Discussion Forum > Keeping the list short
Yes I also do it. Most of the time I erase first all that I can, then I review again all tasks and report them on part call next week. I try to keep on the list nothing but what is actionable (may or must)
I have noticed that when my list is too much increasing after a while I get stuck on my job. Cleaning the list and reporting gives me oxygen and force me to do what I really must.
I precise that I work with AF1 and it is ok with me. I let down SF because it was too complicated and finally the flow of action was not what I expected. Now it is Ok.
I have noticed that when my list is too much increasing after a while I get stuck on my job. Cleaning the list and reporting gives me oxygen and force me to do what I really must.
I precise that I work with AF1 and it is ok with me. I let down SF because it was too complicated and finally the flow of action was not what I expected. Now it is Ok.
March 8, 2012 at 8:30 |
FocusGuy.
FocusGuy.
Aha! My main list is of deferred things, which is why I need to pull things from that onto a shorter Focus list. Not sure if that's good or bad.
March 8, 2012 at 13:21 |
Cricket
Cricket
<< Does anyone else make liberal use of Deferral? >>
Yes, I use deferral very frequently, though I haven't used that term for it.
I have some rules around it so it doesn't get abused by just pushing things forward rather than dealing with them. I try to use deferral only when something CANNOT be started now but must wait till a future start date.
I also use it for recurring items that I don't want to see on my list till I actually need to see that item again.
My tickler system is pretty simple. I have a page for every day of the week, and a page for every week of the year. For recurring items, I mark the frequency of recurrence in days or weeks. For example, daily tasks are written like this:
Clear email (+1d)
If I've done the task today and don't want to see it again till tomorrow, I move it to the page for tomorrow.
Some tasks occur every few days:
Check work mail slot (+3d)
Some tasks occur weekly:
Water trees (+1w)
Review dismissed? (+1w)
Some tasks occur every few weeks or months, but I indicate the recurrence in weeks so it's easier to calculate where it goes next in the tickler system:
Cycle backup drives (+2w)
Oil change? (+8w)
Get furnace filters? (+12w)
Yes, I use deferral very frequently, though I haven't used that term for it.
I have some rules around it so it doesn't get abused by just pushing things forward rather than dealing with them. I try to use deferral only when something CANNOT be started now but must wait till a future start date.
I also use it for recurring items that I don't want to see on my list till I actually need to see that item again.
My tickler system is pretty simple. I have a page for every day of the week, and a page for every week of the year. For recurring items, I mark the frequency of recurrence in days or weeks. For example, daily tasks are written like this:
Clear email (+1d)
If I've done the task today and don't want to see it again till tomorrow, I move it to the page for tomorrow.
Some tasks occur every few days:
Check work mail slot (+3d)
Some tasks occur weekly:
Water trees (+1w)
Review dismissed? (+1w)
Some tasks occur every few weeks or months, but I indicate the recurrence in weeks so it's easier to calculate where it goes next in the tickler system:
Cycle backup drives (+2w)
Oil change? (+8w)
Get furnace filters? (+12w)
March 8, 2012 at 17:30 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Seraphim,
You wrote that your tickler file has "a page for every day of the week, and a page for every week of the year." Interesting, that would be 59 folders instead of 43 folders. (I use actual file folders rather than pages, since I have a lot of paper reminders in the form of log sheets, bills, work notes, email printouts, etc., that I use to manage my work.) I'll admit that a lot of things get refiled on a weekly basis, but there are things that happen monthly too.
Do you keep a week#-in-year calendar handy so you can calculate which page to put reminders that need to be brought forward on a particular date?
You wrote that your tickler file has "a page for every day of the week, and a page for every week of the year." Interesting, that would be 59 folders instead of 43 folders. (I use actual file folders rather than pages, since I have a lot of paper reminders in the form of log sheets, bills, work notes, email printouts, etc., that I use to manage my work.) I'll admit that a lot of things get refiled on a weekly basis, but there are things that happen monthly too.
