Turning a Problem into a Project . I'd like your Encouragement, Ideas, and Guidance .

[Mrs-Polifax]

Hello. I am writing here about a project I'm working on. Perhaps you might have some ideas about it. This project is an attempt to solve a problem with my online credit card orders. I realize that I am attempting to create a project without having established a GTD framework yet, but I'm not sure what else to do than to start where I am now and do what I can.

I didn't shop online before the pandemic. I shopped in person for everything I needed. I always got a transaction slip and a receipt, and I reconciled every credit card purchase on the bill with its transaction slip and receipt, so I knew the bill was correct. Then I paid the credit card bill before the due date to avoid paying interest.

Since the pandemic began, I've been shopping online for everything I need, and my previous financial orderliness has been extremely difficult to maintain. Orders have problems more often now (receiving things I do not order, ordering things I do not receive, tracking the problems for each item on each order, arranging returns and refunds, etc.). In view of the problems, it is even more important now to stay on top of this, since I am losing money, but often I am not able to do it. I end up paying my credit card bill before the due date to avoid paying interest without even knowing whether some or all of the charges are correct. This worries me. It is absolutely *not* how I want to handle my finances.

I have a system for keeping track of orders I write. I place them in a file folder labeled by merchant and date. I have recently been working on a different project that will help me continually adjust and track the current status of each of my orders as it changes, which (I hope) will help me navigate this situation in a more effective and timely way. I had planned to keep this project in a binder, but I was afraid I'd forget about it, so for now I have attached the project to my wall. I include a photo of my project at this point, but I apologize that my camera resolution is poor.

My project so far consists of 11 pages in two rows, 6 pages on the top row and five pages on the bottom row. The first page on the wall in the upper left is not numbered. It is an Index of the Steps in the ordering process. The rest of the pages are numbered and are in numerical order from left to right. Each page from 1 to 9 represents one Step in the usual ordering process, which is the process for orders that *do not* have problems. I plan to add several additional Steps for orders that are not part of the usual ordering process and *do* have problems (a frequent occurrence), but for now Step 10 serves as a holding place for orders with problems.

The way it works is that I will write the ID for the order on a small paper and affix the small paper to one of the squares on the page for Step 1. As the order progresses through its usual Steps from 1 to 9, I will move the small paper to the next Step (or page) in the process (and do the work involved as soon as I can) until the order is finalized. This way, I can check the current status of any order at any time. If there is a problem at any point in the ordering process, I will move the small paper for that order to Step 10 for problem solving (and do the work involved as soon as I can). Each Step (or page) holds 11 orders at one time (one order in each square), so I'm confident that this is more than adequate for my needs.

This is essentially a Kanban board for the ordering process. A Kanban board, I have read, is ideal for a project like this in which the same steps (more or less) are repeated for each sub-project (i.e., for each order), so I thought I'd try it. I'm excited about this kind of a system because I understand things better when they are presented in a visually clear and appealing way, and I also tend to forget about things that are not right in front of me. I hate clutter, though, so I am also apt to put things away out of sight. A regular review might be the answer to remembering things and enjoying the way they are presented without having to endure the clutter.

One possible difficulty that has occurred to me about this project is that I am trying to solve a problem without first clarifying the nature of the problem. Why is this problem happening? What factors are causing it? Can I determine what these factors are and address them directly? One example is that it is very time-consuming to hand-write my orders, but I do this because I do not have a working printer, so I need proper tools and equipment. There are also other problems like this, which are not directly related to difficulties in ordering per se but to other kinds of difficulties.

I believe I do have the desired outcome nailed, though: I want to complete my orders in an effective and timely way and to know that the charges and refunds are accurate, so I can pay my bill without loss and worry but with ease and peace of mind. I also want to cut way down on the time involved in the ordering process and have more enjoyment and less stress in my life.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I'd appreciate your comments.

