Discussion Forum > Ruminations - tradeoffs between DIT and AF1
Making your AF1 list the perpetual Current Initiative ?
If you look closely you can see that the AF1 list is the DIT Task Diary minus the Diary part but plus the functions of the CI. And then some Autofocus additions like dismissal...
If you look closely you can see that the AF1 list is the DIT Task Diary minus the Diary part but plus the functions of the CI. And then some Autofocus additions like dismissal...
January 15, 2015 at 17:33 |
Christopher
Christopher
For me, enough balance means using various TM methods and alternating them. So my tip is using both DIT and AF1 (methods which suits you best) and change them as you need - several times per week or several times per month ... You do not need to plan it, just wait until you e.g. feel that by using one method (DIT) you are not doing enough exploratory work... and swap them.
January 15, 2015 at 18:02 |
Daneb
Daneb
Seraphim:
Maybe you should stop worrying about what you could have done, and concentrate on doing what you actually are doing as well as possible.
Maybe you should stop worrying about what you could have done, and concentrate on doing what you actually are doing as well as possible.
January 15, 2015 at 19:00 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Hi Mark -
I don't worry about what I could have done. I stay in my flow and get stuff done.
Later, looking back at what I got done, I do like the fact that I've got lots of good results. But sometimes it's not the right balance. Like most of us here, (including yourself I believe?), I am looking for better methods, structures, and systems to get that right balance of results.
Between AF1 and DIT, I tend to prefer DIT, because it keeps me focused on the most important results, and I get a lot of satisfaction from that sense of having finished my work every day. But I've found it doesn't handle the percolation of opportunities as well as AF1 does. I need to find a way to get both of those benefits more consistently.
I don't worry about what I could have done. I stay in my flow and get stuff done.
Later, looking back at what I got done, I do like the fact that I've got lots of good results. But sometimes it's not the right balance. Like most of us here, (including yourself I believe?), I am looking for better methods, structures, and systems to get that right balance of results.
Between AF1 and DIT, I tend to prefer DIT, because it keeps me focused on the most important results, and I get a lot of satisfaction from that sense of having finished my work every day. But I've found it doesn't handle the percolation of opportunities as well as AF1 does. I need to find a way to get both of those benefits more consistently.
January 15, 2015 at 19:30 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
While looking for something else on the site, I ran across some old discussions where we discussed different ways of trying to get the best of both AF1 and DIT.
Here are some links - for my future reference, if for no other purpose :-)
- AutoDIT series of discussions - http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1699249
- AF1 improvement - http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1690127
Here are some links - for my future reference, if for no other purpose :-)
- AutoDIT series of discussions - http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1699249
- AF1 improvement - http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1690127
January 16, 2015 at 1:36 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Seraphim:
Thanks for posting those links. It's very interesting re-reading old discussions!
I don't think the discussion on AF1 improvements ever came to any definite conclusions. This is partly because my idea of an improvement is to make a system simpler, while everyone else's seems to be to make it more complicated.
Anyway here's my thoughts from re-reading the discussion on how to improve AF1:
1. Start each day where previous day's work started.
This encourages concentration on what one is doing rather than on what one might do.
2. Abolish dismissal.
One result of this would be that pages could be skipped, allowing faster processing of urgent items. And also consolidation of pages (see next modification)
3. Consolidation of old pages.
This could have very interesting results, as it would gradually produce a more and more concentrated collection of undone (and undoable?) tasks. But how to "automate" this? The simplest way would be to rewrite whenever you could get two or more adjoining pages onto one page.
The net result of all this would be a fast-moving system in which there is a clearer distinction between stuff that's active and stuff which isn't. Hopefully that would result in an improvement in the auto focus aspect of the system (which is what it's supposed to be all about).
Thanks for posting those links. It's very interesting re-reading old discussions!
I don't think the discussion on AF1 improvements ever came to any definite conclusions. This is partly because my idea of an improvement is to make a system simpler, while everyone else's seems to be to make it more complicated.
Anyway here's my thoughts from re-reading the discussion on how to improve AF1:
1. Start each day where previous day's work started.
This encourages concentration on what one is doing rather than on what one might do.
2. Abolish dismissal.
One result of this would be that pages could be skipped, allowing faster processing of urgent items. And also consolidation of pages (see next modification)
3. Consolidation of old pages.
This could have very interesting results, as it would gradually produce a more and more concentrated collection of undone (and undoable?) tasks. But how to "automate" this? The simplest way would be to rewrite whenever you could get two or more adjoining pages onto one page.
The net result of all this would be a fast-moving system in which there is a clearer distinction between stuff that's active and stuff which isn't. Hopefully that would result in an improvement in the auto focus aspect of the system (which is what it's supposed to be all about).
January 16, 2015 at 8:46 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
This morning I tried out my proposals in the above post, and found that the effect of them was to completely remove my motivation to do anything at all!
