rossw;66860 said:
At this point, I think we need some guidance from a black belt. I cannot really speak with any authority, as I never managed to get my weekly review down to a couple of hours every week. And, as a wise man once said, "if you're not doing a weekly review, you're not doing GTD".
At the risk of de-cloaking; this blackbelt will raise his hand and share a couple mundane thoughts on this most interesting subject.
First a tiny framework for my GTD background. I have been a GTD devote since about 2001-2002; coming from the franklin world before that. I'm guessing a handful of people here who read these observations can or will blame me for their introduction to GTD, I have bent more than a few electronic system into a form that supported GTD and then selfishly shared those ideas with others so I could build on the insights of other to improve my system.
About three ago years I started not participating in the forums (I read, but don't write often any longer); you are all very interesting; but my system just hit a zen state and the sharing rewards diminished and frankly it takes time to not sound like a moron with bad grammar; and I do bad grammar really well, as this disorganized 4 am mess will prove.
During those 8-9 years I have used the GTD philosophy in IT Systems (specifically the unpredictable world of infrastructure support) as a trench grunt; a dept manager, an executive director, and currently small business owner, homemaker, homeschooler, athlete and at times single father of 2, and now a husband to be..(again)...
Any how to the point.....
The GTD system has served me well and I owe my sanity at least in part to David's writings... As others have noted in this thread. Collect, Process, Organize, Do IT, Review IT. Is simply transformational. But it's not a walled garden, never has been. For over 6 years now I have done my Action Lists in a manner similar to AutoFocus. I just learned about Mark's writings on autofocus about 1 month ago, very much a "huh, someone else thinks that a good way to do things moment." In my case, it is just how I'm wired; I actually memorize information via a very similar technique (read item 1, read item 1 and 2, read items 1-3, read items 1-4, repeat until end of items). So I guess it was a logical extension. I have enjoyed reading Mark's writing on the topic and I've added to my system the things I hadn't thought of. But more on that in a bit.
Over that 9 year period, my list of contexts was always in flux as my roles and responsibilities changed. The nature of my responsibilities has never stayed solid for more than 1-2 years; and the contexts ebbed and flowed in reaction over time just like they should.
Sometimes my contexts where physical; sometimes they were a combination of physical and virtual. And now over the last few years the barriers between my contexts has gotten much softer; and I have less contexts today because there are very few places I cannot do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING.
Contexts today are much more about separating my obligations during hours of the day than about where I am. Blame the cellphone, the laptop, the bloody iphone; ubiquitous wifi even on airplanes, they all contribute to Context consolidation.
Context Lists use to be: @Office, @Calls, @ComputerWork, @ComputerHome, @Days Off, @Evenings, @ErrandsWork , @ErrandsHome, @Home, @Outside, @WaitingFor, @Agendas ...... (at one time I had 15-20).....
Context Lists thanks to technology are now: @Work, @Home, @Errands, @Waiting
Why is that important?
I postulate that the nature of your current contexts and the mobility of your person as you DO your job will dictate the success of your then current GTD Implementation. Tweaking happens when your contexts morph or your mobility requirements shift. If you fail to notice the change and adapt; then you fall off the wagon via: tweak-itis; system distrust; system inflexibility etc etc.
So how does AF apply. to all of this?
(Here's the take home paragraph if you are drifting off)
Simple apply most if not all of the techniques of AF to EACH of your context lists separately; read what Mark has to say; take the parts that you are comfortable with and apply them to your context lists. Try as much of the entire technique as you can stomach, the more the better. Just embed it right in your GTD system. Really it fits nicely in the system if you are good at GTD; you don't have to give up you GTD habits. Oh and nobody but you will know, really we wont' tell on you.
(End of take home paragraph. Missed it? backup and re-read it)
Do that for 10-20 days, and you will find out the following:
1) It's a wonderful way to make sure you are actually working your lists.
2) You know that some "crap" gets on the lists no matter what you do, As david says with great humor; "sometimes projects just go weird". The weekly review ferrets them out when that happens. However, Autofocusing each context list during the week keeps most of the crap out or gets the crap done before it even hits the review. Try it you will see.
3) David's always said you still have to be mature enough to go do you lists. But he also admits that sometimes you ain't so smart and you ain't so motivated. The AF techniques will carry you through those periods when you simply don't have "it".
4) It is very very hard to fall off the GTD wagon if you use AF Techniques to DO your context Lists. Because even when you fall of the wagon you'll still be capturing and doing; and when you get your Mojo back you can process and organize yourself back into shape. If your world morphs you'll find you are less likely to have a complete system failure.
That's it I'm not gonna beat the dead horse. This has worked well for me when I had a ton of contexts and it still works for me now with just a few.
But before I go, since someone always asks how I do it:
Your miles will very:
Tools:
1) I use a calendar
2) I use reference filing
3) I use a tickler.
4) I do a weekly review every Sunday evening.
5) I have an physical inbox and I use it when it's appropriate
6) I manage my actions lists in an AF manner
7) I will use action lists to collect stuff on the fly when the fires are ragging and my hair is ablaze.
8 ) I have separate a personal system and a work system because it makes sense for me currently;
9) I have a had single systems in the past. Both single and separate work; pick the one that fits your current reality.
During the day:
A) I'm computer bound for my daily work these days;
B) I'm at the computer 8-12 hours a day working from home.
C) I get interrupted by: the phone, the email, the support chat line, the help desk tickets, random thoughts, project requests, and the kids. All and all about 10-20 thought interruptions PER HOUR during core working hours. I'm always at someone's 1 moment whim and I have structure and routine work/projects that also have to get done.
Work System:
1) Action items are in a program called Task Paper; but could be anything that can capture a list, and filter it. My software of choice has changed numerous time based on what my job was. I process AI's via AF
2) I tag my items with @Waiting; @Errands, and @Agendas as I go; but they are mixed together. Best of both worlds thanks to filtering; I can narrow list if the situation dictates it; mostly I work unfiltered; again nature of the job.
3) All other GTD stuff applies; my email inbox in my case is empty every 30-60 minutes and items are filed, deleted, forwarded/delegated and add to the action list on the fly.
4) When I had a very mobile on the go executive job my work system looked just like the following Personal System, because it was reliable and it looked good in the boardroom.
Personal System:
a) I use a Journal approach
b) I have nice fake leather journal 5x7 for @Home;
c) I tag the stuff I write in the Journal with @Agenda; @Waiting, @Errand as I write items in.
d) When I kill a page ala AF; I move incomplete @Agenda, @Waiting @Errands to the BACK of the journal as needed. Each Context has 5 pages reserved in the back of the journal.
e) I work the back pages BACKWARDS in page order and the context pagers are tagged with "post-it" flags.
f) When the journal is full I get a new one; they cost $2.90
Separation of work and home.
When I'm working I don't look at my personal stuff; but I will add things to it if I think of them. Open Journal write it down close it. Home Journal moves with me everywhere I go.
I tend not to think of work stuff when I'm not working; I believe it's either because work is in control; or I'm not that bright after a full day of work. On the rare occasions I think of something; I send myself an email from my iphone. and Let GTD take if from there in the morning.
20 of them have a date with the freezer, as soon as we get approval for our sausage recipe. ;-)
