Get Everything Done

I still Love AF4. For me it is with AF1 the best system Mark has invented. Better than FV.
The AF4R 'see the method here http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1325521 " is also indeed interesting because when I have a lot of work it has a great control on what I do (and it is nearest GTD too)

I think I gonna do a new try but on sheets of paper instead of a rule note book.
It is convenient with my last system with works with paper folders and Omnifocus for future or someday tasks

I still Love AF4. For me it is with AF1 the best system Mark has invented. Better than FV.
The AF4R 'see the method
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1325521

is also indeed interesting because when I have a lot of work it has a great control on what I do (and it is nearest GTD too)

I think I gonna do a new try but on sheets of paper instead of a rule note book.
It is convenient with my last system with works with paper folders and Omnifocus for future or someday tasks

I also have added one single list about what I am waiting from others which help me to follow my numerous calls per day. these 4 lists (New, recurring, unfinished, waiting from others) are for me the perfect system for controlling my stuff instead of GTD contexts which never suits to me.

I have noticed that "sandboxing" my stuff is great for me. But th system has to "free me" not to "control my work" in a too much coercive way. If it does then my mind blocks immediately.

This is why I so much love MF systems. The let my intuition follow my work but with still the minimum of organization which make me successful.

After years of testing I notice that my system always turns around GTD, AF1, AF4, AF4R always...

Little by little I take the best of systems and spend my time working. But I come from so far away ! I was surely one of the most disorganized person LOL ;-)...

I love this forum which is the best I found on the web for swapping our tips :-)

Mark, I don't think this will work any better than any previous system. The problem is that you know deep down that you don't *have* to do five tasks, you just need to play the game of touching five tasks in some way. This will involve finishing small, easy or pleasant tasks and just doing token work on the rest.

They will then bumble along from one unfinished page to another or even get dismissed and need to be looked at all over again, either way they will hang around like a bad smell causing stress by knowing that they're there in your life. The problem is that you really can't be bothered or deep down don't want to do those tasks, and no system will change that.

Instead, can't you think of a single job which is gnawing away at you right now? I bet everyone can. So get all the stuff together that you need to get going on that one job, have a cup of tea and then get going on it. That is the only way I have found to really Get Everything Done. "Everything" being everything which actually does matter.

All these systems start well because at the point they are started they reflect precisely the state of affairs at that point and feel complete. But people quickly, almost subconsciously, learn to game the system and this slowly leads to stress and a feeling that it's not The One after all, then a tweak is made or a new system feels necessary, and the process starts all over again.

Hi Chris
You always impart wise and rational thoughts. I can't just stick to one project all the way through so I'll alternate it with a less resistant job until I've either completed it or completed the progress I intended for today. I don't expect to erase the stress. I use "tricks" to cope with it while I get my day's MIT's (most important things) done. (These are culled from my weekly map.) I only choose my MIT's as WILL DO.

I've learned over the years that there's no magic bullet. Whether it's physical pain, cognitive limitations or my poor attitude that creates the challenge, I expect effortful work. I know to ramp up my determination to win the skirmish. Trust me. It's not a dance in the park but I try my best. I wish my physical, cognitive and attitude challenges will magically disappear but they don't. I just have to buck up. I also have to work within my limitations created by the resistance I feel. Yeah, it sucks but what else can I do?

Thank you for telling it like it is. I have improved certain work methods and I've learned coping strategies to keep plugging away because I know the resistance is there even when it's illogical. The only way I know how to handle resistance is to meet it head on and not to give up. My tricks of alternating the most difficult work with more manageable work in units that I can successfully handle gets my will do list done. Even before my injuries I had to get past resistance to boredom or fear of starting. For me, my only solution is to stay determined using whatever strategies get me over the hump.

One of my strategies to complete my will do list is to create a game out of it for that day. I don't change the actual system. I can get that fresh perspective that you mention when I need it. I even bribe myself when I'm desperate enough. I'll do anything it takes. What I don't do is pretend that there's a magic bullet. It may suck having to do this every day but ignoring my responsibilities would definitely suck worse.

Chris, I always enjoy reading your posts. They give me that shot in the arm to keep at it. Thank You!

