How do you keep track... When you don't know what to do?

gabrielkunkel

gabrielkunkel

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I have a problem that I don't know how to deal with. Maybe it takes some creativity, brainstorming, or just relaxing, but I don't know what to do about it RIGHT NOW. This has to come up a lot; maybe you're having a relationship conflict, a communication problem, or you're stuck in the middle of a job task. Figuring out a solution will take time and work, but, sometimes, you just need to step away and do something else for awhile. The key thing is NOT to forget about it. These issues have deadlines, even if they're not clear.
How do you use GTD to keep track of the things you don't know what to do about? ...do you just put a task like, "Figure out how to communicate to my boss that I don't want this project, without making him mad." or "Find a way to make an extra $20,000 this year." in a project for that area of your life? ...do you leave it in your inbox until you have something more specific? ...do you have a special list of tasks with similar vague stuff like this? ...do you leave it in Evernote and just have a task to review Evernote every so often just to keep these things in mind?
How do you handle the things you don't know what to do with?
 
I have a context called @Clearheaded that I use for those kinds of things.
(I used to call that context @Reflection - in case someone here sees this and wonders - I do not have two such contexts)
 
Folke, it's kind of a brilliant idea to think of contexts in terms of a state of mind instead of just location or who I'm with. :-) This could have wide applications. How do you know when you're in the "Clearheaded" context? When does it happen? Do you review those "Clearheaded" things with a certain amount of regularity?

My most recent thoughts about this was that it would be important to make a process for dealing with these things; to turn each into a project with generic brainstorming and research steps. I would have to create a systematic way of dealing with them. This could be very helpful since a creative project like, "Figure Out: How do I make an extra $20,000 this year?" might take plenty of time and energy and by making such a creative/research project a separate project, I can compare it to other projects I have going when deciding whether I should put it "On Hold" or keep it "Active" which is one of the real beautiful aspects of GTD (and OmniFocus, which I use with enthusiasm.).
 
gabrielkunkel said:
How do you know when you're in the "Clearheaded" context? When does it happen? Do you review those "Clearheaded" things with a certain amount of regularity?
Click to expand...

I review my next actions (and waiting fors) every morning to see whether there is anything in particular I should aim for today. Then, later during the day, I check several times for additional actions that match whatever contexts etc I am in. So, yes, I see these actions at least once a day, usually more. I know when I feel clearheaded enough (calm, alert, no time pressure etc) to actively seek out one of these tasks and give it a go.

gabrielkunkel said:
I can compare it to other projects I have going when deciding whether I should put it "On Hold" or keep it "Active" which is one of the real beautiful aspects of GTD.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree, and/or Someday/Maybe (depending on the features of the app). I find this particularly useful when I am not sure yet that I even need to solve it (it is perhaps just a tempting thought etc), but I use the @Clearheaded context when I have decided that I really must deal with it but do not know how.

In the two examples you mentioned, it sounds as if maybe I would have put the $20k thing under Someday/Maybe (kind of "optional") and the boss thing as an @Clearheaded next action (I would probably have felt that I just had to find a way).
 
Hi Gabriel,

I can also add that some people (about 3%) have a slightly "different brain" which approaches thinking in multiple approaches rather than just one or the other. This can make this type of thinking much more complex than for others, which means that you need to give your brain a bit of time to think it over. I'm in this category and after consulting with Openbook Learning (http://www.openbooklearning.com/), I was suggested to add a separate "Incubation & Ideas" category in which I can store these more complex ideas (somewhat similar to what Folke describes above). If I have an idea that I'm stuck with, I can leave it there and revisit it later as it often appears to "solve itself" if I do. It might work for you as well (but be careful that it doesn't end up as a graveyard for things you don't want to think through).

Hope it helps.
Lars
 
I like this idea! Finding that "clearheaded" time, for me, is the biggest challenge though.

Folke said:
I have a context called @Clearheaded that I use for those kinds of things.
(I used to call that context @Reflection - in case someone here sees this and wonders - I do not have two such contexts)
Click to expand...
 
This may have already been addressed, but I'm focusing on your question, "How do you handle the things you don't know what to do with?"

GTD Coach Meg Edwards often advised me, "If stuck, go up". What was needed was a different/fresh perspective about what was on my mind.

The trick, for me anyway, is to answer "What is the meaning of this?", relatively at the various horizons of focus - 10K up to 50K.

As I answer questions of myself at the various levels - am I committed?; do I have a responsibility for this?, etc -- what happens is the "next actual action" arises, which often surprises me.

The key question is: Do I allow my ego to be left at the door while I intuitively find the next actual action?

Give that a shot, or throw it out... ;-)
 
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