Subject/Phrasing for "Waiting For" items

paulbruno

Registered
Hi! New GTD-er and member of this forum. Slowly doing my initial capture, and beginning setting up my projects. As a language/grammar/communication precision nerd, I find "Waiting For" interesting, and didn't find a concrete example of how to phrase them. Here's a good for-instance from my life today:

My wife has a sleep-tracking ring that she got from her mom and me for Christmas. Too small, not desired color or shape; we initiated a return. As it quite often happens, they're lagging at every step of the process. I got an email out from my MIL's email address (she was the one who clicked "buy") and also followed up with them on their Instagram acct., for visibility. Still waiting for them to respond.

I've got a project for the above ("Get sleep ring on my wife's finger, and tracking her sleep, writing it to her Apple Health data!"). Clearly defined, where done is unambiguous. But, the current step/task is simply to wait for them to return our inquiry. Do I phrase the task from their vantage point? "Oura to respond to my inquiries"? Or from mine? I've seen people advocate the latter, and have put the following currently in the project, tagged as "Waiting For" in OmniFocus: "Messaged/Emailed Oura on Feb. 23 with USPS tracking number." (Note: "On Feb. 24 they said they’d be in touch via the orig. email address used. Also said they’d be able to change the address in the IG msg. thread.")

Of course, there's prob. no right way… just wanting to see what you do!
 

TamaraM

Registered
This is a good question. I've tried a bunch of different things, and have landed on this naming structure:

"Oura: Return email for next steps re: sleep ring swap? 2/27"
"JB: Fill out IRA form, scan, and return to me? 2/26"
"LP: Research recruiting software options? 2/26. Due 3/2."
"Ben: Ask teacher how to handle late homework? 1/4"

The name/initials and question mark let me know it's a Waiting For. The first date is when I sent the message to them. I use the "Due" date only if there's a firm expectation around delivery date.

If it's a project, I'll also put a line on my project sheet staying: "2/27: Emailed Oura to ask about replacement."
 

John Ismyname

Registered
Your question brings up a few key points I’d like to un-pack.

Sometimes, we are “waiting for” with good intent. I put in an order with Amazon who claim that I will receive my shipment in two days. As Amazon tends to under-promise and over-deliver, I will realistically have my shipment tomorrow. I am making my “waiting for” this shipment for four days from now. Realistically, when this reminder comes up, I will have received my shipment and will delete it.

To me, the “waiting for” date is the point at which I take some non-defined form of next action if I have not received what I am waiting for. Until then, it is out of my mind and in my trusted GTD system.

If you feel there is “bad intent” on the part of whom you are “waiting for”, then it makes sense to approach this as a task or even as a project. (you are at this stage with your sleep monitor return.)

For example, a friend of mine worked for a company I did a specific job. This friend secretly informed me that his employer had no intention of paying me. For this reason, I approached my invoicing and bill collection as a project with specific tasks for each invoice, its follow-up, and filing a claim with small-claims court.

As you are a “As a language/grammar/communication precision nerd,” consider how to describe these (and all) tasks. While the GTD methodology is to describe a task in its completed state, most of my tasks are simple and mundane. My rule is that each task must have at least two words - one noun and one verb. For example, “walk dog”. As it’s the last day of the month, today I must “invoice clients”. While the latter is a more complex process, this simple two-word task is all I need to act on it. For the remaining days of the month, I do not think about invoicing.

P.S. consumer level sleep monitors are too inaccurate to be of any use.
 

mcogilvie

Registered
I usually write something minimalist like “WF Betty Crocker re cake 2-2-22” and put any details in the notes section of the entry. This could include a link to email too. However, I have delegated waiting for deliveries to the “Deliveries” app, which is really very good.
 
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