How to manage supporting docs for a next action

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GTDing

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Hello,

I would appreciate any insight on techniques used to manage supporting documents related to a next action. For example, I have a next action to "Call Bill", and I'll have an agenda for the call. What are you all doing with the agenda?

Thanks,
Gary
 
Agendas

If calling Bill is one action in a project, you could put your agenda in your project support folder.

That being said, when I had a notebook style planner, I would put the agendas in a section called Agendas. Whenever I had a next action to call someone, I would add a little note that there was an agenda for the call.

Now my agendas are electronic documents and my next action lists are decks of 3X5 cards. The next action card contains a reference to the agenda.

For a completely different approach, you could just put your agendas into an @Calls folder and use the agendas themselves as the reminders of who you need to call. This is based on the idea of allowing an object to do double-duty as a reminder, similar to putting a bill into your tickler file. The bill itself is the reminder to pay it.
 
GTDing;49609 said:
I would appreciate any insight on techniques used to manage supporting documents related to a next action. For example, I have a next action to "Call Bill", and I'll have an agenda for the call. What are you all doing with the agenda?
Click to expand...

I keep agenda pages i my planner that have the specific person as context (e.g. @Bill). Quite useful also for recurring meetings (that tend to be postponed etc., e.g. @WeeklyStandupMeeting).

The advantages:

- during the week, I can collect items I want to discuss with people as soon as I meet (see/phone/mail/chat) them again
- when somebody drops in unexpectedly, or if we happen to meet somewhere, I'm prepared
- if we can't discuss all issues, the remaining ones stay on the agenda

Rolf
 
I recommend an "Action Support" folder (or shelf under your inbox). Briefly, it's a place to put individual pieces of paper related to actions, but for which you don't need to create a project or folder for.

The only warning is to be careful *not* to use the support material for action reminding. The action is in your actions list, and the Action Support folder is strictly to help you find the related material quickly.

I have a portable version (just a heavy-duty folder labeled accordingly) that's useful for @Anywhere items, or for @Calls (as you suggest).

Related posts:

Process practices?
http://www.davidco.com/forum/showpost.php?p=37700&postcount=6

Question about deferred actions
http://www.davidco.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42514&postcount=5

Where to keep that form?
http://www.davidco.com/forum/showpost.php?p=40303&postcount=2

Organizing documents needed to complete NA's
http://www.davidco.com/forum/showpost.php?p=38404&postcount=4

Basic getting started question -- folders/file setup
http://www.davidco.com/forum/showpost.php?p=25241&postcount=8

Next action lists vs Action files vs Customized tickler file
http://www.davidco.com/forum/showpost.php?p=23928&postcount=3

Inbox processing and today tasks
http://www.davidco.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14113&postcount=9
 
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