Not taking DA literally

M

moises

0
Do you really create a project whenever there is more than one task?

I create a project if I think there is sufficient complexity involved.

For example, I wanted someone at work to make me an apron.

I had "bring apron to work" on my calendar. Now I have "Leo, apron" under Waiting For. But I did not make a Project entitled "Receive new apron."

I put as much as I need in my system but no more. This was too simple to create a project for.
 
Do whatever you need to do to get stuff out of your head.

The problem with not creating a project because something is "too simple" is that you risk having your brain try to keep track of it instead. This is especially likely to be a problem if the scope of the project expands on you.

For example, "replace muffler" is too simple to be a project, right? You just call the garage, take the car in, and you're done. Sure, except the mechanic you like quit three weeks ago, so you have to find a new garage, and the first place you try doesn't have parts for your car, and the second place turns out to have a two week wait, which puts your appointment in the middle of a week when your wife absolutely has to have the car, so you have to arrange for a rental.... suddenly the project isn't so simple any more, and maybe having it on your project list wouldn't be such a bad idea.

The other thing to consider if you resist creating projects for things is that maybe there's a problem with your system. How much overhead is involved in creating a project? How can you reduce the complexity?

Katherine
 
Moises,

Don't forget that David Allens definition of a project is different to most other peoples. His definition is any 'task' that requires more than one Next Action.

Regards

Edward
 
Projects have more than 1 task

SteadyEdd said:
Moises,

Don't forget that David Allens definition of a project is different to most other peoples. His definition is any 'task' that requires more than one Next Action.

Regards

Edward
Click to expand...

Edward,

I strive to get everything out of my head. I strive to get all my NAs into my trusted system.

When I fail to get my NAs out of my head I acknowledge that I have room for improvement.

I currently do not strive to get all my projects out of my head. And I state this precisely because I am using the word "project" as DA defines it.

Katherine, I agree that we can all do whatever works best for us. Setting up a project for a minor two-task sequence does not work for me. I am curious how others besides DA do this. I know he recommends setting up a Project if there are two NAs, or if there is one NA with dependencies.

I do a cost-benefit calculation. The extra typing to set up a project just does not seem worth it when the NA acts as a placeholder for me for the project.

I haven't the slightest problem with creating a project to hire a new employee, find more warehouse space, etc.

DA talks about the "handle everything once rule." Process the item when you take it out of your inbox. It is wasteful to handle it twice. I feel the same way about minor projects. When I review my system and mark the first NA as completed I am prompted to type in the next NA. Creating a new project-level item is unnecessary (for me).
 
DA also says he does lots of things without writing anything down at all.
I personally think if someone is turning a tiny 2 NA thing into a Project, then that is crossing over into Obsessive Zone.

Obsessive meaning that the means are getting in the way of the ends.
"is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost".

For instance, "buy Ice pick from Walmart". That's all you need.
Its pretty obvious that you will get in your car, drive there, compare, etc.

Its very obvious to me that us Obsessive folks are drawn to GTD, and all these other systems. Notice how so many of us know about all these other systems, etc.
Its really something to watch out for, in my opinion.
For those interested, here is a link about it. Note that there is a continuum of these traits, all the way from very mild to more severe.
Obsessive Personality trait info.
http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-pe10.html

(i am not applying this to anyone in this thread. Its just a general observation to think about...)

Coz
 
In my system, I can transform an Action into a Project very easily. As a result, the distinction tends to blur a little bit when I get down to very small projects.

On the other hand, if I find that an Action has been sitting on my list for a long time without getting done, the reason is often that it's a project in disguise, and I haven't written down the true Next Action. Having that happen a couple of times has made me more willing to create Projects for even small tasks.

Katherine
 
kewms said:
In my system, I can transform an Action into a Project very easily. As a result, the distinction tends to blur a little bit when I get down to very small projects.

On the other hand, if I find that an Action has been sitting on my list for a long time without getting done, the reason is often that it's a project in disguise, and I haven't written down the true Next Action. Having that happen a couple of times has made me more willing to create Projects for even small tasks.

Katherine
Click to expand...

Very true. I have sometimes created a poorly formulated Next Action when I would have been better served by creating a project with more than one well-formulated Next Action.

Katherine, I use the Outlook Add-In. It really is not that difficult to create a project but it does involve extra steps. How do you create projects in your system?
 
I use the ResultManager add-in for MindManager. My "list" is actually a set of four linked mindmaps, each for a particular area. To distinguish between a project, a sub-project, and an action, I simply mark the appropriate radio button in the dialogue box for the activity. To generate my working action list, I have ResultManager spider the maps and pull out items meeting the criteria I specify. (Dates, contexts, committed vs. Someday/Maybe, actions vs. projects, etc.)

Katherine
 
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