How do differentiate between Support or Reference ?

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gtdstudente

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Fellow GTDers,

Always a little perplexed in the following:

How do GTDers differentiate between Support Materials and Reference Materials?

Is 'everything' that is not in use might need/will need Reference and 'becomes' Support when in use?

Thank you very much
 
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In other words: Support material is needed in a direct way for actual projects and next actions. Reference material is everything else.
 
RomanS said:
In other words: Support material is needed in a direct way for actual projects and next actions. Reference material is everything else.
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@RomanS,

First, your English much better than my German . . danke

Our esteemed GTDers above, @cfoley and @René Lie, seem to be suggesting that actual Reference materials are potential Support materials and then when actual Reference are in use they 'become' actual Support materials

That clarity can be helpful to have more confidence in keeping one's GTD system that much more streamlined by having less Support friction in the way?

Thank you very much

As you see GTD fit
 
For me support material is there directly to support a current live project. Reference is everything else like books I've read, tv shows I might want to watch, restaurants I might want to visit, interesting websites, interesting people I follow etc etc.
 
Because I am lazy, I tend to store information in whatever way will make the information easy to find and easy to use. This also means I am often refining and reducing what I need to see. As much as possible, I use markdown-compatible software with support for tagging. This includes Bear, Things, GoodLinks, and Omnivore. I also use Safari tab groups.

Example: My wife and I were working on an upcoming getaway. We had identified a number of possibilities, and I had two tab groups in Safari with other information stored as someday in the getaway project in Things. This weekend we agreed on what to do, picked dates and made reservations. The reservation confirmation went into the Things project with a start date. This replaces the “put day-specific information on your calendar” because it works better for me. The confirmation also goes into Trip It, visible to both of us. Relevant suggestions on what to do and see from the tab groups will end up as part of a combination itinerary and options list, maybe after going through Bear, GoodLinks or Omnivore. Often information is linked back to the original source. So project support information is not static. Some of the information will get folded into a Future Trip Planning project, which is an active project right now.

Reference information is not static either, although the time scale of motion is slower. Papers of direct professional interest to me go into Zotero. Papers which Someday May-be of interest are on a long list in Things with links. Just about everything digital is reference, in some sense. Photos, for example.
 
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David Allen makes a similar distinction between support and reference material as he does between projects and goals. On page 84 (German edition) he writes that support material is almost entirely the same as reference material and could be kept in the same system. "The only difference is that in the case of active projects, the supporting material needs to be reviewed more regularly to ensure that all necessary next steps are taken into account."
 
gtdstudente said:
Fellow GTDers,

Always a little perplexed in the following:

How do GTDers differentiate between Support Materials and Reference Materials?

Is 'everything' that is not in use might need/will need Reference and 'becomes' Support when in use?

Thank you very much
Click to expand...
Your question touches on a critical distinction in the GTD methodology that often puzzles many: differentiating between Support Materials and Reference Materials. This distinction is crucial for keeping your workflow streamlined and your system efficient.

In my ecosystem, I use OneNote to manage both Project Support Material and Reference Material, with a clear demarcation to maintain organization and efficiency. All material for project support resides in a OneNote binder named "GTD," within a group section called "Horizon 1." Each section in this group mirrors my Project List in Todoist, ensuring a seamless integration between the two. For every project created in OneNote, I utilize a template page to serve as an index with hyperlinks. This setup allows me to swiftly retrieve each required support project material stored as pages under the template page, neatly indented. For instance, for a project like 'File Income Tax 2023,' the front page contains links to emails, PDFs, and all elements I consider important to keep as support material, ensuring completeness.

Upon a project's completion, I follow a two-step process: 1) the project is archived in Todoist to maintain a clean workspace, and 2) its corresponding support material in OneNote is moved into a "Completed Project Year XX" group section. This system not only keeps my current projects organized and accessible but also systematically archives completed work for future reference.

For Reference Material, I maintain two OneNote binders: "General Reference" and "Technical Reference," organized using the A-Z filing methodology. This approach allows me to categorize and retrieve information efficiently. For example, banking materials (contracts, credit cards Terms & Conditions, etc.) are placed in the "B" group section under "B-Bank - name of the bank," with each PDF landing as pages titled clearly for quick retrieval through OneNote's search function.

In conclusion, the distinction in my system is clear: if it's merely reference material, it finds its place in the A-Z organized binders. If it's project support material, it's structured within the GTD binder under "Horizon 1," reflecting my Project List in Todoist. This method ensures that every piece of information, whether for immediate use or future reference, is exactly where I need it to be, streamlining my GTD process.

I hope sharing my setup provides a practical example of how to differentiate and manage Support Materials and Reference Materials effectively within the GTD framework. Embracing such a system can significantly enhance your productivity and ensure a well-organized, clutter-free workflow.
 
Good question. I keep it very straightforward and simple:

  • Support = Materials and/or contents are accessed at least once in a two-week period.
  • Reference = Materials and/or contents are accessed at least once in a yearly period.
  • Archive = Materials and/or contents must be kept for legal, tax, or otherwise purposes.

When in doubt, I will keep something as support and make a note about the last time I accessed and re-evaluate it in a few weeks time (i.e. a month or less) if it needs to remain as supporting working files or get filed as reference.

As well, the distance of where I store these files is proportional to the level of accessibility required. For example, support files are shortcuts on my dock, navigator side bar, bookmarks bar, etc. or in a folder on my desk. While reference files are in a directory on my hard drive that is backed up regularly but not "in sight for immediate access" or in a file cabinet in my office.
 
I don't distiguish between reference and archive - both of them needs purging. Also, to me the time frame is irrelevant; the material is either actionable (support) or not (reference).