January 16, 2015 at 12:15 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Hi all,
I'm using AF1 extensively. I just love the universal capture and the flow. Like most on this site, I suspect, I've cycled through all of the systems at one time or another.
The bits of AF1 where I get anxious are:
(1) Worrying about dismissal
(2) Worrying I might be missing an urgent task buried in the pages.
(3) Trying to focus on the list when my mind is nagging me about something else.
My slight mods that cope with these three are:
(1) Dismiss according to the rules anyway and make sure I have "Review dismissed tasks" on my list, perhaps several times, so I can rest easy that nothing will be forgotten. This is part of the rules but seems to be easily forgotten.
(2) When the worry comes up I review the list to put my mind at rest. On busy days I brain dump what's on my mind for the day at the end of the list, review the whole list for anything else urgent that day, and work this newly created sub-list as if it was an AF1 page. The first time I pass through the urgent sub-list without actioning a task I go back to normal page-by-page AF1 processing. This process can provide a similar 'day focus' to DIT even though the list for the day is generated differently. I also use calendar reminders liberally.
(3) I figure AF1 is about intuition. If my mind keeps nagging me about something then I go do it and come back to the list afterwards. This is basically the same as Mark's rule about using common sense when an emergency crops up. Some days I go from job to job as my intuition leads me and only start on the list later in the day when the intuition dries up.
Hope some of this is relevant to the question and helps. It keeps me happily occupied anyway,
Best Wishes
Matt
I'm using AF1 extensively. I just love the universal capture and the flow. Like most on this site, I suspect, I've cycled through all of the systems at one time or another.
The bits of AF1 where I get anxious are:
(1) Worrying about dismissal
(2) Worrying I might be missing an urgent task buried in the pages.
(3) Trying to focus on the list when my mind is nagging me about something else.
My slight mods that cope with these three are:
(1) Dismiss according to the rules anyway and make sure I have "Review dismissed tasks" on my list, perhaps several times, so I can rest easy that nothing will be forgotten. This is part of the rules but seems to be easily forgotten.
(2) When the worry comes up I review the list to put my mind at rest. On busy days I brain dump what's on my mind for the day at the end of the list, review the whole list for anything else urgent that day, and work this newly created sub-list as if it was an AF1 page. The first time I pass through the urgent sub-list without actioning a task I go back to normal page-by-page AF1 processing. This process can provide a similar 'day focus' to DIT even though the list for the day is generated differently. I also use calendar reminders liberally.
(3) I figure AF1 is about intuition. If my mind keeps nagging me about something then I go do it and come back to the list afterwards. This is basically the same as Mark's rule about using common sense when an emergency crops up. Some days I go from job to job as my intuition leads me and only start on the list later in the day when the intuition dries up.
Hope some of this is relevant to the question and helps. It keeps me happily occupied anyway,
Best Wishes
Matt
January 16, 2015 at 14:54 |
Matt Gregory
Matt Gregory
Try combining Random with FV. Seems to allow an incredible amount of flexibility in terms of flow state (pure random) and working on commitments (FV if and when necessary). Just start with a random task and create an FV list from that starting point, if you need to.
January 17, 2015 at 2:59 |
Paul MacNeil
Paul MacNeil
Paul MacNeil:
<< Try combining Random with FV.>>
Glad to hear it's still going well for you. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet as I've been experimenting with some other stuff.
<< Try combining Random with FV.>>
Glad to hear it's still going well for you. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet as I've been experimenting with some other stuff.
January 17, 2015 at 9:09 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Thanks, everyone, who posted to this thread - there are many good ideas here, and reading them all has helped me clarify my own thinking and priorities.
For now, I've decided to try setting aside the last hour or so of the workday for working my AF1 list. This just means I need to complete the DIT list by 4pm instead of 5pm (assuming an ordinary work day for me).
I've also had to remind myself that most of my results seem to come from the larger habits, schedule, and structures, and not from my list-processing algorithms. Reminding myself of this, I've decided to try to stick to the Lean concept "Measure, Learn, Adapt", rather than "Get Frustrated, Throw Out, and Start Over". :-)
At the moment, I'm basically following standard DIT; with an added "time journal" for tracking what I actually do and when; as well as an AF1 grass-catcher list that I keep on the side (and almost never process). I keep all of these in a Moleskine Volant Large notebook - it just seems to be the perfect size and thickness for this kind of stuff. :-)
The time journal, or "Done List" as I prefer to call it, has really been the key element of this collection of tools. It enables and encourages me to reflect back over the day, and see what went well, what didn't, and why. The DIT part helps me stay focused on driving toward "done" for the day, and to push myself just a little harder to get ALL of it done.
The AF1 list gives me a place to park the ideas and optional tasks that would otherwise clutter up the DIT list. But I rarely refer back to it.
I've been tempted to throw it all out and try different ways to combine AF1 and DIT, but I know that would take a lot of time (which I can't really spare), and would probably just be an exercise in the over-optimization of input processing. That's not what I'm really after. The things I've been doing to manage the day-to-day work have really been working quite well. I think they need to be adjusted but not thrown out.