 

[Gardener]

FWIW, even if you've paid your credit card, you can usually dispute a charge. It does mean that the money is out of your pocket until the credit card company finishes investigating the dispute and hopefully finds in your favor, but if they do, my understanding is that you get the money back.

I mention that to suggest that there may be less time urgency than you are feeling.

Could you tell us what the nine steps are? Is it possible that they're more complex than you need?

If I wanted to track my orders (I generally just scan my credit card bill for anything unfamiliar, and then pay it--except for Christmas, when I care what arrives where when, and I keep a side list of pending shipments), I would probably do it with a spreadsheet, something like:

== What == Vendor == Date == Cost == Arrived? == Notes

If I were concerned about the orders' appearance on the credit card, or tracking other possible problems, I'd add a couple of columns:

== What == Vendor == Date == Cost == Arrived? == On CC? == Notes == Closed? (T/F)

 

[cfoley]

I find it useful to separate the financial record keeping from the acquisition.

For example, I have an item on my Someday/Maybe list to get a picture frame TV. I dislike living areas that have become a shrine to the TV, so one that displays art while nobody is watching a programme is attractive to me.

The project might be: "Picture Frame TV mounted on wall, connected to the Internet and displaying beautiful artwork."

At some point, I'll have a Next Action to order the TV, and then a Waiting For item for it to arrive. These need to be done before the project is complete.

However, if there is something wrong with a financial transaction, then that is a different story. I can still put the TV on the wall as long as it arrived. Even the happy path where nothing goes wrong financially can take weeks to resolve because the credit card statements are monthly. It would strange to keep the project open for this reason.

If I wanted to track individual purchases on my statements, then I would write each expected transaction on a list. Each month, I would:

1. Check that each transaction on my statement had a corresponding expected transaction on my list.
2. Cross of the expected transaction so that I cannot count it twice.
3. Create a separate project to resolve each discrepancy, if any.

I would be interested to hear whether this would fit in well with your system. Would it simplify things for you or complicate them?

 

[DKPhoto]

Hello. I am writing here about a project I'm working on. Perhaps you might have some ideas about it. This project is an attempt to solve a problem with my online credit card orders. I realize that I am attempting to create a project without having established a GTD framework yet, but I'm not sure what else to do than to start where I am now and do what I can.

I didn't shop online before the pandemic. I shopped in person for everything I needed. I always got a transaction slip and a receipt, and I reconciled every credit card purchase on the bill with its transaction slip and receipt, so I knew the bill was correct. Then I paid the credit card bill before the due date to avoid paying interest.

Since the pandemic began, I've been shopping online for everything I need, and my previous financial orderliness has been extremely difficult to maintain. Orders have problems more often now (receiving things I do not order, ordering things I do not receive, tracking the problems for each item on each order, arranging returns and refunds, etc.). In view of the problems, it is even more important now to stay on top of this, since I am losing money, but often I am not able to do it. I end up paying my credit card bill before the due date to avoid paying interest without even knowing whether some or all of the charges are correct. This worries me. It is absolutely *not* how I want to handle my finances.

I have a system for keeping track of orders I write. I place them in a file folder labeled by merchant and date. I have recently been working on a different project that will help me continually adjust and track the current status of each of my orders as it changes, which (I hope) will help me navigate this situation in a more effective and timely way. I had planned to keep this project in a binder, but I was afraid I'd forget about it, so for now I have attached the project to my wall. I include a photo of my project at this point, but I apologize that my camera resolution is poor.

My project so far consists of 11 pages in two rows, 6 pages on the top row and five pages on the bottom row. The first page on the wall in the upper left is not numbered. It is an Index of the Steps in the ordering process. The rest of the pages are numbered and are in numerical order from left to right. Each page from 1 to 9 represents one Step in the usual ordering process, which is the process for orders that *do not* have problems. I plan to add several additional Steps for orders that are not part of the usual ordering process and *do* have problems (a frequent occurrence), but for now Step 10 serves as a holding place for orders with problems.