Do you keep a week#-in-year calendar handy so you can calculate which page to put reminders that need to be brought forward on a particular date?
March 8, 2012 at 18:34 |
ubi
ubi
<< Do you keep a week#-in-year calendar handy so you can calculate which page to put reminders that need to be brought forward on a particular date? >>
Yes, Microsoft Outlook does this, so it's easy to see the week number. Also, Anuko World Clock Calendar also shows this (it's a replacement of the system clock for Windows -- a quick double-click brings up a monthly calendar that also displays the week number). Many wall calendars also show the week number.
Yes, Microsoft Outlook does this, so it's easy to see the week number. Also, Anuko World Clock Calendar also shows this (it's a replacement of the system clock for Windows -- a quick double-click brings up a monthly calendar that also displays the week number). Many wall calendars also show the week number.
March 8, 2012 at 18:57 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
I tried something similar, writing the next due in a calendar. It worked very well for a while, bounced back when I had a few busy weeks, but crashed when I had a busy month. I always felt behind. Some days would have nothing, other days (often exactly a week or a month from a very productive day) would be overloaded. Low-priority tasks kept pages open for ages, or would bounce between the active pages and a "deferred" list and lose their structure. Other times, low-priority tasks would be done just so I could close an old page.
I had planned to use DWM on it, with the date of deletion based on date I expected to do it rather than date I thought of it, but it didn't work out that way.
I frequently forgot to write in the next due date. I'd cross several items off today's list, then have to flip between 7, 14 and 30 days to plan the next time.
Yes, it would have been possible to find work-arounds, but by the end it was a relief to throw out.
I set up a whole stack of file cards (one per task) and date dividers, planning to throw each card in an in-basket as done, then mark with date done (cute little rubber stamp) and file for next due date, but the stack was intimidating. The system required too much time and mental-alertness.
I have so few things like tickets that checking a monthly tickler file isn't a rewarding part of the routine. Tickets now live in my wallet, which goes with me everywhere. Larger things go in a bag associated with the project or task. (My storytelling notebook lives in a bag with slippers and mug, although sometimes the mug takes a while to be replaced after washing.)
I had planned to use DWM on it, with the date of deletion based on date I expected to do it rather than date I thought of it, but it didn't work out that way.
I frequently forgot to write in the next due date. I'd cross several items off today's list, then have to flip between 7, 14 and 30 days to plan the next time.
Yes, it would have been possible to find work-arounds, but by the end it was a relief to throw out.
I set up a whole stack of file cards (one per task) and date dividers, planning to throw each card in an in-basket as done, then mark with date done (cute little rubber stamp) and file for next due date, but the stack was intimidating. The system required too much time and mental-alertness.
I have so few things like tickets that checking a monthly tickler file isn't a rewarding part of the routine. Tickets now live in my wallet, which goes with me everywhere. Larger things go in a bag associated with the project or task. (My storytelling notebook lives in a bag with slippers and mug, although sometimes the mug takes a while to be replaced after washing.)
March 8, 2012 at 19:10 |
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket,
You wrote: "I have so few things like tickets that checking a monthly tickler file isn't a rewarding part of the routine."
Mark expressed a similar sentiment awhile back, that a 43-folders tickler file was only good for things like concert tickets (bought well in advance and easily misplaced/forgotten when the date arrives). This is the classic example, but I feel that it's a very limiting view. I use my tickler for lots of things: pending paperwork, bills, chore reminders/logs, birthday reminders, deferred tasks, coupons, vacation planning, wish-list items, etc. Like a calendar, it only works if you process it each day. But I have so much in it that I really can't live without it. Like my iPhone, I wonder how I functioned before I had it!
You wrote: "I have so few things like tickets that checking a monthly tickler file isn't a rewarding part of the routine."