Dynamic DIT has been working very well for me, but I enjoyed using AF4 at work, even if it wasn't terribly conducive to finishing projects. I might give AF4R a try if it also strikes that "finishing work" balance, too. Alan, when you can, you should also try Dynamic DIT and see if that'll help you with your focus on finishing projects.

Mark: "You mean something like this?"

No, not really. We all have things to do which we'd prefer not to, and we all have loose ends that we never seem to get around to tying up which cause a feeling of stress. You describe them as black clouds but they're just a normal part of everyone's life.

The point of my post is to question whether yet another rules based system is an appropriate way to approach these tasks. I submit that it is not. The quest for the perfect system - one where you feed it every last thought and it ensures that everything gets addressed at just the right time - is futile. No such thing exists. Endless tweaking to try and find this system is just another way of skirting around those unpleasant tasks, because at least trying to fit them into a rules based system makes it *feel* like they are being handled - stored away in the warehouse of unfinished business, safe in the self-delusion that they will be picked and dealt with at some point.

In otherwords you already know what you need to do today to reduce your stressors, and you already know whether or not you are going to do it. You don't really need to do passes of pages and ASEM to just get going on your work. But if you convince yourself that you do need these things, you substitute the stress relief of finishing the jobs for the somewhat superficial stress relief of believing you have a system which will help you to finish the jobs.

I'd also add a couple more points. Firstly, I don't think it *is* wise to capture everything. We think of so much stuff, with so many tangents, that we probably imagine enough work to last a month in just one day. Let your brain handle the bulk of it and try to adopt a feeling of acceptance about the myriad of things which you will 'forget' - there is great stress relief alone in simply letting stuff go. Stuff that matters will always remain in your consciousness for you to deal with. Also - go back to the first paragraph above - capturing everything just creates an endless amount of loose ends and hence constant stress.

Secondly, I think there is something unpleasant, almost dehumanising about a rules based productivity system. It tries to substitute a handle-turning automatic process for the rich in-the-moment feeling of being alive. The person becomes almost a passive observer in their own workload.

However I do agree with the cup of tea. It's pleasant and relaxing at any time of the day!

learning as I go: "The only way I know how to handle resistance is to meet it head on and not to give up. My tricks of alternating the most difficult work with more manageable work in units that I can successfully handle gets my will do list done. Even before my injuries I had to get past resistance to boredom or fear of starting. For me, my only solution is to stay determined using whatever strategies get me over the hump."

I think that's a very good discipline. I do a lot of long distance walking and have found a lot of parallels with that and getting stuff done.

If I'm on a route that I know well, I can say to myself "well this road is only 3 miles long then I've got that really steep hill then a few miles of relatively flat countryside", so I know that the 'boredom' of the road and the 'pain' of the hill is followed by the 'reward' of the nice countryside. With that knowledge in place, the road and the hill become enjoyable in their own right - I can see if I can reach the end of the road by a certain time, and perhaps I can get up the hill by trying slow steady steps and not stopping, vs the normal approach of doing small sprints. I can do these things because I know what's coming.

Similarly I can plan my resources for the whole trip. I know how much water I have and how regularly I'll end up using it so there's no stress of wondering if I have enough. I have a waterproof for that high part where the weather can be very changeable. I've got everything covered.

But if I'm on a route that I've never done before it's oddly much harder. Now I'm on a road and I start thinking "How much longer will this go on for, 1 mile? 5 miles? The map wasn't clear, I'm sure I should be seeing something different by now." Or "I hope this climb ends soon, oh god I've got a climb that looks four times as long at the end and this is bad enough now, how will I cope?!"

And with resources I think "What if I run out of water? I probably will if there are any longer climbs than this. Can I restock anywhere? No... I'd need to drop out near that main road later on... well it won't come to that... actually it might... no I should be okay... but what if I'm not..."

So on a route I've not done before my mind plays endless tricks on myself and, despite knowing from the maps and descriptions and experience how it will pan out, I still find this happens and is very powerful! Once I've done the route it becomes a pleasure to do it again because now I know it and can psych myself up for each section with confidence.

