Mindless vs purposeful next actions

[Fedja_b]

Hi everyone,

I'm seeking advice from more experienced GTD practitioners out there. As a knowledge worker, I often struggle with the traditional paradigm of simply "cranking widgets." Let's say I have a big, scary project project like "Write the Constanza report." Breaking it down into manageable next actions is essential, so after some natural project planning I determine that my immediate next action is "Read the summary of the Pensky report".

However, this is where I encounter difficulties. I simply can't mindlessly do next actions. My brain needs a clear purpose for each action, and the widget-cranking mindset doesn't work for me. I want to understand why I'm reading the Pensky report summary. I've attempted to provide context or connect it to the larger project, but unfortunately, this often backfires. It immediately reminds me of the overwhelming nature of the project, leading to demotivation and procrastination.

So my question is: How can I strike a balance between giving my next actions enough context and purpose without overwhelming myself with the magnitude of the entire project? Is this even a GTD-specific challenge, or should I focus on improving my attitude and mindset?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I appreciate any advice you can offer!

Best regards,

 

[cfoley]

I wonder if turning to the Four-Criteria model for choosing actions in the moment would help.

Usually it is used to choose actions to do but it has value as a diagnostic tool too. Which hurdle does reading the Pensky report fall at?

• Context: Are you able to deliberately put yourself in the required context or can the task be broken up differently so that it is in different contexts.
  
  
• Time: Is it just too long a task to be done on most days? Can you block out time for it, or maybe break it down smaller?
  
  
• Energy: Are there other actions that can be done first to make this task easier? For example, has enough planning been done? Can you reduce the scope of the action? For example, giving yourself 15 minutes to extract the main themes from the report without reading in depth. Do you always end up in this action's context at a time of the day when you are low energy?
  
  
• Priority: Is there some reason that this isn't a priority to you? Is the deadline too far off to make it seem urgent. Are you craving some quick wins rather than deep work? Are there some quick wins from the overall project that you can put onto your action lists?

Finally, are you using some other criteria to choose actions? Are you able to identify those criteria and assess how well they are serving you?

 

[ivanjay205]

I think the post above about the Four Criteria model is a good start.

In addition, I often find it helps me to pick the next action that most attracts me and jump into that project (my software does seamlessly) and work through that project. If I have a large block of time that makes me feel like I accomplished more as I made a major dent on that project.

At other times I dont have the luxury of that time and I just pick through next actions. That works in that scenario as I made progress albeit not a major chunk in one initiative but it beats procrastinating!

 

[Longstreet]

What I have found very useful based on advice from Kelly Forrister, and others is this: When you still feel unsure of what to do based on the four criteria, then go up the horizons. An answer will come to you. Sometimes it is when I have raised up to my Areas of Focus; other times even higher. Then stop, slow down, and, as David Allen has described it so well - listen to the small inner voice that each of us has. It is all about trusting your intuition. It is very powerful.

 

[Fedja_b]

Thank you all for your input!

However, I'm afraid that all advice is just putting me off doing the next action. As soon as I start thinking about all these things, the big scary project makes me procrastinate.

 

[mcogilvie]

Thank you all for your input!

However, I'm afraid that all advice is just putting me off doing the next action. As soon as I start thinking about all these things, the big scary project makes me procrastinate.

There is always the “Why?” question, which can be applied in various ways. Two general examples: Why does this project need to be done? Why am I not making progress? In the case of your next action "Read the summary of the Pensky report", my reaction is “Why read the report?” There are many ways of reading. What‘s the purpose? Perhaps “Extract key points of Penske report to address” is closer to what needs to be done. Asking “Why?” Is never wrong. “Just do one thing” is also very useful in getting started.

 

[ivanjay205]

Thank you all for your input!

However, I'm afraid that all advice is just putting me off doing the next action. As soon as I start thinking about all these things, the big scary project makes me procrastinate.

I find that majority of the time when I think of all of the factors and it puts me in procrastination mode it means one of two things:

• I have too much on my plate. I really think about what I want to accomplish this week and a few more and move the rest to an on hold status until my weekly review.
• I have not properly clarified. When I have properly clarified majority of my next actions fit into 20-30 minutes or less.

 

[gtdstudente]

Hi everyone,

I'm seeking advice from more experienced GTD practitioners out there. As a knowledge worker, I often struggle with the traditional paradigm of simply "cranking widgets." Let's say I have a big, scary project project like "Write the Constanza report." Breaking it down into manageable next actions is essential, so after some natural project planning I determine that my immediate next action is "Read the summary of the Pensky report".

