Why projects?

[skoller]

Hello,

I’m using GTD for more than 6 month and I’m a big fan of it.
After this time I’m not sure if projects at all make sense for me, so I’d like to know your view:

Currently I have more than 40 Projects.
In every weekly review I lost time reassuring, that I defined the next action for every project.
My task management program allows to add comments to every list entry. Therefore I started to write all the following actions just right in the comments section of my next actions.

When I finished the current “next action” of a task/project I just take the next “next action” out of the comments section.

Example:

Next action List “Internet”:
- GTD Questions – Register in Forum
Comments: - Ask Question A
- Ask Question B

What’s the disadvantage of this approach?

Thank you for your feedback and best regards

Stefan

 

[schmeggahead]

Next action List “Internet”:
- GTD Questions – Register in Forum
Comments: - Ask Question A
- Ask Question B

I get a big value out of looking at the visualized outcome periodically to ensure I am working towards that outcome (and is that even the intended outcome for me this far into the project).

Also, a complete project list helps me understand if I am overcommitting (during processing, resulting in more incubate or someday maybe).

It might be helpful to explore the natural planning model (it's a page on the methodology cards).

I have done a structure the way that you show above and it was clearer for me to only have the next action in front of me or at most 2:
Such as: put stamp on letter; then mail letter.

There are projects webinars in Connect that cover more in depth look at project processes. That might help you as you customize your system.
Happy Exploring,
Clayton.

 

[mcogilvie]

Hello,

I’m using GTD for more than 6 month and I’m a big fan of it.
After this time I’m not sure if projects at all make sense for me, so I’d like to know your view:

Currently I have more than 40 Projects.
In every weekly review I lost time reassuring, that I defined the next action for every project.
My task management program allows to add comments to every list entry. Therefore I started to write all the following actions just right in the comments section of my next actions.

When I finished the current “next action” of a task/project I just take the next “next action” out of the comments section.

Example:

Next action List “Internet”:
- GTD Questions – Register in Forum
Comments: - Ask Question A
- Ask Question B

What’s the disadvantage of this approach?

Thank you for your feedback and best regards

Stefan

Google “Pigpog GTD” to see how one might do this in a GTD fashion. It’s an idea that has been around for a while.

 

[Gardener]

In every weekly review I lost time reassuring, that I defined the next action for every project.

I wouldn't see this as lost time, so much as a large part of the purpose for the review.

My task management program allows to add comments to every list entry. Therefore I started to write all the following actions just right in the comments section of my next actions.

However, I do find that it's mostly a waste of my time to plan a lot of future actions. I used to do this, and I found that most of my review time was spent in correcting those next actions, because the projects rarely went exactly the way that I expected them to. I usually have no more than one or two actions for a project.

 

[mcogilvie]

However, I do find that it's mostly a waste of my time to plan a lot of future actions. I used to do this, and I found that most of my review time was spent in correcting those next actions, because the projects rarely went exactly the way that I expected them to. I usually have no more than one or two actions for a project.

I second this.

 

[TesTeq]

However, I do find that it's mostly a waste of my time to plan a lot of future actions. I used to do this, and I found that most of my review time was spent in correcting those next actions, because the projects rarely went exactly the way that I expected them to. I usually have no more than one or two actions for a project.

@Gardener In the PigPog method mentioned by @mcogilvie there's no need to plan ahead. You have context lists with Next Actions - each Next Action with a note field describing Project's outcome, history and future. The only drawback of the PigPog method is that it allows only one Next Action per Project.

 

[Murray]

Re listing future actions, David Allen says only plan a project enough to get it off your mind.

 

[Stefan Godo]

the potential disadvantage:
imagine that you need to speak to your boss (you have a regular weekly face-2-face). You need to discuss with him 10 projects (e.g. ask for approval, or input, inform him) you are working on. With your approach before you go to your boss, you need to open 10 documents and extract the info you need to ask him.
If you keep all those questions (arising in different times, when you work on project A, B, ...) on a list "ask my boss" then your preparation will be much faster. Plus, whenever you meet your boss unplanned, you take out ONE "grocery list for my boss".
Just the same: you work on several maintenance/home improvement projects, many of them having "buy X in hardware store" items. You are better off keeping ONE "buy at hardware store" list than checking ALL you project documents before visiting the hardware store.

 

[TesTeq]

If you keep all those questions (arising in different times, when you work on project A, B, ...) on a list "ask my boss" then your preparation will be much faster. Plus, whenever you meet your boss unplanned, you take out ONE "grocery list for my boss".

@Stefan Godo Many modern tools have tagging/searching functionality that allow creating various grocery/agenda lists on the fly. No need to create separate @boss list. You simply add #boss tag to any item you want to discuss with her.

