Get Everything Done

Thanks to Nuntym's Adaptive Focus post, I started thinking about a different system. (Let me know if someone else invented this first. I know Mark was experimenting with reverse AF1.)

This system incorporates a task log and even handles my two nemeses: "three times this week" and recurring.

First draft: (Assuming you're familiar with FV)

Start with the most-recent line as the first benchmark, and work backwards. It's Friday, so my question is "want to do more on before the week is over".

Most of the time, stop looking after only a few pages. Thanks to Colley's Rule, you'll have a good-enough choice, and looking any more only delays work on the chosen task. Every so often, though, do the entire list and copy any tasks in danger of slipping to the newest page. (Weekly review?)

As with most of my systems, if you don't finish the project, copy the line to the newest page, but don't cross out the other instances until it's done. The copy on the current page will keep up momentum. The old instances throughout the book will allow you to quickly identify stalled tasks (still on the old page), and give the project an edge no matter what selection system you use. (If you keep copying it, it probably needs the edge.)

If it's a recurring task, write it on the newest line as if it were a new task. It will fail the question until it's time to do it again. (Erase the older one, though, because that instance was finished.)

If you use the book to record notes, only some of which create action, use a bullet in the margin for the action items. (I mix things up. If it's clearly a list, then no bullet. If it's mixed, I draw an open circle in the margin beside the action line. Once the action items are done, I either cross it out (throw away with finished book), or draw a box around it (archive).)

When you're done the task (at least for now), start over again at the now-newest line. This keeps the pressure on the current tasks.

Adding a huge batch might be a problem. Adding it to the new end would mean you have to read through them each time to reach the active part. Adding it to the old end would hide the fact that some of your tasks are getting very old. I suspect the best place will be last week. Out of your face, but not so far that you rarely look at it.

Option: If the list is looking stale, use a random number generator to pick the baseline task. Start comparing with the newest line.

Hmmm, seems to be more chasing the end of the list, but it's early moments yet. I've changed the question to "Which is more likely to not get done at all if I don't do it first?"

The system was derailed because too many new tasks were added. It was that sort of week. Also, it was hard to tell tasks that were completely done from tasks that were done but would repeat.

I also missed the hotlist of things to accomplish this week.

In better news, spring cleaning fever has finally hit.