Get Everything Done

Hi Mark,

During my discussions with various people who use other systems. I get asked a lot of questions about how 'Do It Tomorrow' (DIT) handles this or handles that. Because the systems they are talking about encompass everything from project management to wish lists. It is difficult to make a comparison. Because DIT is so different from the other systems.

From my own perspective if I had to classify DIT with any sort of general label. I would label it as an 'Action Management System'. Because to me the focus is really on action. But at the same time the collection of all the different concepts makes it a lot more than that.

How would you classify DIT as a whole? Would you give it a label of any sort? Or do you class it as a collection of tools/concepts to make you efficient, and the formulation of 'the system' is down to the individual?

I have also been asked on numerous occasions how DIT handles the 'big picture'. Because with a lot of systems the idea tends to be you need to capture everything before you can start on the action aspect. The system itself in a way is viewed as the 'big picture', rightly or wrongly.

So I say DIT gives you help to get a better understanding of the real 'big picture'. By looking at your commitments in real terms. But the management of the 'big picture' is really up to your own personal preferences to an extent. How you manage projects, goals etc. But at the same time you have pointers and advice to help you. It a lot easier to grasp the 'big picture' view when you on top of your current workload.

What would your response be as to how DIT handles the 'big picture'?

I have 'How to make your dreams come true' on order. The only book I haven't read. Should I be pointing people at this with regards to the 'big picture' ? Obviously I haven't read it yet myself so I am only roughly aware of what it covers.

Sorry lots of questions, but there is a lot of interest.

Thanks

Steve

DIT is so different from the other systems. yes, but it would be interesting to compare DIT and GTD systems. Could you do it please?

Hi Mark,

I would consider that response to be a fair assessment. There are a couple of points I would also raise.

In GTD terms for everything you are suppose to define the next physical action, or Next Action. Treat everything that requires more than one action step as a Project. Here I think the system in itself can create unnecessary work. Take for example something I would have on my Closed List 'Tidy Office'. I know when my office is tidy, I know when I can cross that item off my list. I don't need to define that as a Project, I don't need to map out the physical steps involved. All I really need is something to prompt me to action. So here I see a difference with DIT. I don't see the need to go into very minute and specific detail, unless that amount of detail is required.

There appear to be a few sticking points when people from a GTD background look at DIT. I think this boils down to the fact they are comparing DIT with a GTD Mindset in place, without fully understanding DIT as whole. I will list them and give my comments:-

1) Capture. GTD focuses heavily on the 'capture' aspect. The idea being to capture all of your 'open loops' and get everything 'out of your head'. The idea being you can't make the right action choice until you have captured everything into your 'trusted system'. GTD offers a system for doing this and emphasises heavily the need to capture everything. Even so far as making sure you carry around some sort of capture device with you everywhere you go.

For me I think DIT focuses on looking at your commitments, perhaps rather than looking at capturing everything into your system in the same way as GTD. Again although the emphasis is not on the 'capture' aspect. I think the emphasis is on being realistic with yourself about what you can hope to achieve. I think DIT does address this but it different ways. The example of making a list of everything you want to do some day for example, then doing one thing at a time. The 'capture' aspect is certainly apparent with current work, entering it onto tomorrows list. But perhaps the 'system' for capturing isn't there like GTD, or the emphasis isn't there like GTD. To my mind GTD is not overly concerned about if you can do everything you capture, more about just the fact you need to capture it, full stop.

2) Weekly Review. The Weekly Review in GTD terms is to get you back on track and piece everything together. Look at all your outstanding projects, actions, plans. Look how the week has gone overall. Look at what is coming up and what you plan to do the following week. Capture any more 'open loops' etc.

Here again GTD people seem to have difficulty, asking what does DIT offer in terms of review. Now personally I feel the way DIT works gives you a better handle on things. I would say on average I perform more of a daily review now. Also knowing I am on top of current work, means when I do review I am just focusing on the progress of current projects etc. Also I think DIT addresses aspects such as looking at defective systems, which isn't even addressed in GTD. So all in all I still perform a weekly review, but not because the 'system' is telling me to do this, or in order to make the system efficient I need to do this. Its just because I find some benefit in a weekly review and it makes sense for me.