I find I can offset these feelings by just getting my head down and pushing on, knowing that each step is a step less to the end and nothing - no mind games or self-doubts - can invalidate that fact. The simplicity and truth of this is a very powerful motivator.

I find the same kind of thinking goes on in other aspects of life including getting things done. That's why smaller or straightforward tasks are okay to do, as I can see the whole thing laid out in my mind, while nebulous jobs or jobs with no clear end in sight cause a lot of resistance. For these, if I mentally break them down into defined sections, then break those down until I have small defined jobs I can see right through, that can help.

And as with the walking, making sure I have the resources I need to hand really helps. So if I'm cleaning out a spare room - an endless task that I rather not do - I know I can start by sorting these old clothes out, and for that if I have a couple of those charity bags to hand I can do that a lot more easily. And to clean it, if I have all the gear ready I don't need to break the flow to go out and buy something.

Having the resource to hand, which you need to support your work, is one of the keys to truly getting stuff done.

Eventually I find I reach a tipping point where the whole job suddenly feels within reach of being completed and can even be visualised as to how that will look. It is the same on the walks. After playing these little mental games with myself throughout the walk, I reach a point where I'm now within reach of the end, just a few miles left. I can visualise what is left to do even if it's a new route because I'm close.

Then there's the great feeling of getting to the finish and, in time, being able to mentally look back at it and know you did it and whatever happens that's yours to keep. A load of great memories or a nice new room.

Hi Chris
Your walking analogy struck home with me. Before I blew out my knees I was a marathon runner. I used to run 8 miles a day as normal. About a month to 6 weeks before the race, I'd run 15 miles once a week to get in shape for the race. The last 11 miles is always run more on determination than good shape so the 15 miles was good enough to be in top form for the race. I with I had your attitude about enjoying the views. I ran to keep in shape for winter skiing and summer water skiing and hang gliding. (Strong legs when you land and keep running while holding your kite so you don't fall and wreck your knees or your kite!) When I'd get tired from running, I'd jump into my brain and pretend that I was either skiing through 3 feet of powder or traversing through large waves. That made the side stitches and prickly heat worth bearing. LOL!

Also when you mention that turning point in your brain when you finally visualize finishing as doable, it gives me impetus to stop taking breaks and finish it. When I was running a race, I'd visualize that huge timer that everybody would see as my finish time. That kept me on point. LOL!

Unlike running, I can cheat when doing arduous, large jobs. I set a deadline and chip away at it incrementally so that before the fake deadline the work is either completed or there's little left to do. I always need extra time to recheck my work because I can't trust my broken brain. Like running, I also reach a point where "see" the finish line as doable. It's like a fresh wave of motivation simply because it's now doable. LOL! (I know that it's always doable but if I start out not liking the work, my brain plays tricks on me to overwhelm me.)

I love your running analogy. I think many life patterns can be interchanged to find our best ways to do most anything. I know it's silly but everyday that I finish my WILL DO list, I feel a sense of pride and victory especially because I was able reign supreme over the dragons of boredom or actual physical pain! LOL! I feel more proud to mop for 5 minutes despite pain than I did winning medals. It's much harder for me to self direct than to wait for urgency or outside forces. Each day is a small victory for me. Thank you for describing your mental processes drawing from your running. I thought I was goofy doing it. Now I feel OK about it.

You always write excellent posts that are very helpful. Thanks.

## Mark: "I've tried "just getting going on my work" many times, and it's always proved to be a disaster. I'm perfectly prepared to believe that there are people who can do that, but I'm not one of them and I'm not writing for them." ##

I don't think I'm any different to you or anyone else. I've been through practically every productivity system going over the years, including many of yours, trying to find something to help me get on top of a seemingly endless tsunami of work, to bring some order to the chaos of endless tasks, to capture all those ideas that are quickly forgotten.

In the end I've faced up to the truth, which is that none of them really work for very long. Or, if they do appear to work, they perform as well as a simple list. Judging by the sheer number of posts here with people saying "I've gone back to using xxx" or "I'm now trying a variant of yyy" I do not seem to be alone. I genuinely don't believe these rules based systems work because we quickly work around the very rules that are supposed to get us to do the stuff we don't want to do. We game the system and move on to the next one, over and over. A brief search of these forums finds plenty of examples of exactly that.

