Number of Projects

[sklinghoffer]

I am trying to get some sense of what the range of projects one might try to manage at any given time. I would appreciate any feedback.

 

[Zatara]

As many you have on your mind

Just use your Someday/Maybe list wisely during your weekly review.

 

[DoingIt]

I wanted to ask a similar question. Is a Project something that has to be done, but involves more than one action step, whereas the Someday/Maybe category contains desirable, optional but not imperative, things that could be done?

 

[kewms]

I wanted to ask a similar question. Is a Project something that has to be done, but involves more than one action step, whereas the Someday/Maybe category contains desirable, optional but not imperative, things that could be done?

A project is anything that requires more than one action step.

Some projects have to be done Right Now. (That work project due this Friday, for instance.)

Some projects have to be done six months from now. (Your 2005 taxes, for instance.)

Some projects would be really cool, if you ever get a chance. (Learning to cook like Julia Child, say.)

I use Someday/Maybe for everything that I don't expect to do this week. At the Weekly Review, I check to see which Someday/Maybe projects have become current.

On the original question, the number of projects you can manage at once is very personal and very dependent on what those projects are. Some demand your full attention to the exclusion of everything else. Some are just three or four actions over the course of a week or two.

Katherine

 

[mcogilvie]

I wanted to ask a similar question. Is a Project something that has to be done, but involves more than one action step, whereas the Someday/Maybe category contains desirable, optional but not imperative, things that could be done?

Briefly, no. The distinction is not between must and could. A project is something with more than one next action that you are committed to doing. Perhaps it has to be done, or you want to do it. Someday/Maybe is for things you are not committed to doing at the present time, but are considering for the future. As Yoda says, "There is no try- only do and not do."

 

[DoingIt]

Thank you Katherine and Mcoglivie for the replies. They are different I think! It was useful.
As a matter of etiquette, I shall desist going deeper in this discussion in this thread (not wanting to hijack it). If necessary, I'll start a fresh thread.

 

[BigStory]

Working one or Completing

Katherine,

I use the Someday/Maybe list in a similar way, but I think need to be a bit more intentional about my process in that regard. Do you move things into Projects that you hope to work on this week, or that you need to complete this week, or that need to be moved forward this week to prevent crises? Or perhaps all of the above.... Just hoping to learn a bit from your elaboration.

TIA,
Gordon

 

[kewms]

Do you move things into Projects that you hope to work on this week, or that you need to complete this week, or that need to be moved forward this week to prevent crises? Or perhaps all of the above....

All of the above, in order of priority. That is, at weekly review time I first consider the things I need to work on, then the things I want to work on, then the things it would be nice to work on. Then I realize that I've planned about a month worth of work and take stuff off the list...

The distinction between current and Someday/Maybe projects is not absolute. For example, there's a seminar in two weeks that I'd like to attend. The seminar itself is currently a Someday/Maybe item, but deciding whether to attend it is a current Next Action.

Katherine

 

[DoingIt]

... at weekly review time... I realize that I've planned about a month worth of work...

The story of my life!

 

[pageta]

In response to Katherine's ideas, I will say I keep on my current list of Next Actions all of the things I could do this week (within reason). Granted, I usually carry over about half of the original items on my list to the next week, and the lists are always twice as long at the end of the week as they were at the beginning.

I do it this way, quite frankly, because I like having options. For instance, I could clean out my closet this week, and it's time for it to be done, but whether or not I actually do it this week depends on how my week goes and what else I manage to get done.

Perhaps it's more of a question of how many options of things to do you want to have than how many projects you can handle at once.

Edited to clarify...the only things in my Someday/Maybe list are things I know I will NOT be doing this week.