EN and GTD - when no tags used, how to know what is due today (next action)?

G

getede

Registered
Hi all,

Coming from the Carl Pullein Apprach (Working with EN and Todoist, focusing on Today, This Week and next Week). New to GTD. But the Carl Pullein Approach is a simplified GTD (as he argues that context is not that important anymore as in the past).

Stacey talks about not using tags for GTD.

Instead of having a notebook with one note per next action, she recommends only having a next actions list per context - see here:
Lists_Notebooks_List_withNumbers+(1).jpg


This makes sense to me as it is faster and having less notes overall (while linking to the proper target notes as can be seen).

Scenario: Having 5 context = 5x next action lists with 200 tasks in total. 5 of them are due today, so NOW / NEXT ACTION and 20 of them due THIS WEEK.

So far, I put the tasks I am doing today on top of the Next Actions list of each context - for better visibility.

Plus, I have 2 simple tags: NEXT and THIS WEEK.

However, if she recommends no tags at all, how do I know with just 1 click / search what is due today / now / next?

One could argue: Since you are doing only 1 context at a time like @work, just go to your Next Actions: At Work note and look at the very top tasks that are separated from the rest for the visibility - which are my tasks for today.

When thinking about work context only, true.

However, when it comes to my other contexts, I can be more flexible, hence when I am at home, I could tackle 3 tasks, each from a different context.

I know how to tag those and create a saved search - so with 1 click, I get my overview.

But imagine I do not use tags at all, how would be a Stacey like solution here?
 
GTD is context based. Anything that must be done today should be on your calendar. Call Jim about X would be on your @Phone list. Call Jim tomorrow about X would be on your calendar as an all day event. Call Jim at 2pm tomorrow would be time specific on your calendar.
 
@fooddude thank you.

I know it is context-based. Whereby, context could be anything and is very subjective. So highly individual solutions for each user.

fooddude said:
Anything that must be done today should be on your calendar.
Click to expand...
If it is time-specific, it is.

However, there are some support materials and so on which are on my Evernote. Like 12 different notes, which I is my next action note for today and I will need them during the day back and forth.

fooddude said:
Call Jim tomorrow about X would be on your calendar as an all day event.
Click to expand...
Sure? If I have to call tomorrow 35 people.... I do create for tomorrow 35x all day events? This is not clean and takes a lot of time. The solutions below is faster and cleaner.

fooddude said:
Call Jim at 2pm tomorrow would be time specific on your calendar.
Click to expand...
I do prefer having a communications block on my calendar like for 45 minutes. I check my @communications action list - where the more relevant one are on top of my list, and call them one by one. This is cleaner in my calendar as sometimes I have to call many of people in one time block.
 
I 100% agree with @fooddude as things changes it is difficult to fix a list of stuff of core items per week month and so on and try to stick to it.
It does n't mean that you don't have to plan or anticipate.

My practice of GTD is to do like he explained except that as I need to advance I plan per week only some day pour a few projects. For example I will do my account Thursday. So I put it in my diary (no time) like this [Account] Each morning I make a GTD daily review I take 20 /30 mn to read my diary to see what is on my plate then I read my next action list. I flag everything for today and I time block what must be eg account. Then when I will finish this core project I just do context by context what must be beginning by flagged items.

It is just my way of doing things. I have accepted doing multiple stuff about multiple subjects once my core subject is done.
 
I don't think that this is simplified GTD. I think it is just GTD. GTD encourages you to write your next actions in a list. So, to me the simplified suggestion is just the obvious thing to do when setting up GTD in a notes app like Evernote.

For deadlines, the GTD recommendation is that things that must be done on a day go in your calendar. Things that must be done by a day go in your action/context lists. If you are looking at your lists daily to choose what to do, you will see and remember the deadlines.

If you are able to choose tasks from three lists, then everything on those three lists make up your current context, so you should check them all. You could make the argument that those three lists should be combined, but I assume that they divide actions up in a way that is useful to you.

A lot of people ask how to get the computer to do the thinking and choosing for you. The real trick is to engage with your lists day to day when defining your work and choosing actions, and again more deeply in the weekly review.
 
cfoley said:
GTD encourages you to write your next actions in a list.
Click to expand...
To be clear I put just the very next action on a context list. I don't put all "next actions" on context lists or any where. If my project is "get new tires for van" The very next action, since I know the size, is @Phone "call Pam to set appointment." Once I set appointment, My next action after putting it on my calendar, would be @Errands- go to bank and get cash. They give a discount for cash. But i wouldn't put all those steps down somewhere. Just the very next action. Let's say I didn't put down get cash. At my weekly review or review of calendar, I would see it's not a next action and I could put it down then. You used the plural and I wasn't sure if by "actions" you meant all for one project or just the very next actions for multiple projects. If I misunderstood... Nevermind. :) All the best.
 
