Experimenting with a New System

I’ve been trying out a new long-list system today, which resembles FVP a bit, but not a lot.

Anyone who wants to try it out at the same time as me is welcome to tell us how they get on in the Comments below.

How it works: 

1. Draw up a list. You can add more tasks to it as you go along.
2. Dot the first task (as in FV and FVP)
3. Go through the list task by task, asking the question “What do I want to do more than x?” (where x is the dotted task).
4. When you come to a task that you want to do more than x, do it. (This is where it is quite different from FV and FVP.
5. As in all my systems, you work on a task for as long as you feel like it, and then re-enter it at the end of the list if there is still work to be done on it or if it is a recurring task.
6. Continue down the list asking “What do I want to do more than x?” and doing the tasks which the question identifies. This is again quite different from FV and FVP, because x continues to refer to the first task on the list. You are in fact comparing every task on the list with the first unactioned task.
7. When you reach the end of the list, return to the beginning of the list and do the first task.
8. Dot the next unactioned task, and repeat. 

The system is intended to make use of the principle of Structured Procrastination. The more you are resisting the first task, the more tasks you will do on your pass through the list.

My first day’s report is that it seems to be very fast and very effective, but I know only too well that first day’s results can be deceiving. We will see!

AFTERNOTE:

At the end of Day 1, I have done 70 out of 133 tasks.

Comments

[Paul MacNeil]

Very promising so far! Comes under the category "why didn't I think of that?" Thank you!

[TopherJake]

Thanks Mark! I'm going to try this out tomorrow.

In step 7 would it also be an option to delete the first task if I decided not to do it or if I am resisting it maybe reword it and write it at the end of the list if it is too vague?

[Paul MacNeil]

Oops, I misread the directions slightly, it's even better. After reaching the end of the list, you "do" the first task. I was still using the algorithm "what do you want to do before x." "Tidy up" languished at the beginning of my list for several rounds. I've been doing FVP like that as well. Oops.

[Mark Forster]

Perhaps both Topher and Paul would like to read my Day 2 update. You will see that I came unstuck. If you can find a way round the problem I describe, I'd be very grateful.

[Dave Parente]

I am going to try two variations of this:

First variation: keep track of where I left off and start with the next task rather than start from the beginning.

2nd variation: At the start of the new page you select the first open task. Repeat every time you start a new page.