Get Everything Done

I've been experimenting with mixing DIT and the randomizer approach Mark suggested recently. I very much like DIT, but the randomizer approach is very effective in dealing with stuck tasks from previous days.

My current approach is to apply the randomizer on today's page (so that's everything I wrote down yesterday for 'tomorrow'), and when I've cleared most of it, or start feeling resistance, apply the randomizer approach on all pages. So far that's working quite well, but I haven't figured out what a good moment would be for switching from "work today's page" to "work all pages." Right now I'm making the switch on intuition.

While I'm writing this, it occurs to me that writing a task "switch to working all pages" would be a possibility. Any other suggestions?

Hi Nicole
Veghead Jones wrote how he does the same thing in http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2286299

"Hi Seraphim,Here's how I am handling this: I make a post it note at the beginning of my book with the MITs. I use the randomizer through one pass of the book, then hit the MITS, then if I made enough progress on an MIT, back through the book for another round."

That sounds like a good balance. I might try something similar. Like you, I'll try to do my MIT's first but if I hit a snag, I'll try Veghead Jones idea of alternating to the regular list of recurring and one offs but I use blocks of time rather than doing one complete pass. If you don't need the structure of time block sets, then ignore it. I NEED the structure especially when I'm feeling resistance. If I was resisting an MIT, I'd bury myself in the other list. A time block nips that in the bud. Most other people are far more rational and don't need the limiting parameters of time blocks or mini sets.

Thanks for the link, learning. I thought I had read it somewhere on the forum, but couldn't find where. Sounds similar to what I do, except I start with today's page instead of the start of the list.

Hi,

Thanks for referring my post Learning. It's funny, this AM I was considering not doing my daily post it note (which I think is slightly different that DIT, it is a batch of MITs drawn from deadlines and most important projects) and thought of doing a straight DIT list. I did not, and am happy with the MIT idea, but it is funny how great minds think alike, and all that...

Try starting each count on the day list, then continuing at the bookmark in the big list. I used a die that was about twice the size of the day list, so it felt random, but had a tweak so I only rolled a few times each day. Without that tweak, you might want to use a smaller die.

(My tweak allowed me to work on anything I felt like that was a good use of the moment, where "good use of the moment" includes all energy, time left in the day, urgency, and all the rest. If I landed on something that wasn't a good use of the moment, I slid. Those are both allowed under the Common Sense Rule.)

I'm extremely happy with the results over 3 days, and think it will scale. I made great progress on my little-and-oftens, and that only happens when I'm confident I'll get the more urgent things done. I didn't make progress on one nasty project that needs me to keep 7 things in mind at once and pay attention to details, but would gladly have done it if the die had said to.

Hi Veghead Jones
When I say DIT, I forget to mention (again and again ad nauseam) that my version of DIT is choosing MITs. I don't do whatever comes in as tomorrow's list. I choose. I don't even do inbox zero. LOL! I supposed that I've been here for years and keep forgetting that new people won't know that the only real similarities are WILL DO, current initiative and partial bundling/not wasting time on doing everything everyday. When I need to invest time on important things, I just check email, snail mail and phone messages just to make sure. Otherwise it waits. LOL!......UNLESS I need some relief for a bit. I LOVE your idea of randomizing the relief tasks! GREAT IDEA!

Hi Cricket
Nicole stated that she like to crunch her MIT's until she needs rest/temporary escape. I like that also when I can pull it off. *blush*

I'm almost hoping to feel resistance tomorrow because I really like the sound of Veghead Jone's idea. His way seems to PREVENT burnout or overwhelm yet he's still getting the important stuff done.

p.s.
Hi, Veghead Jones. I'm not emphatically stating to not do DIT as written. I couldn't do it because I couldn't keep up with doing all the bundled stuff every day plus devote proper time to worthy work. I've been doing my bastardized version since 2007 and it works like a charm. It's overall effectiveness even allows for my going off the rails once in awhile! I always felt guilty if I didn't do all the mosquito tasks along with the more important stuff. My way, at least if something gets ignored, it's a few mosquito tasks. I also love the WILL DO list. Without learning DIT I would have never known that I have the freedom to do the list in any order. Another huge lession was little and often. I always felt guilty if I didn't do work in larger units of time. That can create HUGE resistance. Mark's little and often actually helps me to do more work and this randomization game helps even more. Good luck with what you try. Give us an update if you feel like it.

I thought I'd write down what exactly I"m doing, both to clear up the discussion above and to clear my own head :-).

