What Verbs do you use that are similar to the context of Waiting For

[Longstreet]

@Jan Ernest: The standard GTD methodology relies on deciding in the moment what to do next. Your choice is based on context (the right tools, place, person, etc.), time available, energy, and finally priority. This is a very powerful approach that does not rely on putting every action onto a time slot in the calendar. For me, that would be a complete disaster. What would you do if new work shows up on your desk that is urgent and important? Now you will have to reschedule all of those actions. Kind of like dominoes - one falls and the rest soon fall as well. I would review carefully the threefold nature of work in GTD.

Now, with that said, you can create time blocks (I will answer your personal question on this soon) on your calendar. I do this some -- I certainly do NOT schedule every minute of my day. But I may create a 1-hour time block in the morning to protect my time to work on a high-focus, high-energy action. Or it may be a project block. Or an Area of Focus block.

Scheduling all of your actions is fine if it works for you. But it is not GTD.

 

[bcmyers2112]

If it works for you, it works for you. But I would say that it's definitely your personal addition to GTD, rather than the standard process.

I agree. It's not a problem if it's not a problem. But my concern is when someone thinks they're doing GTD when in fact they're not. If @Jan Ernest understands this is a departure from GTD and is OK with that, more power to him.

Personally I've found whenever I've strayed from the DA's recommendations I learn that those things he considers best practices are for me also the best practices. But I've learned not to try to beat other people over the head with that. They'll either come to the same conclusion I have, or else they'll come to a different conclusion.

I guess the larger question is how many of GTD's threads can you pull and still have it be GTD? We could argue about that until the end of time, but I'm glad we're not doing that. It seems the apocalyptic battle never materialized. Phew.

 

[Longstreet]

I agree. It's not a problem if it's not a problem. But my concern is when someone thinks they're doing GTD when in fact they're not. If @Jan Ernest understands this is a departure from GTD and is OK with that, more power to him.

Personally I've found whenever I've strayed from the DA's recommendations I learn that those things he considers best practices are for me also the best practices. But I've learned not to try to beat other people over the head with that. They'll either come to the same conclusion I have, or else they'll come to a different conclusion.

I guess the larger question is how many of GTD's threads can you pull and still have it be GTD? We could argue about that until the end of time, but I'm glad we're not doing that. It seems the apocalyptic battle never materialized. Phew.

I agree completely!

 

[Jan Ernest]

@Jan Ernest: The standard GTD methodology relies on deciding in the moment what to do next. Your choice is based on context (the right tools, place, person, etc.), time available, energy, and finally priority.

Wouldn’t it be difficult to keep reacting to the current moment? Instead of having a structured work schedule? I mean, in most productivity recommendations we hear, we have to plan for the next day?

 

[Jan Ernest]

@Jan Ernest: What would you do if new work shows up on your desk that is urgent and important? Now you will have to reschedule all of those actions. Kind of like dominoes - one falls and the rest soon fall as well.

I normally make a quick decision if that stuff can be done in less 2 minutes. Else, I schedule/defer it, or delete if not needed.

 

[mcogilvie]

Wouldn’t it be difficult to keep reacting to the current moment? Instead of having a structured work schedule? I mean, in most productivity recommendations we hear, we have to plan for the next day?

It’s not difficult and it’s not reactive. When I have a complete inventory of next actions for the context I’m in, I can choose to take extra time to go beyond the next action and finish the project, then choose to take a brief break to walk and stretch, ease back into work with something routine and quick, then pick something important to take up. If I scheduled every major task, I would always be rescheduling them. GTD really is different from "most productivity recommendations."

 

[Longstreet]

It’s not difficult and it’s not reactive. When I have a complete inventory of next actions for the context I’m in, I can choose to take extra time to go beyond the next action and finish the project, then choose to take a brief break to walk and stretch, ease back into work with something routine and quick, then pick something important to take up. If I scheduled every major task, I would always be rescheduling them. GTD really is different from "most productivity recommendations."

Exactly! It is not at all reactive - YOU decide what you want to do. Review the three kinds of work again. In 2017 and forward, work comes in so rapidly and things change. What I had decided was a priority this morning has been replaced with this new item. GTD gives us the flexibility to make these decisions responsibly and in relation to everything else on our plates.

GTD is definitely not like other systems....it is game-changing and much better!

 

[TesTeq]

Wouldn’t it be difficult to keep reacting to the current moment? Instead of having a structured work schedule? I mean, in most productivity recommendations we hear, we have to plan for the next day?

@DavidAllen says people have 100+ Next Actions. These actions are ready to be done if context, time available, energy available & priority are appropriate. In the case of "most productivity recommendations" you would have to reschedule 100+ actions each day. Not for me. But GTD doesn't ban defining several MITs for a day, time blocking and "context forcing".

 

[Oogiem]

Wouldn’t it be difficult to keep reacting to the current moment? Instead of having a structured work schedule? I mean, in most productivity recommendations we hear, we have to plan for the next day?

Not at all, it's far more difficult to reschedule stuff when things inevitably slide for one reason or another. I can still focus on the most important stuff, or the stuff I can do base don weather or other constraints. For example, one of the tasks I have is to evaluate the ewes before breeding. That requires good weather, enough energy to spend 2 hours poking and prodding sheep, sheep in a mood to cooperate with me and help from my husband. Last week looked good but then things got busy with work as it appears. Today looks better, we'll know for sure when we go out and see how the sheep are acting. I'd hate to reschedule that from day to day.