Why we need Inbox ?

[AlexanderChow]

I noticed that most to do software diminish the concept of inbox.
You jot down things as they come to you, you check them off when you finish them.

However, GTD has a process workflow to go through each of them later on. and some may become projects, some may even throw to trash basket, and a great many become your next actions.

so what's the point? what are the benefits of those extra steps in GTD?

 

[PaulK]

The main point is separating 'collect' from 'process' (decide what the real next action is). Sometimes you may decide next action on the fly, but often need a separate time to decide what it really means.

 

[pxt]

... and, in my experience, it is the Clarify step that determines the overall quality of my GTD system. So it's something I don't want to do on the fly.

 

[TesTeq]

GTD workflow is for separating unprocessed stuff from actionable items.

I noticed that most to do software diminish the concept of inbox.
You jot down things as they come to you, you check them off when you finish them.

What do you do when - during a phone conversation with a teacher - you learn that your child needs help in math?

Do you put "My child needs help in math" on your to-do list?

It is not actionable so you populate your to-do list with an unprocessed stuff.

GTD workflow is for separating unprocessed stuff (in your inbox) and actionable items (on your lists).

 

[kelstarrising]

Inboxes are related to the "Collect" phase of GTD. It's the first place where something comes in, undecided/unprocessed/unorganized. The next step is to Process it, or decide what your going to do about it. The 3rd is Organize, which means putting the reminder to do it in a trusted place.

Many times, those 3 happen very quickly in short order, so your question is a common one. You can put something to do directly on to a list, but in GTD terms, that would only happen when you've collected it, processed it to a clear next action, to be able to organize it on to that list. But slowing it down, they are discrete steps.

And many times, you are collecting without getting to process or organize yet. Your email inbox is collecting for you right now. Your home mailbox is collecting for you.

 

[pxt]

Of the four boundaries between the five steps in the workflow, I think clarify-to-organise is the one most likely to be blurred.

I wonder how many people deliberately clarify, stop, then organise.

If you are reading from an electronic inbox and organising into an electronic system, it's tempting to organise before you have finished your thinking.

I now use a pad of paper for the clarification step. I look at my electronic inbox, scribble on paper until I feel I have run dry of thinking, resolve my scribblings to atomic items for GTD and only then do I turn back to my computer to do the "put away" action.

It does take longer, but I find that quality is way more important than speed for the types of things I process and therefore it results in a clearer, more meaningful result downstream.

 

[May]

Of the four boundaries between the five steps in the workflow, I think clarify-to-organise is the one most likely to be blurred.

I wonder how many people deliberately clarify, stop, then organise.

It's blurred once you have the GTD system set up and your system doesn't need any tweaks.

But when you are starting with GTD or changing your lifestyle you will have to clearly separate those steps because you will be organizing based on what you have. The system is somewhat different for different people.

First you have to clarify and see what you have and only then you can really see how to organize it.

But after that the clarify-to-organise step actually should be combined. Since you aready have places where you can park results of the clarify step it doesn't make sense not to use them right away.

If you are reading from an electronic inbox and organising into an electronic system, it's tempting to organise before you have finished your thinking.

I see your point though

 

[May]

My point is that there is just no reason to deliberately stop after you have actually finished your thinking and processed stuff. It's a good idea to organize right away and the organize step should be on auto pilot anyway after the system is set up.

There is a clear line between those steps but they become a single process most of the time

 

[steveinbristol]

I used to view separating collect and organise as a waste of time, however I now recognise them as very separate processes that use different cognitive functions. As a result the quality of my system has improved dramatically.

 

[pxt]

I used to view separating collect and organise as a waste of time, however I now recognise them as very separate processes that use different cognitive functions. As a result the quality of my system has improved dramatically.

Exactly, and that's something that I missed when I was getting started.

Clarification is expansive thinking, like the envisioning and brainstorming part of the natural planning method. Organising is a closing process and once you've told your mind you are tidying up it goes into a different mode.