1. I'm using a continuous list of tasks, marking where day breaks are (so on top of the page it would say, for example, Feb 9, and halfway the page there's a mark in the margin where the first taks I wrote on Feb 10 is).
2. Every day I start counting at the first task I wrote yesterday.
3. I start the day by writing a task "switch to working all pages" at the end of the list, and I add any items from my tickler file to the list.
4. I select a task to work on by choosing a random number between 1 and the number of tasks on that page.
5. Rules as described by Mark (count forward on the next page, if landing on a completed task choose the next uncompleted one on that page, circling the count from the top of the page if necessary), except I limit myself to the pages I started on and any following ones. That way the most pressure is on today's and yesterday's tasks.
6. If I land on the task "switch to all pages" I circle the count to the first page, instead of the page where the first task of yesterday is.

So I'm not doing DIT, because I don't postpone incoming work from today to tomorrow, and I don't use the below-the-line/above-the-line concept from DIT. Not sure how that would work out, but I'll stick to this for a week or so, to see how it goes. I'm also not focussing on MIT's, but just focussing on today's and yesterday's work. But since that includes any rewritten tasks from previous pages it also focuses on finishing ongoing work.

Hi Mark,

Do you start each day at the "top" of the list?

Hi Mark
Your revised rules states
2) Today. As in normal DIT this is the "Tomorrow" page from the day before. As in DIT "same day" tasks can be added to it. However, unlike DIT, tasks which recur more than once a day are re-entered on this page. Unfinished tasks are also re-entered if they are from the same day.

3) Earlier Days. Nothing can be added to these days, except that unfinished tasks are always re-entered on the same day they came from.

What if you have a 6 week project? I'd have to keep going back to the day that the project started because successive work must be recorded on that page? To me, that kills the beauty of little and often and having my day's list in front of me for focus and determination. I'd find it highly distracting to have to go back to previous pages to find my projects. I usually have several projects. I like to have my today list to guide my focus. Just out of curiosity, why did you change the rule for this? Also, how do you handle CI? Do you have to flip back to the page the CI was started until you've completed it? Do have to comb your many lists to bundle work such as follow up calls or emails? It seems to me that this would fracture focus for any ongoing or follow up work. My understanding was that DIT was created to learn how to do work in = work out vs ever growing lists. CI and projects queue wasn't buried in previous days. Each day the WILL DO list is a road map to having a successful work day. I LOVE the focus that it provides. That's all I have to worry about for today unless I want to do more. Nothing slips through the cracks. What if you don't get to the project that you started on a page a month ago, a follow up a week ago, etc? It weakens the beauty of DIT's main principles for me at least. How do you know what you'll do today if you must flip to other pages to find your work?

I'm not saying your new rules won't work. I'm simply stating that they don't align with the principles of DIT. You've only got a grace period of about 4 days in DIT. Otherwise, it's a backlog. I don't like the idea of keeping current on ongoing work be labeled as a backlog. Dit's little and often recognized the incremental progress as current. I system is different than DIT as written but these new rules violate DIT as written with little and often and follow up work as I see it. I could be wrong.

p.s.
I suppose that I'm saying that having incremental progress written on my today's list reminds me and encourages SURE progress. Also DIT insures that nothing slips through the cracks. The new rule of only working on the page that the work was created and not allowing it on my today's list might cause things to slip through the cracks unless I tabbed those pages. Even then having my MITs in front of me helps both my focus on ensuring I do the right work and also helps to prevent things from slipping through the cracks. This is how it affects my brain. Others may be adept at remembering which pages to go back to.

Secondly, if you must record work only on the original day, that day's pages will get very long if it's a long term project. I like using a rolling list similar to AndreasE's DSAF most of the time. If not properly checked, the list could get very long unless you weed out completed pages between today and 6 weeks ago. LOL!

Thanks Mark, Learning, et.al on ways to use a randomizer with DIT. I think my modification will be to continue to use a MIT hotlist, up to but no more than 11 items, and add yesterday's tasks to the randomizer as well. Then run through the book as usual.

Hi Mark
Mea Culpa. I forgot about task level. I write very little of my work at one unit task level. I usually will write a guideline to get either a chunk of the job done or an hours guide. My form of DIT is probably based more on the over-riding principles rather than the rules set. I should remember that.

I also don't re-write tasks on the same page. I hope to get the proposed unit of work done at the end of the day. If not, I just carry it to the next available day. Even if I pick at it until it's done, I don't rewrite it. Different strokes...

Hi Veghead Jones
I agree with you. I like choosing MITs and I like getting them done sooner than later. If my day gets derailed for whatever reason, at least I worked on them while I had the opportunity.

Today went well so I didn't have a chance to try out your tweak. I'm sure I don't have to wait too long for resistance to eventually show up.

