Lenten Challenge 2022

FINISHED! Congratulations to those that stayed the course

This year’s Lenten Challenge starts on Wednesday 2nd March and ends on Thursday 14th April, both dates inclusive.

The challenge is to keep to the same time management system for the whole period. You can enter the challenge by nominating which system you are going to follow in the Comments below. The system does not have to be one of mine. You can change your entry up until the start date (your local time).

This is not intended to imply, include or exclude any religious belief whatever.

Entries:

Eiron Page - Productivity Bingo +

Mrs Move Forward - DIT

Brenda - Autofocus 1

Michael von Feld - Autofocus 1

John R - DIT

Adam T - FVP

Aaron Hsu - Time Surfing

Alan Baljeu - GAP (Mark II)

JulieBulie - AF

Will - FVP

Seraphim - AF4R Experiments

tomcal - AF4R Experiments

vegheadjones - FVP

Fintan - DIT

Christoper - Autofocus 1

Brent - Adventure Mode

Paul MacNeil - Simple Scanning

avrum - Choose the Next Task

Caibre65 - Anchored AF2/FIFO Combination

Diana - FVP

Colin - Make Time - Highlight, Laser, Energise, Reflect

Virix - Weighted Randomizer

Sitkeys - AF4R

Mike Brown - Carl Pullein’s 8+2 prioritization and Time Sector system, implemented in Teux Deux

Margaret1 - CHECKLISTS

Eugenia - Simple Scanning

Austin - DMB

Belacqua - Superfocus

Brandon - How to Make Your Dreams Come True

Will - FVP (on MS To Do App)

Paul B from Canada - Spinning Plates

Cameron - Getting Things Done (late entry 7th March)

Mark Forster - Flexible Autofocus

Comments

[Margaret1]

Thanks, Mark! It's brilliant to have another Lenten Challenge to look forward to. I'll get my thinking cap on before I decide which system to use. I may use the time before 2 March to try out a different candidate each week.

[Eiron Page]

Really love using these annual challenges as a testing period for new features to my "Productivity Bingo" spreadsheet/app, so will be running Productivity Bingo again - but with a small chance to pull tasks from the wider source list rather than just those on the card. We can call it Productivity Bingo+.

[Mrs Move Forward]

I will be joining the Lenten challenge, Mark and I will be using the DIT system.

[Brenda]

AF1 (Autofocus 1) for me.

Brenda

[Michael vom Feld]

I'll go with Autofocus 1 as well. I'm so excited to finally try it out. Currently, I'm on DIT and while I love the system, it sometimes feels too structured.

[John R]

I'll be doing FVP daily, with some weekly planning for necessary project blocks at the start of the week. Looking forward to this!

[AdamT]

FVP for me!

[Aaron Hsu]

After about two months of Ivy Lee w/ Long List, I think I want to give Time Surfing a serious try, as I'd like to compare the two more fully.

[Alan Baljeu]

I will run with my GAP (Mark II)

[JulieBulie]

I'll be using AF again for the first time in years. I feel that its simplicity is its strength.

[WIll]

FVP

[Seraphim]

I'm planning to continue with my AF4R experiments.

[tomcal]

I'm planning to continue with Seraphim's AF4R experiments. Working out very well so far.

[vegheadjones]

I am going to use Random, in particular my Randorama version I describe here: http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2788426

[Fintan]

Going for DIT again. A little easier this year, as I'm doing a four-day working week!

[JulieBulie]

@Eiron Page,
Where can I find the details of Productivity Bingo? Gamification might be the very thing to motivate me to do the unfun tasks when I'm overwhelmed in the summer.

[Christopher]

I'll join with Autofocus 1

[Brent]

I'm going to join for the first time ever with "Adventure Mode" (my somewhat evolving version of randomization)

[Paul MacNeil]

You know, I have never really tried simple scanning. I'm going to give that a whirl.

[avrum]

No list: Choose the next task

Mark - if you have a better name for this, I'm all ears/eyes. The gist: Whenever I have discretionary time, I write down what I'm going to do next, and do that. Rinse/repeat.

[Caibre65]

Anchored AF2/FIFO Combination - If it works I'll explain it!

[Diana]

FVP

[John R]

Switching from FVP to DIT!

[Virix]

First time I tried one of these challenges. I'll see if I can be more consistent with my implementation of Aaron Hsu's Weighted Randomizer, as explained here:

http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2788177

[Colin]

Make Time (Knapp + Zeratsky) - Highlight, Laser, Energise, Reflect

[vegheadjones]

Last minute switch from Random(rama) to FVP. Randomrama is not ready for Prime time yet.

[JulieBulie]

Somehow I feel left out! :-( But I'm doing AF1 anyway.

[Sitkeys]

Joining AF4R, too. Thank you for hosting this challenge again, Mark!

[Mike Brown]

Carl Pullein's 8+2 prioritization and Time Sector system, implemented in Teux Deux

(gawd, wish there was a simpler way of describing that)

Google Pullein's youtube videos for lots of gab on these ideas.

