One NA done - Focus on project or switch - Bookmarking cost and opportunity.

[Longstreet]

Answers to your list of questions:
No, I generally only need to look at next actions.
No, I generally do not need to single out particular projects as weekly prioritit’s.
No, the context lists have everything I think I might want to do, part of a project or not.
No, neither, my weekly schedule generally has rhythms built into it, but that’s it.

As you might guess from my answers, none of those practices are required for GTD. Following David Allen’s advice, I try to plan and schedule as little as I have to. Some people like to do more, but I find I don’t really need to. It’s actually a bit of a shock, to find out how free you can be. Like walls disappearing into thin air. I think I get more done and am happier too.

But I must admit....there is beauty in being more adaptive as the day unfolds. Situational awareness and perpetual reprioritization allows us to be present and focus on what matters -- right now. And as we all know....all we have is right now.

 

[Oogiem]

Is it best to focus on a particular project for hours or to work on a series of brief tasks associated with different projects?

Yes I use both methods, there is no one best solution.

I my opinion, the criterion to answer this question is: Is bookmarking a project a cost or an opportunity?

To me that is an odd way of looking at it. Bookmarking is always an opportunity. It saves me from having to start over or backup. Done correctly it's quick, easy and I don't have to backtrack on a project. If it's not easy for you then I'd figure out why it's not a simple thing to do and fix that first.

# Type-B Project: (Bookmarking = Cost)

• State of mind (Creativity; Flow) interrupted. Will requires up to several hours to be recovered (Mental cost).
• Many actions necessary to start and/or stop (e.g. Painting a room).
• Soft reference material in the head get forgotten after some days.
• Project moving slowly -- People will not engage. Motivation decreases …
• Changing environment (e.g. organizing an event including the booking of a flight).

Here's my take on this issue:
If you need hours to stay in the flow why are you even thinking of moving to a new context or have a need to bookmark the project?

Painting a room is a project not an action. it also has a set amount of time so you ahve to plan how to accomplish it and htat probably means scheduling time on your calendar.

I never try to keep reference material in my head. I make note of it immediately and add it to my inbox if necessary for processing for future reference when I empty my inboxes.

If a project is moving slowly it might be that it's really several projects, or you may not even need to actually do it. I use that as a signal to explore deeper about the why and how during a review of the project.

I don't understand the last one at all. Changing environment is changing a context. Can you clarify this one?

In other words how do you manage in your GTD-Workflow projects with a high bookmarking cost?

I don't have a high bookmarking cost. So I never am in that situation.

I know, not much help at all.

 

[Gardener]

I my case the GTD-Workflow is working better for Type-A Projects (Bookmarking = Opportunity) than for Type-B Projects (Bookmarking = Cost).

It sounds like you're assuming that the GTD workflow requires you to switch projects? I don't see it that way.

 

[TamaraM]

I do have a weekly priorities list, mostly based on upcoming deadlines. It keeps me focused and reduces decision fatigue. I also share the list with my staff to minimize the frequency of questions about when I’m going to get to the projects relevant to them (budgets, recruiting plans, etc.) and, if they ask me to add something else to my list, it helps set expectations about where it’ll land on my list.

 

[Longstreet]

@mcogilvie: You said "I try to plan and schedule as little as I have to. Some people like to do more, but I find I don’t really need to. It’s actually a bit of a shock, to find out how free you can be. Like walls disappearing into thin air. I think I get more done and am happier too". I have been thinking a lot about that and am surprised that I too find myself less stressed and happy when I am NOT planning so much. I can focus and be present. I think I have been too rigid and need to loosen up a bit. Hmmm.....maybe David Allen really is on to something here. Duh!

 

[mcogilvie]

@mcogilvie: You said "I try to plan and schedule as little as I have to. Some people like to do more, but I find I don’t really need to. It’s actually a bit of a shock, to find out how free you can be. Like walls disappearing into thin air. I think I get more done and am happier too". I have been thinking a lot about that and am surprised that I too find myself less stressed and happy when I am NOT planning so much. I can focus and be present. I think I have been too rigid and need to loosen up a bit. Hmmm.....maybe David Allen really is on to something here. Duh!

Very happy to hear that. Sometimes in the past when I was feeling rather organized, I would get peeved with people who I perceived as disorganized, often my saintly wife. I think I'm past that folly now, but I do sometimes feel like I'm on layer 2,459 of the GTD onion and still peeling away.