Ah, each project only has one next action (or maybe a handful if they are truly parallel and independent). So, like you, I only put one next action per project on my lists.

A list of possible actions would belong in project support material, but I almost never make such a list.
 
cfoley said:
Ah, each project only has one next action (or maybe a handful if they are truly parallel and independent). So, like you, I only put one next action per project on my lists.

A list of possible actions would belong in project support material, but I almost never make such a list.
Click to expand...
@cfoley

You are soooo GTD smooth !
 
getede said:
Sure? If I have to call tomorrow 35 people.... I do create for tomorrow 35x all day events? This is not clean and takes a lot of time. The solutions below is faster and cleaner.
Click to expand...
I would put them on @Phone like normal. And put @Phone on my calendar. When I was selling I would have an all day event for each person I had to call that day. 35 must calls on a certain day seems high. But that is how I would do it.
 
getede said:
However, there are some support materials and so on which are on my Evernote. Like 12 different notes, which I is my next action note for today and I will need them during the day back and forth.
Click to expand...
I don't have an @today list. I keep one note in apple notes for projects. I have one note each for contexts. I put the very next action on the appropriate context list. Also when I did EN I did it the same way. After I eliminated all the extra tagging copy pasting and "project planning notes" I made it very simple.
 
fooddude said:
I don't have an @today list. I keep one note in apple notes for projects. I have one note each for contexts. I put the very next action on the appropriate context list. Also when I did EN I did it the same way. After I eliminated all the extra tagging copy pasting and "project planning notes" I made it very simple.
Click to expand...
I think that GTD could stick with only a few list, some simple habits and some reference material.

The lists could be
1) A list of very next action
2) a list of waiting for
3) a someday may be list
4) A list of actionnable projects
5) a calendar for what must be on that day

Then the tool can be what ever you want
- a single sheet of paper
- a simple software like apple reminder or apple note
- a simple txt file, word, excel, pages, numbers
- a more powerful software like omnifocus, todoist, nirvana and so on....

The good habits could be
- a daily review
- a weekly review
- a good MPN for specific projects

A good reference material system for what is non actionnable, projects plan and reporting

A tickler for stuff to review in the future

And that's all if I did not forget any thing did I ? .:p
 
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FocusGuy said:
I think that GTD could stick with only a few list, some simple habits and some reference material.

The lists could be
1) A list of very next action
2) a list of waiting for
3) a someday may be list
4) A list of actionnable projects
5) a calendar for what must be on that day

Then the tool can be what ever you want
- a single sheet of paper
- a simple software like apple reminder or apple note
- a simple txt file, word, excel, pages, numbers
- a more powerful software like omnifocus, todoist, nirvana and so on....

The good habits could be
- a daily review
- a weekly review
- a good man for specific projects

A good reference material system for what is non actionnable, projects plan and reporting

A tickler for stuff to review in the future

And that's all if I did not forget any thing did I ? .:p
Click to expand...
@FocusGuy

Good GTD job

Thank you very much sir
 
cfoley said:
If you are able to choose tasks from three lists, then everything on those three lists make up your current context, so you should check them all. You could make the argument that those three lists should be combined, but I assume that they divide actions up in a way that is useful to you.
Click to expand...
I solved this the following way: Like above in the picture, each bullet point is linked to the actual note. Those things I want to do in each context list comes on top of the list. I then go to each note by clicking the link and tag them with "current" or "next" This "current" overview is a combination thing, as you mentioned. Some of these currents in the list are the very next action I do - which is another saved search, where I see only a subset of current.

fooddude said:
I don't have an @today list. I keep one note in apple notes for projects. I have one note each for contexts. I put the very next action on the appropriate context list. Also when I did EN I did it the same way. After I eliminated all the extra tagging copy pasting and "project planning notes" I made it very simple.
Click to expand...
Very valuable insights, thank you for that.

To be clear, I don't have a context list of @today. Today is not a context for me. I just defined a saved search of "today", where all the "next" and "current" tagged items can be seen. I like when I see at a glance how the war of today will look like :).


FocusGuy said:
I think that GTD could stick with only a few list, some simple habits and some reference material.
Click to expand...
Very well summarized :).


To be clear: I would say I am very productive and work on multiple projects at a high pace. I was just wondering why the Stacey Evernote + GTD Course costs like 700 Dollar - is anybody here who bought it? I would expect to triple my income and double my pace when spending 700 Euro for such a course. And I was curious how the hack is it possible to be faster or "better" without tags.

Beyond Evernote and GTD Style, I heavily use Phrasexpress and Macrorecorder. People working next to me and seeing me 10 finger writing, multiple screens, 1000 keyboard shortcuts by heart, partially a full automatization via Phrasexpress + Macrorecorder... they get dizzy :-) - And my humble mind thought: OK, if this is my starting point, how can Stacey's course double my productivity?! :-)
 
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