GTD lacks a systematic method for filtering and focusing

[seraphim]

More examples of successfully overcoming overcommitment?

In my opinion there is no universal anti-overcommitment cure.

I totally agree with you.

To avoid overcommitment you have to get rid of some commitments - David Allen proposes to re-negotiate your commitments when necessary to avoid overcommitment.

I still think it would be helpful to see more specific recommendations and examples.

In the MIAW book, there are only two specific recommendations for dealing with overwhelm:

1. If you are an idea-generating machine, put those ideas straight onto a special Someday/Maybe list, and review it regularly
2. If you are numb to your lists because there is too much on them to process, you need to be aggressive about moving things to Someday/Maybe. And you need to be aggressive about reviewing Someday/Maybe, and pruning/postponing. If you fail to do these things, you will get into a place where you don't trust the system -- and then it will stop working.

He provides a real example only for the first situation.

I'd love to see more recommendations and more examples! Then we can choose the ones that apply to our own situations -- and get new ideas for coming up with our own solutions.

Anybody know where to find them?

 

[seraphim]

(More real-life examples of David Allen helping his clients find solutions?)

In general, I wish there were LOTS more specific real-life examples in the books - they are always very interesting and illuminating, even inspiring. It's great to see how David Allen has helped individual people apply GTD and overcome specific problems with it.

But these examples are sparse, and sometimes the books feel too abstract and theoretical as a result.

Maybe another book?

 

[TesTeq]

Individual coaching or telecoaching.

In general, I wish there were LOTS more specific real-life examples in the books - they are always very interesting and illuminating, even inspiring. It's great to see how David Allen has helped individual people apply GTD and overcome specific problems with it.

But these examples are sparse, and sometimes the books feel too abstract and theoretical as a result.

Maybe another book?

I think you can obtain non-theoretical, specific to your situation advice via individual coaching or telecoaching by one of great David Allen Company coaches.

 

[enyonam]

Checklist

Great thread! I've also struggled with overcommitment and actually came up with a checklist that walks me through looking at the list and shaving off projects and actions from my active lists when overcommitment shows up. I actually look at this during my weekly review and when I can get to my daily review (most processing and organising).

Rather than repeat it here, I'll link you to a short blog where I write out this renegotiating commitments checklist: http://enyonam.com/2013/03/11/shaving-off-the-to-dos/

 

[cwoodgold]

In general, I wish there were LOTS more specific real-life examples in the books --

Maybe another book?

That would be great!

 

[enyonam]

New David Allen Book

That would be great!

+10!

Or it could be a whole new section of GTD Connect, or perhaps a new forum...

 

[TesTeq]

Slices of GTD Life?

Or it could be a whole new section of GTD Connect, or perhaps a new forum...

Isn't the "Slice of GTD Life" series of podcasts full of examples? And some of the "In Conversation" episodes?

 

[mcogilvie]

Great thread! I've also struggled with overcommitment and actually came up with a checklist that walks me through looking at the list and shaving off projects and actions from my active lists when overcommitment shows up. I actually look at this during my weekly review and when I can get to my daily review (most processing and organising).

Rather than repeat it here, I'll link you to a short blog where I write out this renegotiating commitments checklist: http://enyonam.com/2013/03/11/shaving-off-the-to-dos/

Nice concise summary!

 

[Tony Osime]

What list manager do you use?

I use a list manager that makes it easy to set a review time appropriately for every single project and that really helps me.

Please let us know what list manager you use and what features you like.

Thanks.

 

[nick_ross]

It's all down to your gut feel

Reading through this excellent discussion, I can't help but feel the missing (intangible) piece of the puzzle is gut feel.

There's an example somewhere of David looking at his lists and then ignoring them and pruning a tree.

For me this is the other side of the coin - having a complete inventory so you know all the things you would like to do (like includes want to, have to, really should do) allows you to goof off and do something else (assuming you're happy to do that - your gut isn't telling you it's wrong).

From the overwhelm perspective - I think it'll come down to gut feel on 'Do I really have time to do Action A now' - if yes, then put on the action list. If no, put on Someday Maybe and review in X months. If in X months it's become 'That would have been nice but I'm not that bothered about it now' - then prune it. If it re-surfaces in the future, then it can go back on the list.

