Productive Procrastination list

R

randystokes

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Recently, I mentioned here in the forum that I had begun developing Productive Procrastination lists, separated by contexts, to hold a list of what David has referred to as "a big backlog of numb-nut activities" to do when your brain is toast. In other words, things to do when you don't have the energy to do anything else. In the GTD Fast CDs, David says something to the effect that "if you're going to procrastinate, you might as well procrastinate with something productive."

I have received several e-mails offline from folks who've asked me to share my lists, so I thought I would post them here. There's nothing particularly interesting or creative about them, and they are definitely works in progress. But, here goes:

My Productive Procrastination list for @Office:

- SEE OFFICE: GENERAL TO DO'S
- Clean center desk drawer
- Refill stapler
- Refill paper clips
- Water plants
- Clean credenza drawers
- Purge A-Z general reference files
- Empty recycling basket
- Link Notemap articles and cases outline to documents
- Look at Lifeplan and BYY books re new FY planning, goals, etc.
- Clean up Start menu on desktop computer
- Clean up Start menu on notebook computer
- Clean up Favorites menu on desktop computer
- Clean up Favorites menu on notebook computer
- Back up key data from desktop computer
- Back up key data from notebook computer
- Brainstorm ideas for next compensation memo
- Review Rules of Engagement
- Review compensation checklist
- Review firm Strategic Plan
- Review Orme's Rules [Note: this is a list of "rules" of "good behavior" for lawyers promulgated by the now deceased founding partner of our firm]
- Review parts of Getting Things Done
- Review parts of Ready for Anything
- Brainstorm Monthly and Yearly Review checklists (see New Lists I Need in Memos)
- Clean up RightFax inbox
- Clean up Groupwise trash, sent and mobile sent folders

My @Home list is:

- Clean computer desk
- Filing
- Sort and wrap coins
- Clean desk drawers
- Read digital photography book
- Examine books for possible purge
- Examine study closet for possible purge, cleaning
- Clean under bathroom sink
- Clean up Start menu on computer
- Clean up Favorites menu on computer
- Do backups of key data to external drive
- Review parts of Getting Things Done
- Review parts of Ready for Anything
- Brainstorm ideas for next compensation memo
- Review Rules of Engagement
- Review compensation checklist
- Review firm Strategic Plan
- Review Orme's Rules
- Brainstorm Monthly and Yearly Review checklists (see New Lists I Need in Memos)

Obviously, there's some overlap here, and I've really just begun building these lists, so I expect lots of change in the future. These were triggered by David's comments on the GTD Fast CDs, which I've copied to my iPod and listen to often in my car. It's amazing that, no matter how many times I listen to the seminar, it regularly triggers new ideas. I have a little digital recorder in my car, and when one of those ideas pops in I just record it, then when I'm back at my desk I can dump those ideas out and process them.

I've often benefited from ideas, methods, lists and other information posted in this forum. I hope some of you find this useful as well.

Randy Stokes
randystokes@cox.net
 
Thanks, Randy!

Your lists are great starting points and have helped me to begin brainstorming my own.

Thanks again for sharing!
 
Rules of Engagement?

I was just curious what exactly this referred to - I don't remember it from GTD. Are these rules something specific to your business/firm?
 
One type of Productive Procrastination i have started doing is related to healthy living and Nutrition.

I have created a MASSIVE list of ALL the healthy new foods i am now eating, and have it in Handyshopper in my Palm.
So sometimes, if i want to dawdle, i will get out my Palm, and go over this massive list, and add a note here and there, etc. You can add cooking notes, or whatever you want in this list in the note section.

This is a great LIST to have by the way, in Handyshopper.
You can have it listed by STORES like Supermarket, Healthfood, Convenience, drugstore, etc.

Then i have listed almost every healthy food choice one can make, which i have gleaned from various scientific sources.

Due to this list, i am eating the healthiest of my life, and have actually lost 15+ lbs.
And when you buy ONLY off the list, then you don't buy all the tempting junk in the store!

So its a rather complex list by now, (BACKUPS!), and when i am a bit tired, i will open it up, and start fine-tuning it, and thinking about all these new healthy foods which i didn't eat before. Its actually become a bit of an obsessive hobby, and its a great Distraction sometimes from more difficult things. BUT, the benefits are awesome, as VERY healthy eating should really be close to our #1 priority. ITs actually very exciting to review this list, and improve it. Eat time i get a health food tip, i add it in.
I talked on the phone tonight with my friends wife, and she gave me some Legume tips, and i entered them straight in, and on the way home bought some Legumes, and they are now soaking!
Behavioral change, that is easy to repeat, due to the list.

I would call this productive procrastination, but the results have really been unbelievable. My eating habits have changed completely, after i have added maybe 100+ new healthy foods to my diet in only a month!
(I broke out of the habit of eating the same foods all the time).

Sometimes a doodling list can change your life, and maybe add decades to your life, while giving you twice the energy in the life you live!

Coz
 
Unregistered said:
I was just curious what exactly this referred to - I don't remember it from GTD. Are these rules something specific to your business/firm?
Click to expand...

It's from the GTD Fast audio set. GTD Fast has many tips that aren't in the book, one of which is to keep a list of no-brainer activities you can do when you don't have the energy to work on higher-priority items: e.g., if you have writer's block, sharpen your pencils.
 
A good @computer productive procrastination activity for me has been copying and pasting all kinds of material into the Memo field of the Palm desktop, which get synched to the Treo for later reading:
  • Quotes
  • Tips from this forum
  • Posts from other GTD-related sites
  • Product specs and reviews
  • Plot summaries from IMDB of films to see
  • Articles and essays
  • Driving directions (pasted into the Notes field of some items on my
  • Errands/Car list)
  • Email, when it supports an action (again, pasted into Notes as an attachment to the Task or Appointment)
Sometimes I'll paste an inspirational quote to a randomly chosen date as an all-day item on my calendar. Then I get to see it fresh again.
 
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