How to organize day-specific actions that must be done at a certain context?

seedgrumble

Registered
I have a few actions in which must be done on certain days but at different contexts. For example:
  • Submit paper on November 3rd (@computer)
  • Call my doctor about test results on March 28th (@phone)
  • Change aquarium's water on April 1st (@home)
  • Buy wallpaper on May 5th (@errands)
If I put these on my calendar then they lose context, but if I put them on my next action list, then they will lose focus and may not get done on that specific day. Based on my understanding, the next-action list is only for doing unscheduled tasks as soon as possible. How can I organize while keeping both the date and the context at which to do the task?
 

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
First of all, taking @TesTeq 's question into consideration; make sure that time or day specific events are really that!
Then, if something has to happen on a certain day/time, it belongs in your calendar. This is the hard landscape, and the first list you check for action.

For errands, you could choose to put in your calendar that you had to visit the store in question on that day, and refer to your errands list when you get three (there may be other things you get done when you are there).

Changing water in your aquarium isn't time critical enough in my book, unless this is the only available date for a longer period of time - again, calendar.

Deadline for paper - reminder in calendar. In this example, also make sure to set a trigger way before to make sure you get the work done in time...

Often times, the contexts of the tasks will be quite evident when you see then in your calendar anyway. Remember, contexts are for grouping items so that they represent a menu of options in whatever context you find yourself in!
 

mcogilvie

Registered
The classic answer is that such things go on your calendar, IF they are really DUE ON and not DUE BY or even START BY. Some of your examples may be in those other date categories, but it’s hard to tell without knowing more. That said, I think a lot of people practice something like double-entry bookkeeping: you see it listed once by context and once by date. Many digital list tools are capable of doing this, or you can use both calendar and context list. I use an app which has both start dates and deadlines along with context tags (and projects for organizing actions).
 

cfoley

Registered
Do you trust yourself to look at your calendar first thing in the morning?

If yes, then they belong on the calendar.
If no, cultivate the habit of checking your calendar in the morning and as many times throughout the day as you need.

Whatever your answer, you can place as many other reminders, in whatever form you like, in as many places as you need to make sure that you cannot forget.

Leave a newspaper folded over your computer screen to remind you to submit the paper. Put your phone in a latex glove to remind you to call the doctor. Put a fish toy in the toilet to remind you to change the aquarium water. Wrap your car in old wallpaper so that you remember to go and buy the new wallpaper.

Or, you know, use post-its instead.
 

seedgrumble

Registered
First of all, taking @TesTeq 's question into consideration; make sure that time or day specific events are really that!
Then, if something has to happen on a certain day/time, it belongs in your calendar. This is the hard landscape, and the first list you check for action.

For errands, you could choose to put in your calendar that you had to visit the store in question on that day, and refer to your errands list when you get three (there may be other things you get done when you are there).

Changing water in your aquarium isn't time critical enough in my book, unless this is the only available date for a longer period of time - again, calendar.

Deadline for paper - reminder in calendar. In this example, also make sure to set a trigger way before to make sure you get the work done in time...

Often times, the contexts of the tasks will be quite evident when you see then in your calendar anyway. Remember, contexts are for grouping items so that they represent a menu of options in whatever context you find yourself in!
If I do not choose to put the 'change aquarium's water' on the calendar, and instead put it on the @next_actions list, how do I get reminded on a specific day since next actions items should not have dates? Same thing for 'paper due': which method to use to set the trigger to work on the paper in advance?
 

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
If I do not choose to put the 'change aquarium's water' on the calendar, and instead put it on the @next_actions list, how do I get reminded on a specific day since next actions items should not have dates? Same thing for 'paper due': which method to use to set the trigger to work on the paper in advance?
In the case of the paper, I would set a reminder in the calendar that the paper was due in, say, 3 months or whatever feels appropriate. I always mark up such items with TSR (time specific reminder) to distinguish them from "hard landscape" items.

If you feel that you need to be reminded of aquarium water change, put it in the calender - just be cautious about putting too much on the calendar that doesn't REALLY have to happen on a certain day. Also, as time goes by, things get on cruise control (such as brushing your teeth or taking a shower).