Go with your instinct - and recognise you can't do everything. You can only eat so many cookies before your stomach says no more!! GTD just helps you identify which cookies are the best to eat (Chocolate chip, every time).

And as for having a shovel telling you where to dig - superb, TesTeq - great image

 

[S-Tolland]

Thanks for such an interesting thread.

@Oogie - your detailed account of how you work your system is so interesting and inspiring - many thanks for sharing in such helpful detail.

My two pence to add to the discussion: I would agree that choosing a longer timescale to review certain parts of your someday/maybe list is really important to keep the review at a reasonable length. I have started to use an @incubate list for those items that I want to see every 2 weeks or so, but don't want to have on my lists at the moment, but also don't want to consign to someday/maybe. There was thread elsewhere on the forums about this and it seems to be working well for me to put the list into my tickler for review every 2-3 weeks. I didn't want to be reviewing a monster someday/maybe list so splitting things up in this fashion really helped. Only a small tip, but I hope it might be helpful.

 

[cwoodgold]

Suppose you have 1000 actions listed, and that looking at the list as a whole, you perceive that it's a lot more than you're able to accomplish and you want to reduce the number.

The problem is that a human can only think of a limited number of things at once. When you look at one of the items on your list, you think of details of that item and you're not thinking about each and every one of the other items; so the one you're looking at seems more important than it ought to. The more intelligent you are, perhaps, the more you think of lots of details and implications of the item you're looking at. So it's hard to make a decision to delete it.

I think what's needed are methods that allow you to compare among a smaller number of actions. For example, comparing only two it may be relatively easy to decide "if I could only do one of these this year, which one would I want to do?"

Methods:
-- Use the Horizons of Focus to divide stuff up like subdirectory trees with multiple levels. For example, when viewing at a higher level, you might decide "This Saturday I'll spend 3 hours on Area of Focus X". This decision is taken while comparing relative importance of various AOFs, not focussing on details of X. Later, at a lower horizon of focus, you decide how to divide up the 3 hours among various projects within the AOF.

-- Mark Forster's techniques "Do it Tomorrow", "Auto-Focus", "Day-Week-Month" or "Final Version". http://markforster.squarespace.com/

-- My Powers-of-Two system: Divide actions among folders each reviewed every 2**n days, so each day you review 2 folders. When reviewing, move things that seem less important or urgent into less-often-reviewed folders, and vice versa, or decide to move some elsewhere in your system, do them immediately or delete them.

 

[Oogiem]

Please let us know what list manager you use and what features you like.

Thanks.

I use Omnifocus. What I like is that I can easily add change or delete contexts, it's fast to add new projects or actions and I can keep a significant amount of the project support material right there as notes. Plus it runs on my Mac, iPad and iPhone. I love the Mac version of the review process. I rarely use the iPad version at all, it's clunky IMO but other people love it more than the Mac version. I also like the setting start dates option and setting how often I need to review something for everything.

 

[OF user]

I agree with you Oogie

I also love the MAC version of Omnifocus and dislike the iOS version even though most people seem to be the other way around. I eventually had to give up on OF (despite my forum handle) because I travel about 60% of the time and I was using my iPad more than I wanted to. Could take my MAC laptop with me but i am already carrying a work PC.

 

[rnperry]

Thank you - this was PERFECT right now.

This thread is exactly what I am looking for. Thank you so much, Seraphim, for bringing it up!

And thank you, OogieM, for your answers. I'm not a farmer, I'm a singer-songwriter. But I also knit and run a vacation rental and have kids and dogs and run my own record company and do environmental activism, etc. etc. Both your daily lives and number of items sounds *exactly* like mine but more so, and so does your degree of overwhelm. (I have 496 projects at the moment, so, OogieM, you've got me beat with twice as many!

I had David Allen himself tell me he'd never heard of anyone with so many projects. But honestly, I can look around my kitchen right now and see 10 things that could be projects (and I'd put them on someday/maybe because I don't want to do them right now). Isn't one of his suggestions to walk around your house with a recorder and get every possible project off your mind onto your list?

There seems to be a disconnect between the "mind like water" idea of getting every single thing over two or three steps onto a project list and the goal of having a manageable number of projects to review.

