Get Everything Done

I read a recent post about the Bullet Journal. The Bullet Journal proposed a form of symbolic notation to easily identify your tasks, events and notes (square, circle, and dash accordingly). In the comments, Mr. Forester referred to the dash-plus method for symbolic notation, which also helps easily distinguish your notes at a glance. While the bullet journal notation was well suited for that system, and the dash-plus method seemed more conducive to GTD, I use a symbolic notation method that grew from Mark’s systems. Through the past several years I’ve used Mark’s systems (every single one at one point or another, though I am just now using DIT for the first time). During this time, I’ve developed my own system of symbolic notation that results in a coherent and smooth line that easily draws the eye down the list, while quickly identifying the kinds of tasks common to Mark’s systems.

Consider the set up as a collage ruled note page with the standard red margin line on the left. Each line has a task written on it, just to the right hand side of the red margin line. The space on the left of the margin line is left blank. In this blank space to the left of the margin line, for each task, I use the following symbols.

| (Vertical line)
|- (Vertical line with a dash connected to the right of it)
-| (Vertical line with a dash connected to the left of it)
|-| (Vertical line with a dash connected to the left, and another vertical line to the left of that)
. (Dot in the center of the white space, not a period at the bottom as shown here)

Here, in text, the symbols don’t really show through. I wish I could attach a picture. But consider this: whenever you select a task to work on, by whichever of Mark's systems you select it, put a dot next to it (again, not down on the line like a period, but mid-line, where a hyphen would be). Work the task as usual, and to "cross it off," draw a vertical line down through the dot. If the task was FINISHED, then put a dash off to the right of the vertical line, otherwise leave it as is. You can also draw a vertical line do delete a task that you no longer need (the equivalent of "crossing it off"). Try to connect consecutive vertical lines to the vertical lines above and below. Finally, when you dismiss a page (or section or whatever), draw a vertical line down through all open spaces (connecting as you go) and put a dash on the left of the tasks that you've dismissed. Upon reviewing said dismissed tasks, put another vertical line to the left of the left dash.

A much needed visual, as best I can do in text:

| Task A ("Crossed off")
-| Task B ("Crossed off then dismissed")
|- Task C ("Crossed off because finished")
| Task D ("Crossed off")
-| Task E ("Crossed off then dismissed")
|-| Task F ("Crossed off then dismissed then reviewed")
|-| Task G ("Crossed off then dismissed then reviewed")
|- Task H ("Crossed off because finished")
. Task I ("Selected")
| Task J ("Crossed off")
. Task K ("Selected")

This discussion forum erases the white space I put to the left of the above, and I can't connect the vertical lines. So you'll have to imagine, or draw it out on paper yourself for a good visual. If you imagine the vertical lines to be connected, you can see how, at a glance, you could run you eye down the page and quickly see what you deleted, finished, dismissed, reviewed, selected, and even what you haven't touched yet (ie: blank spaces - really disrupt the continuity of the vertical lines, and thus stand out.) Being able to run your eye down a vertical line in this manner is very helpful in Mark's systems because many of the systems, FV especially, require frequent scanning. I also like that the tasks that you FINISHED also stand out. This way you can draw you eye down your lists and see what results you actually achieved. (kind of like a built-in "What's Better List" from Mark's "How to Make Your Dreams Come True").

Again, for a real visual, you'll need to try it out, so if it looks good to you, give it a shot and post your thoughts!

I think I can better explain it like this:

When you select a task, dot it. When you cross off a task, draw a vertical line down through the dot (or empty space if there is no dot). These two are the "select" and "cross off" symbols that every one of Mark's systems use in some way shape or form.

When you cross off a task BECAUSE IT IS FINISHED, draw the vertical line to cross it off, then add to it a dash to the right of the vertical line

When you cross off a task BECAUSE YOU OR THE SYSTEM FLAGGED IT FOR LATER REVIEW, draw the vertical line to cross it off, then add a dash to the left of the vertical line. In DIT, I use this symbol to indicate a backlogged task.

Later, when reviewing dismissed items, draw you eye down the vertical lines and stop at the left-dashes to review those tasks. Upon finishing your review, add another vertical line to the left of the left-dash to indicate that you have reviewed it.

Whenever crossing off a task with a vertical line, connect it to any other vertical lines above or below the task. If there are several consecutive tasks that need to be crossed off, you can draw a single vertical line down through all of them. (EG: When I dismissed several consecutive tasks, I would put a left-dash next to each dismissed task, then connect all those left-dashes with a single vertical line drawn down through the right sides of each of the dashes.)

In short:
Unactioned = Blank space
Selected = Dot
Crossed off = Vertical line through dot (or central point)
Crossed off because it was finished = Vertical line to cross it off, and right dash
Crossed off because it was flagged for later review = Vertical line to cross it off, and left dash
Reviewed = Vertical line through the left side of the left dash

Maybe that's a little clearer than my previous attempts at "drawing" it in text.