Contexts

[ellobogrande]

"You Ain't Gonna Need It" [YAGNI] is a great concept for software development--I'm well aware of it, and use it myself in software development--but I humbly submit that it's not appropriate for personal work management, at least not in the same way that it's meant in the programming world.

Perhaps a more appropriate mantra from the software development community is "Do The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work" (DTSTTCPW). It's important not to overthink one's system and the contexts.

To apply DTSTTCPW to GTD contexts, start with DA's "vanilla" list of contexts and work with them for a while. If you find they are lacking in some way for you, create additional contexts only as needed. As a Palm user, I have to be very stingy with my contexts; I can only have 15 categories in my system.

For example, I had issues with my @Home list in the past. I didn't like having to locate actions that required my home computer among housekeeping actions, plus I had a pretty bloated list. So I came up with @Home-Computer and tried it for a while. It worked fine and reduced my resistance to the @Home list, so I kept it. I haven't created any other custom contexts.

 

[sdann]

Perhaps a more appropriate mantra from the software development community is "Do The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work" (DTSTTCPW). It's important not to overthink one's system and the contexts.

This goes for setting up a classification system as well. In a set of 9 success characteristics, one is that a good classification scheme should be parsimonious - "Structure offers no more or less than is needed for the content available."

 

[mephisto]

Here is my personal opinion about these actions:

• start healthy food plan - I think it's rather Project, not Next Action

It's the actions that starts a new project, not the project itself.

Here is my personal opinion about these actions:

• mail X to ask for Y - @computer or @web or @mail
• buy Z on some site - @computer or @web
• start healthy food plan - I think it's rather Project, not Next Action

The context is always there - for every next action. Question is, does your system highlight that context? Or does it leave that problem over for your brain (while you are scanning the lists)?

Let's say you come home from buying groceries and ask yourself what to do. Notice how in this case you will never find yourself in an @computer context. You will need to scan your contexts and decide you can turn on your computer to put yourself in the @computer context. This shows that contexts aren't something that is always there but something you need to get yourself into. As such the context isn't highlighted by the system (and it couldn't be).

If you decide to sit behind the computer and do more next actions on it then either you find the actions quickly or not. In the latter case you decide that it's better to create a @computer context.

 

[TesTeq]

Unprocessed stuff or Project without Next Action.

It's the actions that starts a new project, not the project itself.

I don't know how to do Next Action "start healthy food plan". What tools do I need to "start healthy food plan". Can I start it @home or @office?

The truth is it is not a Next Action. It is an unprocessed stuff or a Project without any Next Action.

 

[mephisto]

I don't know how to do Next Action "start healthy food plan". What tools do I need to "start healthy food plan". Can I start it @home or @office?

The truth is it is not a Next Action. It is an unprocessed stuff or a Project without any Next Action.

irritated answer
It's ok for me that you don't know how to do it since it's on my list and I know how to do it. And next time I need to know The Truth about something I'll create a context @TesTeq.
end irritated answer

normal answer
Hi TesTeq,

Actually it is the same as starting any project. This NA allows me to start a project when I have the timeframe for it or when I have the tools I need to start it (eg research some healthy recipes).
Let's give a use case. I wake up and weigh myself. I instantly realize that I really should start eating more healthy. No time to start with a project or even draft some rough project sketches since I'm in my usual morning routine and don't have enough time. I had this project on someday/maybe for a long time now so I transfer it to my context @home-computer. I write 'start project healthy food' so that when I have enough time and am in this context I actually start this project.

I think that you mean that that morning I should have put this 'start food plan' in my inbox and process it when I clean my inbox. I'm not sure that is what you mean.
end normal answer

 

[kewms]

I think that you mean that that morning I should have put this 'start food plan' in my inbox and process it when I clean my inbox. I'm not sure that is what you mean.

I'm not TesTeq, but that would be my answer. As I see it, one of the key differences between a Next Action list and a traditional "To Do" list is that everything on a Next Action list has the clarity that results from having been through that processing step.

Katherine

 

[mephisto]

I'm not TesTeq, but that would be my answer. As I see it, one of the key differences between a Next Action list and a traditional "To Do" list is that everything on a Next Action list has the clarity that results from having been through that processing step.

Katherine

I believe 'start project x' is a clear action. More clear would have been 'start with phase one of project planning: ask the "why" question'.

I understand that 'start project x' may not present the next physical activity in that someone else may not know what to do with that. On the other hand we've all read GTD and the two chapters on projects so we all know how to start a project. I don't think DA would be happy if he told us to create a project as an exercise and we would say 'but it is not clear' after having read the book.

 

[TesTeq]

Actually it is the same as starting any project. This NA allows me to start a project when I have the timeframe for it or when I have the tools I need to start it (eg research some healthy recipes).

In my GTD I would define:
- Project: "start healthy food plan"
- Next Action: "research some healthy recipes" @www

 

[kewms]

I believe 'start project x' is a clear action. More clear would have been 'start with phase one of project planning: ask the "why" question'.

*shrug* It's your list, so of course you can manage it however you want. For my own lists, that action would be much too vague.

Yes, having read GTD of course I know how to start a project. But that doesn't mean that "ask the Why question for project A" would be an immediately doable action. Indeed, answering it could easily spawn an entire subproject, focused around clarifying my Areas of Focus at the 30,000 foot level or higher. Rather than open such a can of worms, I'd be far more likely to avoid the action altogether. Which is fine, except that if I'm going to defer it, it doesn't belong on my NA list in the first place.

Katherine

 

[mephisto]

In my GTD I would define:
- Project: "start healthy food plan"
- Next Action: "research some healthy recipes" @www

This is how it would look like when I already know what direction the project is going, e.i. when I have drafted some ideas or have a clear idea on what to do.

 

[mephisto]

*shrug* It's your list, so of course you can manage it however you want. For my own lists, that action would be much too vague.

Yes, having read GTD of course I know how to start a project. But that doesn't mean that "ask the Why question for project A" would be an immediately doable action. Indeed, answering it could easily spawn an entire subproject, focused around clarifying my Areas of Focus at the 30,000 foot level or higher. Rather than open such a can of worms, I'd be far more likely to avoid the action altogether. Which is fine, except that if I'm going to defer it, it doesn't belong on my NA list in the first place.

Katherine

Not immediately doable, that's a good phrase to describe how I feel about wanting to start a project 'healthy food plan' in the morning when I don't have much time nor a clear idea on where to start with this project. Yet leaving the project in the inbox is'tn an option.
The next action I chose is like telling to myself: "Ok, you want to eat more healthy but have no clue where to start. Why don't you schedule some time this evening to clear things up".

 

[Cpu_Modern]

Let's say you come home from buying groceries and ask yourself what to do. Notice how in this case you will never find yourself in an @computer context. You will need to scan your contexts and decide you can turn on your computer to put yourself in the @computer context. This shows that contexts aren't something that is always there but something you need to get yourself into. As such the context isn't highlighted by the system (and it couldn't be).

If you decide to sit behind the computer and do more next actions on it then either you find the actions quickly or not. In the latter case you decide that it's better to create a @computer context.

You misunderstood me. The context is always there, as soon as you declare a NA it also has a context, regardless if you write it down or not. Your NA "google for something" has the @computer or @web context, regardless of the name of your list. If you write said NA on a @computer list, than the context is highlighted by the system. If you write said NA on a all-context NA-list or into the calendar, than the system doesn't highlight the context. You than have to "see" the context while scanning your list or the calendar respectively.