Small and big tasks - procrastination

[Sebastien.pi]

Hi guys,

in my todo list (NA), I have some small tasks (2-10min) and some big tasks (>10 min up to 3-4h).
As yours I think ;-)
How do you manage this ?
Because, of course, I'm human, and I continuously report these long tasks to the next day (procrastination, we hate you !).
It's difficult for me to cut these big tasks in more little tasks, as some needs to be done in one time.

Complementary question : do you write, in your task list, the approximate duration of this task ?

Thanks a lot !

 

[TesTeq]

I continuously report these long tasks to the next day (procrastination, we hate you !).

@Sebastien.pi Maybe you should abandon them or move them to Someday/Maybe?

do you write, in your task list, the approximate duration of this task ?

No, but I found interesting the idea of marking task according to estimation of their execution time. Check this thread: https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/threads/using-time-as-a-primary-filter.17813/

 

[RomanS]

I note the estimated duration in hours for each task, using only the following values: 0.13, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.50.

As part of the weekly review, I schedule a few focus work windows of at least 2 hours in the coming week. In these windows I will deliberately do the big chunks. Sometimes I decide which ones already in the planning phase, sometimes the night before or spontaneously.

 

[mcogilvie]

Do big tasks tend to attract or repel you? What about small tasks? How do you feel when you spend a large part of the day on big tasks? What about a day taken up by small tasks?

The key to maintaining an appropriate mix is likely to lie in your intuitive understanding of your work and yourself, rather than any self-imposed procedures, rules or system. As David Allen says, everything on our lists either attracts or repels us.

 

[cfoley]

I had the same problem as you and I found that the Four Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment really helped me.

1: I take the appropriate context list.

2 and 3: I go through each action on the list and ask if I have time and energy to do that action. At this stage, I'm not making a final decision about what to do so it is easy to be quite clinical.

All my actions are on index cards (1 card per action) so I now have a small stack of cards that act as a shortlist. I find that it helps to not even see the actions that I have already filtered out. Many software systems have a star feature which you could use for this purpose.

4. Priority is where I allow my entire self to come into the decision-making process. What would move me towards my goals and vision? What are others expecting from me. How do I feel today? How might I feel if I did the trickiest or most emotionally loaded task? What does my gut say?

This process often leads me to a point where I end up choosing a long, difficult, but important task. I often acknowledge to myself that it would feel good to cross off several quick and easy items but what really needs to be done is the nastier task. Other times it really is a better use of my time to do the more mundane and this process helps me to get there too.

 

[cfoley]

Complementary question : do you write, in your task list, the approximate duration of this task ?

No, but for client projects, I put an expected project schedule in my project support notes. It's not hard landscape but it's a useful tool for planning and communicating.

 

[gtdstudente]

Hi guys,

in my todo list (NA), I have some small tasks (2-10min) and some big tasks (>10 min up to 3-4h).
As yours I think ;-)
How do you manage this ?
Because, of course, I'm human, and I continuously report these long tasks to the next day (procrastination, we hate you !).
It's difficult for me to cut these big tasks in more little tasks, as some needs to be done in one time.

Complementary question : do you write, in your task list, the approximate duration of this task ?

Thanks a lot !

Sebastien.pi,

While seemingly less than optimal . . . Place-&-Priority . . . often has its means of removing many other considerations regarding Next Actions?

Ps. Good on you for expressing the reality that Next Actions require varying time frames. Thank you

 

[gtdstudente]

I had the same problem as you and I found that the Four Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment really helped me.

1: I take the appropriate context list.

2 and 3: I go through each action on the list and ask if I have time and energy to do that action. At this stage, I'm not making a final decision about what to do so it is easy to be quite clinical.

All my actions are on index cards (1 card per action) so I now have a small stack of cards that act as a shortlist. I find that it helps to not even see the actions that I have already filtered out. Many software systems have a star feature which you could use for this purpose.

4. Priority is where I allow my entire self to come into the decision-making process. What would move me towards my goals and vision? What are others expecting from me. How do I feel today? How might I feel if I did the trickiest or most emotionally loaded task? What does my gut say?

This process often leads me to a point where I end up choosing a long, difficult, but important task. I often acknowledge to myself that it would feel good to cross off several quick and easy items but what really needs to be done is the nastier task. Other times it really is a better use of my time to do the more mundane and this process helps me to get there too.

cfoley,

"All my actions are on index cards (1 card per action) so I now have a small stack of cards that act as a shortlist. I find that it helps to not even see the actions that I have already filtered out. . . ."

H U G E ! Thank you

 

[gtdstudente]

Hi guys,

in my todo list (NA), I have some small tasks (2-10min) and some big tasks (>10 min up to 3-4h).
As yours I think ;-)
How do you manage this ?
Because, of course, I'm human, and I continuously report these long tasks to the next day (procrastination, we hate you !).
It's difficult for me to cut these big tasks in more little tasks, as some needs to be done in one time.

Complementary question : do you write, in your task list, the approximate duration of this task ?

Thanks a lot !

Sebastien.pi,

On this end, if I'm procrastinating . . . I'm thinking . . . if I'm thinking ('intrinsic friction') . . . what I have before me as a Next Action has yet be a Next Action and as such is really a Project, or, as TesTeq more accurately and more profoundly expressed above, is actually a very practical Someday/Maybe . . . needing/requiring assessment for an easiest as possible Next Action to be a current Project?

Easiest also requires the 'best easiest tool' possible to overcome any possible, in this case, 'extrinsic friction'. For Context example: every Next Action in @Online might not necessarily be appropriate for a Smartphone, Tablet, Chromebook or even a Laptop, when what is really required is a PC to eliminate as much extrinsic friction as possible for smooth execution

Thank you for expressing your GTD concern

 

[Zenminimalismo]

What works for me is the "Two-minute Rule": If a task takes less than two minutes, I do it immediately. This way, small tasks don't pile up. For longer tasks, I block out dedicated chunks of time, almost like appointments in my calendar. It helps me stay committed, knowing I've set that time aside specifically for the task.