Prevarication! Use of a Next Action can make important projects harder

[Ship69]

Hello

I have been finding a psychological problem with using one "Next Action" for each project.

Part of the problem is that as a core principle, it seems that the more times I look at something and fail to execute it, the harder that task gets. i.e. The more I put something off the higher its 'resistance' becomes.

So what I find is that if I don't manage to execute that any given next action within a few days, it suddenly becomes stupidly hard to execute. And if I only have ONE next action for each project, then the whole project becomes blocked because of stupidly 'high resistance' next actions.

In fact over time, it's all too easy to end up with lots of important projects being blocked in this way.

Anyone else have this problem?
If so, how do you work around it?

J

 

[Gardener]

I feel the need for examples of your next actions.

But in general, if I have a problem doing a next action, I redefine it. If it's too big, I splinter it and take the first tiny part. If I don't want to do it, I'll just change it.

Imagine that I made the mistake of having a next action, "Plant two wide rows of strawberries." I do plan to get this done soon. But it's too big. So I'll cut the action to "Clear and add amendments to beds G to K of row 5".

But let's imagine that that was my next action and I realized I was out of fertilizer and greensand, and for whatever reason I just didn't wanna get in the car and go get more. I'd just shrug and change the next action to, "Clear beds G to K of row 5" and then "Clear bed A of row 5". And when I'm done I add a Next Action of "Buy fertilizer and greensand" to close the garden work for that day.

But when I get to that action, if I still don't wanna, I'll just change it to something else.

 

[Shady Waxwing]

One easy way around this is to list more than one next action. (That assumes the project has additional next actions. Theoretically you could have a project that has only one available next action, and other actions are all dependent on the first one.)

But I would instead look at how you've defined the next action. Is it worded so that it's clear what needs to be done, without rethinking? Is it granular enough that the win of completing it can counter the urge to put it off?

If I have important projects that are not moving, they're not that important, because each time I decide not to take action, I've decided that something else is more important.

 

[Ship69]

Hi Both

Yes, redefining / breaking down into smaller "no need to re-think" type actions helps.

If I have important projects that are not moving, they're not that important, because each time I decide not to take action, I've decided that something else is more important.

If only this were true! Nope, personally I find it all too easy for important stuff to get put off for no good reason, but simply for the bad reasons that it's not urgent (yet), nobody is chasing me for it (yet) and part of me doesn't want to do it yet because it's hard. And worse, having looked at it a few times and failed to do it, I now start to have the habit of failing to execute that task.
[ASIDE: It turns out I am not alone in this procrastination. Did you ever see Tim Urban's TED talk on this?
https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator ]

One easy way around this is to list more than one next action.

YES, but if I'm correct, it's not really what GTD preaches.
Also, my software MLO doesn't have any trivial way to achieve that.

In fact, MLO only has an (ONLY) ONE "Next Action" per project view with the result that I don't normally use this view at all. Instead, I flag up tasks for today manually. The down-side of this is that once I've ticked those tasks off there is no next task automatically on my list. Also, I can start to become numbed to seeing some of those tasks and they fail to call me to action.

J

 

[Jim]

YES, but if I'm correct, it's not really what GTD preaches.

I'll step in and give the response I was given when I asked about this on a webinar. The official response is that you should have a minimum of one next action. You should create as many next actions as you feel the need to, with the goal of reducing stress. Most GTD practitioners need only one next action to trigger progress on a project.

If MLO only supports one next action, I would consider writing the author and see if they are willing to address this in a future update. If they aren't willing to adapt, then I would suggest finding another solution.

 

[Gardener]

YES, but if I'm correct, it's not really what GTD preaches.

That's what I used to think, but last time I looked I couldn't find support for that belief. I don't know if it was in an older version of the book, or if it was my interpretation of something and that interpretation faded away when I re-read, or...what. I still prefer only one Next Action, but the requirement doesn't seem to be in there. (If it is in there, even by implication, I'm curious to know where, if only to prove that I didn't make it up.)

 

[TesTeq]

YES, but if I'm correct, it's not really what GTD preaches.

No.
1. The number of Next Actions for each active Project must be GREATER THAN ZERO.
2. Any Next Action mustn't be dependent on any other Next Action.