Hi Cricket
There aren't too many systems. Mark offers different systems to have options or to help people find what methods help them. I've been using the same system for a long time yet I'm still learning tweaks and work arounds to add to my knowledge base. Even though you don't necessarily want to change your system, much can be learned here to better accommodate various work situations.

Besides, much of what Mark presents aren't full blown systems. Many of these ideas are just implementing different rule sets to any list. They are meant to help you be more effective via reducing resistance. I've been doing randomization for years but I've learned new ways to approach it. I can't wait to try Veghead Jones idea for resistance. Sometimes reading these posts also helps me to clarify the reasons behind why things work well or not for me. Test what you like. Pass on what you don't. No heat.

Furthermore, coming here for a bit of a break beats going to a site that can take hours away from you, yeah?

Learning, love this:
"Without learning DIT I would have never known that I have the freedom to do the list in any order. Another huge lesson was little and often. I always felt guilty if I didn't do work in larger units of time. That can create HUGE resistance. Mark's little and often actually helps me to do more work..."

That's exactly my experience. I try to avoid rules about the order of tasks, because I rebel against them. That was the problem that developed with SMEMA for me--yes, even with that short list.

I quit using my DIT little-and-often system of deleting tasks more than 3 days past due. My life fell apart. I was depressed, hopeless, unmotivated, and unproductive. I went back to it just as I was doing before and am stunned by the return of my positive outlook and productivity. I am still trying to understand why this works so beautifully for me, but I am glad that I quit using it and returned. Now I KNOW it works for me and it wasn't just a fluke.

Hi Mel
That's good to know, yeah. For me, one of the criteria for my little system to be effective is the relative ease to both keep me headed in the right direction and the ease of getting back on track. Sometimes getting off track is created by unexpected, health, outside circumstances or people. It's also created by my stinking attitude! Whatever the reason, my little system allows me to simply say "Cowboy up!" without any hard rules getting in my way. LOL! Yet, I'm always open to learning new ways to help me do my work as painlessly as possible. Flexibility is key for me to be reliable. I'm glad you've found what you need. I'm looking forward for your review post of "A year of living productively" What a great series!

p.s.
I don't delete a task unless it's done or rendered irrelevant. Like you, I don't allow arbitrary rules to get in my way unless it's an actual law. I set objectives for myself and keep to my habits but they don't feel like rules because I decided it's what I want. When I was a kid, my dad said my middle name should have been Why. If I didn't understand why, I was less willing to follow it unless I was forced. Sometimes I even took a wooping in order to "take a stand" LOL!

You're a sweet, smart lady, Learning. It seems like you are more disciplined than I am in some regards. Maybe not. But I completely understand the "asking why." This is the hallmark of a bright, independent thinker. We don't respect that as much as we should!

You said, "I set objectives for myself and keep to my habits but they don't feel like rules because I decided it's what I want." That's exactly what I discovered. As a Scanner, Multipotentialite, Renaissance Woman (or whatever you want to call it), I realized that I have to use a method like my DIT modification to keep doing all the activities I love. It's not a have to; it's a want to. Focusing on MITs feels like have-to's for me. That's probably because I feel like I'm wrong to want to do all of these activities. I "should" just keep the house clean, focus on homeschooling, and maybe a little church work. That's not who I am and I'm finally in a place where I'm not ashamed of that.

I was already considering modifying my approach to go back to DIT's Today-page concept, and Mark's post convinced me that it might indeed be a good idea!

So far, I'm finding that I'm clearing quite some old stuff from my list both by doing them and by deleting obsolete things. BTW, I didn't start a new list, I just modified the way I'm processing my existing list. I don't like auditing whenever I fall behind on DIT, because it always feels 'heavy'. The randomizer approach helps to delete tasks that have become irrelevant or that I don't want to do anymore, without having to look at all of them at the same time.

And I forgot to mention that coffitivity.com has become an essential part of my routine. That site is brilliant! It's just enough background noise to keep me from being distracted by every sound or movement of my colleagues, and it's unobtrusive enough that somewhat important intrusions still get my attention.

Seraphim, it's not different from what I've been doing for several months, but here are the basic rules:

1. Add all non-urgent incoming work to tomorrow's list per DIT rules (urgent is handled today)
2. Do as much of a task as you care to do (even getting out the folder) on today's list. Cross off and re-add any tasks not completed to tomorrow's list.
3. Any tasks that are more than 3 days overdue are deleted (blacked out or torn out if using paper)

Here is my work flow:

I first look at today's tasks that I must do today. Some of these I have given this designation digitally prior to today and others may need that designation after reviewing them today.

Second, I look at tasks that are 3 days overdue if I have any. If I don't do those today, they will be deleted.

