Overcommitment and the Catch-All List
Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at 7:00 In yesterday’s article Overcommitment and what you can do to prevent it I drew attention to the formula given in Do It Tomorrow:
Backlog = (Average work coming in each day) - (average work going out each day)
In spite of all our efforts to ignore this rule there really is no way round it. However we can continue to fool ourselves by acting in much the same way as a chronic debtor continues to get further and further into debt. In other words we put things off into the future. In the same way that the debtor always believes that “something will come up”, so we believe in a magic fairytale day in which we have nothing else to do other than catch up with our work. Of course this day never arrives, and if by some amazing chance it actually did the sudden relaxation of tension probably would mean that we spent the whole day goofing off rather than working.
It’s interesting to see how this truth about workload plays out in various situations. How does it work with a “catch-all” list? Now the great advantage of a catch-all list is its completeness. You get everything on your mind down on paper so you no longer have the worry of trying to remember it all. There is however a problem with this. The work does not stop arriving just because you have written it all down. In fact writing it all down may make it less likely that you will get everything done, rather than more. This is because there is a certain natural selection going on with tasks, which means the stronger ones survive while the weaker ones go to the wall. The problem with writing everything down is that this natural selection is inhibited because the weaker tasks can’t take the natural path of dropping out of your memory and your life.
Anyway, as I said in yesterday’s article overcommitment is a systems failure, and the first step with any systems failure is to look at what is happening in our present system. How does this apply to a catch-all list?
Potential candidates to be tasks on our catch-all list come from a multitude of sources, e.g. our own “brilliant ideas”, our bosses, our clients, our colleagues, our families, our reading, social media, the tv, etc, etc, etc. On top of these existing tasks which need further work get re-entered on the list rather than deleted.
Let’s first of all look at the input procedure:
A potential task arrives on the scene from one of the above sources
A catch-all system is designed to catch everything. So the task is put on the list without further ado.
Another task arrives on the scene and is put on the list
and so on
No problem so far. The input procedure is doing exactly what it is designed to do.
What about the output procedure? That’s even simpler:
We do one task after another (according to the criteria of whatever system we are using to process the list)
But it’s here that we run into a problem: the time it takes to do a task is usually longer than it takes to write a task down. Since that means that tasks come in faster than it’s possible to do them, more and more tasks get pushed into the future.
So our problem with the existing system can be summed up as:
Potential work coming in each day is basically infinite
Work going out each day is finite
Therefore the list is potentially liable to expand infinitely
Fortunately in reality this doesn’t happen to quite that extent, but it’s easy to see what the present system is inevitably going to produce. Overcommitment.
Are there any improvements that we could make to a catch-all list system so that it doesn’t result in overcommitment? Well, here’s a few suggestions:
Authorized Project List
Stringent evaluation of tasks before writing them down
Limit on the number of tasks on the list
Limit on the estimated time it will take to do the tasks on the list
These are all on the right lines. But unfortunately they all suffer from the same thing. They require discipline and willpower, plus a correct judgement of the amount of time available.
Conclusion:
There is no doubt that a catch-all list has some advantages, the chief of which is the feeling of completeness arising from having everything down on paper. But unfortunately having everything down on paper is not the same as getting everything done.
Reader Comments (86)
The point about having a water bottle is that you always have water to hand. This minimises time wasted on all that tedious socialising and exercise (126 steps there and back. It all adds up!).
The point I was trying to make in my reply to Wooba was that you start thinking about how to get to work properly equipped, and you may find that the question goes much deeper. My problem is, essentially, that this sort of thing is rarely top of my mind when I'm casting around for the next three things to put on my list.
This may be a question of getting into the right mind-set. Or I might show myself an accumulating list of topics for the day. Or possibly a dynamic list for the day's , which would add some bite to the choice of theme.
Incidentally, I discovered this morning that my wife had been dealing with her inboxes, one of which is household clutter. It took a while to find where she had tidied the bottle.
<< My problem is, essentially, that this sort of thing is rarely top of my mind when I'm casting around for the next three things to put on my list. >>
Whereas writing comments about it is?
At the end of the day, I read for pleasure. If something really becomes a chore there's no shame in putting it away and starting something that fits my mood.