Even if the 'stop' between clarification and organising is just a mental milestone, it's still necessary in order to verify that you have captured enough that your mind has gone quiet on the topic.

In my case, switching from my electronic inbox, to paper for clarification, and back to electronic for organising is a ritual that I use to instil the discipline of completing the thinking.

 

[steveinbristol]

Electronic in boxes

I'm using Omnifocus, which positively encourages you to capture into it's inbox throughout the day and then process in batches. Were I to be using my previous list managers (Outlook and Toodledo) I think I'd create one to enable me to separate capture and organise.

 

[AlexanderChow]

I am still using omnifocus, but day to day things have reduced the system to a mere to do list. So I am look back and start to question the paradigm behind the system again.
I agree that I do need to process them, otherwise how can you know what to do with them. But when? Isn't it more convenient that I pick up an item and begin to process it right before I do it?
Most things aren't too complicate to finish. And if you proecess them way early than you actually start to do them. Your vision might not be as fresh as it was. And by implementing scattered actions, you might lose the vision, thus the motivation, passion.
What do you think?

 

[TesTeq]

Mental noise in your head.

I agree that I do need to process them, otherwise how can you know what to do with them. But when? Isn't it more convenient that I pick up an item and begin to process it right before I do it?

No, because if you don't do it now each unprocessed item on your list makes a mental noise in your head.

 

[AlexanderChow]

No, because if you don't do it now each unprocessed item on your list makes a mental noise in your head.

I am glad that I have taken you here, and here's my thoughts that I posted in another thread:
"I don't see why I need to process it when I am not doing it. (and for most to-do apps, you just get inbox)
so I tried to look answers in his book, David said, it's because if you don't figure it out, it would bug you.
I don't have trouble forgetting them. I have trouble remembering them. that's why I note them down, and why Apple call its to-do app reminder.
So, what do you think?"
Please prove me wrong!

 

[Noel]

Capture and process are two distinct and separate activities. Otherwise you could end up with unclear/amorphous actions (from not having the time to clarify things) and stuff still in your head (from hesitating to write stuff down because of the thinking required).

so what's the point? what are the benefits of those extra steps in GTD?

Stress free productivity. If you already have that without these extra steps then you don't need to do them. Only you can determine that.

 

[TesTeq]

Preprocessed stuff.

I don't have trouble forgetting them. I have trouble remembering them. that's why I note them down, and why Apple call its to-do app reminder.

If things that you are writing down are clear enough to be actionable they are already preprocessed. But in my life there are plenty of things that are not preprocessed when they catch my attention.

 

[cwoodgold]

I don't see why I need to process it when I am not doing it.
Please prove me wrong!

Hi, Alexander. If the way you're doing it is working for you, then I think that's fine; and as TesTeq says, maybe you've already processed the things as much as you need to.

However, if you find (now, or later on) that you have some actions on your list that you keep putting off or don't get around to doing, then that may be because they're not processed enough. This is how it works for me. If an action is already processed enough so that I know how to do it and I've decided how to do it, then I'll tend to do it; it becomes "doable".

There was an example where someone had an action to contact a particular person about something. It was pointed out that in GTD terms, that's too vague: the action has to specify whether you're going to be contacting them by phone or by email. The point is that many people find that if they haven't specified, then they don't get around to doing the action. When on the computer I figure "Oh, maybe I'll phone the person later." When off the computer I figure "Oh, maybe I'll email them when I'm on the computer." Maybe that's even kindof subconscious: it just doesn't even occur to me to do it when I'm on the computer because the thought that "contact so-and-so" has something to do with computers hasn't been thought.

You might not have to specify in advance exactly what you're going to say, but if you go to write the email and find yourself pausing for a long time trying to decide between major different ways to word it, then maybe it would have been better to think that out while doing something else (while walking, washing the dishes, etc. etc.) to save time or to make it more likely that you'll feel like getting around to writing the email because it feels doable and not difficult. Maybe for you that sort of thing isn't an issue.