So what does work for me? The simple truth is just getting on with what I know I need to do. There is *no* day that I wake up and think "I have absolutely no idea what I need to do today unless I consult a system". Doesn't happen. Again I doubt I am unique here. I use a single text file to store appointments, reminders of stuff I'm about to get going on, and people I'm waiting for. There are absolutely no rules to it, no dismissal, no "if x then y". I don't need them and they never, ever worked or forced me to do stuff I didn't want to do anyway.

## Mark: "I would say that there's something very unpleasant and completely dehumanising about living a life which is chaotic, stressful and disorganised. And that is the state many people are in until they discover some basic easy-to-follow rules about how to make the business of life and work run more smoothly." ##

You see, I found the opposite but it took me years to get there. The systems (not all yours) were the *cause* of much of the stress as they increasingly failed to represent my life and the stuff I wanted to capture in them. I remember one project being copied across around 8 different systems, each time being slightly more perfectly defined - at the expense of not actually getting DONE. It got dismissed and rewritten a number of times in some of yours. How ridiculous.

Eventually I said "enough" and asked myself "Am I doing this ******* project or not? Decide right now and either do it or never consider it again, but either way this ends here". And the answer was yes, I am doing it, so I got going on it. This led me to realise that I'd been using the systems to shield myself from doing it, because it was a very awkward project, and a million other things. So I asked myself if I knew what I should be doing right now to be making genuine progress on stuff that mattered, and the answer was yes, I do know, so I got going on those too. I realised I didn't actually need the systems so I ditched them and have never looked back. I also realised that most of the million other things should never have been captured in the first place. Stress, chaos, lack of organisation - gone.

## Mark: " think I would prefer to say that a good system keeps you in the flow of your work." ##

The problem is that people put the work in the system then learn to cheat the system because they don't want to do the work, so it doesn't get done, then they subconsciously cannot bear to admit this so instead they find it "doesn't work for them" and tweak it or try something else.

## Caibre65: "I obviously don't know what you do for a living and whether you have to manage a lot of discretionary time. But I have to make many choices in a working day about what I focus my attention on. I don't always get it right but its better to have a method rather than just reacting like the proverbial headless chicken." ##

I work in IT in a fairly reactive environment jumping between everything from configuring a quote for a customer to sitting down and architecting a disaster recovery infrastructure and organising the subsequent project teams. I also manage the company's certification which is itself a herculean project full of hundreds of little tasks with dependencies at set times throughout the fiscal year. So I'm probably in a worse place than you when it comes to demands on time and knowing what to do next.

I start each day by writing down on a piece of paper the things I know that I need to get done that day. I have a single text file that I use to note down upcoming tasks/jobs and appointments and anyone I'm waiting for. I use the text file to also add anything needed to the paper. Now that I have my paper I get going on the work in the most appropriate order.

That's it. There are no rules, no drawing lines, no dismissal, no contexts, no 20 minute tomatoes. There are no dots, no highlighters, no asking myself what I want to do before this thing, no going through every task over and over, no dragging items around in Clear.

## Caibre65: "I think some of your comments are interesting but some are actually rather insulting to many who post here and (I suspect) to MF." ##

I'm not posting to be insulting but if some people perceive alternative viewpoints as insulting that is something they will need to manage in their own way.

## Caibre65: "One of the reasons I enjoy and value this forum is that it is for the most part free from trolls. I would ask you that if you hold Mark's methods in such low esteem why do you bother to come here?"

Have I stopped beating my wife? I do not "hold Mark's methods in low esteem". I come here because I want to.

Chris:

I must say, I'm impressed by the simplicity you have to manage everything in your life in one text file. Also, I'm impressed by the discipline you have to get on with tasks with a do it or don't attitude.

Do you ever find that some reminders slip through the cracks or that you make an incorrect decision on what is a priority? I'm curious, because with that simplicity (no dragging/dropping/ no stars/no highlighting/ no calendar due date alarms etc.) what do you do to avoid the numbing feeling of looking at one simple long list of everything and not feel chaotic? Do you ever delete anything from your text file and what is the criteria to do so?