In my job, I have a bunch of monhtly deadlines. I have made a "monthly routines" (also daily and weekly) list in my list manager for items that have to be done BY a certain date, but not necessarily ON a certain date. These are recurring items, which re-populate upon completion. The daily and weekly lists have filters showing only items due on the day or week I'm on and the monthly is sorted by due date (which means that completed items re-appear at the bottom of the list upon completion). A lot of these items could very well have been on my calendar, but I prefer this method - which also gives the added bonus of checking off things as done!
 

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
I do not plan for errands over one month ahead. The wallpaper does not need to be bought on that day, but would be a good idea to get started to avoid delay on the following tasks in the project.
In my world, this would then be an item on my "errands" list, which is reviewed weekly. At some point, I'll decide to just get it done...
 

cfoley

Registered
I do not plan for errands over one month ahead. The wallpaper does not need to be bought on that day, but would be a good idea to get started to avoid delay on the following tasks in the project.

Maybe part of the problem is putting things on you calendar that are not hard landscape.

GTD encourages you to only put a few things on the calendar:
  • Actions that must be done on a specific day (i.e. not by a day).
  • Actions that must be done at a specific time (e.g. meetings)
  • Day-specific information.
If something should be done "as soon as you can" then it goes on the appropriate context's action list. It sounds like this is the case for your wallpaper.

If you want to take note of deadlines then you are encouraged to note them with the project or action, not on the calendar. In a recent seminar I said that I also added deadlines to my calendar as "day specific information". @John Forrister challenged me, saying that it could be a sign that I was not fully trusting my system. He was correct, and since then I have improved my weekly reviews and also the way I scan my lists each day. I no-longer feel the need to add deadlines to the calendar.
 

René Lie

Certified GTD Trainer
I no-longer feel the need to add deadlines to the calendar.
I am a little "split" in my view of this. Sure, you should be able to trust your system - but on the other hand, if you're e.g. invited to a meeting and check your calendar - you will not see the deadline for your project...

It also depends on how much is on your calendar, IMHO. I try to keep my calendar as open as possible, meaning that putting the odd deadline (of which I have as few as possible) in my calendar doesn't "take too much space".
 

Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
I am a little "split" in my view of this. Sure, you should be able to trust your system - but on the other hand, if you're e.g. invited to a meeting and check your calendar - you will not see the deadline for your project...

It also depends on how much is on your calendar, IMHO. I try to keep my calendar as open as possible, meaning that putting the odd deadline (of which I have as few as possible) in my calendar doesn't "take too much space".
I agree - I add important deadlines in the banner at the top of my Outlook calendar all of the time.
 

Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
Maybe part of the problem is putting things on you calendar that are not hard landscape.

GTD encourages you to only put a few things on the calendar:
  • Actions that must be done on a specific day (i.e. not by a day).
  • Actions that must be done at a specific time (e.g. meetings)
  • Day-specific information.
If something should be done "as soon as you can" then it goes on the appropriate context's action list. It sounds like this is the case for your wallpaper.

If you want to take note of deadlines then you are encouraged to note them with the project or action, not on the calendar. In a recent seminar I said that I also added deadlines to my calendar as "day specific information". @John Forrister challenged me, saying that it could be a sign that I was not fully trusting my system. He was correct, and since then I have improved my weekly reviews and also the way I scan my lists each day. I no-longer feel the need to add deadlines to the calendar.
And...it is perfectly fine to block time off on your calendar for focused work.
 

cfoley

Registered
And...it is perfectly fine to block time off on your calendar for focused work.

The GTD book approaches this implicitly from what I can see. Please correct me if I am wrong but I don't remember the GTD book saying this outright. What it does recommend is blocking out two days for the initial setup, blocking out time for processing the inbox and blocking out time for the weekly review. It seems like time blocking is assumed to be a skill or technique that the reader already has.
 