Third, I look at tasks that have a hard deadline coming up soon. For example, I have speech prep on my list. It isn't a must-do today, but since I am giving the speech Friday, it's important that I prepare.

Fourth, I look at days with many tasks. If I have a lot of tasks on the list (day) that is two days overdue, I know many of them will be deleted the following day. I will work to whittle down that list, especially if I know I have a lot of commitments that will prevent me working on the list.

Note that I say "look at." I avoid making rules for myself like "You HAVE to do today's must-do's first." That may not make sense. I choose to have as much freedom in working as possible.

One thing that is hugely important to me is that I do not panic when I have a large list. I have to do as little as I feel like doing to keep the task alive. It could conceivably take me 30 minutes to move a list of 30 tasks forward. Or I could leave tasks to get deleted and this is a good thing. I need an automatic method for trimming the list.

To restore tasks to the list that have been deleted, I have to take any action on them. I do NOT allow myself to add them to the list until I have done so. I haven't ever had occasion to do this. When I have done a deleted task, I've finished it.

I also do not add tasks to tomorrow's list that I know I won't want to move forward in the next few days. I either add these to a date that I will be ready to manage them or to a sort of someday/maybe list. For example, I will add a new speaking engagement to work on to tomorrow's list if I will be speaking in a few months. Getting work done early is a huge advantage of this approach for me. If the speaking engagement isn't for six months or more, I will add it to a date a few months out.

I don't know if my approach will work for anyone but me. But I'm so glad to finally have found something that DOES work for me. These are Mark's methods and even the deletion of tasks was his idea. I just changed the time frame.

I'm writing my A Year of Living Productively ebook with this approach. Will see how long it takes!

Learning, I said, "Too many systems to remember," not just, "Too many systems." I like having many systems.

Melanie, I agree. Sometimes what seems like a better system can really throw a wrench into things. Sometimes we learn the system really doesn't work for us at all. I find some systems work better when I have several major projects, some work better when there are many mosquitoes. Some work better when there are both mosquitoes and projects. And some plain don't work for us. I like how your series looked at what worked and what didn't work for each system you tested.

Why do they expect you to limit yourself? In my community, limiting women to the traditional jobs is considered abusive. It wastes their gifts, and makes them dependent on others who might not be there.

That's different remembering that your primary responsibility is to your family (so is your husband's), and together you have chosen, for now, based on skills, interest, and practical considerations, to divide the labour in a certain way.

I'd much rather have many interests and temporarily (possibly until my next life) give up on a few than to have no interests at all. (No interests is a sign of clinical depression.) The challenge is deciding which ones are important to you now (which includes looking ahead), and keeping priorities straight. Restricting yourself to house, homeschool and church is putting all your emotional and growth eggs in one basket. (Remember how many people get depressed when quit work, regardless of finances.) You have gifts and responsibilities in those areas, but you also have gifts in other areas. Don't let those gifts go to waste.

Many of my "shoulds" have been dropped. Sometimes examining the "why" turns it into a "want". Often thinking through it changes the goal.

I _should_ make my front yard beautiful. That's what we responsible, good-neighbour suburbanites do, despite the big spruce tree and watering bans. I _want_ to see something tidy and calming when I arrive home. I also want the benefits of gardening (exercise, connection to nature, calmness, pride, all those chemicals in the soil that help us feel better). I _don't want_ the sore back, blisters, and frustration that often come with gardening. Result: Bulbs, shade plants, perennials. Assign son to mow. Get doodads from the dollar store to fill in the gaps. Walk for exercise, especially after a rain. Enjoy time with daughter choosing and planting. Enjoy neighbours' gardens and talk to them while they're enjoying them. (Extra benefits: Community and friends, sometimes ideas for my own yard.) My yard still doesn't welcome me when I come home, but no longer feel I need to keep up with the neighbours.

Nicole, I found that looking looking at projects individually wasn't enough. I always have room to hold on to one more goal. Remember to keep the big picture in mind.

Cricket, I always appreciate your perspective. When I said I felt pressure to just settle down and done my basic responsibilities, there is no "they" asking me to do that. It's a general perception because of people telling me what they think I should focus on. The idea is "there's one thing you're best at." Doesn't work for me! :-)

I just didn't make myself clear. I had quit using my tweak to DIT for a little while and now I am back to it and am certain that it's effective for me (at least in this season of my life).

Seraphim, yes. It's DIT plus deleting tasks more than 3 days past due. BUT I also use little and often for everything -- not just big projects. That seems to be the key for me. If I have "mail letter" on my list, I may just find an envelope. I really hate mailing things for some reason. lol I'm sure you will find the right fit of approaches for you.