However, this is where I encounter difficulties. I simply can't mindlessly do next actions. My brain needs a clear purpose for each action, and the widget-cranking mindset doesn't work for me. I want to understand why I'm reading the Pensky report summary. I've attempted to provide context or connect it to the larger project, but unfortunately, this often backfires. It immediately reminds me of the overwhelming nature of the project, leading to demotivation and procrastination.

So my question is: How can I strike a balance between giving my next actions enough context and purpose without overwhelming myself with the magnitude of the entire project? Is this even a GTD-specific challenge, or should I focus on improving my attitude and mindset?

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I appreciate any advice you can offer!

Best regards,

Fedja_b:

Great GTD discussion post

Thank you

 

[gtdstudente]

Thank you all for your input!

However, I'm afraid that all advice is just putting me off doing the next action. As soon as I start thinking about all these things, the big scary project makes me procrastinate.

"the big scary project makes me procrastinate."

Only focus on the "Next Action," the smaller the better?

Review the Outcome . . . what possible Next Action could possibly make this " . . . big scary project . . ." less scary? As the good David Allen GTD has GTD expressed: "Empty a drawer. . . ." ?

Still a " . . . big scary project . . ." what is another small controllable/reliable (Only-Gain / Nothing-Lost / Risk-Free) Next Action to crank out only to 'see' where that takes me?

The only non-negotiable is navel-gazing . . . small sticky stuff can be productively faced with a 'Do-or-Die' attitude to overcome stickiness through a calm sense of urgency . . . doing nothing has a way of resembling the 'living dead' [life is too short], while doing anything/something [Emptying a drawer and putting everything back except/minus one item, even if only dust, would be a win on this end], however small without manic, can be Life-Giving through the small joys of life with a resounding "Good Job"?

Ps. The Purpose of the Next Action can be a particular Project, no more - no less, which allows a particular Next Action to get done as mindlessly as possible outside of the Next Action itself (double-checking that the Next Action is/was appropriately completed is in itself world-class GTD) and abundantly trusting one will have the opportunity to reflect, at minimum, on the Project itself and its Purpose [perhaps the Project pertains to an Area-of-Focus] during the next Weekly Review.

Granted one's proclivity for reasonable control can sometimes make that challenging/sabotaging even when utilizing a personal trust worthy priority GTD system . . . take heart . . . been there, done that!

 

[René Lie]

Great discussion!

If you feel that the project is scary and you find yourself procrastinating, could it it be that there still some more thinking to be done?

 

[dtj]

Sometimes you'll be overwhelmed in any of a number of facets, and you just need to get going, considering that its likely a "target rich environment". It's like slogging through a blizzard, you just need to trudge forward, paying careful attention to staring at your compass. Just picking any of a thousand tasks and getting *something* done is way better than waiting to do the exact right thing.

It's when your task management looks alot like computer disk allocation strategies, in that "first fit" is decidedly better than "best fit".

 

[Gardener]

so after some natural project planning I determine that my immediate next action is "Read the summary of the Pensky report".

I'm trying to better understand the issue.

I assume that when you set this as your next action, you had a purpose in mind for it. When it comes time to do the action, is the issue that you've forgotten the purpose, or it no longer seems compelling, or something else?

What if you made broader goals? So, instead of,

"The information drawn from the Pensky report will allow me to do X, which is necessary for Y, which--OH MY GOD NO I CAN'T DO THIS!"

possibly,

"The information drawn from the Pensky report will make me better informed. It might help with the project or it might not. Shut up, brain, I'm going to read it. Shut up. I SAID SHUT UP!"

Is there an issue of perfectionism here? For example, if you found that you had spent an hour on a task that turned out not to have fulfilled a purpose, would you feel terrible, because you would have taken an imperfect action?

I'm mildly reminded of the Pomodoro system, where you choose a task and commit yourself to doing that task full-tilt for a quite short amount of time--maybe it's eighteen minutes? Only between tasks are you allowed to consider whether the present task was the best task to be doing and whether you want to swap tasks, or continue with that task, for the next eighteen minutes.

I also find that a "do no harm" mindset can help. Before I edit that code or that document, I back it up, so that if I conclude I have accomplished nothing I can go to the backup and the worst outcome is that I have not improved the situation.

 

[mksilk2]

What I have found very useful based on advice from Kelly Forrister, and others is this: When you still feel unsure of what to do based on the four criteria, then go up the horizons. An answer will come to you. Sometimes it is when I have raised up to my Areas of Focus; other times even higher. Then stop, slow down, and, as David Allen has described it so well - listen to the small inner voice that each of us has. It is all about trusting your intuition. It is very powerful.

I have found this advice works so well in related thinking. I work in ethics and compliance and I have a mantra to fall back on when needed. When I am lost deep in the details of a problem or issue I need to come up to the principles I am operating under. It helps all the time, although sometimes I need someone else to tap me on the shoulder and say ‘come up for air!’