<< personally I think it's really important to give yourself permission to not finish a book if you're really struggling with it. >>
I agree, though I think it's important to allow for the fact that some books simply require more of an effort to get through. If for instance you want to read Milton's "Paradise Lost" you have to accept the fact that it's going to be a much more demanding exercise than reading the latest thriller or pop-psychology book.
Yes, absolutely. Though I was thinking along the lines of, for instance, giving yourself permission to halt reading because the book is badly written, has poor character development, completely unrealistic, is exploitative etc
The title you mention - Milton's 'Paradise Lost' - is a good example of where some extra effort and application can be very rewarding. But even then, a lot depends on when you read it and whether you're psychologically ready for it. I've abandoned some great works in frustration only to thoroughly enjoy them six months or a year later.
No. We may safely assume that i haven't perfected the discipline of sticking to my list. But I'm trying phrase the problem in terms of the process, as much to help me understand the process as anything.
"Paradise Lost" suffers from the great disadvantage of actually being written in English, so we don't get the "smoothing" effect of a modern translation as we do when reading books not originally in English.
Hey there Muse, can you tell me about Man's first Sin? It had something to do with that fruit, right?
I know it was forbidden, but in Adam and Eve's case it was for-biting.
It brought the possibility of sin and death to our world, it was a rotten apple!
It made our Paradise Lost (Hey...that's the title of this thing!), until Jesus Christ came to the rescue
To help us get better.
So Muse, let me have some inspiration, like you gave
Moses inspiration. Give me whatever you gave him.
Moses was a pretty cool guy, he taught a lot of people
And I want to do the same.
http://paradiselostinmodernenglish.blogspot.co.uk/
This man memorized Paradise Lost — and you can too! | Open Page
http://flcenterlitarts.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/you-too-can-memorize-a-poem-for-every-occasion/
"Basinger spent eight years memorizing the poem, a few lines a day — often while at the gym. This, says Seamon, supports earlier research indicating that brief daily sessions work better than long, intense cramming sessions."
I did once try to learn Paradise Lost but never got further than the end of the first sentence (which is a lot further than you think!)
One of the most common feats of memory is learning the Qu'ran by heart, which is 77,439 words long. This qualifies the learner (assuming he or she is a Muslim) for the title of Hafiz. You have to learn it in Arabic of course.
Back in the early days of Christianity in order to qualify as a Bishop you were expected to know the Book of Psalms by heart. I don't know how many words that is but I believe it takes about five hours to recite.
.....
So uniquely rigorous and complex are the techniques of Indian memorization that it is worth quoting this capsule description from the Wikipedia article on smṛti:
Prodigious energy was expended by ancient Indian culture in ensuring that these texts were transmitted from generation to generation with inordinate fidelity.[8] For example, memorization of the sacred Vedas included up to eleven forms of recitation of the same text. The texts were subsequently "proof-read" by comparing the different recited versions.
Forms of recitation included the jaṭā-pāṭha (literally "mesh recitation") in which every two adjacent words in the text were first recited in their original order, then repeated in the reverse order, and finally repeated again in the original order.[9] The recitation thus proceeded as:
word1word2, word2word1, word1word2; word2word3, word3word2, word2word3; …
In another form of recitation, dhvaja-pāṭha[9] (literally "flag recitation") a sequence of N words were recited (and memorized) by pairing the first two and last two words and then proceeding as:
word1word2, word(N-1)wordN; word2word3, word(N-3)word(N-2); …; word(N-1)wordN, word1word2;
The most complex form of recitation, ghana-pāṭha (literally "dense recitation"), according to (Filliozat 2004, p. 139), took the form:
word1word2, word2word1, word1word2word3, word3word2word1, word1word2word3; word2word3, word3word2, word2word3word4, word4word3word2, word2word3word4; …
That these methods have been effective, is testified to by the preservation of the most ancient Indian religious text, the Rigveda (ca. 1500 BCE), as a single text, without any variant readings.[9] Similar methods were used for memorizing mathematical texts, whose transmission remained exclusively oral until the end of the Vedic period (ca. 500 BCE).
Perhaps today's English spelling bee champions of Indian descent are the heirs to these traditions and techniques, whether consciously or not.
