Get Everything Done

Although I'm still eagerly waiting to buy and read Mark's new FV book, I have been using the following system for one month, and it has been the best of all the systems I have ever tried – better than ABC-priority, Franklin-Covey, GTD, AF, DWM, SF – even though it started as a joke. My list rarely gets longer than 1.5 pages (26 lines per page), and I no longer need to cycle around or deal with any stale pages (no dismissal/review). An essential component of this approach is the use of checklists (CLs) for most routine tasks, including email Inbox processing and other things that used to create backlogs – thanks to Mark for his article that gave me the inspiration.

I currently use a "free-form" pocket notebook, with the 4D pages alternating with CL pages, interspersed with occasional pages containing other notes, lists, charts, etc. I keep an Index/TOC page at the beginning of the notebook to navigate, but all the task action is necessarily in the last few pages.

Here are the revised instructions.

INTRODUCTION
The system consists of one long open list of every non-routine task that you have or want to do, written in a ruled notebook. (Routine tasks should be handled on checklists prepared in advance and triggered by time of day, workplace arrival/departure, etc., so as not to clutter up the main list.) Reserve some space in the left margin for a completion mark (X, <, >, or V) for each task. As you think of new tasks, add them to the end of the list. In the right margin, enter the date for the first entry of each day. You work through the list in order from first to last task, in the following manner.

STEPS
1. Process-Mark. Choose a processing action for the task, using the 4D questions:

• Delete? Mark "X"
• Defer? Enter off-list reminder, mark "<"
• Delay? Rewrite at end of list, mark ">"
• Do? Take some action, write next action at end, mark "V" (check-mark)

In addition to making the mark, you may draw a horizontal line through the task description.

2. Common-Sense. If something further forward is urgent or you want to continue an unfinished task that was recently re-entered, handle it now out-of-order and mark it as above, without processing all the intermediate tasks.

3. Clean-Up. Continue straight through the list at least until you get to the entry marked with today's date. Also process any intermediate tasks (see #2 above) so that you are left with one contiguous block of unactioned tasks at the end of the list, in order to start the next day fresh.

4. Reality-Check. If the list gets too long, consider using the first two Ds more often.

CHECKLISTS
If you think about all the little things you do frequently each day, or on particular days of the week, you can prepare a set of checklists (CLs) to remind yourself to handle all of these, without needing to enter and process them repeatedly in your main list. It is important to actually tick off all the items on the checklists; however, you may choose not to do some of the items by ticking them with an X instead of a check-mark (or V), as above. That way, you are conciously acknowledging what routine items were skipped. I have slightly different CLs for each day, that fit together on a single spreadsheet page for the week, which I print on label paper, cut into daily strips, and stick to daily reminder/notes pages in my notebook. CLs could also be handled purely electronically, but I like having a daily paper record along with notes & appointments.

Leon,

Yes, I do put a dot at the left to indicate what I'm working on, just as Mark instructed for AF etc. I also put a dot in the center of the current checkbox when working the CheckLists.

You also asked for pictures, which motivated me to get started with Dropbox. Here's a snapshot of my current 4D list (left) and C.A.N. page for today (right). [C.A.N. == CheckLists, Appointments, Notes].

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/62110063/Photo%20Feb%2013%2C%2014%2016%2050.jpg

Hope the link works – it's my first time using Dropbox.

In case anyone's wondering about my multipen colors, I use blue for Home-related, black for Work-related, green for Urgent (anything done out of order), red for Deleted, and pencil for my Big3 tasks for the day (1, 2, 3 under the checkmarks).

Seraphim,

You're welcome.

The markers are merely for tracking purposes. It's somewhat useful to review a completed page, and check that I'm not just delaying everything. Typically, I actually take action [V] on about 8-12 of the 26 entries, delete [X] one or two, defer [<] two or so (off-list), and delay [>] the rest.

I print out the checklists once a week (Sunday night) on one full-size sheet of label paper – it's essentially a 7-column spreadsheet. Yes, I stick them in once per day; only takes a minute – faster than entering all the items by hand.

Leon,

You're welcome. By NASA-like, I hope you're referring to the good old Apollo days of short-sleeve white shirts & ties, chain smoking, pocket protectors, slide rules etc., not the sorry new NASA of recent times.

You may have noticed that I made an effort to have each checklist item expressed passively, as a completed result rather than a task on which to take some action described with active verbs. This approach makes it clear that each CL item must be finished, preferably quickly in one go, and anything ambiguous or open-ended doesn't belong.