Input with Uncertain Implications

O

olliesaunders

0
I have this problem where I generate quite a large number of items of input that I don’t really know what to do with that easily. I’ve started calling it uncertain input.

I’ve worked out that uncertain input has two defining characteristics: it is both potentially useful to know and, if it’s true, has non-obvious personal implications.

This inexhaustive list outlines some of the forms uncertain input can take:
  • a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action
  • an impression or feeling on something
  • an explanation for how something is or should be
  • a belief or opinion
  • an observation
  • a hypothetical
Here’s a few examples of uncertain input I’ve had:
  • (On thinking about human psychology): extraverts and introverts occupy different worlds: introverts more of a thinking world, extraverts more of an experiential world. Each can claim that the other is missing out.
  • (On thinking about doing GTD well): there’s stuff that, unless you schedule time to work on, you’ll probably never do it because it isn’t that much of a high priority
I’m just curious to know if other people have this kind of input appearing and, if you do, my question is not what do you do with it, but: how long does it take you to work out what to do with it?
 
Put it in Evernote.

olliesaunders;92206 said:
Here’s a few examples of uncertain input I’ve had:
  • (On thinking about human psychology): extraverts and introverts occupy different worlds: introverts more of a thinking world, extraverts more of an experiential world. Each can claim that the other is missing out.
  • (On thinking about doing GTD well): there’s stuff that, unless you schedule time to work on, you’ll probably never do it because it isn’t that much of a high priority
I’m just curious to know if other people have this kind of input appearing and, if you do, my question is not what do you do with it, but: how long does it take you to work out what to do with it?
Click to expand...

Put these non-actionable items in "My Great Thoughts" notebook in Evernote.
 
Reference lists are good for ideas

I believe D.A. suggests using one or more reference lists in your system for ideas and inspirations that you don't know what to do with but would like to see regularly (i.e. weekly during reviews).

In my MS Outlook GTD system I implement this with a Notes items assigned to the category "Ideas". D.A. makes explicit mention of this type of category in his MS Outlook guides.

You may after a while define a project to clarify what one or more of these thoughts really means to you and what other actions/projects may be generated from that idea. As long as you review these lists regularly then you can leave them parked there for as long as you like without any of them taking up psychological real estate.
 
olliesaunders;92206 said:
I have this problem where I generate quite a large number of items of input that I don’t really know what to do with that easily. I’ve started calling it uncertain input......

I’m just curious to know if other people have this kind of input appearing and, if you do, my question is not what do you do with it, but: how long does it take you to work out what to do with it?
Click to expand...

Yes I do have that sort of input fairly often. After a number of false starts I learned that the easiest way to deal with it is to make a quick note in my "Interesting Ideas" group in my DEVONThink Notebook database. At each quarterly review (the solstices and the equinoxes) I read the things in there to see if any jump out and want to become projects now.

Looking at them 4 times a year is sufficient to keep them off my mind and a few turn into things I actually want to do later.
 
olliesaunders;92206 said:
how long does it take you to work out what to do with it?
Click to expand...

In most cases it's within a year or so. Every once in a while there's a weird outlier that gets resolved after 5 or 10 (or more) years.

Cheers,
Roger
 
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