Trouble with my calendar

[silvine]

I am having trouble with my calendar.

How do I:

1) List projects that need to be completed by a certain week (rather than a certain date)

2) List projects that I would like to start on a certain day.

3) What do I do with these projects on my calendar if I don't start or finish them on time?

 

[mcogilvie]

I am having trouble with my calendar.

How do I:

1) List projects that need to be completed by a certain week (rather than a certain date)

2) List projects that I would like to start on a certain day.

3) What do I do with these projects on my calendar if I don't start or finish them on time?

1) When does your week end?
2) It all depends: paper or program? Some programs support start dates. For paper, calendar.
3) If you don't start a project at all, you may have a big problem. If you miss a start date, it may or may not be a problem. But problems are projects, and your new project may be "Convince boss not to fire me" or similar. If you have real deadlines (and those are the only ones you should put on your calendar), then you have to meet the deadline or renegotiate it, either with someone else or with yourself.

Fundamentally, your system has to be something that you will use effectively and trust. You have to build trust in it by using it and getting good results from using it. If you "use" a paper calendar, for example, but don't look at it every day and during the weekly review, your system is not working for you and you need to make a change. It could be a change in your gear, or a change in your habits, but you need a system that works for you.

 

[TesTeq]

Weekly Reviews?

I am having trouble with my calendar.

How do I:

1) List projects that need to be completed by a certain week (rather than a certain date)

2) List projects that I would like to start on a certain day.

3) What do I do with these projects on my calendar if I don't start or finish them on time?

If you have to use your calendar to make sure that your Projects are started/completed it means that there's something wrong with Weekly Reviews. Don't overload your calendar with Project information.

 

[cwoodgold]

1) You can decide what day it needs to be done by. (Friday of the previous week?) Where you put it doesn't have to depend on the due date. You can list it as a current project and get it done now, way ahead of the deadline. You can write the deadline at the top of the page beside the name of the project so you remember. You can put a reminder in your tickle file halfway between now and the deadline in case you start getting complacent, and when you come to the reminder then move it to halfway along the time that's left.

2) You can put these in a tickle file.

3) If you don't get something done on time, you can re-evaluate whether it's
still worth competing anyway and set a new target date for yourself if it is.

 

[bishblaize]

I am having trouble with my calendar.

How do I:

1) List projects that need to be completed by a certain week (rather than a certain date)

2) List projects that I would like to start on a certain day.

3) What do I do with these projects on my calendar if I don't start or finish them on time?

1 -Personally I would keep that information with the project support material or on your next action list, if your tool allows, rather than the calendar. As long as you're reviewing regularly that should be enough. If you want a reminder then that's okay if it makes you feel better. But by no means should it only be in your calendar. The reminder is to get you to check your project list.

2- Put a note in your calendar that says "New Project, Do X". Then when you see it, add it to your Project list. Don't leave it in the calendar.

3 - Projects shouldn't only be on your calendar, they live in your projects list. So it doesn't matter if the don't get done on time the reminder is still there (as far as GTD is concerned - it might matter to your continued employment if you don't get them done on time...)