Multiple @WaitingOns or Fors

W

w_i_t_n_a

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Looking for some ideas as how people handle multiple @WaitingOns...

For my Business tracking I have a @WaintingOn folder in Lotus Notes at work to file emails I've forwarded/sent to others and I have a manilla folder for memo / letter based @Waiting Ons.

At home and I have these duplicated for Personal matters.

Although they each get looked at during my Weekly Review I'm thinking that 4 @watingOns is a bit of overkill.

I have contemplated creating a ToDo Category called @Waiting on and just creating an item for each memo / letter item and then file the original in the Project Support material.

It may be that the 4 @Waiting Ons is the best way to handle them but I'd appreciate any ideas from the forum

Cheers
 
multiple @waitings

Your practice needs to fit your usage needs. I would not want to add more categories to enter data into or retrieve it from than I really needed (four is too much thinking for me) but maybe this works for you. It is not the pure GTD system because you have blurred context with the reason the loop is open but that might be a best practice for you. Something to consider if it applies to you, as it does to me, is that while you are "waiting for" a response you generate another agenda item for that person, what happens if you are waiting for a reposne to a paper item and then you are waiting for an e-mail from the same person. When you finally catch up with him or her, if you just go to agenda you may neglect waiting for items or vice versa. Maybe that never happens to you because your world works differently from mine. I also have this terrible fear that I end up punishing people when they finally get back to me because I need another response from them, so gradually they may avoid me for as long as possible and then the list grows longer.
 
I have an @waitingfor e-mail subfolder in Outlook where I store e-mails that are waiting for replies. I have it automated so that I cc myself and the cc goes straight to the @waitingfor folder. The folder is filtered so that I can see items by the person to whom they were sent. I review my @waitingfor folder at least once a week.

For paper items, I do not use an @waitingfor folder. Instead, I store these items in my tickler files for follow up at a later date. I do not have a lot of paper items in my tickler files, so it is not too hard to find something if I need it.

For other @waitingfors, such as return telephone calls, I record these in the Palm Task list in a "waiting for" category. This is where most of my waiting fors go, including both work and home items.

I do not feel the need to use an @waitingfor category in my home e-mail. For the few waitingfors on that end, I just put them in my Palm task list. I'm experimenting with my home tickler system, because I find that I don't use it that much. I'm thinking of keeping it but eliminating the daily folders and just keeping immediate stuff in the current month or a smaller number of folders, such as one for each week of the current month or perhaps a weekday and weekend folder.

I find that if there are too many places to look, I start to go numb and don't cue into the reminders as well. Therefore, I try to keep as few places as possible. It helps to experiment with different methods to see what works best for you.
 
Thanks for both your responses, its always useful to have other points of view and both of you have given me a couple of things worth trying.

I'm not trying to build the 'one perfect system' as I have a feeling GtD is going to be an organic part of my life changing and adapting as it needs to.

The issue about multiple waiting on items using different channels to the same person is an interesting one. I hadnt considered it before. Theres a real opportunity for improvement for me anyway. David talks about getting things into other peoples systems so I will try limiting the channels and maybe put paper items for discusison into the @Agenda for that person. This will stop me waiting for a return phone call, return email and return memo all from the same person !!
 
Re: Multiple @WaitingOns or Fors

I have a single waitingfor email folder.

With my PDA I separate out Biz from Personal stuff and so I have two waitingfor folders.

The important thing is to keep things logical to yourself and simple. If the system becomes too complicated then it becomes a chore to use. When that happens I find myself going back to multiple to-do lists scattered about instead of being focused & organised with a single list of next actions and a clear mind/work area.

My thoughts.

Petey

w_i_t_n_a said:
Looking for some ideas as how people handle multiple @WaitingOns...

For my Business tracking I have a @WaintingOn folder in Lotus Notes at work to file emails I've forwarded/sent to others and I have a manilla folder for memo / letter based @Waiting Ons.

At home and I have these duplicated for Personal matters.

Although they each get looked at during my Weekly Review I'm thinking that 4 @watingOns is a bit of overkill.

I have contemplated creating a ToDo Category called @Waiting on and just creating an item for each memo / letter item and then file the original in the Project Support material.

It may be that the 4 @Waiting Ons is the best way to handle them but I'd appreciate any ideas from the forum

Cheers
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