How to identify on the most important tasks at a given moment?

[dtj]

In Omnifocus I have 'ondeck' and 'shortlist' tags or subprojects (i've vascillated on them) that create a sense of priorities in the bleak landscape off all the things that I eventually wanna get done. I have them in both @home and @work contexts. Ideally, I suppose, I should have them as tags and then create perspectives based on those tags.

Also, I find that it's often a good thing to do things "off the menu" periodically, just as a treat to your future self, and to maybe do something more on the fun side, or atleast not in your critical path. It's like productive procrastination thing. For instance, if you're cranking widgets to beat the band, stop and sort through totes of papers that have languished over in the corner, that you've been meaning to get through. Even compressing two totes into a single one can bring joy and is a gift for your future self when those totes need to be dealt with because they're in the way.

 

[gtdstudente]

I feel like I am getting burned out constantly trying to make sure I am working on the most important things. I use an app to track my tasks, but I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things. I can tell myself that project A is more important than project B, but that does not necessarily mean that all tasks for project A are more urgent than all tasks for project B. I have tried using priority tags, but that doesn't really seem to capture it. Am I the only one running into this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions how to prioritize their projects to help focus on the right task at the right time?

anahodil,

While good GTDer's are 'not suppose to remember anything' because they have their 'Trusted GTD' system in play, however, if something on the "Next Action List" keeps coming to mind involuntary, then that might be the "most important" thing to do . . . if only to get back to being a good GTDer?

 

[dtj]

I find that 99% of the time when I have trouble identifying the most important next action at the moment my lists too long. This can be poorly defined contexts and I need to think of that or too much work in my system. The first thing I typically do is a minireview and pause some of those lower priority projects. That helps to filter them down to a manageable list.

After that, if you work with your contexts you are picking the higher priority from that list not necessarily working about your project. Something on your laptop might be the most important action item but if you dont have access to your laptop at the moment it doesnt matter

Another way to avoid burnout is to focus on a smaller list. If you look at your total list, every time you look for your Next Action, you take on the emotional baggage of the totality of your demands. I make a hand written list of the weeks tasks, often aspirational, to work from. I can always go back to the well if I need to. It keep me focused.

 

[Oogiem]

I feel like I have to review the entire list to make sure I am working on the most urgent things.

Why? Are you REALLY in a position where ANY task can be done? I'd look first at fine tuning the contexts you use and adding more if necessary.

Consider that actively working on multiple projects kinda-simultaneously, when you don't have to, is likely to cost you more in context switching than you're gaining by choosing the perfect task every time.

I may be misunderstanding here, but for me it is pretty much irrelevant the number of projects I have. The context switching that sapps my brain and energy is flipping between apps or type of work. So I am perfectly comfortable with 20 projecs but they all share a task of "Reasearch X on the Internet" or they can only be done at my sewing or serger machine so that context is "in the Shop Building". Once I am in a mindset of searchign on the internet I can quickly burn through 15 or 20 research quesitons, save the notes out in separate note files as appropriate linked to their projects and move a bunch of things forward at once. Similarly if I'm at the shop build I can get a set of sewing items done at once. I can more easily work on a spreadsheet for 5 separate projecs than I can flip between a spreadsheet, a writing tool or an internet search task

 

[FocusGuy]

@dtj

a long list of projects and tasks often means to me a lack of stepping back to my horizons or my project list.

i take sometime for reading and updating my H3 horizons. It helps me to see what matters the most to me.

i also keep my eyes open to new opportunities.

also,
my list is like a Chinese menu. Ilt doesn t mean i have to eat everything. It only means i have to choose some of them

i have added another sub step at the review part. Each week I do a meeting with myself for choosing what i gonna do during the next week. I keep on context and actionnable project nothing but the most urgent and important.

anything else goes into someday or reported for the future.

for each project or each task i always ask does it worth to me ? Does it must be done ?

i erase a lot.

sometime i feel overwhelmed. Gtd is great but it gives me some pressure. So i step back using writing on my bullet journal

i alway report each week and each month my core project and core tasks for the week From my task manager. Rewriting seems curious but it helps me a lot for seeing what matters the most at the present time.

At last i use habits i take sometime during the day for cleaning my emails, organizing my files,
reading stuff, making research on the internet. For that i use the tags of my task manager.

hope theses little tips will help you for making the right choices

 

[Gardener]

I may be misunderstanding here, but for me it is pretty much irrelevant the number of projects I have. The context switching that sapps my brain and energy is flipping between apps or type of work. So I am perfectly comfortable with 20 projecs but they all share a task of "Reasearch X on the Internet" or they can only be done at my sewing or serger machine so that context is "in the Shop Building". Once I am in a mindset of searchign on the internet I can quickly burn through 15 or 20 research quesitons, save the notes out in separate note files as appropriate linked to their projects and move a bunch of things forward at once. Similarly if I'm at the shop build I can get a set of sewing items done at once. I can more easily work on a spreadsheet for 5 separate projecs than I can flip between a spreadsheet, a writing tool or an internet search task

I regard you as an exception. I realize it's not my place to categorize you, but, as I recall there's a small subset of the population that are...is it super multitaskers? who are all but immune to the mental dump and reload required to change projects --and I suspect that you may be one of them. Your ability to work so many projects and to support so many tasks leads me to suspect that.

Now, my lack of data on the twenty percent rule pretty thoroughly undermines any claim that my view on the cost of multiple projects is anything but pure opinion. However, there is some actual data re Work In Progress numbers cited in, I think, David Anderson's Kanban that does seem to point to the same conclusion, from a somewhat different direction.

("The OTA download server team...handed out large batches of features to individual developers. Typically, they had ten features per developer in progress at any given time. The OTA DM team...were working on small batches of features at a time, typically five to ten features in progress for the whole team at any given time.
...
The difference in initial quality, measured as escaped defects leaking into the system or integration test, was greater than 30-fold between the two teams.

Anderson, David J.. Kanban . Blue Hole Press Inc. Kindle Edition. ")

 

[Oogiem]

as I recall there's a small subset of the population that are...is it super multitaskers?

I can't multitask at all! I can't even listen to music or have any extraneous sounds when I am trying to work. I also can't easily switch to using a different computer application. I can and have found myself crunching through so many tasks from many projects but all in the same application that I suddenly look up and realize it's been 3 or 4 hours and I haven't moved or gotten up or stretched or anything. I think it's more a hyperfocus not multitask. Once I'm in the zone with an application I can move effortlessly between projects because the next ctions are so well defined I may not even know or care exactly what project it belongs to. It's a discrete step like a single subroutine that I know how to do and I just crunch through it. Wash Rinse and Repeat until that context list is empty.

 

[Mike Taku]

Fine-tune the contexts for your tasks so that you are not looking at options you cannot do. For example, if your most important project has tasks that can only be done when you're on the secure network at your office or via VPN, make sure those tasks are on a list such as "On secure network."

Also, we recently did a webinar on Prioritizing in GTD. Email connect[at]davidco.com if you would like a guest pass to watch the recording.

Thank you for your advice! This is exactly what I am already doing—organizing tasks into specific contexts like 'On secure network' has been a game-changer for staying focused and efficient. Your suggestion perfectly aligns with my approach, and it’s reassuring to know I am on the right track.

I'd love to explore more about prioritizing in GTD. The webinar sounds great—thank you for the offer! I’ll be sure to email for a guest pass to watch the recording.