Get Everything Done

I've already described how I modified DIT here http://wp.me/p2M4mD-Up and how it worked for me here: http://wp.me/p2M4mD-Uy. I've had a few questions from forum members that I wanted to address here. I'd love to hear your thoughts on an approach that works so well for me:

I applied little and often to all tasks, not just projects, because it works for me better than any other approach at beating procrastination. However, I do not HAVE to spend just a little time on something -- only tasks that I'd rather not do and/or that will be deleted from the list otherwise.

I only add tasks/projects that I'm willing to action in the next few days. That means ideas or someday/maybe items get added to http://springpad.com. However, must-do projects that aren't due for a few months DO get added to tomorrow's list. The beauty of DIT is that it allows you to work ahead and be on top of your work. The great thing about this approach is that I don't have to action these projects every day. If I choose, it can take me as long as four days to get to a project again before it's deleted from the list.

Deleting is negative enough that it's motivating for me. Tasks that I deleted I haven't yet done (mostly because I keep forgetting). This is further motivation for me to keep tasks alive by doing anything on them before they're more than 3 days overdue. This is how I am keeping up with routine tasks now. Things like laundry, meal planning, working out, etc. are routine tasks. I could add them to the main list, but I like having a list of tasks to do in order each day, much like the checklists Mark describes in DIT. One thing I've realized is that I use my routines to try to establish new habits. This is fine, except I try to establish too many at once. Deleting those I don't consistently do helps, but even better would be to create a routine based on what I'm already doing. Then I can slowly add new habits. Those that aren't maintained get deleted -- no fooling myself into believing I'll "get to them" eventually.

There's no backlog with this approach, but I had one when I started. I dated time-sensitive tasks so that they were on my DIT list with plenty of time to complete them. I had several projects I wanted to complete by Christmas, for example. Everything else is tagged @backlog and will be added during weekly planning as I'm willing. I don't have a separate backlog time at the beginning of each day.

One person asked me about focusing with this approach. Doing many things little and often doesn't preclude focusing. I spent hours on a couple of projects this weekend. But unlike the past when I would let everything else go while I worked on them, I was able to keep those balls in the air, too. Focus can also be maintained with time blocking which I use as well.

I'm delighted that so much of what I've learned here has come together in a system that works for me. Even the personal testing I've been doing the past year is something I learned from Mark. I'm very thankful! But now I have to get to my next routine task. :-)

This older post about DIT, for digital use has some interesting ideas
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/682856

Mark, I enjoy your tests. Are you testing a modification of AF? I feel like I'm getting the fun of AF without the overwhelm. I'm hopeful it will continue to be effective for me and I would love to see what you think at a later date.

Thanks, Erin. I'm using ToDoist and just using Due Dates rather than contexts. The only thing that I don't like is there's no default due date setting. If there were, I'd set it for tomorrow.

Mark, yes you have it right except I add new tasks to tomorrow's list. You may have understood that. But I can definitely see working my approach as a pure AF list. I am using Todoist for my tasks and when I click on "Today" this is what I see:
3 Days Overdue
Task
Task
--------------------
2 Days Overdue
Task
--------------------
Yesterday
Task
Task
--------------------
Today
Task
Task
--------------------

If I don't action the tasks in the "3 Days overdue" list today, I delete them (not mark them complete, but delete). If I do any little action on them, I redate them for tomorrow. If I weren't doing this digitally, I would use a dated daily journal OR I would date each page of a notebook. The problem with doing it on paper is the temptation to go back and look at deleted tasks. To avoid that, I would tear the page out and throw it away. Does that sound radical?

Since beginning this approach, I have deleted two tasks that I haven't yet done. One isn't that important at all and I probably only think of it because of writing about this approach. The other IS important and keeps coming to mind, producing stress. This is a GOOD thing in my opinion, because it reminds me that I need to take care of these kinds of things in a timely fashion so they don't cause stress.

I have realized another big advantage of this method for me: it makes me plan ahead. Last night, my family wanted me to watch a show with them. That was a good family time. In the past, after having some down time at night, I would have thought, "Oh, I should just call it a night now." But instead I realized that I had tasks on my 3-day overdue list that would be deleted if I did that. It took me very little time to move them forward and then I could get ready for bed in peace. Previously, I would have gotten up the next morning feeling lazy and overwhelmed.

One other minor tweak I have made is to mark any tasks that MUST be done on a certain day as top priority. What tends to happen is that I get especially concerned with tasks on the 3-day overdue list and may not pay sufficient attention to tasks that must be done today. On a paper list, those tasks could be starred.

At any rate, I think anything that forces you to "do or delete" will make AF or DIT work for those of us who think we can do it all. ;-)

Great tips, guys. Thank you.