AF1 Improvement - Discussion Forum

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Okay, I'll bite. One of the really complicated things about AF1 is that you have to scan each page TWICE before you can get going. So complicated! The second scan must be slow and deliberate, in order for something to stand out. Why not simplify the process by making only ONE scan per page? And we could further simplify by not waiting for anything to stand out. Just take some action on each task, in the order listed – much simpler! One valid action would be deleting the task, or rewriting it at the end, in a way that would offer less resistance (you hope). With these new rules, the whole page would be processed in one go! No more circling around. Just go from page to page, and get everything done!

January 5, 2012 at 22:56 |

ubi

More radical, and simpler than AF1:

Consider the last page as a worksheet. Always focus on this page.
a. Any time you think of a task, write it here.
b. Any time you pick a task to work on, write it here, do it, and cross-out the original.
c. When a task is finished, flag it, meaning Seraphim's "Finished - what's next?"

Processing:
1. Scan through the last two pages picking tasks according to rule b. Repeat until nothing stands out.
2. Scan through older pages one at a time, resuming from the last marked place.
- If nothing stands out on a page, dismiss it, and go to the next page.
- If some tasks stand out, do them according to rule b. Then bookmark that page, and return to step 1.

January 5, 2012 at 22:58 |

Alan Baljeu

The immediate effect of abolishing the dismissal rule is that AF1 lists would quickly grow out of control. It would also free operators to fly more quickly through the list because the fear of dismissal is gone. This wouldn't however mean more things are done, just more things read. However, it would enable an operator to focus on one sort of task for a while and get all kinds of related tasks done. Then you add the 30 day dismissal rule and you have DWM2.

January 5, 2012 at 23:06 |

Alan Baljeu

- duplicate -

January 5, 2012 at 23:06 |

Alan Baljeu

Mark, with respect this is coming across more like you're looking for validation of your own existing beliefs and less like you're soliciting new ideas. People are posting the AF mods which work (or would work) for them. What appears more complex to you may well be a reduction in complexity for the person posting. In my case the additional groupings I make in the book add minor complexity to the raw process but massively reduce complexity in use.

There is no such thing as "a system" which works for everyone. GTD works well because it's a broad, adaptable framework. People appear to be using AF in a similar way which means you can expect various hacks to take place so that individuals can mould it to a system which meets their own requirements. This is a Good Thing, a testament to the flexibility of a simple basic framework which, for some people, will work just as it is.

January 5, 2012 at 23:12 |

Chris L

Before responding to Alan, I hope everyone realizes that my previous post above was a (perhaps lame) attempt at humor. I was trying to be as outrageous as possible. But I still might try it! ;-)

Alan states that "The immediate effect of abolishing the dismissal rule is that AF1 lists would quickly grow out of control." But this isn't necessarily true. You can always choose to delete a task, and this deletion is a valid action. This stale-task deletion would be a result of negative standing out, and you can be as ruthless as you want in killing as many tasks as possible on every page visit. The previous dismiss/highlight-wait-review-delete/rewrite process might have some advantages for self-realization, but it could be seen as an unnecessary complication.

January 5, 2012 at 23:39 |

ubi

ubi:

<< The original question at the top of this thread doesn't use the term "simple" but rather asks how AF1 modifications can make the system "more effective" – whether they complicate it or simplify it. >>

Well, actually I didn't say "modifications", I said "changing some of the rules". I would suggest that implies changes to the simple basic framework - not the description of one's personal modifications to the system.

January 6, 2012 at 0:14 |

Mark Forster

Chris L:

<< a testament to the flexibility of a simple basic framework >>

I couldn't have said it better myself.

January 6, 2012 at 0:23 |

Mark Forster

Here are some of my own answers to the question "What would the effect be of abolishing the dismissal rule in AF1?"

I asked the question in the context of ongoing discussion on the forum about focusing more on what one is doing than on what one has not done.

Removing the dismissal rule would immediately readjust this balance. The dismissal rule is all about doing things which haven't been done in order to avoid other things from being dismissed because one hasn't done them. And when dismissal takes place then one has only succeeded in producing another list of things which haven't been done.

At present the emphasis on every page except the last few of an AF1 list is on what one hasn't done. Removing the dismissal rule will allow focus on what is going on - including which tasks on earlier pages now feel ready to be done, not because they have to be done but because they genuinely will fit into the current situation.

What about Alan's statement that "The immediate effect of abolishing the dismissal rule is that AF1 lists would quickly grow out of control"?

I don't think it would effect pages until a late stage in their history because a large proportion of the tasks on most pages will get done anyway - dismissal rule or no dismissal rule. It's only the few at the end that are likely to cause the problem.

However one thing to note is that, if you don't have a dismissal rule, then there is no reason why you need to maintain tasks on the same page they began their life on. That allows consolidation of tasks which aren't going anywhere onto one page (or more), and this should reduce the number of pages involved considerably.

And of course one hopes that the removal of the threat of dismissal will encourage a more thorough approach to the question of whether the task needs to be done at all or should be deleted (as ubi reminds us).

January 6, 2012 at 0:46 |

Mark Forster

I've been so carried away by this discussion that I failed to notice the approach of the limit for one page until too late.

So I'm closing this thread now. Please feel free to continue it on a new thread.

January 6, 2012 at 0:57 |

Mark Forster

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