need clarification with the weekly review and someday/maybe.

[Quang123]

I am feeling resistance with doing the weekly review. I think it maybe that since I am putting everything into my system that my todo's are getting rather populated so I am feeling overwhelmed. So I think that it may be due to my implementation of the someday/maybe. I want only to just put what I can actually can do in a week as next action so that I have clear list of what needs to be done and what does not need to be done. Because I don't want to fish through alot of next actions that I really don't have to do during that week. And since my someday maybe is getting heavy, I wonder if I should have another someday maybe, maybe one I can check weekly and one I can check less frequently. I think it would reduce the friction of having to spend more time doing my weekly review. Any suggestions regarding implementation?

 

[GTDengineer]

Yes, do this. Then, set the third list on fire!

Joking, but how important can something be to be placed on the third list?

I think you are overwhelmed because you have overcommitted yourself.

Also, think about delegating.

 

[Quang123]

Yes I am over committed. Will have to get more help and delegate.

 

[Oogiem]

And since my someday maybe is getting heavy, I wonder if I should have another someday maybe, maybe one I can check weekly and one I can check less frequently. I think it would reduce the friction of having to spend more time doing my weekly review. Any suggestions regarding implementation?

Have as many someday/maybe lists as you need. Personally I am running with 72 different ones and there are over 1000 items on them. I don't need to worry about them until I check them and yes, I do loot at different ones on different schedules. A lot of mine can be sorted by season. I can't build fence in winter for example. I do a more in depth review of all my someday/maybe items once a quarter or 4 times a year when I revamp by task manager, putting back into S/M any projects that didn’t get finishedand activating all those I can work on or want to do in the next season. I keep my S/M lists out of my data to day GTD task manager specifically so that I can re-evaluate what I am really going towork on. I have my Someday/Maybe items roughly sorted by area of focus but find a system that works for you.

 

[James M]

Personally I'm like Oogiem and I have a long list of Somday/Maybes. I find I benefit from the freedom of sending stuff off to those lists when I can't commit to them now but want to remember or otherwise hold onto the idea for . . . someday later!

I wonder from reading the OP's post what you are doing when you get to the Someday/Maybe portion of your Weekly Review. I have no qualms when reviewing my main Projects and Next Action lists in sending the off to Someday/Maybe if they're not for now. I use the Someday/Maybe portion of the Weekly Review to scan through the whole list and see if anything catches my eye or if anything has now become relevant. Almost like a menu at a restaurant where the other person is paying!!

I don't think the Someday/Maybe portion works so well if you are thoroughly reviewing each Project on there - I could see how that could become a drag to maintain each time. Like Oogiem it might work better to save this in-depth review for a longer cycle, maybe every quarter or six months depending on your needs.

As ever the caveat with GTD is do as much as you need to get your Someday/Maybe list off your mind. Just don't think the system requires you to do this, it's supposed to be serving you.