The way it works is that I will write the ID for the order on a small paper and affix the small paper to one of the squares on the page for Step 1. As the order progresses through its usual Steps from 1 to 9, I will move the small paper to the next Step (or page) in the process (and do the work involved as soon as I can) until the order is finalized. This way, I can check the current status of any order at any time. If there is a problem at any point in the ordering process, I will move the small paper for that order to Step 10 for problem solving (and do the work involved as soon as I can). Each Step (or page) holds 11 orders at one time (one order in each square), so I'm confident that this is more than adequate for my needs.

This is essentially a Kanban board for the ordering process. A Kanban board, I have read, is ideal for a project like this in which the same steps (more or less) are repeated for each sub-project (i.e., for each order), so I thought I'd try it. I'm excited about this kind of a system because I understand things better when they are presented in a visually clear and appealing way, and I also tend to forget about things that are not right in front of me. I hate clutter, though, so I am also apt to put things away out of sight. A regular review might be the answer to remembering things and enjoying the way they are presented without having to endure the clutter.

One possible difficulty that has occurred to me about this project is that I am trying to solve a problem without first clarifying the nature of the problem. Why is this problem happening? What factors are causing it? Can I determine what these factors are and address them directly? One example is that it is very time-consuming to hand-write my orders, but I do this because I do not have a working printer, so I need proper tools and equipment. There are also other problems like this, which are not directly related to difficulties in ordering per se but to other kinds of difficulties.

I believe I do have the desired outcome nailed, though: I want to complete my orders in an effective and timely way and to know that the charges and refunds are accurate, so I can pay my bill without loss and worry but with ease and peace of mind. I also want to cut way down on the time involved in the ordering process and have more enjoyment and less stress in my life.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I'd appreciate your comments.

View attachment 1455

Hiya,
I’m not sure I understand the complexity of your system, but here’s what i do.

When i order stuff online I always save either a web archive or PDF of the order summary at checkout, which gets renamed with that day’s date and supplier name (plus description if it’s from somewhere like Amazon or Ebay), which then get filed in a year and month dated folder in Dropbox.

The order goes on my @waiting for list. When it arrives I’ll download a VAT invoice if it’s a business transaction and remove from my list.

When the credit card bill comes in I reconcile it against the orders in my Dropbox file, marking them as green so I know they reconcile.

I think you’re right to look into why you’re having so many problems, as i’ve been ordering online for years, with very little problem.

Good luck.

 

[Bill Myers]

At first blush I think your system looks overly complicated. You may be making this unnecessarily difficult on yourself.

First, if you're finding yourself frequently getting charged for things you received but didn't order, or for things you ordered that were never delivered, you need to find a new online vendor(s). That may nor may not be a GTD project.

Second, any decent online vendor should have an order history page showing what you ordered, the date, and the amount you paid. You should also receive a confirmation email with the same info. If one or both of those is not true, again, you need to find another online vendor.

What I do when I order something online is very simple. I create a "waiting for" item in my list manager like so: [name of vendor] - [item(s) ordered] - [date ordered]. Whether I use my debit card or a credit card, I enter that transaction into my register (I use an electronic register for all my accounts). There is a memo field if I want to remind myself what I ordered.

If I were to receive an item I didn't order, or if something I ordered failed to arrive in a reasonable amount of time, I'd contact the vendor and request a refund. I'd probably just create a "waiting for" item in my list manager so I could track whether or not the refund came through. Unless they gave me a hassle, of course, in which case taking care of this would become a project. If it were to become a project, I'd figure out what to do next and put that in the appropriate context list.

@Gardener is correct that you should be able to dispute a charge even after you've paid the credit card bill, BTW.

Anyway, I tend to think that the simplest way of handling something consistent with getting the job done is best. Your system looks like it's creating a lot of headaches for you with not enough payoff. Nevertheless -- it's your system. You're free to take my advice, or not, as you choose. Either way, best of luck.