I could be wrong, but I feel as if reviewing that long list of everything would eventually become tedious and mind numbing, no? I'll add that the reason most people don't adapt something like this, is because a system kind of guides you along /holds your hand and directs you on what to do, therefore , there is slightly less thought involved and decision.

Also, not to sound rude, why do you come on this blog if your system uses none of the aspects of the MF systems (and tweaks) and you are content and not looking to follow a system other than your own?

Hi GMBW
I can't talk for Chris but I find his posts to be both helpful and inspiring. I find many posters here to be quite friendly and inspiring. It's one of my two approved internet sites for a break. I don't fall into the internet black hole plus reading about productivity keeps my mind alert to wanting to finish. On weak days, I use Leechblock. I should have used it today.

Chris said that he tried most systems available so he can lend us his experience. Many times he has helped me by articulating thoughts that are fuzzy in my brain. Plus his plain speak is great for squashing my silly fears to just start. It's silly but this site helps me. Thank you all!

p.s.
Mark's DIT is the saving grace of my life. I also understand that some people prefer his other systems. Everybody has different viewpoints. I think we can all agree that Mark has helped us all greatly in different ways. I also feel that you all have helped me tremendously as well. I also enjoy your friendly and intelligent personalities. Mark runs an excellent blog. Thank you, Mark!

All, I'll post a separate thread on how I use the text file as I'm conscious it has taken over this AF4R thread somewhat which was not my intention.

Please, continue with AF4R discussion...

Hi Avrum
I think some people need systems and some don't. I do. In late 2006, Mark instructed me how to clear my backlog. After the surgeries, rehab et al, I lost a few years. As cognitive therapy began to work, I noticed huge piles of paper everywhere! I never had a backlog before and I was totally overwhelmed. Mark totally saved my sanity. Then I decided to look into DIT. Because of limitations and natural thinking style, I modified it to a weekly format. I added a weekly, monthly and seasonal checklist to the daily checklist. I choose my day's MIT's from my weekly format. The principles are very strong and my modifications didn't spoil it. In 2009, I tried the AF1 because I assumed that it was an improvement over DIT. I failed miserable with it yet thousands of people thrive on it. Maybe I'm lazy and limited but within two weeks I went back to my weekly DIT. It's been faithful to me since 2007. Of course, I need to corral my attitude with coping strategies. I also made sure that it was flexible because of my disabilities. I truly believe that DIT helps me manage my life. Plus, I learned several coping strategies so that I have an arsenal to battle my stupid attitude problems. I think my success is that I limit the MITs I put on my list daily. I can pick off more work if I feel like it, or not....

I think that the principles of DIT are brilliant. They even stand up to my necessary modifications. It's not easy living in my wrecked brain. DIT makes me feel more secure. I spend little time tending it. My biggest daily challenge is to keep to my plans and keep my butt in gear. No easy task with my brain and my illogical, bad attitude. LOL!

Bottom line: Thank you, Mark. You have helped thousands of us.

p.s. If changing systems helps a person to stay with their work, that's fine. I don't change systems because I lucked out by DIT working so well for me. I love that Mark encourages everybody to find what works for them. He's offered up plenty of options. Also the forum members have contributed to the wealth of information.

p.s.
I never did very well with rules. Mark's principles are what won me over. If you read over his blog his subject matter is vast. He always writes in a way that I can understand the principles behind his words or his rules. It's no reflection on Mark that I don't follow the rules.

Hi Alan

You beautifully stated:
"That I change things around is not proof of failure, but a symptom of perfectionism and a love of systemizing. the time spent on these do not exceed the value gained in working more effectively."

That attitude and dedication is golden. I think that sentiment is relevant to more areas of living than just working. Thank you for putting it into words.

"I'm going to experiment with combining AF4R with ASEM. It strikes me that they might fit together really well. "

Mark, how is this going? I love ASEM and embraced it quickly, but there were a few pitfalls. Reading Alan's post reminded me of how much I liked AF4R. I'm trying out the combo myself, too soon to tell, but this may be the keeper. I am using an additional "page," (doing it electronically), for "parked (nonactive) items.

Like Mark I stopped for the result was not like I wished