Of Man's, Man's of, of Man's first, first Man's of, of Man's first; Man's first, first Man's, Man's first disobedience, disobedience first Man's; Man's first disobedience...
I must try it!
I'm still thinking about this... about mechanisms to prevent overwhelm, that don't "require discipline and willpower" but simply happen in the normal course of working.
For example: "just say no" ... "be careful about what work you agree to take on"... Great ideas, of course. The problem is with the HOW.
The Simple Rules book has ideas on how to do this -- think through what you really want; think of some simple criteria that will help you decide if things line up with what you want; then just apply those rules.
This still requires "discipline and willpower", however. It requires a conscious, thoughtful effort. Normally I don't have anything against conscious, thoughtful effort! But if that is REQUIRED as part of a key decision point in a recurring workflow, it will simply break under stress.
So, to take this a step further, whatever "simple rules" one makes for oneself, should ideally be worked into your standard routines and habits of work, so it just happens automatically, WITHOUT conscious, thoughtful effort. The creation of the work routine itself is what needs the conscious, thoughtful effort.
The 5T method seems to have this kind of thing "built in". I still haven't been able to figure out how that works, though. :-)
Changing the habits of a lifetime requires practice. As I often say to people, a concert pianist has put in more than 10,000 hours of practice in order to play the piano the right way. They on the other hand have put in more than 10,000 hours of practice in doing things the wrong way.
The aim therefore has to be to practise doing things the right way so that the right way gets below the level of conscious thought.
I would say that the first step is to change your default position from saying Yes, to saying No. Then practise this endlessly. In "Get Everything Done" I recommend saying something like: "I have a rule that I will only take work on if I am in a position to do it properly. I don't feel that I would be able to in this case."
And don't forget that the most important person to say this to is yourself!
"No" has been my default for years now, especially at the "commitment" or "project" level. I may have had a problem with that in the past, but I don't think that was ever the core reason behind my giant lists and frequent feeling of overwhelm / overcommitment.
We've had many discussions on this topic over the years, and you've often given me specific personal advice -- which I have always sincerely appreciated and taken to heart.
I've implemented, internalized, and habitualized most of your other advice in this area as well, for example, having a project list, clear goals, limits in general. I'd guess that I am 100x as productive, directly as a result of your ideas and advice, as I was when I first started coming here 7 years ago. I mean that 100x literally, in terms of actual impact of what gets done.
But sometimes, the advice didn't seem to actually describe the problems I was having, or the results I was getting. I have enough self-doubt that I always wonder about it, though, and go stew about it, to see if maybe I'm really missing something.
With this last exchange, I think I've come closer to the heart of the matter -- for me at least. Basically, there are some nuances to the "work coming in must equal work coming out" formula that I need to address:
(1) Most of the time, the "work coming in" is just input, but I make the decision what the work actually is, and what to do with it.
(2) The hard decision is usually NOT "should I do this at all" but "what does this work really mean - who wants it done and why?", and "is this a 30-second task or a 30-minute task? It's often not clear. If a colleague asks me a question, I can give a 30-second answer, or I can give a 30-minute answer, or I can spend half a day putting together a PowerPoint presentation. The actual need is not always immediately apparent. It also frequently depends on everything else going on, all the conflicting priorities.
(3) I'm dealing with a wide variety of problems all day long... And I've always found that framing the problem correctly is 80% of the work. This requires thought and ideas -- which is why my lists fill up with thoughts and ideas. It has never meant I intend to take action on every one of them.
(4) Thus I've never had any expectation that I need to get everything done on my lists. The stuff I capture my lists has NEVER been lists of all the work I must get done -- but lists of all the things that MIGHT help move the work forward. The various filtering mechanisms, dismissals, audits, WIP limits, etc., have all been ways of sorting through it all and deciding what is helpful, what's not, what's impactful, what's not, etc.
