Using your Calendar for Project Next Actions

[debbieg]

Lately I've noticed that I have Next Actions for my Projects that are not moving forward.

My understanding is that the calendar is only for things that must be done at a certain time or on a certain date. It seems if I don't write the Next Action on the calendar, other things on the calendar get done which may be less important but date driven.

I'm using a paper planner and like the week at a glance visual. Do others make appt. on your calendar to work on something that requires a chunk of time? Or list it on the date you want to work on it in the Actions/Info section of the GTD Planner? The risk I see there is that you could wind up filling up your appt. calendar and not have the time for the important next action.

 

[Myriam]

yes and no...

About using your calendar to write down NA's...

Yes: if it seems necessary to dedicate a big chunk of time to one project, then you can schedule a meeting with yourself, and decide to spend a specific amount of time to that project. But then this becomes a "hard landscape"-thing. You shouldn't move or delay it, like you don't move or delay another appointment (unless in case of a real urgency of course, if you have a car accident on your way to a client, then yes, you might have to cancel your next meeting).

No: don't just put it there thinking "oh, it would be nice to work on it on that day", because then in the end, you won't be able to make a difference in your calendar between the "must be there" items and the "nice to work on" items.

Myriam

 

[ellobogrande]

About using your calendar to write down NA's...
No: don't just put it there thinking "oh, it would be nice to work on it on that day", baceuse then in the end, you won't be able to make a difference in your calendar between the "must be there" items and the "nico to work on" items.

Myriam's got it right: A next action only belongs a calendar if it is tied specifically to a date or time (i.e. it can only be done on this day or at this time otherwise it dies). I'm not saying you can't make an appointment with yourself to work on it at a certain time, but the original reminder must remain in a context list.

I have plenty of day-specific reminders like "Do x today?" or "Good day to do y" if weather or other condtions are right for performing an action on a particular day, but the original action stays on a context list.