I'm new to GTD. I've read the first two parts of Getting Things Done. I've set up Outlook and OneNote. I've collected and processed everything in my in box, created my lists, and set up my projects. But I'm confused about managing projects. It seems to me that there's a link between projects and my next actions list. Should I create a chronological list of next actions in each project, then move those over to my next actions list? If I do that, my projects will overwhelm all other actions. But it seems like it would be cumbersome to move them one at a time. Obviously, I'm unclear on this. I'd appreciate any pointers.
Newbie confused about projects
- Thread starter Coconut Head
- Start date
Folke
0
Well, yes, many of your next actions will tend to belong to projects, and yes, all in all your project related next actions could very well outnumber your other next actions, and yes, they all definitely belong on your next actions list.
Should you move them? That does not strike me as natural or necessary, but I do not know how Outlook works. In most GTD apps I have used you can view your actions either by project or by context or by "type" (Next, Waiting, Someday etc). Therefore, your next actions (and other actions) will be viewable from different "angles", as it were.
As for making a chronological list, many apps have an "sequencing" feature that allows you to keep subsequent tasks "hidden" within the project until it is possible to do them, for example such that "climb ladder" will not appear on the next actions list until its predecessor task "raise ladder" in that project has been checked off.
Other tip: What I do is I keep all my non-project next actions grouped into AoR buckets using the app's project feature. I have ten such "false projects" that each actually represents not a project but one of my ten AoRs. This makes it easier to find tasks in the next actions lists (and other lists)
Should you move them? That does not strike me as natural or necessary, but I do not know how Outlook works. In most GTD apps I have used you can view your actions either by project or by context or by "type" (Next, Waiting, Someday etc). Therefore, your next actions (and other actions) will be viewable from different "angles", as it were.
As for making a chronological list, many apps have an "sequencing" feature that allows you to keep subsequent tasks "hidden" within the project until it is possible to do them, for example such that "climb ladder" will not appear on the next actions list until its predecessor task "raise ladder" in that project has been checked off.
Other tip: What I do is I keep all my non-project next actions grouped into AoR buckets using the app's project feature. I have ten such "false projects" that each actually represents not a project but one of my ten AoRs. This makes it easier to find tasks in the next actions lists (and other lists)
What is AoR?
bcmyers2112
Who in hell do I think I am, anyway?
A lot of people get confused by this because they're used to grouping actions by project. The problem with this is that during the course of a busy day you don't have the werewithal to look through your project support materials to cull out what things are actionable. It's better to do that thinking up front and then group your actions by the person, place, or tool needed to accomplish them (i.e. context lists like "calls," "errands," "at computer," etc.).
The weekly review is when you evaluate the status of your various projects and ensure you've got at least one good next action recorded for each. A lot of people like to use software that links projects to next actions but after years of using such software myself I've found it to be an unnecessary and largely unhelpful crutch. Your mileage may vary but I'd suggest you avoid complicating your system to the point where you don't want to use it. I've fallen into that trap myself in the past.
As for linking your actions to your AoRs there are ways to do this but I've found that simply reviewing mine every few months (or whenever a major life change alters them, like getting a new job) is enough to help me internalize them so I can trust my intuition about what to do (and not do) at any given time.
The weekly review is when you evaluate the status of your various projects and ensure you've got at least one good next action recorded for each. A lot of people like to use software that links projects to next actions but after years of using such software myself I've found it to be an unnecessary and largely unhelpful crutch. Your mileage may vary but I'd suggest you avoid complicating your system to the point where you don't want to use it. I've fallen into that trap myself in the past.
As for linking your actions to your AoRs there are ways to do this but I've found that simply reviewing mine every few months (or whenever a major life change alters them, like getting a new job) is enough to help me internalize them so I can trust my intuition about what to do (and not do) at any given time.
Thanks for your insights.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Folke
0
I fully second bcmyers's approach. It is indeed perfectly workable, and not only that. It perfectly mirrors David Allen's description of GTD and what is important and less important etc to pay attention to when a person wants to "get organized". You actually do not need much at all. A few sheets of paper. You keep errands on one sheet, agenda items to bring up with your boss on another, "waiting fors" ("people owe me") on yet another, etc. That's pretty much the idea. And then also keep a list (inventory) of projects that will generate new such actions, and possibly a list of AoRs and a few other things. This is all you need. And you can do it all on paper. It is very similar to how millions of people have intuitively handled their todos for centuries, and it is very different from some of the more complex time management and project management methodologies that have sprung up since.
So if you prefer paper or a simple list tool (such as GTasks or Wunderlist) you are all set. You do not need anything more.
But if you want to exploit the power of your computer there actually are things, such as linkages, that you can get almost for free, if you think you have any use for it. For example, linking your actions to projects or your projects to AoRs generally requires no extra clicks. If you are reviewing a particular project and hit the "create new action" button etc, the new action will land in that very project. And if you have associated the whole project with an AoR (either by once having placed it in a "folder" or once having "tagged" it), this association will typically apply to every action that is placed within the project. And there is usually no need to dig into external "project support" files either, because the future actions that you may have identified you have already entered into your app, under the right project, and you keep them hidden there, off your visible next actions lists, until the right time comes.
I guess different people get confused or irritated by different things. Some get confused by all the options and features of computer tools (which sometimes can be astoundingly clunky), and some get more confused by the minimalism of core (paper) GTD (which can appear needlessly ascetic).
So if you prefer paper or a simple list tool (such as GTasks or Wunderlist) you are all set. You do not need anything more.
But if you want to exploit the power of your computer there actually are things, such as linkages, that you can get almost for free, if you think you have any use for it. For example, linking your actions to projects or your projects to AoRs generally requires no extra clicks. If you are reviewing a particular project and hit the "create new action" button etc, the new action will land in that very project. And if you have associated the whole project with an AoR (either by once having placed it in a "folder" or once having "tagged" it), this association will typically apply to every action that is placed within the project. And there is usually no need to dig into external "project support" files either, because the future actions that you may have identified you have already entered into your app, under the right project, and you keep them hidden there, off your visible next actions lists, until the right time comes.
I guess different people get confused or irritated by different things. Some get confused by all the options and features of computer tools (which sometimes can be astoundingly clunky), and some get more confused by the minimalism of core (paper) GTD (which can appear needlessly ascetic).