@Agenda: only for regular meetings?

[Borisoff]

Today I had a meeting with a customer. We discussed a few topics and agreed that I send some materials and we organize a meeting to discuss future plans. I don't want to call the customer tomorrow about that and ready to wait for a couple of days. But want to be sure that if I bump into the customer before that or he calls me before that I have the agenda in front my eyes. Where should I keep an agenda for that meeting?

There're a few non-elegant ways I see now:

- Put a reminder into my electronic Tickler with the agenda inside but then I have to copy and paste the agenda from Agenda to Tickler and then back and will not have it in front my eyes if the customer calls before 2 days pass;

- Put it to @Agenda context but then it looks useless for the action in the moment because I can do it only after 2-3 days and it will take my RAM ;

- Put it to @Waiting context but I don't expect anything from the customer except for his time to meet with me regarding the materials.

Do you know any elegant ways to store so I see it when I need it?

Regards,

Eugene.

 

[kewms]

The agenda itself goes either in the relevant project support file or the customer's contact record. The reminder to call goes in your Tickler.

Katherine

 

[inkedmn]

If you're a hipster PDA type (or even if you're not), you might just create an @Agenda context for that person and carry the it with you until your next meeting. You won't need to keep it on you indefinitely, and what's one more index card/file on your PDA?

Also helpful if you think of anything else you want to discuss at your meeting while you're out and about.

Just my $.02, Cheers!

 

[Borisoff]

If you're a hipster PDA type (or even if you're not), you might just create an @Agenda context for that person and carry the it with you until your next meeting. You won't need to keep it on you indefinitely, and what's one more index card/file on your PDA?

Inredmn, the problem is that Action List supposes Action. If I have something I'd like to discuss and it goes to @Agenda list but assumes no action from my side to "activate" the list. I can activate it by placing a corresponding @Call. But in this case @Agenda becomes not a real next action. That's the problem.

Regards,

Eugene.

 

[WebR0ver]

Inredmn, the problem is that Action List supposes Action. If I have something I'd like to discuss and it goes to @Agenda list but assumes no action from my side to "activate" the list. I can activate it by placing a corresponding @Call. But in this case @Agenda becomes not a real next action. That's the problem.

I consider my agendas associated with people to be actionable. Most of the people that I would develop an agenda for are people that I see on a regular basis so the next time I see them, it should be routine to check to see if I have anything on their agenda. If the agenda gets stale - too much time goes by without covering the items with the person, then i would put a specific action item out there. Don't forget that a meeting can be the next action. Depending on the items on the agenda, it could be a call, a scheduled meeting, a casual meeting, lunch, an email or a combination. If I have a lot of things I need to talk to someone about or one that requires a lot of thought from the other person, I'll make sure they know what's on the agenda before we get together to address it. Now, if something on an agenda has a timeline associated with it, I'm more motivated to make sure there's a separate action item to get it covered.

 

[tominperu]

Inredmn, the problem is that Action List supposes Action. If I have something I'd like to discuss and it goes to @Agenda list but assumes no action from my side to "activate" the list. I can activate it by placing a corresponding @Call. But in this case @Agenda becomes not a real next action. That's the problem.

Regards,

Eugene.

I also find it difficult to see the problem with this. Putting it on an action list supposes an action but only in that context. In this case the context is when you happen to meet that person or recieve a call from them or during your scheduled meeting.

You can also have an action "send material.." and "call so and so about meeting on..". either in your tickler or your calender or, as in I do, on a an action list but with a future start date (in Outlook for example).

 

[AdamMiller81]

I think the key to keeping @Agenda as an "actionable" item is establishing the habit of checking it when you are actually meeting with someone.

I'll admit, its not a category that I use all that frequently, but its one I'd like to get into a little more. So, basically I've got to make sure the agendas are easily accessable, and make sure that I make it a habit of checking them when I'm meeting with people.

Then, if I find that at the weekly review I'm reviewing the same agendas week in and week out, then I either know that I'm a) not checking the agenda when meeting with a person, or b) not seeing that person, and then maybe I need to schedule either an @Call to discuss the agenda, or a meeting to get some face time.

Cheers,

Adam