DKPhoto

Registered
I have a few actions in which must be done on certain days but at different contexts. For example:
  • Submit paper on November 3rd (@computer)
  • Call my doctor about test results on March 28th (@phone)
  • Change aquarium's water on April 1st (@home)
  • Buy wallpaper on May 5th (@errands)
If I put these on my calendar then they lose context, but if I put them on my next action list, then they will lose focus and may not get done on that specific day. Based on my understanding, the next-action list is only for doing unscheduled tasks as soon as possible. How can I organize while keeping both the date and the context at which to do the task?
Do you use a tickler file?

It may help with some of these things. For instance the call for test results presumably can’t be made before that date, so stick it in a tickler file.

I actually use start dates in my digital list (2do app) so it only shows up when i can do it, which is very similar to a tickler file.

I have a scheduled view that allows me to see what tasks are coming up, which i check during the weekly review so I know what’s on my radar for the coming week.

A paper based system would do just as well though, as per the original GTD concept.

The submit paper task seems a hard deadline, so as others have said it goes on the calendar. Again I would put a digital alert in an appropriate amount of time before to ensure i am giving it enough attention to meet that deadline.

:DK
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
Hi, @seedgrumble.

To amplify what @mcogilvie has already written, the standard advice given is that if something is due by a certain date it goes in your lists. If it can only be done on a certain date, it goes in your calendar, either as a time-specific activity or an activity that is date- but not time-specific (most calendars, electronic and paper, allow you to include the latter in some fashion).

If you use a list manager that allows it, you can put due dates on your next actions. If not, they can go in your calendar.

The idea that next actions should never have a due date is a common misconception. What David Allen is advising against is setting fake due dates to motivate yourself. The idea is that if you do that, you'll go numb to the whole concept of deadlines and possibly miss ones that are real.

(Don't feel bad about having misconceptions about GTD. It happens to just about everyone. I've had more than a few misunderstandings about the material myself. There's a lot of information in the GTD book and it flies in the face of what passes for "common sense" when it comes to "time management.")

Examples of real due dates include a deadline for submitting your tax return, a due date for handing in homework if you're in school, or a deadline set by your boss for accomplishing something. Fake due dates would be ones where you decide "I should accomplish this by such-and-such a date because it would be preferable". I think your self-imposed deadline for buying wallpaper would qualify as a fake due date.

Now, you don't have to do things the way David Allen recommends. If you would feel better setting some "fake" due dates, by all means, do so. They're your lists. They won't, y'know, explode or anything if you do things differently than is presented in the book. (At least I hope they won't. GTD is tool-agnostic. But if your list manager is incendiary to the point of being capable of a literal explosion, I feel safe in saying you need a different list manager. They should not explode. It's dangerous. And it won't help you get your work done, unless you're in the building demolition business or something similar.)

If you're on the fence about it, though, or you've already committed to going "all in" with GTD as David Allen presents, I'd suggest trying it the way he suggests and limit due dates in your system to those that are real. What's the worst that can happen? Maybe over time you decide you don't like doing it that way. Well, then, at that point you can always try something else.
 

bcmyers2112

Registered
@seedgrumble, I had meant to address one of your other concerns but got lost in everything else I was trying to write. I think I need to hire an editor! I've been told I'm coming close to having made 1,000 posts in this forum over a 10 year period. I have a feeling if you took those nearly 1,000 posts and boiled them down to what I said that was actually meaningful, you might be able to fill like 4 or 5 really short posts.

But... anyway... I know you were concerned that if you put an action in your calendar it would lose its context. One of the reasons for organizing actions by context is that most people have between 50 - 150 next actions at any given time (at least I think that's the range DA threw out there -- if that's not quite right, I think you still get my point). That's too many actions to grapple with in one list. By separating them by context, you make it easier to digest what you can or can't do in the moment.

If you're keeping your calendar to stuff that's really time-dependent, though -- not the "shoulds" but the "musts" -- you're likely not going to end up with very many actions in your calendar. So let's say you add "Submit paper on November 3rd" to your calendar on that date. I think you can trust yourself to know that that requires your computer, and you need to get your butt in front of that computer at some point on that day to complete that action.

And if you're still concerned about the context -- which I don't think you'd need to be, but if you were -- you could always put "Submit paper via PC" in your calendar. Then you'll remember.
 
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