How much freedom do you really have in choosing tasks?

Y_Lherieau said:
I’ve lived that same “I just don’t know what to engage now” moment — lists in order, horizons clear, yet still stuck. What shifted it for me was layering GTD with the 12 Week Year mindset.
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I am indeed interested par 12W I wish to learn it. Does the book exist in French ? Where could I fin a good summary just for diving it shortly ?
Y_Lherieau said:
It’s almost like adopting an athlete’s approach. A pro athlete doesn’t wake up and pick training by intuition from a long menu of possible drills. If the prescription today is 8×400m intervals, that’s what gets done. Period. The tolerance for background noise is zero, because otherwise performance will be hindered at the next race.
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Thank you it is clever and interesting. May be I would focus more on 1 project only the next step and it very next action than anything.

Y_Lherieau said:
Applying that frame to work and life changed things for me. Instead of staring at a complete inventory of everything I could do, I ask: what’s my equivalent of “today’s training prescription”? The 12WY narrows the focus, GTD keeps the capture/review system trustworthy, and together they reduce that paralyzing indecision in the moment.

GTD and 12WY work for me nicely hand in hand. I can’t set more than three 12WY objectives in a 12-week cycle, and I only allow myself two personal development commitments in that period. That’s what I keep in my “warehouse.” I’m close to my 40th 12WY cycle now, and I’ve learned that even setting three objectives per cycle is often having my eyes bigger than my stomach.
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I am reminded of the “filling the jar” story made famous by Stephen Covey. First the jar is filled with big rocks, until it seems full. But there is still room for small pebbles.After that, sand and finally water. The point of the story is not that you can always squeeze a little more in, but rather that you have to put the big rocks in first or you will never get them in. Covey is a bit vague on what constitutes a big rock, just like David Allen says “trust your gut” in choosing next actions in the moment. Personally, I find it useful to distinguish between three categories of next actions. First comes next actions which are important now, usually associated with important projects. Big rocks, perhaps. Next comes single next actions not associated with projects which are essential to keeping my life running smooohly. Most of them are recurring, like the weekly review or grocery shopping. These are perhaps water, necessary for life. Then there’s everything else, the in-between stuff. Big rocks tend to have a large upside, while the downside of not doing essential next actions is often large. I don’t think there is one right way to conceptualize the issue.
 
mcogilvie said:
I am reminded of the “filling the jar” story made famous by Stephen Covey. First the jar is filled with big rocks, until it seems full. But there is still room for small pebbles.After that, sand and finally water. The point of the story is not that you can always squeeze a little more in, but rather that you have to put the big rocks in first or you will never get them in. Covey is a bit vague on what constitutes a big rock, just like David Allen says “trust your gut” in choosing next actions in the moment. Personally, I find it useful to distinguish between three categories of next actions. First comes next actions which are important now, usually associated with important projects. Big rocks, perhaps. Next comes single next actions not associated with projects which are essential to keeping my life running smooohly. Most of them are recurring, like the weekly review or grocery shopping. These are perhaps water, necessary for life. Then there’s everything else, the in-between stuff. Big rocks tend to have a large upside, while the downside of not doing essential next actions is often large. I don’t think there is one right way to conceptualize the issue.
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@mcogilvie

With all due respect and for whatever it might be GTD worth:

There's always something that can be removed from the Jar, big or small . . . even tiny, for an immeasurable worthy increase in 'Jar' capacity . . . one never knows when that 'tiny' increase in capacity will come in handy and make ALL the difference ?

As everyone might see GTD fit. . . .
 
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mcogilvie said:
Personally, I find it useful to distinguish between three categories of next actions. First comes next actions which are important now, usually associated with important projects. Big rocks, perhaps. Next comes single next actions not associated with projects which are essential to keeping my life running smooohly. Most of them are recurring, like the weekly review or grocery shopping.
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Thank your very much indeed for this tip. Traditional context always always are terrible with me. It is the only art I still struggle since I red your post. Today I decided to stop my traditional context and apply your system with P1,P2,P3 with Omnifocus . I Only kept Waiting for, Call, People. It changed the game.

So I made it like this
I used P1 tag for my core 3 project of the next 12 weeks like explained @Y_Lherieau (Thank you so much too)
I used P2 only for task system eg what make my system work and contribute to it (water, life)
I used P3 For all the sand whatever it is. Non relative to core project, it can be a lot of stuff but I don't care

My system became suddenly very fluid and less stressful. I really appreciate ;-)
 
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