So I am very intrigued by the seasonal review you suggest. Anything that gives me a concrete structure to regularly review and confidently ignore many of my projects. I'm going to give it a try.

Also, as far as contexts go, I found this really interesting.

http://simplicitybliss.com/2011/06/a-fresh-take-on-contexts/

I have adapted it to my use.

This thread is a lifesaver. Thank you!

P.S. I also use (and like) Omnifocus. I find the iPad version best for review, the iPhone version best for checking throughout my day, and the desktop version best for when I process my email inbox because I can "command option O" and instantly throw the email into my omnifocus inbox.

 

[treelike]

I had David Allen himself tell me he'd never heard of anyone with so many projects. But honestly, I can look around my kitchen right now and see 10 things that could be projects (and I'd put them on someday/maybe because I don't want to do them right now). Isn't one of his suggestions to walk around your house with a recorder and get every possible project off your mind onto your list?

I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record now when I reply to posts on this forum but, isn't the problem here at your 20,000ft+ levels? I am assuming that the projects you see in your kitchen are because something is untidy or it could look better or it could work ever so slightly more efficiently. And I am presuming this is because you have certain "standards" that you feel must be maintained. Could you relax those standards and thus no longer see the projects in the first place? Mind like water is maintained and you have a more manageable projects list.

 

[mcogilvie]

TI have 496 projects at the moment...

There seems to be a disconnect between the "mind like water" idea of getting every single thing over two or three steps onto a project list and the goal of having a manageable number of projects to review.

David Allan has been very explicit: most people have more to do than they can possibly do. Active projects can always be done a bit better, there are old projects that we could do but for money/time/energy, exciting new projects, urgent projects, et cetera. Ultimately, we must choose what to do and be comfortable with our choices. If you have an area of focus where a standard is "my home is beautiful" and an area of focus where a standard is "I provide care for the people I love when they are ill" then you may have competing claims for your attention which may only be resolved at the level of your life goals. Our most important job at all levels is to say "this, but not that, not now" and know why we are consciously making our choices. "Know thyself" is the great commandment behind most of gtd.

 

[Barb]

More..

I had David Allen himself tell me he'd never heard of anyone with so many projects. But honestly, I can look around my kitchen right now and see 10 things that could be projects (and I'd put them on someday/maybe because I don't want to do them right now). Isn't one of his suggestions to walk around your house with a recorder and get every possible project off your mind onto your list?

There seems to be a disconnect between the "mind like water" idea of getting every single thing over two or three steps onto a project list and the goal of having a manageable number of projects to review.

For the first year or two of GTD, I had an enormous number of projects too. I put what I truly wasn't going to work on into Someday/Maybe. Much better.

McOgilvie's advice is right on target.

 

[Oogiem]

More projects not fewer now

Barb that's really interesting, I started my GTD journey with maybe 20-25 projects max. But then I really understood that many of them were actually areas of focus and the longer I work with GTD the more projects I define. Also the more I tend to get done in absolute terms.

For me at least breaking things down into really small tiny steps seems to get me moving faster and breaking down major "projects" into as many separate projects as needed to avoid any subprojects, means they are more likely to get done. So I've got more projects now (both active and in someday/maybe than I ever did when I first started, even after several complete mind dumps.

 

[Barb]

Timing is everything

Barb that's really interesting, I started my GTD journey with maybe 20-25 projects max. But then I really understood that many of them were actually areas of focus and the longer I work with GTD the more projects I define. Also the more I tend to get done in absolute terms.

For me at least breaking things down into really small tiny steps seems to get me moving faster and breaking down major "projects" into as many separate projects as needed to avoid any subprojects, means they are more likely to get done. So I've got more projects now (both active and in someday/maybe than I ever did when I first started, even after several complete mind dumps.

When I first started GTD I was starting my business and paying attention to home things for the first time in many years. I had LOTS of things to get done and probably 200+ projects. After the run up to launch and initial project completion, things became an Area of Focus but in the beginning AOF was: Start Business.

During this time, my mother was critically ill and dying as well. Lots and lots of projects there too.

What's your project count these days, Oogie? Last I remember you saying you were well over 200, weren't you?

P.S. Wish I could edit the heading of this post..I do know how to spell "everything"!