 

[kelstarrising]

Just to affirm what others have correctly stated--you can and often will have more than one next action for a project, as long as they can be done in parallel. Actions that require something to happen first are future actions or project support/plans. For example:

Project: Take trip to Tahiti

Next Actions:
Call Stacy to find out where they stayed in Tahiti (@Calls)
Google hotels in Rangiroa (@Computer)
Buy a new suitcase (@Errands)

Waiting Fors:
New passport to arrive (@Waiting For)

Future Actions/Project Plans/Project Support:
Book house sitter when we've booked trip
Go to post office to put hold on mail during trip
Book snorkeling excursion

If the software you are using is prohibiting capturing more than one parallel next action, find new software, so you are not limited by such a ridiculous feature.

 

[Cpu_Modern]

Some projects don't need any Next Action at all. You could have a calendared item (meeting, appointment) as the next step or something in the tickler file.

 

[Shady Waxwing]

Some projects don't need any Next Action at all. You could have a calendared item (meeting, appointment) as the next step or something in the tickler file.

Perhaps you could give an example of what would go in the tickler file, because I think it could count as a next action on the project. The calendared items (meeting, appointment) are for sure legitimate next actions for a project. I conceive of the calendar as a form of action list, arranged chronologically. And in chapter 7 of Getting Things Done, David refers to "actions that go on your calendar" and "calendared action items." For me, projects often have next actions that are on the calendar, such as meetings or appointments.

 

[Suzanna]

Just to affirm what others have correctly stated--you can and often will have more than one next action for a project, as long as they can be done in parallel. Actions that require something to happen first are future actions or project support/plans. For example:

Project: Take trip to Tahiti

Next Actions:
Call Stacy to find out where they stayed in Tahiti (@Calls)
Google hotels in Rangiroa (@Computer)
Buy a new suitcase (@Errands)

Waiting Fors:
New passport to arrive (@Waiting For)

Future Actions/Project Plans/Project Support:
Book house sitter when we've booked trip
Go to post office to put hold on mail during trip
Book snorkeling excursion

If the software you are using is prohibiting capturing more than one parallel next action, find new software, so you are not limited by such a ridiculous feature.

TAHITI IS AWESOME! TRY HUAHIINE

 

[treelike]

Part of the problem is that as a core principle, it seems that the more times I look at something and fail to execute it, the harder that task gets. i.e. The more I put something off the higher its 'resistance' becomes.

Thanks for bringing that up. Now you've mentioned it I've noticed that happening to me. I wonder if timeboxing would help here i.e. you define a block of time in the future where you WILL do the action (unless there's an unexpected crisis). Timeboxing is not strictly GTD but compatible with GTD and highly recommended by a certain member of the forum

 

[Ship69]

I'll step in and give the response I was given when I asked about this on a webinar. The official response is that you should have a minimum of one next action. You should create as many next actions as you feel the need to, with the goal of reducing stress. Most GTD practitioners need only one next action to trigger progress on a project.

If MLO only supports one next action, I would consider writing the author and see if they are willing to address this in a future update. If they aren't willing to adapt, then I would suggest finding another solution.

Thanks that makes sense.

Yes, I have written to the authors of MLO, but they are not very responsive.

Yes, I would 'jump ship' to another task manager, but I there is a lot to like in MLO - particularly how highly configurable it is - nothing comes close!
Personally, I have reading difficulties and am greatly helped by the use of colour and icons - both of which are hugely configurable in MLO. I also greatly like MLO's speed and fluidity of task capture and the fact that MLO allows for easy conversion between standalone task and projects.
In fact as well as flat lists, it allows you to create unlimited hierarchies which may not be very GTD but allows me to think more clearly... And crucially MLO allows you to add/remove Context using hotkeys, without which feature I find it extremely hard to add Contexts to all my tasks...
Sadly I have yet to find any software that comes anywhere close to MLO (although I also like GTDNext...).

 

[Ship69]

Perhaps you could give an example of what would go in the tickler file, because I think it could count as a next action on the project. The calendared items (meeting, appointment) are for sure legitimate next actions for a project. I conceive of the calendar as a form of action list, arranged chronologically. And in chapter 7 of Getting Things Done, David refers to "actions that go on your calendar" and "calendared action items." For me, projects often have next actions that are on the calendar, such as meetings or appointments.

In MLO the tickler file is created by putting the Start Date into the future. This can be done very trivially using the keyboard.
But you raise an interesting point which is that the user can simply click a task into the future and then the next live task will appear in the Next Actions view. My difficulty remains that I would still rather see more than one next action per project and despite its enormous power in other ways, this doesn't appear to be possible to set up in MLO.

 

[Ship69]

If the software you are using is prohibiting capturing more than one parallel next action, find new software, so you are not limited by such a ridiculous feature.

