Crossover between digital and physical?

[Brent]

Hey, all! Just been processing my e-mail inbox, and had a bit of a brainstorm. David probably suggested this in his book and I missed it, but...

I had an e-mail from my boss, asking me to call a co-worker. I called the co-worker, got no reply, and left a voicemail message. I was left with the e-mail; what to do with it? Instead of putting it in @Waiting For--which I am poor at checking--I printed the e-mail and put it in my tickler for tomorrow, to remind myself to call the co-worker again tomorrow if I haven't heard from him by then. I'm pleased at the effectiveness of this solution.

Do you all find yourself taking a digital action and making it physical? Can you give the rest of us some examples?

 

[kewms]

I save emails for reference, but almost never as action reminders. In this example, I would simply create an NA: @call Heard from John Coworker re: Widget project? Then I'd give it an appropriate followup date and use a date filter to hide it until then. If I need the information in the email, I'll either copy it over to the NA, or stick it in the Widget project reference folder.

For me, I've found that using emails as action reminders forces me to re-process the email over and over again until I do the action, which of course is exactly what GTD is supposed to prevent.

Katherine

 

[Borisoff]

I think NA should be put on the hard landscape (calendar or tickler) if it requires soon reply (1-3 days). Otherwise it could be left as NA in Waiting For till the next Weekly Review.

Regards,

Eugene.

 

[cornell]

my take on it

Hey Brent - My take on it:

o put "call [co-worker]" on @calls
o add deadline to calender, if time's a factor
o add it to project list ("assignment [__] from boss") if call is part of multi-step effort
o if the email contains important information for the call (or project), you can a) print it and file it, or b) save it in an @action-support email folder. Regarding where to file the printed message, I'd put it in the project folder (if it's a project). Otherwise I'd put it in an "Action Support" folder (AKA "Pending" or "Holding"). It's a kind of catch-all for paper that doesn't quite deserve its own folder.

You'll notice that everyone has a different solution. That's one of the great things about Allen's work - it's adaptable. However, it's also a double-edged sword that can lead to confusion for people new to it.

Hope that helps!

 

[treelike]

Do you all find yourself taking a digital action and making it physical? Can you give the rest of us some examples?

I keep my shopping list on my next action list which is on my palmtop which I carry everywhere. I add to this whenever I realise I need milk, etc (which could be anytime). However, when I actually go shopping I find it easier to write out the list on paper, even though I always have my palmtop with me.

I guess when the situation gets really demanding I revert to paper and pencil. I find shoppng a demanding enough process without having to work a computer too!