similar ever since I started reading GTD and Ready for Anything. I would use one page per item, and write at the top, the name of the project and that day's date.
It's occurred to me that the term "To Do" sounds rather ad-hoc, i.e., one-off items you need to do. On the other hand. "Next Action" shows some continuity to what you're doing - you've done this, now what's the next action? Also, it gives a sense that you need to complete this next action for the project to progress, whereas a "to do" item does not look like it's attached to any project.
Psychologically (right word?), "Next Action" sounds more positive, more active, and I think I'm more likely to do a "Next Action" rather than a "To Do". Especially if it's listed with the project name at the top, as in:
Project:
Next Action:
In fact, I've been doing something similar ever since I started reading GTD and Ready for Anything. I would use one page per item, and write at the top, the name of the project and that day's date.