 

[Stefan Godo]

@Stefan Godo Many modern tools have tagging/searching functionality that allow creating various grocery/agenda lists on the fly. No need to create separate @boss list. You simply add #boss tag to any item you want to discuss with her.

sure, but as far as I understand the question was different, not about tools. The principle behing tagging IS creating a separet list, some tools just do them for you.

 

[skoller]

Thank you all for the different views and feedback. Lot's of helpful things for me to think about and try out.

 

[ianfh10]

Similar to what others have said, the disadvantage of this, for me at least, is the blurring of my system's 'clean lines' or 'hard edges'.

My list manager contains a project list, but the material used to move the projects are in OneNote. This includes notes I've made, links to files in my company SharePoint, meeting notes, and I may include some kind of rough plan as to what I need to do to move toward the outcome, but I don't really use this to generate next actions. I don't put to-dos/tasks/next actions in here at all. I know intuitively what the next actions are, even though this sounds like it runs counter to the GTD ethos of getting stuff off your mind.

Checking the projects list during my weekly review is enough to trigger what my next action is, and I check if the project already has any actions in my contexts lists I can move on. I don't reference that OneNote support material at all at this point.

I can't tell you how refreshing it is to review my projects list and see only the project/outcome, without all the bloat of the actual work itself. If I had a task/list manager full of the work of the project/notes/its next actions etc, I wouldn't want to look at it, I'd go numb to it, the system would go stale, and I'd go back to working out of my head.

 

[schmeggahead]

My list manager contains a project list, but the material used to move the projects are in OneNote.

When I used OneNote for project materials, I had a controlling page in OneNote that automatically gave me my projects list by virtue of the index to that part of OneNote.
Upon reaching done, I moved that controlling page to a completed projects index in OneNote.

But it only contained projects for my occupation (I was forced to use dual systems).

Now that I'm using native Apple applications mostly, @TesTeq encouraged me to use tags. (I still have paper lists of Focus Projects (reviewed almost daily), Projects (reviewed weekly), and Incubate (scanned for trigger dates in weekly review, then fully reviewed every 6 weeks).

In Apple Reminders, I use tags exclusively for project names (tag listed on project control sheet) adding an additional #Focus tag for the Focus Project items.

Once I did this initially it is easy; during the review, all I have to do is click on the project tag as I review each active project.

A quick review of #Focus gives me a way to see availability in the morning review & prep especially regarding what contexts I may need or want to encounter today.

Best wishes.
Clayton.

 

[OliverG]

However, I do find that it's mostly a waste of my time to plan a lot of future actions.

Some people are afraid they'd forget some future idea or step. So if it feels better for them to note it, it might be done as a comment to a PigPug-like structure or in project support material (that will be reviewed occasionally for that purpose).

 

[Oogiem]

Some people are afraid they'd forget some future idea or step.

I usually plan things out because it's vry rare that my actions will change once I start the project and for me qhy think it through twice?

 

[OliverG]

I usually plan things out because it's vry rare that my actions will change once I start the project and for me qhy think it through twice?

I am not sure q´what the consequence of this is.
The David Allen idea is: If it is 51% probable that you will reach the goal it is usually OK to think about the net step.

I am currently doing quite a lot of 'replanning'. Had I put done all the steps 90% of the "work" would have been in vain.

 

[schmeggahead]

I usually plan things out because it's vry rare that my actions will change

I do this too on projects that my gut tells me to write it out. Sometimes I have to do that to get it off of my mind.
I did it a lot when I was uncomfortable just defining one next action. It really helped me get used to the whole process and slowly, most projects were just one action item.

Still, when I make something, like a cabinet, desk or a spiral staircase, I like to plan it all out. I usually find issues with early steps I wouldn't see without all that planning.

Clayton.

 

[Oogiem]

ad I put done all the steps 90% of the "work" would have been in vain.

It all depends on your projects.

Examples where I DO plan out extensively:
Get septic system permit for Juniper Gulch Ranch
Create shot lists for instructional videos for AnimalTrakker ( the subjects keep getting added to but once I am working on a subject the shot ilists are pretty straightforward) In fact I'm developing a standard set that I need to include for each type of video,
Make a new notetaker wallet for me from my original pattern
Make a new belt pouch for me from brown sheep coat material
Hire a Farm Hand for 2022
Shearing sheep (starting in about 1 hour!)

Examples where I do NOT plan out much because I have no idea where the project will lead me:
Investigate iSperm CASA semen analysis system as possible AnimalTrakker peripheral.
Research TRYP1 mutations in mammals for designing the moorit/white marker research project in BWMS
Fix PyObjC Issue in PyCharm