There has been some recent discussion in another thread (Katherine's on paper implementation of GTD) on that old chestnut of the need or otherwise of a link between action and projects in one's GTD system.
You can read that discussion on http://www.davidco.com/forum/showthread.php?p=44269&posted=1#post44269 There's some good stuff in it about people whining about the need for a link (DAs words not mine) and anderson makes a good case for a need for a link.
I thought I'd start another thread as this issue tends to submerge others. So to get the ball rolling...
When I first started doing GTD I felt I really needed the link in my system otherwise it seemed almost impossible to check each project has a next action which is a fundamental way of avoiding leaks in GTD. However, now it seems I can abandon this link in the system. It seems that I can just look at my project list and I remember which project has a next action and which has not.
This also has the profound advantage in that projects can be easily created, merged, split in two and modified without having to spend time creating, revising and maintaining the various links.
This seems to concur with DAs insistence that a link in the system isn't necessary but rather is dealt with intuitively in the head. However, I'm still not entirely sure that a link isn't necessary for everyone and for all working conditions. Certainly when I started GTD, the link was necessary as I eased myself into the system.
A related issue is how software programs manage links and how easily links are to change and review within these programs.
So, what do other people think?
I don't know if I can get the stuff from the other thread on to this one in some way. If someone knows how feel free to do it.
You can read that discussion on http://www.davidco.com/forum/showthread.php?p=44269&posted=1#post44269 There's some good stuff in it about people whining about the need for a link (DAs words not mine) and anderson makes a good case for a need for a link.
I thought I'd start another thread as this issue tends to submerge others. So to get the ball rolling...
When I first started doing GTD I felt I really needed the link in my system otherwise it seemed almost impossible to check each project has a next action which is a fundamental way of avoiding leaks in GTD. However, now it seems I can abandon this link in the system. It seems that I can just look at my project list and I remember which project has a next action and which has not.
This also has the profound advantage in that projects can be easily created, merged, split in two and modified without having to spend time creating, revising and maintaining the various links.
This seems to concur with DAs insistence that a link in the system isn't necessary but rather is dealt with intuitively in the head. However, I'm still not entirely sure that a link isn't necessary for everyone and for all working conditions. Certainly when I started GTD, the link was necessary as I eased myself into the system.
A related issue is how software programs manage links and how easily links are to change and review within these programs.
So, what do other people think?
I don't know if I can get the stuff from the other thread on to this one in some way. If someone knows how feel free to do it.