Stuff deffer matrix

B

Borisoff

0
I created a matrix for myself on how to defer the stuff. I think it would be of some help and I want your comments on how that combines with GTD pronciples. Here it goes:

Small action without due date - goes to Next Action List (i.e. to call Sarah)
Small action with due date - goes to Next Action List + Calendar (i.e. make a call re: Sarah birthday)
Big action without due date - goes to Next Action List
Big action with due date - goes to Calendar

Small action is 0-10 min.
Big action 10 and more min.

Regards,

Eugene.
 
a few comments

I like it, Eugene. Brings up a few points:

o If your "big" actions are too big, do they cause avoidance? If so, maybe it would be good to break them down.

o I believe David Allen recommends putting due dates on projects, and not on their next actions. I believe he does this to avoid diluting his clear views on how to use the calendar. (Recall that three types of things go there - time-specific actions, day-specific actions, and day-specific information.)

o Regarding due dates, I tend to put reminders (day-specific information) in the calendar, so that when I review it I'll prioritize the related action(s) when I have time available. I try to be careful with the wording. For example, I might put "2 wks: presentation due" rather than "draft outline of presentation" - the former is information, whereas the latter is an action. (If the latter really has to happen on that day great - it's a day-specific action.)

You've made me think about action sizes. Does it make sense to try to make them all roughly the same amount of work? Hmmm....
 
Next action size = the amount of work that can be done without any breaks.

cornell said:
You've made me think about action sizes. Does it make sense to try to make them all roughly the same amount of work? Hmmm....
Click to expand...
How can we measure the amount of work required for the next action? What units? Time? Not necessarily because required time is a function of our energy.

So I suggest to define the recommended next action size as the amount of work that can be done without any breaks (when we assume that there are no external interruptions).
 
cornell said:
I like it, Eugene. Brings up a few points:

o If your "big" actions are too big, do they cause avoidance? If so, maybe it would be good to break them down.

o I believe David Allen recommends putting due dates on projects, and not on their next actions. I believe he does this to avoid diluting his clear views on how to use the calendar. (Recall that three types of things go there - time-specific actions, day-specific actions, and day-specific information.)

o Regarding due dates, I tend to put reminders (day-specific information) in the calendar, so that when I review it I'll prioritize the related action(s) when I have time available. I try to be careful with the wording. For example, I might put "2 wks: presentation due" rather than "draft outline of presentation" - the former is information, whereas the latter is an action. (If the latter really has to happen on that day great - it's a day-specific action.)

You've made me think about action sizes. Does it make sense to try to make them all roughly the same amount of work? Hmmm....
Click to expand...

Matt,

sometimes NAs have deadlines and actions do have sizes. In some cases you can put NA or Project instead of "action" term. I will give you a few examples of this system usage for better understanding. For example, I have I contract for writing a book. I have a due date of course. I sit down with calculator and understand that I should write 10 pages daily to be in time. 10 pages could take up to 2 hours for me. So using the Model (big NA with due date) I block out time daily and start working. At some point a friend of mine calls me to say that tomorrow is a birthday party of his wife. I decide not to go but to call so using the model (small NA with due date) put it as well into calendar (the whole day event). Then I get a call from my wife who asks me to check some information on the Internet for her and I put it into NAs List (small NA without dead line). When working I understand that I have to research one interesting point so I put that into NAs list as well (big action without deadline - actually for me research is mainly reading and for reading I don't like to put i.e. read 5 pages because it could take me longer or faster to find out what I need). Hopefully that helps.

Regards,

E.
 
TesTeq said:
How can we measure the amount of work required for the next action? What units? Time? Not necessarily because required time is a function of our energy.

So I suggest to define the recommended next action size as the amount of work that can be done without any breaks (when we assume that there are no external interruptions).
Click to expand...

Interesting idea. Have to think over....

E.
 
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