 

[Mrs-Polifax]

Thank you, Gardener and cfoley, for your detailed suggestions.

Could you tell us what the nine steps are? Is it possible that they're more complex than you need?

I can address this question now, but the others will take more thinking. I have made a couple of small tweaks. The nine steps I have now are:

1. Order needed.
2. Order placed.
3. Order received.
4. Order items checked.
5. Order items correct. Okay to put this order away.
6. Order items put away.
7. Order charges checked.
8. Order charges correct. Okay to pay for this order.
9. Order charges paid on this order.

Is it possible that these steps are more complex than I need? Sure. I'm not sure how to handle this and have only just now invented this new system because what I have been doing is not working. This list is for orders with no problems. Any problems go to other (not yet created) steps for resolution . For now they are held in Step 10. Some examples might help you see the level of complexity, but for now I am including only the list.

Thanks again!!

 

[Mrs-Polifax]

Hi, DKPhoto and bcmyers2112.

Thanks so much for your comments. I have only just now seen them so I cannot respond yet but have read.

 

[René Lie]

I second what's being said here. Remember, you need to track your items enough to get then off your mind - no more, no less.

I do it even simpler; instead of tracking orders in my list manager, I put the order confirmation in my email waiting for folder. When the tracking information hits my inbox, this also goes into my waiting for. Doesn't get much simpler!

 

[Bill Myers]

Thank you, Gardener and cfoley, for your detailed suggestions.

I can address this question now, but the others will take more thinking. I have made a couple of small tweaks. The nine steps I have now are:

1. Order needed.
2. Order placed.
3. Order received.
4. Order items checked.
5. Order items correct. Okay to put this order away.
6. Order items put away.
7. Order charges checked.
8. Order charges correct. Okay to pay for this order.
9. Order charges paid on this order.

Is it possible that these steps are more complex than I need? Sure. I'm not sure how to handle this and have only just now invented this new system because what I have been doing is not working. This list is for orders with no problems. Any problems go to other (not yet created) steps for resolution . For now they are held in Step 10. Some examples might help you see the level of complexity, but for now I am including only the list.

Thanks again!!

That looks awfully over-complicated to me. Especially if that's just for orders with no problem. I think the problem with this level of complexity is it likely creates more stress than it relieves. I think it also creates the risk of undermining your confidence in yourself by creating a system you'll likely not be able to maintain consistently. My suggestions:

1. Order needed.

That's an easy one. You can either order something when you think of it, or if you can't, you can just add it to the appropriate context in your next actions list. No need to track it in a special system.

2. Order placed.
3. Order received.

I'd condense these two steps. Just put an item in your waiting for list, and check it off when the order arrives.

4. Order items checked.

That would happen automatically when you open the package, wouldn't it? No need to track this in any kind of a special system.

5. Order items correct. Okay to put this order away.
6. Order items put away.

I think you could omit these two steps as well. When the order shows up on your doorstep, you know enough to put it away.

7. Order charges checked.
8. Order charges correct. Okay to pay for this order.

An online vendor should tell you what they charged you, either on an order confirmation page, or in a confirmation email, or both. If you are concerned about them charging you more than that, you can just check your account statement online. I don't think you need a special system to track this.

9. Order charges paid on this order.

I would think you have to submit payment online to complete the order, wouldn't you? And you probably have a system already for reminding yourself to pay your credit card bill. Like I said above, if you're really concerned that a vendor might over-charge you, you can make a note to check your credit card account online. But I'd also strongly urge you to find a different vendor. I've honestly never had a situation where I ordered something online and the vendor charged me something different than what was on the order confirmation page. If that's happening, you don't need a complex system to track everything, you need a different vendor. Pronto.