Like I say those appear to be the two sticking points, to my mind, when people from a GTD background look at DIT, and they have trouble looking past those two things. As though DIT offers nothings with regards to 'capture' or 'review'. But again I think it just stems from a lack of understanding of the whole system. I know when people have read the DIT book who used GTD, they realise the two systems are quite different and some of the things you did in GTD are now defunct. To my mind DIT doesn't over complicate the simple things, which in a way I always found GTD did to an extent. I find DIT to be based more around a common sense approach built on easy to understand concepts/principles.

From my own personal experience I spent over a year trying to become efficient using GTD, and failed. Contrast that with DIT, it took me a day to read the book and work through some of the exercises. Another day to implement the system. I would say overall two days and I started to see a benefit and increased efficiency.

Anyway, I would I appreciate hearing your own thoughts on what I consider to be the 'sticking' points as far as GTD and DIT compare.

All the best

Steve

Hi Mark,

Thanks for responding to those two points. That has certainly cleared things up in my mind.

I agree with regards to the capture aspect, the things you 'could' do can almost be limitless. I also agree that although GTD promotes 'full capture', it doesn't give you any sort of system to do it all.

With regards to the Weekly Review, I must admit I am starting to question its worth to me as a whole. As I do review on a daily basis. I like the idea of scheduling individual project reviews at certain stages. I think I will try that approach, thanks for that advice.

All the best

Steve

Is there a danger with any system that too much time can be spent "capturing", writing down what should be done instead of actually doing it? Having read back through some of my old notebooks...if I had spent the time actually doing the things instead of repeatedly adding them to my lists maybe they would have got done years ago! :-))

Nicky, perhaps that approach "Write It Tomorrow" could help somehow?

As long as my list gets done daily, I don't bother writing short one-offs at all unless they require some kind of pending/follow-up reminder. I simply think of them as the office version of tidying up as you go about your day... the habit takes care of it so no special consideration is required beyond finishing your list and sticking with the time constraints you've set for office hours.

I am not sure DIT and GTD are directly comparable. I would regard them as complementary.

GTD aims to capture every possible action. Everything, including ideas ("someday-maybe") that might never be acted on, as well as more immediate next actions and projects (by definition, requiring more than one action) -- a big-picture list of everything on your mind. In GTD, you must decide which of these NAs or projects are current (for immediate attention). The remainder are assigned to someday-maybe and forgotten about until the next review.

Of course the number of things you COULD do is virtually limitless, as Mark points out. So two problems: how do you decide (a) which actions you can realistically plan for the near future and (b) exactly when to actually do them? Many GTD users bemoan the fact that actions remain on the current list week after week, without getting done.

This is where DIT scores. Current projects and actions are by definition those scheduled (e.g. at Weekly Review) for the next week or so using DIT. If it is current, it is scheduled -- or in practical terms, once it is scheduled, it is current. If it cannot be scheduled, it remains on the big-picture list for later (someday).

This has the huge benefit of removing from view all the tasks one should be doing but is not getting around to, as well as providing a time when the current tasks will actually get done. I find that GTD is great for capture and analysis, but DIT is where things actually get done.

Have been scheduling my activities since about 1980.
When I started with GTD in 2003 I kept this habit.
How else could I know in which gtd-context I am
supposed to be right now?

DIT fits very well in my individual version of GTD
and makes handling my next-actions-lists very easy.

Rainer

For me GTD is a complete system, not a method. I can add other contributions like DIT and BYY (Best Year Yet by Jinny Diztler) and GTD provides a space or "places" to organize all them, what I call a system.

What I can't say is which of those three is better for me. The three together work well for me.

I am so glad someone mentioned that you spend a lot of time writing about doing things rather than doing them as I find I do a lot of that. On paper I am super organised, in reality I achieve very little.

Write it tomorrow? Not sure I get that.

But having said that, I am so impressed with the postings that I am going to dig out my DIT book again and re-read it. It's obvious I've missed the whole point of the book. I suspect I started reading it and got distracted by sommething else.