Getting from Organized to Do.

[andmor]

Agenda

I make a distinction between Calendar and Diary/Agenda. The GtD and Time Design format suggests that the Calendar and ToDo List are what you look at when you decide what to do. But I find that the day/week needs to have some shape, otherwise I become the biggest interrupting culprit because I have to keep going back to my lists whenever I finish something. So when, as most days, I have few meetings and lots of unscheduled time, I draw up a rough plan of my day - I write the 2/3 most important things to do plus a few other items (I try to consolidate based on my Context Lists), assign generous duration estimates and create a tentative daily plan using start/end times. I know that everything is negotiable and the plan can be changed easily. I try to avoid going back into my lists except to extract detail of the daily plan items.

I also journal when I work - see current thread on this and Scott Lewis's excellent posting. I write notes opposite the items in the notepad. I find that it helps me to focus on the task at hand and it creates some structure to my incorrigible doodling. It's much better than using scrap paper and not being disciplined about what I write because I know I will throw the scrap paper away.

I avoid updating my lists as I go along - I save my notepad notes till the end of the day (occasionally, 2x a day). In my case, this is "know thy enemy" - I am not good at tidying up; I immediately jump into the next thing - so I set aside a one-shot time to tidy up at the end of the day.

HTH

Andrew

 

[Kudzu2u]

This topic remains a fascinating one for me. I came across an article by Larry Becker (www.palmplanning.com) - actually chapter 3 in his book, which chapter he published on the web. In that chapter he says this:

...there is a specific place you need to write each thing so that nothing falls through the cracks. ... If there is a "right place' to write everything down... you'll... be a lot more organized. ...If you were to write everything on a yellow legal pad (ie. meeting notes, phone messages, tasks, etc.) you would never have to think too hard about where to write these things. They all go in the same place, on the yellow legal pad." He then goes on to talk about how you take separate time after collecting (no later than the end of the day) to go through all your notes and pull out the required tasks, diary items etc.

Familiar principles, don't you think! Write everything in one place. Separate the collecting and processing phases. etc.

I think andmor has discovered this. Writing everything down in one place, all the time, greatly reduces the chances of losing it. Then, separating the collecting process from the sorting process - literally, collect now, then later pull out tasks, etc. - allows clearer thinking, and facilitates the systematic ordering of what needs to be done, putting reminders in the proper places. Simpler IS better! But I still love to play with my Palm!

Anyway, thanks Andy for the insights.

Gordon,

 

[Anonymous]

Journalling

I forget if Andrew ever explained how he journals. I know Scotts method sounded too involved - I wouldnt be consistent enough about it for it to be useful.

But I'm wondering, Andrew, how do you make use of the journal? Specifically, if you find yourself during the day writing down an "earth-shaking revelation" (journal entry) where does that get stored?

Thanks!

 

[andmor]

What goes in the Journal

Dave: What works for me is the fact that I have a neat little book that I always go to when I am in Doing mode. Not only does it keep me out of all my planning stuff and the temptation to mess with that when I am supposed to be Doing, but it gives me a nice feeling that everything to do with "Today" is nicely contained in one easily accessed place. What I write?- Anything. How I write?- Any way I want and quickly - arrows, doodles, score-outs - nobody else needs to be able to understand it.

Sorry, there's no magic, but there is a more focussed attitude.

Andrew

 

[Anonymous]

Journal

Thanks Andrew, but I'm still curious where you put your journal entries such as "today the five year old said..." I know you chunk the pages from your little book at the end of the day - a practice I now endorse whole-heartedly. I didnt agree with that approach at first, but there is something very satisfying about tossing those pages in the trash knowing you've extracted the most important remains of the day and stored them where they wont get lost.
So, what about those journal entries? Where do they get stored?

 

[andmor]

Journalling

Dave:

I use DayNotez desktop for my journal. When things are flowing OK, I will simply lift any brief life history items from my daily pages and put them into my journal.

Whenever I get bogged down with my things to do, I use the DayNotez journal for a mind dump. I take 15-20 minutes for 2-3 successive days and just write whatever comes into my head. The major themes become apparent and they influence my selection of items (priorities). Later, I edit out (Process) the stream of consciousness and keep only the hard items that belong in history. I have to do this every 3-4 weeks. I have to be motivated by desperation to do the mind dump - I can't seem to be able to turn it on "on demand" when the time comes for Weekly Review.

Andrew

 

[Anonymous]

Journal, Etc.

Thanks Andrew

I found a great program for this myself - Microsoft Word.

Works like a champ!

I've stumbled onto another little trick that has helped me with scheduling. Its an old Franklin Planner trick of listing items under the month that arent necessarily for a given day. I use the memo app.

Example: customer X says he will probably start shipping in September. I can put it on the "09/03 list of things to look at when I get to that month. Works well for me.

 

[awebber]

Andrew,

A wonderful system close to what I use. My one question to you and others who use a similar process is do you use this same notebook for both personal and professional?

Alan

 

[andmor]

One System For Everything

Andrew,

A wonderful system close to what I use. My one question to you and others who use a similar process is do you use this same notebook for both personal and professional?

Alan

Thanks Alan:

As far as I am concerned, it's all time management. (Yes, I know that's non-GtD thinking.) So anything time/day related goes in the one notepad.

Andrew