 

[Roger]

I noticed that most to do software diminish the concept of inbox. You jot down things as they come to you, you check them off when you finish them.

I think it'll be helpful to take a look at the process:

The process you're suggesting is vastly-simplified -- basically all that exists is that center column: Stuff > Inbox > What is It? > Is it Actionable > Yes > What's the Next Action? > For Me > ASAP > Next Actions.

(Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think that reflects the process you're describing.)

There's at least four ways this could work (or "work") that I can see:

1. You don't care about any other part of the process. Projects? Don't care. Someday / Maybe? Don't care. Lots of people live their entire lives like this. Like a lot of GTD, even using one small piece of it -- Next Actions -- is going to help.

Also, as you may have discovered, it's one of the common modes of failure for GTD. One (among others) of the functions of the Weekly Review is to try to encourage the users to utilize all those other parts of the system.

2. You do care about the other parts of the process, but they all live outside the software you are using. The whole GTD process is still there, but if and when something reaches the 'Next Actions' list, that's when it ends up in the software. That's not quite "jot down things as they come to you, you check them off when you finish" but I can see why it might look like that at first glance. This is just fine -- indeed, I think a number of people running GTD might benefit from getting away from the mindset that 'all parts of my GTD system must co-exist in the same piece of software' which I've seen from time to time.

3. The process is rejiggered considerably so that everything becomes a Next Action first. So when "Learn Spanish" comes into the system, it spends a bit of time as "Next Action: incubate 'Learn Spanish' in the Someday / Maybe folder". That isn't really a terrible approach, although it may add more overhead than it's worth. Still, I guess I can theoretically see how it might function.

4. The software is the Inbox. That's fine too -- indeed, lots of software works a lot better when you consider them as purely an Inbox. This still implies the rest of the system is hanging around somewhere.

From the outside, it's hard for me to tell which, if any, of those approaches you might be taking. I would guess it's mostly #1 with something else squeezed in.

If that is the case, I'm not sure anything we can say will sway you. I mean, you're either going to find something of value in having "Someday/Maybe" or you're not. If you don't, it's not like that's a moral failing on your part. It's just one of those things.

Cheers,
Roger

 

[manuelhe]

inbox in an app is just one of many collection points in your life. Your email in-basket, your postal mailbox, your voice-mail are collection points. Often times when you think of something you are not in the context you need to be in order to get it done.

You cannot physically get something done the moment that thought or input comes into your head. But you cant just hold it in your head either. You are apt to forget about it.

Having an in-basket lets you receive that info without having to think about it or worry that it might get lost. its a-synchronicity is its beauty. Its free parking for your ideas before you fully realize them. It frees your brain to focus on other things.

 

[AlexanderChow]

If things that you are writing down are clear enough to be actionable they are already preprocessed. But in my life there are plenty of things that is not preprocessed when they catch my attention.

I have raised my awareness regarding the difference that working with a mere inbox and a dedicated process step would make.
since I draw the conclusion the difference isn't whether we would process them or not, but when and how
1: inbox: people process it right before they start doing it.
2. dedicated process step: you process them in batches.
I notice that, some of the items, if not process them in advance, may very well stay there forever. for example: Login the Starbucks website.
I know what it is. but it never gets done. I get a chance to get a free cup of coffee if I login the starbucks website, and finish the questionnaire. The coffee shop services inside my office, the instruction card has always been sitting in my home. you know what it feels like when you drop by that coffee shop without the coupon code. and you completely forget the whole thing when you get home.
and "Login the Starbucks website." wouldn't be of much help since I always scan my inbox at the office or on the way to somewhere.
so to get things done. I should break things down like:
1. Find my instruction cards when I get home (set up an location awareness action)
2. Login the website
3. bring the code with me!