Sometimes all that thought and framing doesn't really matter -- I should just default to the 30-second response, and if someone wants more than that, they'll let me know. And apply that general principle to everything. Take a "minimum viable product" approach to absolutely everything. It took me awhile to learn this -- but now, it's what I do most of the time. This is probably one of the main keys behind that 100x productivity improvement: realizing that the 30-second answer is usually just fine, and usually *preferable*, to the 30-minute answer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product
Even if "on average" the work demands must balance the work output, if you get a bunch of "big rocks" when you were expecting "medium rocks", this creates a short-term crisis that creates backlogs in the areas of work that are temporarily neglected. If those backlogs get too big, it can create a chronic situation of always being behind and trying to catch up. It doesn't necessarily mean you are overcommitted -- it may mean you need to anticipate these spikes in activity better, and manage them better.
(Vegheadjones -- if you happen to see this -- you're the only other person who posts here regularly whose lists have been the same magnitude as mine -- is your work similar to this at all?)
If it's something I know has to be done or an incredibly great idea, I write it down. If I don't write it down, the worry about forgetting it interferes with my deep work. Enough detail but no more, in the notebook I carry everywhere. Putting it in the right project folder, or even further evaluation, is for later. (When I open a file, I also scan my notebook for relevant notes, crossing them off as I move them to the file. Every so often I move the rest of the notes to the right folder and tear the pages out of the notebook.)
The goal is a snapshot. Yes, the temptation is to expand on the idea. The next step is on the tip of my tongue, a few more seconds so I don't forget it. And the next...and the next...
If it's that easy to expand on the idea now, then it will be easy later. And I have a toolbox full of ways to expand. Mark's repeated questioning technique is the newest.
Also, when reviewing those ideas, remember: I wrote it down because it was interfering with the deep work, not because it was a great idea. Evaluating it is a later step.
Back when I worked outside the home, my home voice mail often had messages like, "Remember to bring book for coworker." Work got messages like, "Remember to bring home water bottle for washing." In the morning, I'd put a note on my briefcase, "Take home waterbottle for washing." (Unless, of course, it was so gross I didn't want to use it for the day, in which case the bottle went right into the case.)
<< Even if "on average" the work demands must balance the work output, if you get a bunch of "big rocks" when you were expecting "medium rocks", this creates a short-term crisis that creates backlogs in the areas of work that are temporarily neglected. >>
Sorry, I missed this when you posted it. Here are a few pointers/questions/thoughts which probably won't add up to a definitive answer:
1) For me the question at the heart of it is "What do you actually do?" By which I mean if you wrote down every single thing you do during the week what would it consist of? (I don't actually want to know the answer, just for you to think about it!)
2) And then my second question is: "Is what you actually did during the week satisfactory?" In other words, did you do enough of the right things?
3) If the answer to Question 2 is "yes", then it doesn't really matter how you got there. Maybe having a huge list and a certain amount of resulting stress is just what your brain needs in order to be creative and effective. As long as the result is ok, it's fine (from a time management point of view anyway).
4) If the answer is "no", then you need to think seriously about the fact that writing everything down is not producing the right answers, so it is probably not the right way to go about it.
<< when reviewing those ideas, remember: I wrote it down because it was interfering with the deep work, not because it was a great idea. >>
I remember a very long time ago when I was being taught to meditate my teacher said "When you are meditating you will often find that you get a wonderful idea or think of something you really must remember to do. Just let it go, and trust that it will come back to you when it needs to."
The water bottle saga, how it panned out:
I stubbornly (meanly) decided against Wooba's advice and made a mental note to add the water bottle to my mental checklist.
Next day, when I was setting up my bag for work, I dug out the water bottle (which my helpmeet had buried in a dark corner in the utility room, it had been unused for so long) and filled it with water and a dash of lime juice (the sugar apparently helps the cells to absorb the water) and left it on the worktop where I would see it after feeding the dog and liberating the chickens, before going to work.
At work that day, I realised that the mental checklist was inadequate and I put up a checklist on my phone so I wouldn't forget it the next day.
The next day, I reviewed the checklist after breakfast, noted that I had to take the bottle (still filled with yesterday's water: I'm a risk taker!) fed the dog and liberated the chickens.
At work, I resolved to review the checklist as I walked out of the door.
The next day, I finally got the bottle to work.
Moral: setting up routines and checklists is not as straightforward as it looks OR my inner lizard hates me and is working on my downfall at every step.
<< when I was setting up my bag for work >>
You have a bag? Then what's the problem?
