Where do things go that I may want to review in the future? calendar /tickler/other

[macgrl]

If I have something that I don't want to review now but want to look at say in December (by December 5th for example) can I put that on my calendar to review on say december 4th? or a reminder on Nov 30th that the deadline for review is coming up? I know that the calendar should have hard edges of only what needs to be done at a specific time or day. I don't want to use a physical tickler file I prefer to use a digital format. Should I use another calendar for these sort of things rather than my actual hard edges calendar?

 

[pxt]

I like calendar email alerts. That way I can get something in my inbox which I can process appropriately closer to the time when I'll know what's going on, but the message itself is not in my hard edged calendar view.

One example I have at the moment is a subscription I have on trial. I get an email a couple of weeks before the trial ends, so I know I have to make a decision by the billing date, then the billing date itself is the hard edge.

 

[mattsykes]

How are you managing your action lists? I've set mine in Excel, and part of this is to have an electronic tickler - one of my columns is "show from" - for most items it is blank, but where I don't want to see it until a certain point in time I put a date in, and I use filters to intelligently hide those rows that shouldn't be shown yet.

 

[mcogilvie]

If I have something that I don't want to review now but want to look at say in December (by December 5th for example) can I put that on my calendar to review on say december 4th? or a reminder on Nov 30th that the deadline for review is coming up? I know that the calendar should have hard edges of only what needs to be done at a specific time or day. I don't want to use a physical tickler file I prefer to use a digital format. Should I use another calendar for these sort of things rather than my actual hard edges calendar?

Some popular list managers, e.g. Omnifocus, Things, Toodledo, have a "start date" field available. It's a feature I use not only as a tickler, but to make certain kinds of work, such as writing, restart the next day. Some kinds of things, such as events which need prior prep, are both on a list and in the calendar. This is not duplication, as they serve different functions. Examples: making plans for dinner with three other couples after a show or preparing for a business trip.

 

[ellobogrande]

If you don't want to use a tickler file then place a day-specific reminder to review said item on your calendar. A day-specific reminder is not the same as a day-specific task.

You might note on your day specific reminder where you filed the document to help you locate it quickly. The same can apply for both paper-based and electronic documents.

I have in the past moved an Outlook e-mail to the calendar to incubate it. It places the text and an attachment into the "Note" field. I can open the attachment and forward, reply, etc.

For paper-based items I prefer to use a tickler file. It's fast and easy. I have one at home, but not at work.

 

[Suelin23]

My next actions are in an iPhone App, Pocket Informant. I've setup a context called 'Tickler'. That way I can just have the things in there without a date, or with a date, whichever I like. They do show up on the normal Pocket Informant calendar, but I've changed the text to light green so they don't stand out as much as the other tasks/events (work is black, personal are purple).
I would set the date as the date you wish to review it, not the date that any action would be due.

 

[Tspall]

You can certainly use the calendar for day-specific things, like reminders to look at something. It's still considered a hard edge because you are reminding yourself on that day, that you need to be aware of something coming up. The GTD book even mentions that you can use a calendar for this sort of thing. It's a great way to remind yourself of things on certain days!!

 

[macgrl]

You can certainly use the calendar for day-specific things, like reminders to look at something. It's still considered a hard edge because you are reminding yourself on that day, that you need to be aware of something coming up. The GTD book even mentions that you can use a calendar for this sort of thing. It's a great way to remind yourself of things on certain days!!

thats great! thanks so much for your replies

 

[Jamie Elis]

Great question, but what kinds of actions (and purposes) might comprise review?

I end up with so many actions that begin with the verb "review" , whether on projects, one-offs or sdmbs that I know I need to try to be more specific about review means.

So I am collecting my own ideas and asking if others might be willing share their thoughts about the actual actions, implied or explicit, when "review" is among the words.

Some examples:

Review ( of previously prepared materials): read my notes and plans at an appropriate time before a presentation in order to be familiar with my phrasing, order, pauses and at ease; or read outline and notes before writing.

Review (of a list): Read through list and decide what on it is relevant and if the list is complete.

Review (of calendar): are there any conflicts? any waiting fors? any "@ adgendas", any unrecognized lead times.

Review (of stuff): do I have duplicates? are any pieces missing? are the instructions with the item? Does it fit the intended purpose?

Review (of reading material, clippings, etc)-does this merit closer scrutiny and analysis?

Review (of websites): exploration of sites I have been keeping a list for a variety of purposes.

Review (of project plans or notes)o I see any problems? Why is it not moving? If it is complete--How did it go?

Any other ideas about review?