@Errands, shopping list or SM?
- Thread starter tychinin
- Start date
tychinin;83677 said:
What do you want to happen? If you are not ready to buy, it's someday/maybe. If you are ready to buy and know where you want to look, it's definitely an errand: go to XXX to look for box. If you want to look around, it may still be an errand: look around mall for possible boxes. You could put it on a list, if you have and use an appropriate list. It's up to you, but you have to clarify the next action.
p.s. The "watch" thing? It's like an app for your wrist, right?
If it's not something you're committed to doing right now, it belongs on Someday/Maybe.
If you are committed to doing it now, it could be an action, but it could also be a project. If you know exactly what product you want and the local store where you want to buy it, then it's a simple action on @Errands. If it's not that simple (i.e. you're not sure exactly what kind of box you want and/or exactly where you want to buy it), then it's a project. Actions might include surfing the web to find what you want, surfing the web to find the best deal on the box you want, calling a local store, etc.
Some things that seem very simple intuitively are in fact projects because they take more than one action to close the loop. Don't put projects in disguise on your action lists--they will kill your system like a cancer.
If you are committed to doing it now, it could be an action, but it could also be a project. If you know exactly what product you want and the local store where you want to buy it, then it's a simple action on @Errands. If it's not that simple (i.e. you're not sure exactly what kind of box you want and/or exactly where you want to buy it), then it's a project. Actions might include surfing the web to find what you want, surfing the web to find the best deal on the box you want, calling a local store, etc.
Some things that seem very simple intuitively are in fact projects because they take more than one action to close the loop. Don't put projects in disguise on your action lists--they will kill your system like a cancer.
PeterByrom
Registered
To echo the points made in the above posts:
Do you actually want to get moving on getting a box to keep your watches in?
If not, then this is a “someday maybe”, which you should check each week, in the weekly review, whether you want to activate it or not.
If you do want to get this moving, then the same GTD question applies:
What’s the next action?
E.g. do you just need to put “look out for box that would be good for storing watches” on your errands list?
If that’s all you need to do, then that’s it. No project.
If, however, the next action won’t be enough to complete this commitment, then you do need to record it on your projects list.
For example, maybe it’s not clear what kind of box you need to get, because you’re not sure how big the box needs to be for storing your watches. So, you need to gather all your watches in a row and measure the approximate width, length and depth of space that they take up. You know where all your watches are, so that’s easy, but it turns out that you don’t have a ruler, and you’re not sure whether you have a tape measure. It might be in a toolkit under the stairs.
So, you’d end up with something like this:
PROJECT:
Watches being stored in special watch box.
NEXT ACTION:
@HOME: Check under stairs for tape measure.
So, do you want to get moving on that watch box? If so, then what really is the next physical, visible action you need to take?
Do you actually want to get moving on getting a box to keep your watches in?
If not, then this is a “someday maybe”, which you should check each week, in the weekly review, whether you want to activate it or not.
If you do want to get this moving, then the same GTD question applies:
What’s the next action?
E.g. do you just need to put “look out for box that would be good for storing watches” on your errands list?
If that’s all you need to do, then that’s it. No project.
If, however, the next action won’t be enough to complete this commitment, then you do need to record it on your projects list.
For example, maybe it’s not clear what kind of box you need to get, because you’re not sure how big the box needs to be for storing your watches. So, you need to gather all your watches in a row and measure the approximate width, length and depth of space that they take up. You know where all your watches are, so that’s easy, but it turns out that you don’t have a ruler, and you’re not sure whether you have a tape measure. It might be in a toolkit under the stairs.
So, you’d end up with something like this:
PROJECT:
Watches being stored in special watch box.
NEXT ACTION:
@HOME: Check under stairs for tape measure.
So, do you want to get moving on that watch box? If so, then what really is the next physical, visible action you need to take?