Hard Landscape

[furashgf]

Two kinds of tasks (I think) go on the hard landscape: deferred tasks (you can't start until that date) and tasks that must be done on that date or they're not relevant anymore. Both types of tasks still have a context.

How do you keep the above straight on "your" calendar? thanks!

 

[Tom Shannon]

Two kinds of tasks (I think) go on the hard landscape: deferred tasks (you can't start until that date) and tasks that must be done on that date or they're not relevant anymore. Both types of tasks still have a context.

How do you keep the above straight on "your" calendar? thanks!

By the book I think that only the last of these two end up on a calendar. Essentially, as I understand it, its supposed to be hard deadlines and appointments only. Anything that can be pushed back doesn't belong. Of course, as far as I'm concerned, people should always do whatever works best for them no matter what the book says.

I, personally, handle defered tasks by creating dated todos in my PIM. The tasks don't go on the calendar per se but those with hard deadlines also get an appointment on the calendar. Tasks that are not defered don't have dates in my PIM. I know that there are a number of people on the forum that also handle them this way.

Tom S.

 

[cornell]

tickle the first, calendar for the second

...deferred tasks (you can't start until that date) and tasks that must be done on that date or they're not relevant anymore.

I a gree with Tom that the latter type (those that have to happen on a certain day and/or time) go on your calendar.

Regarding deferred tasks, I use a "ticker," either the 43 folders described in the book, or the "calendar+holding file" method (as Stephanie Winston calls it), which I prefer as I don't use the ticker file. To use the latter, I put a short note ("day-specific information") in my calendar (i.e., "OK to start project X"), and place any project-related materials in the associated project file, or in a special "holding" file (I name mine "action support") if they don't warrant their own file.

 

[mcogilvie]

Two kinds of tasks (I think) go on the hard landscape: deferred tasks (you can't start until that date) and tasks that must be done on that date or they're not relevant anymore. Both types of tasks still have a context.

How do you keep the above straight on "your" calendar? thanks!

As already noted, one solution is to keep start dates elsewhere, as a dated item in your todo list or in a tickler file. You could also put start dates for projects in their own category if your calendar supports this; palm does, and you could use a different color for a paper calendar. I think the simplest thing is just to say "Start Project XXX" instead of "Project Y Due" on your calendar. Then the hard-landscape task you must do on that day is simply to add the project to your project list(s).

 

[DoingIt]

This is one of the few areas that was giving me some trouble with the methodology. I think I started a thread about it here, a few months ago.

At first, following DA's methodology to the letter, I used to populate my Calendar with actions to be done on a specified date, in addition to actions that had to be done on a specific day and time. That was wrong: I effectively ended up creating a To Do list and thus deviating from some fundamental concepts of GTD.

Later I discovered by reading a posting by Katherine, if I recall right, that I should limit entering these actions in my Calendar to the bare minimum number of occasions. Now I rely a lot on my Context Lists in deciding what the NA should be, and I find that I'm more productive (and less stressed) than by using the method that I described above.