Well, the software I am (MLO) using only permits one next action per project... but only if you are in Next Actions mode!
Either way it is surely crucial that large projects do not overwhelm everything else. This was I believe part of the reason for Contexts to be used. So as to break down one's lists into reasonable numbers of tasks (e.g. 5 to 10) so as not to generate overwhelm in oneself, no?

For now I just pick off individual tasks to do today, but once they have been done the next action for that project does not automatically appear, no.

 

[mcogilvie]

Well, the software I am (MLO) using only permits one next action per project... but only if you are in Next Actions mode!
...
For now I just pick off individual tasks to do today, but once they have been done the next action for that project does not automatically appear, no.

Omnifocus also has a next action only viewing mode, but you can also set up sequential subprojects such that only he next action of each subproject appears. I've found this feature to be literally counterproductive for me, as it requires exact placement of actions within the project.

Sometimes when I’m stuck on a next action, I replace it with "Next action for xyz project?", in other words, a process next action. That usually does the trick.

 

[Ship69]

Omnifocus also has a next action only viewing mode, but you can also set up sequential subprojects such that only he next action of each subproject appears. I've found this feature to be literally counterproductive for me, as it requires exact placement of actions within the project.

I am Windows so sadly Omnifocus is not an option in any case for me.

Sometimes when I’m stuck on a next action, I replace it with "Next action for xyz project?", in other words, a process next action. That usually does the trick.

Please can you say more. Are you saying you literally have a task called "Next action for [project name]"?

There could be some merit in it I guess but surely you would never know that you had done it, what you had done, what context it involved, etc etc. Doesn't sound brilliant...

 

[mcogilvie]

Please can you say more. Are you saying you literally have a task called "Next action for [project name]"?

There could be some merit in it I guess but surely you would never know that you had done it, what you had done, what context it involved, etc etc. Doesn't sound brilliant...

Thanks for the vote of confidence in my intelligence! Here's an example (I'm using Things 3 at this time):

Next action? ! Sat Sci flyer

Saturday Science is a lecture series I organize each semester for the general public. I need to get a flyer out for the April lectures, having just obtained agreement from my colleagues on dates and the subject of talks. I originally had an action "Ask Alex and Zohar for abstract and title" but realized I needed to give them more information. So I overwrote that with what you see. When I returned to this next action, I realized it would be better to give my colleagues a tentative series title and a descriptive paragraph about the series before asking them for their contributions. I then realized they might like to see examples of a completed flyer from a previous semester. So I put in the checklist area of the next action (Things 3 has this feature, as does Wunderlist)

- Brainstorm Sat Sci blurb and title
- Send tentative blurb and title plus old examples to Zohar and Alex

I then change the the next action to:

Brainstorm Sat Sci blurb and title ! Sat Sci flyer

I've since made some notes for this, so now it becomes:

More Brainstorm Sat Sci blurb and title ! Sat Sci flyer

which is where it stands now.
It's stayed in my @Desk context (I don't call it that) because that's where it goes.
Hypothetically, if I had a thought for the flyer while I was walking around, it would go in my inbox.
Once I have the tentative title and paragraph done, I'll check off the first item
and send it to my colleagues. It then moves to my Waiting For list.
If the next action after all this were to see my secretary, I would move it to my @Agenda Work list.
Of course, I could have a series of future actions tucked away somewhere, but frankly I find it to
be too slow and unwieldy. This actually works very fast.

 

[John Forrister]

Thanks for the vote of confidence in my intelligence!

I have previously suspected you of having intelligence. Once a few years ago you casually tossed out a Latin phrase. Now you're talking all science-y. You're smarterer than the average bear.

 

[Mike Simms]

I also find it easier to get things done when the pressure is on, and then once whatever big report has been issued, sometimes I just can't get my things together for a day or two. I'm "resting on my laurels".

My thoughts on reading your original post are: could you try imposing a deadline on yourself - this works best even if it's a 'soft' deadline. For example suppose you need to get a report back to a colleague, but there is really no rush on it, consider a reasonable deadline for yourself (without trying to create lots of pressure) and tell the colleague "I'll have this done by the 20th of this month". Alternatively, try "I'll try my best to let you know how far I've got into it by the end of next week"

Now, you will see that project and task and think "someone is, at some level, expecting something of me on this" and you may get over the tendency to put it off.

Another thing I do occasionally for some more nebulous projects where it sometimes seems had to pin down a really good next action, is that the next action is "Throw 2 hours of my time at project X" and then in that 2 hours, immerse myself in the project material and make a tentative action list on paper (i.e. outside my proper list manager) - I guess this is really just "defining time" in GTD-speak.