 

[Mrs-Polifax]

Thanks so much for presenting this difficult issue, Fedja_b. I also have an important project to do that is very scary for me, and I have been procrastinating on it for some time. I'm feeling terrible about neglecting this project, since it relates to things I want to straighten out with my family, yet I have not begun. I appreciate discussing this issue and hearing this feedback from everyone.

 

[Fedja_b]

I'm sorry for taking so long to respond to this thread.

First of all, thank you everyone for contributing and for taking the time out to write a reply.

Unfortunately, all tips that you've told me are exactly the stumbling block I'm experiencing. For certain projects it seems my procrastination shows up in a polarized way:

1. Either by not thinking enough about it and not knowing where to start, or
2. By thinking too much, even when I know what the next action is and when I know "the why" I get blocked by the looming project in the background.

Can't seem to enter that mind like water, cranking widget mindset David Allen talks so much about.

 

[dtj]

You just may have a mind like an engine, where the accelerator is not a nice pedal, but instead a binary switch. Either off, or straining at max rpms. Makes it hard to get through the stop and go traffic of life.

 

[Longstreet]

Thanks so much for presenting this difficult issue, Fedja_b. I also have an important project to do that is very scary for me, and I have been procrastinating on it for some time. I'm feeling terrible about neglecting this project, since it relates to things I want to straighten out with my family, yet I have not begun. I appreciate discussing this issue and hearing this feedback from everyone.

There is a fascinating book by Paul Loomans entitled "Time Surfing". He has seven principles, the last of which is to trust your intuition in deciding what to do. He teaches NOT to rely on lists - you can have them to educate yourself on what is on your plate, but use your intuition moment-to-moment on what to do. Another principle that speaks to what you are describing is to beware of "gnawing rats" and befriend them and turn them into white sheep. Paul is a Zen Buddhist and his book is very helpful.

Timesurfing - the zen approach to keeping time on your side

An antidote to the ever-faster pace of modern life, Zen monk Paul Loomans presents a simple, seven-step system known as “Time Surfing”.

www.timesurfing.uk

 

[Mrs-Polifax]

There is a fascinating book by Paul Loomans entitled "Time Surfing". He has seven principles, the last of which is to trust your intuition in deciding what to do. He teaches NOT to rely on lists - you can have them to educate yourself on what is on your plate, but use your intuition moment-to-moment on what to do. Another principle that speaks to what you are describing is to beware of "gnawing rats" and befriend them and turn them into white sheep. Paul is a Zen Buddhist and his book is very helpful.

Timesurfing - the zen approach to keeping time on your side

An antidote to the ever-faster pace of modern life, Zen monk Paul Loomans presents a simple, seven-step system known as “Time Surfing”.

www.timesurfing.uk

Hi, Longstreet.

I'm so touched that you reached out to me. Thanks! I looked up the "Time Surfing" book, and it sounds like it might help me. (The "gnawing rats" description of my situation hit home.) I went to the web site, and that living surfing wave is something to behold! I went to my online library, and although I cannot get it immediately, I was able to put a hold on the book for later. Meanwhile, I decided to subscribe to Paul Loomans' emails. Thanks for your suggestion!

 

[Mrs-Polifax]

Great discussion!

If you feel that the project is scary and you find yourself procrastinating, could it it be that there still some more thinking to be done?

I like your point. For instance, "I feel scared when I even think about doing this project." That is something that is not the way I want it to be. If I can't work on the project I need to be doing because my feelings of fear get in my way, I can create a project about my feelings of fear, decide what outcome I want, and consider what actions may help.

Maybe this is a project that makes me uncomfortable for a very good reason, so I really don't want to do it, and I need to take it off my list. Maybe I need to stay with my fear and see what it tells me, so I know what it's about. Maybe fear is a repeating theme in my life, and I need professional help. Maybe I need better strategies, such as making my next action a much smaller action. Bringing difficulties to the GTD Forum is a potentially useful step.

 

[larea]

Two thoughts - not sure if these will help or not, depends on the real issue.

1. If project planning is the problem, and you just need to think, set a task to just sit with a blank pad of paper for 15 minutes and think about the project, writing any notes that occur to you. Count this as progress. If it's helping and you need longer, repeat.
2. I know I heard this from others but I like it for when you don't know what the next concrete action is: Imagine that you have nothing else to do, no other projects, no other tasks, the only thing you have to do is this one project. What would you do first?

And a bonus from a psychological standpoint - what is scary about the project? Is there someone who is going to judge you based on the outcome? If so maybe you need to adjust your attitude toward that person so that your own opinion has a little more weight and theirs has a little less. Or identify any catastrophizing (is that spelled right or even a word?) thoughts you are having and each time they pop into your head oppose them with something more positive/realistic.