Keep your water bottle in the bag. Fill it from the nearest water source when you get to work. Packing your bag before you leave in the evening acts as a reminder to empty the bottle. Never let the bottle stray from the bag.
No checklist needed. Mental or otherwise. Doing it this way you literally can't forget it.
The essence of setting up any system is to make it easier to do it the right way than to do it the wrong way.
My meditation teacher (and several books and friends with more experience) say the same thing. I find it works when meditating, but not so much when working.
When meditating, I trust my subconscious to remember important things like commitments I haven't recorded, and the core parts of any worthy ideas. Meditation is, in part, training my brain to focus or observe or let go. (Varies with type of meditation; my teacher believed in filling the toolbox, and exploring similarities and differences.)
Five months after the class, I've experimented enough to know he's right. Mostly. Still some fear (and the opportunity to meditate on the fear, and to welcome and listen to it without acting).
When doing deep work, or even housework, I don't (yet) trust my subconscious with commitments, but am becoming comfortable trusting it with "great ideas" that I'm not as worried about forgetting.
<< Maybe having a huge list and a certain amount of resulting stress is just what your brain needs in order to be creative and effective. >>
Thanks for the ideas, Mark.
A bit of stress does help to get things moving and keep them focused. But I generally get enough of that from the work itself, without the need to artificially induce it by writing everything on a big list. :-)
The list itself actually never created stress. I *liked* having everything captured there. It always gave me a sense of relief. The feeling of overwhelm and overcommitment would come from there just being too many things to do and not enough time to do it -- which was not caused by the list.
I guess I've been looking for a system that would help me assess my overall commitments and deliverables and deadlines in-the-moment, and keep it all front-and-center, so I would be able to decide (in-the-moment) whether to spend a few seconds, a few minutes, or a few hours, on any given task. The catch-all algorithms really did help a lot with that.
But they don't hold a candle to no-list! No-list gives me immediate feedback on how much I currently have on my plate, and guides me how much time to spend. It limits WIP to the top priorities of the moment and keeps me focused. It forces me to think more effectively how to manage the rest of the stuff I can't afford to forget about but is being pushed aside for the moment by more pressing matters.
The only downside of no-list is that it's very intense and I can't sustain the pace through the whole day. Perhaps it's a good thing my work day is punctuated with so many meetings? Now THAT'S ironic!! :-)
As a confirmation of the superiority of no-list in handling my situation: I tried using UTMS for a couple days, but throwing it out at the end of the day. It just didn't have the same effect as 5T /no-list. I found myself creating a catch-all. The "new list" quickly grew to 20-30+ items over the course of the morning. It felt stale and unengaging - it just felt like the wrong list. So, back to no-list. :-)
I'm currently experimenting with multiple lists rather than one list to serve many purposes.
During the day, 5T. More like 3-7T right now. Some tasks do better in groups, but I prefer to list each item rather than just the chunk. (More chance to reward self with checkmark. Less chance of ignoring one. More chance to reinforce the routines I want to develop.)
Evening / Morning list. My big rocks and big worries for the day. Spend some time listening to my subconscious so it can tell me about things. Also reassure subconscious that the rocks won't be forgotten. As my subconscious learns to trust me, it's more willing to wait for its turn, rather than interrupt me during meditation or deep work. And I'm more willing to trust it to repeat the reminder at the right time.
Week list. Everything for the week, while planning the week. The purpose is to see how busy the week will be, so I list routine things. Here I'll chunk things rather than list them out.
Tickler list. Variety of pages, depending on time frame and level of detail.
Hibernation list. Putting something on the hibernation list is formally telling myself I'm not allowed to work on it until I drop something else. For me, that works better than deleting something. I rarely review this list. The last time I looked at it, I wondered why I had so much trouble letting go of the projects. It was a learning experience.
<< Why not just keep the water bottle at work? I keep mine an arm's length from my keyboard at work. >>
Because Will has already said it's a long way from his work point to the nearest water source. I imagine that also applies to a spot where he can dispose of the water. If he has to take the water bottle from his desk to the water source/disposal and back again he will be wasting time. But if he has the bottle on him when he arrives and departs he will pass by them on the way in and out.
This is getting to be like one of those puzzle books to keep you entertained on plane journeys!