Mark expressed a similar sentiment awhile back, that a 43-folders tickler file was only good for things like concert tickets (bought well in advance and easily misplaced/forgotten when the date arrives). This is the classic example, but I feel that it's a very limiting view. I use my tickler for lots of things: pending paperwork, bills, chore reminders/logs, birthday reminders, deferred tasks, coupons, vacation planning, wish-list items, etc. Like a calendar, it only works if you process it each day. But I have so much in it that I really can't live without it. Like my iPhone, I wonder how I functioned before I had it!
March 9, 2012 at 20:34 |
ubi
ubi
[ubi]
<<I use my tickler for lots of things: pending paperwork, bills, chore reminders/logs, birthday reminders ...>>
You know that ad-hoc stack of papers, just a few, that you're currently working on, which ends up at the edge of your desk? Tuck that into tomorrow's tickler folder at the end of the day. Then your first action tomorrow will be to retrieve it.
<<I use my tickler for lots of things: pending paperwork, bills, chore reminders/logs, birthday reminders ...>>
You know that ad-hoc stack of papers, just a few, that you're currently working on, which ends up at the edge of your desk? Tuck that into tomorrow's tickler folder at the end of the day. Then your first action tomorrow will be to retrieve it.
March 10, 2012 at 1:24 |
Bernie
Bernie
Bernie,
Exactly! In fact, one of the last things on my nighttime checklist is to transfer any remaining papers from my Pending tray, and new papers that arrived in my In tray, to tomorrow's folder; and the second thing on my a.m. checklist is to transfer today's tickler items into my In tray (the first thing being coffee). It may seem like needless shuffling of papers, but merely handling them (and perhaps doing a quick scan while transferring) gives me a sense of the amount of work that is accumulating. It's also nice to retire for the evening with a clean desk, and face the new day with just one neat pile of stuff to process.
Another hack I've heard of is to put something essential in tomorrow's folder at the end of each day, e.g. car keys (if you drive every day). This is a good way to train yourself to process the tickler each morning, if you're just getting started using one.
Exactly! In fact, one of the last things on my nighttime checklist is to transfer any remaining papers from my Pending tray, and new papers that arrived in my In tray, to tomorrow's folder; and the second thing on my a.m. checklist is to transfer today's tickler items into my In tray (the first thing being coffee). It may seem like needless shuffling of papers, but merely handling them (and perhaps doing a quick scan while transferring) gives me a sense of the amount of work that is accumulating. It's also nice to retire for the evening with a clean desk, and face the new day with just one neat pile of stuff to process.
Another hack I've heard of is to put something essential in tomorrow's folder at the end of each day, e.g. car keys (if you drive every day). This is a good way to train yourself to process the tickler each morning, if you're just getting started using one.
March 10, 2012 at 6:56 |
ubi
ubi
I think a tickler system is not such a bad idea; it just doesn't need to be so complex.
March 10, 2012 at 14:26 |
BKK
BKK
http://www.markforster.net/forum/post/1726731
has been working great, and I think one of the key reasons is that I’ve been able to keep the list short. As I mentioned on that thread, the incorporation of checklists for most routine activities is a big factor.
But the other thing I’m doing a lot now is Deferring (second ‘D’ in the system). This is not the same as dismissing or deleting a task, nor is it delaying by rewriting the task at the end of the list (third ‘D’). By Defer, I mean take the task completely off the list, and enter it into a reminder system for re-entry at a later date. My favorite method is the “43 folders” tickler file; I keep and use one at home and another at work. An alternative would be to use a calendar (electronic or otherwise).
I also recommend doing some sort of daily reset to the list. At the end of each day, reflect on how much was done, and how many items are still on the list. At the start of each day, do a brain dump, pull tasks from your tickler or calendar, then consider how much you can do today, and what may (should?) be deferred to another date in the future. It’s good to have a few more tasks on the list than you will probably get to, but there’s no sense in keeping things in there that you know you can’t or won’t tackle for a long time.
Does anyone else make liberal use of Deferral?