[Margaret1]

I'm going to use my own system, CHECKLISTS, for as much of my day as possible - a daily routine checklist of no-option tasks, then checklists for various areas (family, admin, leisure, minor tasks, event planning, health and fitness, etc. etc.). It'll be very much a work in progress, as I haven't pre- tested it. Good luck everyone.

[vegheadjones]

Mike, I really like the layout of Teux Deux. It is a beautiful app. I tried it once, before the new features and my free trial has run out. Can you tell me if you can:

Add notes to tasks?
Add tags to tasks?
Have the same task in a day of the week and in one of the bottom groups?

[Mark Forster]

JulieBulie:

<< Somehow I feel left out! :-( >>

I don't know how that happened - I could have sworn I entered you on the list.

However I have restored you to your rightful position.

[Eugenia]

Hi,

I will be joining the challenge with Simple Scanning.

Best,

[Austin]

Count me in for DMB

[Austin]

FYI, my comment is dated Mar 2 due to the US/UK time zone difference, but it is still March 1 as of this entry.

[Belacqua]

Right now, I have many promising options to test. I somehow doubt I'll stick to one for all of Lent.

I'm currently giving Superfocus a go, so you can put me down for that.

[Brandon]

I'm recovering from food poisoning but I will be using Dreams for the lenten challenge. I have already done the first self-coaching session and very eliminating it was too. Brandon

[WIll]

I have pretty much settled on FVP as my go to to do process. What I do still flip flop is electronic vs paper. I've been using paper for a few years, but have been increasingly drawn to electronic simply because I wouldn't need to carry a notebook or pen around with me (and I always have my "phone").

So until Easter I'll be using Microsoft's "To Do" app on my phone (and laptop, when I'm on that).

I've settled on that one because:
1. it syncs the creation date of each task, so it really does act like a sheet of paper
2. it is simple and minimises the temptation to add bells and whistles
3. they have put a lot of thought into a clean, usable user interface

I simply log the tasks on a list called "Home" and star the tasks in the selected action chain as important. To Do presents the open tasks at the top of the list, but retains the closed ones in a separate section at the bottom.

(Full disclosure: I have actually set up a repeating task with the steps of my for my daily wake-up routine. When I complete this, a copy for tomorrow is set up automagically. This sort of tinkering is the big weakness of electronic methods for someone like me who just can't help themselves.)

[Mike Brown]

vegheadjones:

re your Teux Deux questions:

Add notes to tasks? No.
Add tags to tasks? No.
Have the same task in a day of the week and in one of the bottom groups? A task exists in one place at a time. You can drag and drop to add/remove from lists.

The only adornments to the text are simple Markdown formatting for links, bold, etc. You can make tasks repeating (every day, every month, every year).

What I like about Teux Deux is that it is pretty and -- crucially -- its functionality is limited. Its features are just below the fiddle factor threshold, above which I can waste so much time.

If you have more questions, we can take this to the forum.

[JulieBulie]

Thank you Mark!

[avrum]

Well I'm out :P

Past few days, been having flu-like symptoms (all Coivd tests have been neg). Today I have a fever, so I don't have the energy or concentration to focus on much.

Good luck to the rest of you.

[Alan Baljeu]

I wouldn’t count sick days against you, avrum. Get well soon, then try again!

[Paul B from Canada]

Please add me in...spinning plates

[WIll]

Avrum,

Let me echo Alan's encouragement. If you're temporarily incapacitated, I wouldn't count that as discretionary time. Unless I REALLY didn't want to get back on the horse, of course!

Get well soon,

Will

[avrum]

Alan and Will - thanks for the support. Fever broke this morning. My plan is to follow through on my Forster/Lent commitment tomorrow.

[WIll]

Welcome back, Avrum!

[Belacqua]

I'm out.

Superfocus worked smoothly. But I have switched back to what I was doing before Lent Challenge. I will probably report back on that later. In short, I feel that I'm making progress.

Good luck to the other Lent Challenge participants!

[avrum]

I'm out.

[Cameron]

So, I know this is late coming to the game (I was out on vacation all last week and didn't see this until today). No need to add me to the list, but just wanted to put it out there that I'm going to do Getting Things Done for Lenten. I've been totally surprised over the past several months that GTD has been working relatively well for me compared to simple scanning. This is based less on how much I get done, but more on the emotions that I experience with SS verses GTD. For some reason, I get really stressed when I'm around my family when I use SS. GTD kind of gives me the benefits of a long list combined with the flexibility of a no list (i.e. do whatever you feel like doing whenever). Sometimes I use different elements of certain algorithms to help out (like simple scanning in one context—say internet actions), or reviewing the whole list and "dotting" items that I'd like to get to today, but then doing them in whatever order I'd like.

I realize GTD isn't the most popular system among this forum, but I'm going to give it a try. Seems to have worked the best for me the past while.

[Chris Cooper]

A tweet I posted today, taking a small jab at Tiago Forte (Building A Second Brain), and mentioning the Lenten Challenge

http://twitter.com/chris_r_cooper/status/1501528869987303428?s=20&t=uHz0yBmXgGsFdRjbs-A5vQ