Review of the Systems: DWM (Day, Week, Month)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 18:43
Mark Forster in Articles, DWM, Review of Systems

The full instructions for the system can be found by clicking here.

Brief Summary

Unlike the Autofocus methods the DWM system makes the dismissal process the key. The system uses a page-a-day diary. New tasks are entered one calendar month from the current date (e.g. if today is 26 January, new tasks are entered on 26 February). All re-entered tasks are entered one week from the current day. All pages older than the current day are deleted together with any remaining tasks on them.

Advantages

The automatic dismissal after one month for new tasks and seven days for re-entered tasks concentrates the mind. It also encourages the little and often approach.

Disadvantages

The use of a page-a-day diary is rather clumsy. It is difficult to keep the two entry points clearly marked. The automatic timed dismissal is rather a blunt instrument, and doesn’t provide a good fit for many tasks.

Conclusion

The problems with using a page-a-day diary are solved in DWM2 - see the next review.

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