Discussion Forum > Kiss your list
Great insight and possibly the best title / headline ever on the forum!
November 25, 2011 at 9:22 |
leon
leon
Alan, your spot on about keeping the list short. About the dismissal, I'm not sure. Remember that at some point Mark scrapped the dismissal process from his new system? Maybe he was working the list so fast he didn't need any dismissal.
November 25, 2011 at 12:29 |
Nicole
Nicole
"Remember that at some point Mark scrapped the dismissal process from his new system?"
Latest word was it came back.
Latest word was it came back.
November 25, 2011 at 12:44 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
I guess if I had to think of +one+ thing that makes so much sense with Mark's systems, and the reason why it even allows the vast array of tasks one might have to simplify into a workable solution (K.I.S.S.), is the idea that single task management cannot be combined with project management.
I consider A.F. to be task management system (only); one that allows you to NOT lose things whilst keeping everything else reviewable and dismissible. If I were to add anything but basic project actions/planning and project wish lists to AF, it would blow up and overwhelm me.
A system like Omnifocus, for example, allows you to manage both tasks and a long list of actions per project - and even per "area" - keeping everything nicely grouped and opening up a whole range of options available to perform. But we have seen the advantages of managing tasks the MF way (much simpler if not tweaked too much). So, long-list project managememt should be kept 'out of the system'.
I consider A.F. to be task management system (only); one that allows you to NOT lose things whilst keeping everything else reviewable and dismissible. If I were to add anything but basic project actions/planning and project wish lists to AF, it would blow up and overwhelm me.
A system like Omnifocus, for example, allows you to manage both tasks and a long list of actions per project - and even per "area" - keeping everything nicely grouped and opening up a whole range of options available to perform. But we have seen the advantages of managing tasks the MF way (much simpler if not tweaked too much). So, long-list project managememt should be kept 'out of the system'.
November 25, 2011 at 13:05 |
BKK
BKK
Great post Alan.
What you're saying ties in well with Mark's closed list principle, which always helps me focus on a few tasks and stops me from getting overwhelmed.
I think that Mark's systems started to encourage capturing everything and introduced the dismissal rules with AF. With DIT you tended to capture only things that you were committed to doing - the dismissal occurred before you wrote anything down.
What you're saying ties in well with Mark's closed list principle, which always helps me focus on a few tasks and stops me from getting overwhelmed.
I think that Mark's systems started to encourage capturing everything and introduced the dismissal rules with AF. With DIT you tended to capture only things that you were committed to doing - the dismissal occurred before you wrote anything down.
November 27, 2011 at 20:23 |
therevisionguy
therevisionguy
@BKK - I can see where you are coming from - so how do you manage your projects? This is a really grey are for me. Do you just add your 'next action' from your projects to your list?
November 28, 2011 at 11:52 |
Alison Reeves
Alison Reeves
Alan,
You wrote that the "Latest word was [dismissal] came back" to Mark's newest mystery system. Did I miss something? Last I heard, there was no dismissal in the sense that we know. Of course this might come down to strict definition of terms; I suspect there must be some method for pruning unactioned tasks from the list. Perhaps Mark has decided that they can simply expire without be highlighted for any review – if an "expired" task were really important, it will come back to mind and can be entered again at that point.
You wrote that the "Latest word was [dismissal] came back" to Mark's newest mystery system. Did I miss something? Last I heard, there was no dismissal in the sense that we know. Of course this might come down to strict definition of terms; I suspect there must be some method for pruning unactioned tasks from the list. Perhaps Mark has decided that they can simply expire without be highlighted for any review – if an "expired" task were really important, it will come back to mind and can be entered again at that point.
November 29, 2011 at 1:13 |
ubi
ubi
for projects, I work them in two ways. (I'm a human resource professional and have close to 30 investigations/employee issues going on at any given time==I live and die by multi-step, sometimes complicated projects).
1. I keep a single sheet of project history for each project. On that sheet is project planning, and record of all conversations, actions, etc.
2. I review these sheets on a weekly basis for 'backburner' projects and daily for active, 'hot' issues. As I review, I have next actions that come up. I write those next actions on my DWM2 task list. As I complete those, I of course cross those off the task list, but I also record it on my project list.
Once each project is done, the associated tasks on DWM2 are done and the project sheet is labeled 'closed'. Once that happens, I scan and place in evernote for future reference under employee name/business location and I'm done.
Hope this helps,
Brett
1. I keep a single sheet of project history for each project. On that sheet is project planning, and record of all conversations, actions, etc.
2. I review these sheets on a weekly basis for 'backburner' projects and daily for active, 'hot' issues. As I review, I have next actions that come up. I write those next actions on my DWM2 task list. As I complete those, I of course cross those off the task list, but I also record it on my project list.
Once each project is done, the associated tasks on DWM2 are done and the project sheet is labeled 'closed'. Once that happens, I scan and place in evernote for future reference under employee name/business location and I'm done.
Hope this helps,
Brett
December 1, 2011 at 8:25 |
brettypooh
brettypooh
Hi Alison-
Like Brett, I also have to handle multiple projects at a time. Sometimes, they come up so quickly that it is imperative to have easy access to previous projects of similar nature. Past experiences – which at the time, had to be grudgingly sorted out one item or issue after the next – can turn into a sort of checklist. But rather than just a checklist, they act as mechanisms to refresh your memory and permit things the second time around to be much easier.
What you said (“… just add your 'next action' from your projects to your list”) is the idea (ideal), but in the simplest of terms. The problem is that there are many sorts of projects. There are ones that you don’t really even require much to be written down, and there are ones that require a separate project notebook or file(s).
I would like to formulate my ideas and experiences on “keeping it simple” (which for me is always my downfall, or at least, the main challenge).
I am on the road right now, and want to wait and sit down and think about this properly because I do inadvertently make some of the same mistakes (or fall into the same pitfalls) repeatedly. (I will try to express my points in some sort of concise manner.)
Like Brett, I also have to handle multiple projects at a time. Sometimes, they come up so quickly that it is imperative to have easy access to previous projects of similar nature. Past experiences – which at the time, had to be grudgingly sorted out one item or issue after the next – can turn into a sort of checklist. But rather than just a checklist, they act as mechanisms to refresh your memory and permit things the second time around to be much easier.
What you said (“… just add your 'next action' from your projects to your list”) is the idea (ideal), but in the simplest of terms. The problem is that there are many sorts of projects. There are ones that you don’t really even require much to be written down, and there are ones that require a separate project notebook or file(s).
I would like to formulate my ideas and experiences on “keeping it simple” (which for me is always my downfall, or at least, the main challenge).
I am on the road right now, and want to wait and sit down and think about this properly because I do inadvertently make some of the same mistakes (or fall into the same pitfalls) repeatedly. (I will try to express my points in some sort of concise manner.)
December 1, 2011 at 10:27 |
BKK
BKK
Interesting posts thank you. Plenty of food for thought!
December 1, 2011 at 22:34 |
Alison Reeves
Alison Reeves
Perhaps the key to success with an autofocus system is simply to keep the list short and the system simple. Recall how well a system works when you just start it. It's because there is little stuff and it's easy to get through it all. When the list grows big is when you lose control. I'm thinking if you can keep the size down, all that remains is to choose your favorite method of navigating the list.
All Mark's systems follow a simple pattern:
Capture everything
Action some things
Dismiss what's left
Review the dismissed items
To keep the list short, dismiss more. Then almost any system will work.
Wild guess: Mark's final version has a mechanism that tells you exactly how much you need to be dismissing.