Support material can be either something I need to complete an action or a project (such as a form to fill out), something I need to refer to in order to execute or something to execute upon completion (such as reply with 'done' to an email).
 
René Lie said:
I don't distiguish between reference and archive - both of them needs purging. Also, to me the time frame is irrelevant; the material is either actionable (support) or not (reference).

Support material can be either something I need to complete an action or a project (such as a form to fill out), something I need to refer to in order to execute or something to execute upon completion (such as reply with 'done' to an email).
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@René Lie

While "Time Frames" might offer some helpful forecasting . . . however, by enlarge . . . with perhaps the exception of some annual-ish Projects . . . 'forcing' time on uncertainty seems 'wasteful' . . . real 'wheel-spinning' ?

Thank you very much

As you see GTD fit. . . .
 
Matt_M said:
Good question. I keep it very straightforward and simple:

  • Support = Materials and/or contents are accessed at least once in a two-week period.
  • Reference = Materials and/or contents are accessed at least once in a yearly period.
  • Archive = Materials and/or contents must be kept for legal, tax, or otherwise purposes.

When in doubt, I will keep something as support and make a note about the last time I accessed and re-evaluate it in a few weeks time (i.e. a month or less) if it needs to remain as supporting working files or get filed as reference.

As well, the distance of where I store these files is proportional to the level of accessibility required. For example, support files are shortcuts on my dock, navigator side bar, bookmarks bar, etc. or in a folder on my desk. While reference files are in a directory on my hard drive that is backed up regularly but not "in sight for immediate access" or in a file cabinet in my office.
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@Matt_M

How clarification(s) / necessity and 'distance'/'space' can coincide in the GTD world of the non-actionable ?:

Archive = Remote (Required Retention(s), Might Need/Want, Possible Future Interest(s) [self/other(s)] ?
Reference = Proximate (Areas-of-Focus ?)
Support = Immediate (Current Projects and Next Actions)

Thank you very much

As you see GTD fit. . . .
 
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Just another few words on this: if you’re primarily digital, as I am, the distinctions between support and reference (and archive if used as a category) are somewhat arbitrary. On the other hand, if you are primarily paper-based, you are bound to a physical location and one primary sorting scheme per sub-system, the order of the folders. Neither is right or wrong, but they are very different.
 
In the book, David Allen calls it project support material I believe.

In my understanding, that’s the info you need to help move a project forward. It’s directly tied to getting the project done.

Reference, on the other hand, is more general—just bits and pieces of info you want to hold onto but aren’t linked to a specific project or next action.
 
gtdstudente said:
@Matt_M

How clarification(s) / necessity and 'distance'/'space' can coincide in the GTD world of the non-actionable ?:

Archive = Remote (Required Retention(s), Might Need/Want, Possible Future Interest(s) [self/other(s)] ?
Reference = Proximate (Areas-of-Focus ?)
Support = Immediate (Current Projects and Next Actions)

Thank you very much

As you see GTD fit. . . .
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It's not a question of actionable or not, but rather optimization and efficiency. Time and space are important since there is no reason to keep materials close-by unless you know will need to access them frequently (regardless of what they are or for). There's only so much space on your desk, in your office, and/or on your computer. The less frequent access is, the farther away the materials should be stored in order to optimize space. This includes typically putting archived materials in an attic or basement or even an off-site storage facility.

If you don't ever look at materials for higher horizons, even occasionally, then I would question if they are even relevant anymore. Those would be cases where the materials are probably not helpful, even if they were immediately available since it's been years since they have been accessed.

For example, I don't ever need to see any materials from 2018, but I have to keep several years of materials for legal and tax purposes. Those can live in an attic or somewhere where I will never frequently access outside of the occasional annual trip to add more materials.

Only keeping the contents at hand and that are readily accessible both current and relevant is the key to being able to maintain the system as well as easily and quickly find what you need in seconds. I have worked at offices, many years ago, where the cabinets were stuffed with garbage (e.g. phone directories from 2001, press releases from 1998, and time off spreadsheets from 2004). I am sure they had to keep it for reasons but it should have been in some warehouse in fly-over country where nobody will ever care. Anytime someone needed to find information, it would take days to find it since it was scramble to find stuff since "reference" and "archive" materials were mixed.
 
Matt_M said:
It's not a question of actionable or not, but rather optimization and efficiency. Time and space are important since there is no reason to keep materials close-by unless you know will need to access them frequently (regardless of what they are or for). There's only so much space on your desk, in your office, and/or on your computer. The less frequent access is, the farther away the materials should be stored in order to optimize space. This includes typically putting archived materials in an attic or basement or even an off-site storage facility.

If you don't ever look at materials for higher horizons, even occasionally, then I would question if they are even relevant anymore. Those would be cases where the materials are probably not helpful, even if they were immediately available since it's been years since they have been accessed.

For example, I don't ever need to see any materials from 2018, but I have to keep several years of materials for legal and tax purposes. Those can live in an attic or somewhere where I will never frequently access outside of the occasional annual trip to add more materials.

Only keeping the contents at hand and that are readily accessible both current and relevant is the key to being able to maintain the system as well as easily and quickly find what you need in seconds. I have worked at offices, many years ago, where the cabinets were stuffed with garbage (e.g. phone directories from 2001, press releases from 1998, and time off spreadsheets from 2004). I am sure they had to keep it for reasons but it should have been in some warehouse in fly-over country where nobody will ever care. Anytime someone needed to find information, it would take days to find it since it was scramble to find stuff since "reference" and "archive" materials were mixed.
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@Matt_M

Very good post. . . . thank you very much

Meanwhile, what does 'legal' practically mean ?

Thank you very much
 
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