identifying the perfect next action

[ArcCaster]

As an individual contributor, I try to get into, and stay in, "flow".

As a project lead, I am often pulled out of flow by the demands and many directions of my projects.

So, I wonder -- if my next actions are at just the right level, is it possible to move so seamlessly from action to action that I never get 'out of flow', even though I am moving from project to project?

Maybe I can even use 'flow' as a metric on how well I am capturing my next actions? That is, if my day is so all-absorbing that I am surprised by how soon it is time to call it a day, I can say that I am creating good next actions -- and if the day is disjointed, with fits and starts and wildly varying energy levels, I can say that my next actions are not seamless, are not really written at the 'action' level, and should be improved?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Spalding]

I don't really have an answer, but I share your enthusiasm for "flow". It seems to go hand in hand with the methods of GTD.

 

[bishblaize]

Having next actions properly defined helps me enormously with that. In particular, if I'm doing lots of tasks in the same context I find it helps a great deal, since I dont have to sit back and rethink. the most obvious example for me is brainstorming. Sometimes Il brainstorm 4 or 5 different ideas on the run, having them ready and waiting with all my tools to hand means i can roll from one to another to another with no break.