<< When doing deep work, or even housework, I don't (yet) trust my subconscious with commitments, but am becoming comfortable trusting it with "great ideas" that I'm not as worried about forgetting. >>
The ways of our memory are strange, aren't they? I discovered years ago that if someone phones me with a message for my wife, I will always forget to tell her unless i both write it down AND put it in her in-tray. Then the second she comes into the house I will say "There's a message for you from Jane asking if you can meet her tomorrow at 10". But if I write a note to myself to tell her, I am bound to forget and will only find the note when it's too late!
Your experiences with no-list are very similar to mine - except that I don't seem to suffer from that feeling of intensity. Maybe that's because I don't have bosses etc breathing down my neck.
One thing I am finding is that no-list seems to make my mind far more disciplined and less prone to giving way to resistance. I'm convinced that it actually makes changes in the way my brain is organized!
Sorry, I missed that earlier!
<< This is getting to be like one of those puzzle books to keep you entertained on plane journeys! >>
LOL!
<< Evening / Morning list … Week list … >>
These kinds of lists work for me best if I write them all down, maybe sort them, think about them. And then maybe choose the "top five" and that becomes my 5T list. And then throw the rest away immediately. Otherwise these lists essentially become "catch-all" lists in another form.
The two supplemental lists that are working well for me (and not turning into catch-alls) are:
(1) overall project/commitment list - about 7-10 items
(2) list of specific deliverables, usually with a deadline, that I need to remember
I also have supplemental lists for *specific projects* and *specific meeting agendas*. But really, those are detailed project files -- not time management lists.
<< Tickler list >>
I use my calendar for that, or perhaps an Outlook reminder attached to an email. Either way I suppose it serves the same purpose.
<< Hibernation list >>
This sounds like my "ideas for later" list. And your experience is similar to mine. I've taken to filing these in my general catch-all time-based filing system -- probably never to look at again. But filing it (rather than deleting it) appeases that nagging worry "but what if I forget that great idea!!" and gets it to shut up. I've found this more effective than using brute force / self-reproach to get that inner voice to shut up.
<< The ways of our memory are strange, aren't they? >>
I think it's fascinating how 5T engages the mind and memory in such a powerful way. There definitely seems to be a connection here with today's post on memorizing poetry ( http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/3/9/memorizing-poetry-and-prose.html ) and last June's post on learning language / vocabulary ( http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2015/6/30/a-new-method-of-learning-experimental.html ).
I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on this connection, Mark!
<< One thing I am finding is that no-list seems to make my mind far more disciplined and less prone to giving way to resistance. I'm convinced that it actually makes changes in the way my brain is organized! >>
I agree!
<< I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on this connection, Mark! >>
Something struck me in connection with my anecdote about how I always remember to tell my wife when I've left a message for her, and always forget to tell her if I only write a note for myself to tell her. That is that when I leave a message for her I have actually done something, rather than just having thought about doing it.
This ties in with my experience that with no-list I don't forget the projects I'm actively engaged in. Every project that I do today, I will remember to do tomorrow.
That seems to suggest that no-list may make it more likely rather than less likely that we will remember something - provided it fits into the existing web of stuff we are working on.
Mark,
Yes: when I found the bottle, I should immediately have carried it to the bag and put it in. At that stage, I thought I that I had won the battle and that having it out and visible would be enough. I had not realised how implacably my inner lizard was working against me. At least I had the excuse of honest ignorance.‘There must be a begynnyng of any great matter, but the contenewing unto the end untyll it be thoroughly ffynyshed yeldes the trew glory.’
The next day, I should have thought this through. Even with the suboptimal, checklist, strategy, I should have realised that trusting my brain for something like this was a mistake.
Now I have got the bloody thing to work, it's staying here!
Seraphim,
"Why not keep the water bottle at work?"
I fully intend to (see above). But first, I had to get it here.
(Mark, the walk to the water cooler is a useful five minute break. Fine for once an hour or two. But enough to dissuade me from refilling when I've finished a cup.)
Cricket,
I keep a carton of orange juice at work, which serves the same purpose. Though it's really a nice to have. It ran out yesterday and I'm not stressed that I'm drinking unadulterated water.
You'd have got to the solution much faster had you simply asked the question:
"What would Sir Francis Drake have done?"