How would you process "mail redirect"?

cfoley

Registered
I have an awkward project, and I'm not sure the best way to track it. I would love to hear how you would deal with this.

The Scenario

I moved house a while ago and set up a mail redirect, which came up for renewal this week. Ideally, I would like to cancel the redirect but I'm not certain that I have updated my address with 100% of important companies. I decided to renew for one more year, monitor redirected mail carefully and then cancel with confidence next year.

How I Tracked it

Project:
Be able to cancel my mail redirect with confidence.

Next Action:
I can't assign a next action because there is nothing I can do right now. If some redirected mail arrives then I want to log the occurrence and change my address with the company.

Tickler:
Have I recieved any mail redirected mail? If so, I need to notify the sender.

I hope this tickler is unnecessary because the mail itself should remind me to take action. However, a year is a long time so I have set this to remind me once per month.

I did not include a tickler to cancel at the end of the year because it is set to expire by default. In any case, Royal Mail send a reminder.

Analysis

Although I have successfully captured this open loop, they way I have incorporated it in my system is far from elegant.

Here is what I'm not happy with:
  • A project with no next action.
  • It will remain in my projects list for a year. If I add many projects like this, they could drown out the truly active ones.
  • The tickler itself will never turn into an action. It serves just to keep the "redirected mail trigger" in my head.
Just typing this out has prompted me to ask some questions:
  • Should I be "Waiting For" redirected mail rather than "Tickling" redirected mail?
  • Should the project really be a goal?
  • Should it be a Project but in my Someday/Maybe list?
  • Should I tickle the entire project?
Thanks for reading. I would love to hear how your system handles situations like this.
 

TesTeq

Registered
Here is what I'm not happy with:
  • A project with no next action.
  • It will remain in my projects list for a year. If I add many projects like this, they could drown out the truly active ones.
  • The tickler itself will never turn into an action. It serves just to keep the "redirected mail trigger" in my head.
Just typing this out has prompted me to ask some questions:
  • Should I be "Waiting For" redirected mail rather than "Tickling" redirected mail?
  • Should the project really be a goal?
  • Should it be a Project but in my Someday/Maybe list?
  • Should I tickle the entire project?
Thanks for reading. I would love to hear how your system handles situations like this.
For me it would be an active project with:
- a "WaitingFor" the redirected mail until the end of the year (create an appropriate subproject each time the redirected mail is received);
- an Action to cancel the redirect with a reminder in the Tickler File or calendar.
 

mcogilvie

Registered
Here is what I'm not happy with:
  • A project with no next action.
  • It will remain in my projects list for a year. If I add many projects like this, they could drown out the truly active ones.
  • The tickler itself will never turn into an action. It serves just to keep the "redirected mail trigger" in my head.
Just typing this out has prompted me to ask some questions:
  • Should I be "Waiting For" redirected mail rather than "Tickling" redirected mail?
  • Should the project really be a goal?
  • Should it be a Project but in my Someday/Maybe list?
  • Should I tickle the entire project?
Thanks for reading. I would love to hear how your system handles situations like this.
I would not make a tickler, but a waiting for. To me, a tickler demands action or decision. If new redirected mail comes in, I would be sure to add a next action to change the address, BECAUSE after some time period I can look back at how many changes I had to make, and whether there was any pattern. If I’m confident after some time passes that the project is done, then it’s done.

My answers to some of your concerns: it’s a very small project, not a goal, and you are not going to have many like it. Lots of my projects just have waiting-for‘s at some point or another. Don’t put in on a someday/maybe list because you are doing the project how. Don’t tickle the project either, unless you want to accumulate address changes, and batch process them.
 

Gardener

Registered
I think I would:

- Make a box/folder to put the envelopes of redirected mail.
- When redirected mail comes in, put the envelopes into the box/folder.
- Have a monthly repeating action to go through the box/folder and deal with the addresses. It could be in its own project, or it could be in Miscellaneous or some other bucket.
- Some addresses might spawn specific actions or even projects, if the change of address process isn't a quick and easy thing.
 

gtdstudente

Registered
I would not make a tickler, but a waiting for. To me, a tickler demands action or decision. If new redirected mail comes in, I would be sure to add a next action to change the address, BECAUSE after some time period I can look back at how many changes I had to make, and whether there was any pattern. If I’m confident after some time passes that the project is done, then it’s done.

