This is going to be my probably 4th run at GTD, and all of the previous runs have been unsuccessful. I've read GTD and Making it all work, have soaked up everything I can on this, and buy into the the reasoning behind GTD wholeheartedly. The issue comes when trying to implement in real life.
I know you're only supposed to write down a next action on an action list, not actions that have prerequisite dependencies. So let's say I have "Client Website Project" as a project. I write down a next action on my @work list. Most of what I have to do on this project is linear dependency on the previous action.
In the morning, I see I have to maybe "develop wireframes for approval" This takes 3 hours. This is priority 1. There is a bunch of other next actions on my @work action list related to other projects, but they are lower priority.
I finish the wireframe task. I look at my @work list. There are a ton of next actions on my list. GTD is supposed to make me secure in that I'm doing exactly what I should be. However, there is NOTHING on this list about my project, becuase I just completed the only next action, and every action about this project has a dependency on it.
The lists don't REALLY tell me what the most important next action is, because I can only have the next action for any project on a list. This project is priority 1, and there are no tasks for this project. If I "follow my system" and do other next actions that are on my @work list, I'm actually doing exactly what I SHOULDN'T be doing, because the website project is the highest priority..
Am i meant to constantly be questioning the validity of my system because it doesn't denote the real, highest priority next action I have to take unless I go back every time I complete a task, re-evaluate, and add more tasks? The churn seems unmanageable. I don't see how this fits into real life, and allows you to have confidence in the system.
I hope someone can help me understand or help make my thinking less rigid, because I just don't see how this works. It works for me from 50,000 to 10,000 but I just don't see the runway making any kind of logical, practical sense in the real world. It actually causes me anxiety instead.
I know you're only supposed to write down a next action on an action list, not actions that have prerequisite dependencies. So let's say I have "Client Website Project" as a project. I write down a next action on my @work list. Most of what I have to do on this project is linear dependency on the previous action.
In the morning, I see I have to maybe "develop wireframes for approval" This takes 3 hours. This is priority 1. There is a bunch of other next actions on my @work action list related to other projects, but they are lower priority.
I finish the wireframe task. I look at my @work list. There are a ton of next actions on my list. GTD is supposed to make me secure in that I'm doing exactly what I should be. However, there is NOTHING on this list about my project, becuase I just completed the only next action, and every action about this project has a dependency on it.
The lists don't REALLY tell me what the most important next action is, because I can only have the next action for any project on a list. This project is priority 1, and there are no tasks for this project. If I "follow my system" and do other next actions that are on my @work list, I'm actually doing exactly what I SHOULDN'T be doing, because the website project is the highest priority..
Am i meant to constantly be questioning the validity of my system because it doesn't denote the real, highest priority next action I have to take unless I go back every time I complete a task, re-evaluate, and add more tasks? The churn seems unmanageable. I don't see how this fits into real life, and allows you to have confidence in the system.
I hope someone can help me understand or help make my thinking less rigid, because I just don't see how this works. It works for me from 50,000 to 10,000 but I just don't see the runway making any kind of logical, practical sense in the real world. It actually causes me anxiety instead.