I understand the impulse to create a system that accounts for all of the possibilities. I'm sure that the creation of such a system provides a feeling of relief from anxiety. The problem is that such a system always creates more anxiety than it relieves. "Did I remember to check this off? Did I forget to move the order status in my system from this to that?" No one needs that kind of stress in their lives. I'd strongly suggest doing the minimum amount necessary to track things. If a problem does occur that truly becomes a project, you'll know it when it happens and you can track it appropriately.

 

[Gardener]

because what I have been doing is not working.

Could you clarify how it hasn't been working? Are you being charged a great deal of money for a great many packages that fail to arrive?

If so, I feel that this is less of a tracking problem than a problem of figuring out what's causing that. Identity theft? Over-use of an unreliable vendor? Someone stealing your packages from your porch or lobby?

Edited to add: I'm asking because I, too, have been doing much more of my shopping online since the pandemic started, but I think I've only been charged for one item that failed to show up (it showed up several weeks later, after apparently getting lost somewhere in the wilds of the post office), and there have been a few items that were out of stock, and I wasn't charged for them. I'm not having the extensive problems that it sounds like you're having.

 

[Bill Myers]

If so, I feel that this is less of a tracking problem than a problem of figuring out what's causing that. Identity theft? Over-use of an unreliable vendor? Someone stealing your packages from your porch or lobby?

Yeah, I think you're bang-on correct. I don't do the majority of my shopping online, but enough to say with confidence that packages not arriving has been a rarity (maybe once or twice in all the years I've been online shopping) and I've never received and been charged for something I didn't order. (Amazon once accidentally delivered a book to my wife entitled He's Just Not That Into You when she had in fact ordered a DVD of a live performance of the rock band Rush as a gift for me. We got a good laugh out of it. But Amazon took care of it promptly.) And I've never been charged anything other what was on the order confirmation page from any online vendor, ever. The problems alluded to in the OP therefore concern me. I think solving the underlying problems would save a lot of time and effort, rather than creating an elaborate system to cope with a headache @Mrs-Polifax may not need to live with. Whether it's finding a new vendor, or installing a security camera to deal with porch pirates, or something else, it sounds like there may be a one-time solution to this problem that would save time down the line.

 

[Mrs-Polifax]

Hello, again. I have read and appreciate all your posts and contributions. I also had a good laugh, bcmyers2112, about the book your wife received by mistake, which was a welcome break for me.

Some of you seem to be wondering what specific difficulties are arising for me with my orders, and you suggest clarifying the nature of these difficulties in order to address them appropriately. I had wondered about that.

I'm losing money on my orders, and I'm worried and overwhelmed by the time this takes. I want to complete my work on these orders first. I think it would help me a lot after that to take a good look at what is happening and to clarify what the problems are, so I can free myself of these disturbing difficulties.

You all seem to be mostly in agreement that the system I described here adds unnecessary complexity and that the usual GTD lists, or something even simpler, could serve me better. I'm willing to experiment. Learning how to set up an effective GTD system with the support of you who are using it is the reason I came to the forum.

I studied David Allen's first GTD book extensively for years but could not grasp how to practice it. I finally lost the book and for reasons I can't remember now, I never replaced it. I recently purchased another copy, and I will have it in my hands soon. I hope it will be easier for me this time with the support here.

You folks have been very generous with your time and ideas. Thanks so much! I have a lot to think about.

 

[Bill Myers]

I hope it will be easier for me this time with the support here.

It can take time to unlearn certain ideas in order to adopt new ones. GTD flies in the face of a lot of conventional wisdom, so it can present a steep unlearning curve. It's a curve that's different for everyone. So -- be gentle with yourself.

You'll likely get some conflicting and outright contradictory advice over time. Which is OK. Different things work for different people. Think of this like trying on clothes at a department store. If something fits, you buy it. If it doesn't, you can put it back on the rack.

As someone who is a card-carrying member of "complicators anonymous" I know full well the temptation to over-engineer a solution for really simple problems. That's another thing that make take time to unlearn. So, again, be gentle with yourself. It's a process. Think progress rather than perfection.