Items I might like to get round to this week...

J

Jimhardie74

Guest
Really quick question..

What do you guys do with actions that you would like to get round to this week/in the coming days. You dont have a commitment to them-- if they didnt get done it wouldnt be the end of the world. But you would feel good about yourself if you did and you would probably be a little better for it too.

obviously i dont want to put them on next action lists or my calander as these are reserved for actions that I am committed to moving on. No doubt there will be allot of different answers to this, I look forward to reading them! Thanks so much guys!
 

kelstarrising

Kelly | GTD expert
I either put those on my calendar in the All Day Events area on a day or multiple days or a go old school and put them on an index card that I keep at my desk.
 

Oogiem

Registered
Jimhardie74 said:
What do you guys do with actions that you would like to get round to this week/in the coming days. You dont have a commitment to them-- if they didnt get done it wouldnt be the end of the world. But you would feel good about yourself if you did and you would probably be a little better for it too.

obviously i dont want to put them on next action lists or my calander as these are reserved for actions that I am committed to moving on.
I sense a bit of a disconnect here. If you really would like to get those items done why don't they belong on the action lists? Not all things on my lists are absolute must do items. I have all sorts of next actions, from the things I'd like to get done but are not critical to the must do to the mundane routine stuff I am working to develop a habit about.

Examples from my Current Lists:
Stuff I would like to get around to this week but not critical:
Create a Scrivener Document to handle Blog Post Ideas Context Scrivener
Watch the First DVD from the class I ordered Context Misc Mac Work
Flowchart BVest code Context Inside by Myself
Write out a weight lifting plan for the next month​

Stuff that is urgent or critical
E-mail crew to come help with lambs second vaccinations which must be done between 6 and 8 Aug Context Internet
Add FLIR data to LambTracker as links to pictures in the sheep picture table Context LambTracker
Go listen to the recording of the meeting about Golden Seed Land Trust Context Misc Mac Work
Make decision re parentage verification on dead lamb Context Inside by Myself​

I'd add them to your lists anyway. After all, a list of next actions by context is a menu from which you can pick what to work on. I like to see all my options at any given time not just the must do ones.
 

jenkins

Registered
Jimhardie74 said:
Really quick question..

What do you guys do with actions that you would like to get round to this week/in the coming days. You dont have a commitment to them-- if they didnt get done it wouldnt be the end of the world. But you would feel good about yourself if you did and you would probably be a little better for it too.

obviously i dont want to put them on next action lists or my calander as these are reserved for actions that I am committed to moving on. No doubt there will be allot of different answers to this, I look forward to reading them! Thanks so much guys!

Just to clarify the situation, since you don't want to put them on Next Actions lists, I'm assuming these are on your Someday/Maybe lists?

I think at the point I decide I would like to make progress on a Someday/Maybe, I move it to my Projects and/or NA list. But it sounds like you a describing a situation where you don't want to commit too much, but you also don't want to let it sit on a Someday/Maybe list. Some people might tell you "You can't have it both ways" and you need to just decide whether something is active or not. However, I think you could split out an ad hoc Someday/Maybe list, something like a "Spare Time" list. That way, if at any time during the week you find yourself with a bit of free time, you can work on this list.
 

Gardener

Registered
Jimhardie74 said:
Really quick question..

What do you guys do with actions that you would like to get round to this week/in the coming days. You dont have a commitment to them-- if they didnt get done it wouldnt be the end of the world. But you would feel good about yourself if you did and you would probably be a little better for it too.

obviously i dont want to put them on next action lists or my calander as these are reserved for actions that I am committed to moving on. No doubt there will be allot of different answers to this, I look forward to reading them! Thanks so much guys!

I don't see 'obviously' as obviously at all. I would put these in my next action lists. I think that your "committed to moving on" may be a stricter standard than most people set for their next action lists.
 

Longstreet

Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases
If there is something that I really need to get done this week, I will of course have that next action on my lists, but I also will block time off on the calendar so that I can do it. I usually do not put specific actions on the calendar -- time blocks are more based on particular projects and sometimes Areas of Focus.
 

TesTeq

Registered
Jimhardie74 said:
You dont have a commitment to them-- if they didnt get done it wouldnt be the end of the world. But you would feel good about yourself if you did and you would probably be a little better for it too.

I have a very strong commitment to feel good about myself! ;-)
 

Mike Simms

Registered
I agree that these items belong on your next actions list.
What I tend to do is 'star' my actions that I feel that little bit more committed about, or (perhaps more often) actions that others are waiting for me to do. 'Nice to do but no-so-critical items' may then sit around unstarred on my list, ready for me to choose from if I am unexpectedly at a loose end. In my daily routine I would tend to choose from the starred items first, and then for example If I haven't time to get stuck into another starred item I do a non-critical one.
 

Cpu_Modern

Registered
The "tickler" file. (I use a digital setup.) The thing is, you want to postpone some things for REVIEW. That can mean, you may DO them then as well or you won't. Maybe you just transfer them onto a NA list, which are ASAP lists. Anyway, the tickler file is meant to take care of these sort of thing.

You can also just put them on the NA list and "tickle" a general reminder note "How about X?".

(My hunch is though, the real reason these things came up is because of some uncertainty on the 40,000 ft level HoF...)
 

arunkw

Registered
...these are reserved for actions that I am committed to moving on.

Please note that everything that is there on your GTD system be it the next action, calendar or even your someday/may be list when you had captured it in first place you had all intention to be committed to finish it. But it is quite possible that when you are in clarifying stage it is now no longer relevant and you drop it.

An action which needs to be achieved till the end of the week. Needs to be put either in your next action or in your calendar. It should not be parked anywhere else (like someday/may be or list of planned actions etc.) Your action is not a puppy or sheep that it will sort itself out and follow you behind and yelp it’s time you should take care of me. You have to bring clarity during your clarification stage, decide on when you should pick it (action item) up to start working on it – best practice is to decide when it shows up on your radar and not when it blows up.

Now between your Next Action and calendar - Which one should I choose?

Since you had mentioned that it won’t bother you if you missed completing you action item this week. It goes nowhere but in your next action. Since your next action list is fluid (unlike calendar) if the action item doesn’t get complete next week. It will get done next or subsequent week.

TesTeq – I am sharing your quote om my social media – Quotes from great :D
 

jenkins

Registered
arunkw said:
Please note that everything that is there on your GTD system be it the next action, calendar or even your someday/may be list when you had captured it in first place you had all intention to be committed to finish it.

I'm not sure this is true, as evidenced by the "Maybe" half of the "Someday/Maybe" list.

I'm waiting for more clarification, but I think OP is describing a Someday/Maybe that he wants to put in front of him in the event he has some free time during the week. I'm arguing that one solution is to break out some items from your Someday/Maybe list into an ad hoc "This Week/Maybe" list.
 
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