How do I capture an effort vs a task?

J

jazzcatdmv

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I am a musician and I have to practice to refine my craft. However, I'm struggling with where to capture practice items within GTD. When I am practicing a concept it is not really a discrete task that I just do and check off like take out the trash. I need to work on that concept until I've got it. It could be a week, it could be a month, it could be a year. I just have to work it until I'm done. How would something like this be classified in David Allen's system?
 
jazzcatdmv said:
I am a musician and I have to practice to refine my craft. However, I'm struggling with where to capture practice items within GTD. When I am practicing a concept it is not really a discrete task that I just do and check off like take out the trash. I need to work on that concept until I've got it. It could be a week, it could be a month, it could be a year. I just have to work it until I'm done. How would something like this be classified in David Allen's system?
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The answer is that you put it where you think it goes and then make sure it is doing what it need to do for you. You might have a context "Conservatory" for next actions when you are in that context. This is especially useful if your schedule is erratic, or if you have many things you are working on. On the other hand, you might have regularly scheduled practice, which goes on your calendar. You might have a project "Learn the play the nose flute" with attendant actions. Music might be an area of focus. You might have a system of recording detailed progress that is specialized for that purpose, such as writing notes and dates in an instructional work (common in piano instruction). If you have a regular set of exercises, a checklist might be useful. Sometimes a conditional task or project is useful, such as "Satisfied for now with my arrangement of Fuer Elise for banjo" that you check off when you feel it is true. If you are working towards a performance, it's very different from working on a particular technique. You really have to ask what your practice means to you, and what if any changes you would like to make.
 
As a fellow musician (once professional now recreational) I had the same issue. What I currently do is I create a project called "Learn (name of piece)" and then call each portion an underlying task. Example, I recently learned how to play "Slide" by the Goo Goo Dolls on my guitar. There are sections of that that I broke off into task for myself. Some tasks just took long than others. That's how I manage learning a new piece and that works for me because it keeps the "project" on my radar. There are probably numerous ways you could handle this though.

Hope this helps!
Vickie
 
I too am a musician/songwriter, and I'm inspired by the recent Webinar on checklists to suggest that some aspects of your general approach to practice (I agree w/Mcogilvie it can help to define such as an Area of Focus) might benefit from having a checklist. In other words, you may approach learning a new piece in the same way every time (e.g. play through from beginning to end; identify "trouble spots," etc. etc.). And if it's a concept vs. a piece, you might still benefit. Perhaps it would be: "find examples of XYZ concept," learn piece, study section in such-and-such a tome..." Then, of course, there's just the list of current music-related projects.

Vague examples, I know, but jazz is such a specialised field with vagaries all its own!

So...to use said checklists, you could perhaps have a dedicated practice time, and make sure that, wherever that may be, you have access to any and all applicable checklists. That way you could actually practice what you're moved to in that moment, knowing that at least you're moving forward something that's important to you...
 
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