My answers to some of your concerns: it’s a very small project, not a goal, and you are not going to have many like it. Lots of my projects just have waiting-for‘s at some point or another. Don’t put in on a someday/maybe list because you are doing the project how. Don’t tickle the project either, unless you want to accumulate address changes, and batch process them.
Tickler = Action or Decision . . . thank you for making that so clear!
 

gtdstudente

Registered
For me it would be an active project with:
- a "WaitingFor" the redirected mail until the end of the year (create an appropriate subproject each time the redirected mail is received);
- an Action to cancel the redirect with a reminder in the Tickler File or calendar.
Calendar "always last resort"?
 

cfoley

Registered
Thanks everyone for replying so far.

TesTeq

Have I understood you correctly? I think you are suggesting no project and no next action. Instead, you would have a 'waiting for' mail and 'tickler' to cancel the redirect? If I adopt your approach, I would get away with just the waiting for since the redirect cancels automatically.

mcogilvie

I've always seen ticklers as a delayed inbox where I process items when they are presented to me. I think this is similar to what you are saying, and I agree that my reminder tickler is outside the spirit of this.

The logging aspect is interesting. I don't currently use my competed actions a a log, but there is no reason why I can't.

I like all your answers to my concerns. I think you've hit the nail on the head for each one.

Gardener

I really like your suggestion. The box plus monthly action means I would batch any work, and also sidesteps the issue of waiting for vs tickler.

gtdstudente

I'm unsure what you mean by Calendar "always last resort"? Do you have a way of handling my mail redirect project?
 

TesTeq

Registered
TesTeq

Have I understood you correctly? I think you are suggesting no project and no next action. Instead, you would have a 'waiting for' mail and 'tickler' to cancel the redirect? If I adopt your approach, I would get away with just the waiting for since the redirect cancels automatically.
I've suggested an active project but your "no project" approach is simpler and better.
 

gtdstudente

Registered
Thanks everyone for replying so far.

TesTeq

Have I understood you correctly? I think you are suggesting no project and no next action. Instead, you would have a 'waiting for' mail and 'tickler' to cancel the redirect? If I adopt your approach, I would get away with just the waiting for since the redirect cancels automatically.

mcogilvie

I've always seen ticklers as a delayed inbox where I process items when they are presented to me. I think this is similar to what you are saying, and I agree that my reminder tickler is outside the spirit of this.

The logging aspect is interesting. I don't currently use my competed actions a a log, but there is no reason why I can't.

I like all your answers to my concerns. I think you've hit the nail on the head for each one.

Gardener

I really like your suggestion. The box plus monthly action means I would batch any work, and also sidesteps the issue of waiting for vs tickler.

gtdstudente

I'm unsure what you mean by Calendar "always last resort"? Do you have a way of handling my mail redirect project?
Thank you for the follow-up. With all due respect, on this end the, "mail redirect project" seemed to be pointing to a GTD principle more than a project solution and for that please accept every apology. Thus, with any/every Project, the question is, with all due respect, "what is the Next Action?," Thus, thus: If it belongs on the Calendar then, for my energy, i do so after after Contexts, Tickler, etc. has been deemed exhausted as inadequate. In other words, Calendar space is "commitment on steroids" and is to be respected as such. That is simply what was being humbly expressed. Thank you
 

cfoley

Registered
Thanks for clarifying. I agree with you that the calendar is for events that happen at a prescribed time. I don't think there is anything in my scenario that warrants a calendar entry, which I think is what you are alluding to.
 

gtdstudente

Registered
Thanks for clarifying. I agree with you that the calendar is for events that happen at a prescribed time. I don't think there is anything in my scenario that warrants a calendar entry, which I think is what you are alluding to.
Your welcome, in any event, the choice would have been according to what you see as most fitting according to your particular circumstances. Go GTD!
 

cfoley

Registered
Thanks everyone for your advice. I've reviewed the thread and have come up with the following, which I think uses aspects of several suggestions above.

  • No project, no next action, no waiting for.
  • When redirected mail arrives, I'll toss it in my physical inbox so that I can create a project to notify the sender.
  • Tickler a year from now: Mail redirect ends on <date>. I can cancel it with confidence because I have updated all addresses throughout the year.
 

gtdstudente

Registered
Thanks everyone for your advice. I've reviewed the thread and have come up with the following, which I think uses aspects of several suggestions above.

  • No project, no next action, no waiting for.
  • When redirected mail arrives, I'll toss it in my physical inbox so that I can create a project to notify the sender.
  • Tickler a year from now: Mail redirect ends on <date>. I can cancel it with confidence because I have updated all addresses throughout the year.
Good job!
 
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