Get Everything Done

Seraphim, your post in the other thread was excellent. Your method appears to me like an extension/revision to Alan’s method. I was so intrigued by it that I decided to try it today! And, I like it so far. I never could use C2 as I have mentioned in my earlier posts. But, your HOT folder does away some of my issues –

* Your HOT folder is essentially a consolidated C2 list in one place rather than split up into multiple pages. But, with your workflow, the HOT folder moves with the “current” page. So, it is right there in front of you when you need it.
* There is no compulsory nature to do all the C2 (Hot) items. This definitely was big roadblock for me. My current workflow loosely adapted from Alan is similar in that respect.
* Your method has just made the workflow a lot smoother. The ability to ping pong between HOT and subsequent pages has hit the sweet spot for me – at least for a day.

It has been extremely productive day but it has been just one day :) I will report back after a month of trying this out.

For anyone interested, I have adopted this system into an e-solution. I am using MLO with cloudsync on my iPhone. My current setup follows Seraphim’s folder setup in a digital format.

SETUP

* HOT Folder is marked as a folder with all its (sub) tasks starred. All other folders are the regular folders.
* Because this is a list, I have these folders going from top to bottom. Any folder above the HOT folder has been processed.
* I have put all my projects in the folder as well. Since MLO is hierarchical list manager, I place the project with subtasks. I am still debating whether a project should be a folder by itself or should be within a folder. I will try both over the next couple of weeks and see what I prefer.
* Currently, I have an arbitrary number of 20 as the total # of tasks to reach before the folder becomes “closed” and a new folder is created.
* All the folders that are not being processed are in a collapsed form. The folder being processed is the only one that is in an expanded form and clearly shows what is being considered at the moment.
* All completed items will be moved to a DONE folder every so often (weekly?)
* MLO on the iPhone is what I use when I am out and about.

PROCESS

* Start with the HOT folder. Process 0 or more tasks.
* Since the HOT folder seems to get processed often I decided to adopt 0 tasks. But the only time I took advantage of this was when I was not in the right context to do the tasks in the folder. Also, given these are HOT, they better stand out if they are critical enough!
* If the tasks become cold, the tasks are demoted to a regular task and moved to the last folder (just above the HOT folder).
* When nothing stands out on the HOT folder, the folder right below the HOT folder gets processed.
* For the regular folder, at least 1 or more items need to be processed. If a task is deemed critical or urgent, that task is moved to HOT folder. If the task is unfinished, the task is moved to the folder right above the HOT folder. “ctrl-m” moves the folder or tasks
* When nothing stands out, the entire folder is moved up above the HOT folder. Drag and drop also works if you are moving it within a close proximity.
* When no items stand out during the first pass, all the tasks in the folder are dismissed. So, I move the all the tasks within this folder to a DISMISSED folder.
* You then process the HOT folder and start the whole cycle again.
* Any new tasks are put into the (last) folder just above the HOT folder.

GC

Bernie,
The primary reason I am always in search of an e-solution is I travel a lot and almost all my workflow is through electronic media (email, chat etc). I have tried a notebook several times but I have either found myself without a pen/pencil or the notebook itself :(

I should mention, this has worked beautifully so far. But, many of the methods work well for a few weeks and then you start seeing some cracks in it! We shall see how it goes in the next couple of weeks.

GC

@Seraphim, thanks for asking. I really like it and things have been very fluid so far. And the e-solution has been very good as well - both for home and work. I am capturing all my new items on my iPhone.

I am taking the liberty to make an item HOT or demote it to regular depending on my intuition. This has significantly lessened the resistance to HOT (aka C2) items. I am also taking the liberty to dismiss individual items. I have been reasonably strict with the workflow - alternate between HOT and subsequent regular folders but I am going to revisit that in the next few weeks.