So, back to Measure, Learn, Adapt. The DONE list itself is the "Measure". It tracks what I actually did, and when, and makes it really easy to see where the time actually goes.
The "Learn" is simply taking a few minutes at the end of each day to review the DONE list and jot down any observations or feelings about the day as a whole: "great results in meeting this morning, keep up the focus", "that presentation took a lot longer to create than I thought it would", "too many meetings today", "still haven't touched AF1 list", etc. I've also been looking back over these notes at the end of the week, to think a little more deeply about why I got the results I did.
The "Adapt", in the spirit of Lean, is to consciously introduce specific small changes, and check the results. These should be like little experiments. If they go well, keep them. If not, then roll them back.
I've got two experiments in mind. One is the AF1 hour, at the end of the day. The other is a #workingoutloud idea, to post a weekly summary of my DONE list and my observations about it, on our corporate social media site, where my manager and team (and the whole company) can see it. I'll let you know how they work out.
For now, I've decided to try setting aside the last hour or so of the workday for working my AF1 list. This just means I need to complete the DIT list by 4pm instead of 5pm (assuming an ordinary work day for me).
I've also had to remind myself that most of my results seem to come from the larger habits, schedule, and structures, and not from my list-processing algorithms. Reminding myself of this, I've decided to try to stick to the Lean concept "Measure, Learn, Adapt", rather than "Get Frustrated, Throw Out, and Start Over". :-)
At the moment, I'm basically following standard DIT; with an added "time journal" for tracking what I actually do and when; as well as an AF1 grass-catcher list that I keep on the side (and almost never process). I keep all of these in a Moleskine Volant Large notebook - it just seems to be the perfect size and thickness for this kind of stuff. :-)
The time journal, or "Done List" as I prefer to call it, has really been the key element of this collection of tools. It enables and encourages me to reflect back over the day, and see what went well, what didn't, and why. The DIT part helps me stay focused on driving toward "done" for the day, and to push myself just a little harder to get ALL of it done.
The AF1 list gives me a place to park the ideas and optional tasks that would otherwise clutter up the DIT list. But I rarely refer back to it.
I've been tempted to throw it all out and try different ways to combine AF1 and DIT, but I know that would take a lot of time (which I can't really spare), and would probably just be an exercise in the over-optimization of input processing. That's not what I'm really after. The things I've been doing to manage the day-to-day work have really been working quite well. I think they need to be adjusted but not thrown out.
So, back to Measure, Learn, Adapt. The DONE list itself is the "Measure". It tracks what I actually did, and when, and makes it really easy to see where the time actually goes.
The "Learn" is simply taking a few minutes at the end of each day to review the DONE list and jot down any observations or feelings about the day as a whole: "great results in meeting this morning, keep up the focus", "that presentation took a lot longer to create than I thought it would", "too many meetings today", "still haven't touched AF1 list", etc. I've also been looking back over these notes at the end of the week, to think a little more deeply about why I got the results I did.
The "Adapt", in the spirit of Lean, is to consciously introduce specific small changes, and check the results. These should be like little experiments. If they go well, keep them. If not, then roll them back.
I've got two experiments in mind. One is the AF1 hour, at the end of the day. The other is a #workingoutloud idea, to post a weekly summary of my DONE list and my observations about it, on our corporate social media site, where my manager and team (and the whole company) can see it. I'll let you know how they work out.
January 18, 2015 at 0:50 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Interesting stuff, Seraphim. One of the changes I am making this year is to leave Sundays as a true free day. I have no expectations for what I will do with the day. The first day for me to do that was yesterday. I got some interesting results.
I have a goal to finish a scrapbook project every quarter and I've reserved Friday nights to work on it. Friday night came and that was the last thing I wanted to do. It may be that it's just a bad time for me to do anything. But I suspect it's also because I have the expectation of more productivity. I rebel against that because I muscle through my days as it is and use up all my will to do things I *should* do.
So Sunday came around and I had the desire to work on the scrapbooks and did. Not only that, but I worked my butt off doing cleaning tasks I've put off for months. The only explanation I have is that I had no expectations of myself for the day. I am wondering if you didn't make 4-5 your AF list time, but your time to do whatever you wish if you wouldn't have better results. Or, if that isn't a good time for that, perhaps you can reserve other time for doing whatever you wish. The one thing I kept repeating to myself is that I didn't HAVE to do whatever I was doing. I could stop whenever I chose. I found myself saying (not out loud - lol) that it was okay; I would keep going.
This worked so well that I may have do whatever I wish times during the day as well.
I have a goal to finish a scrapbook project every quarter and I've reserved Friday nights to work on it. Friday night came and that was the last thing I wanted to do. It may be that it's just a bad time for me to do anything. But I suspect it's also because I have the expectation of more productivity. I rebel against that because I muscle through my days as it is and use up all my will to do things I *should* do.
So Sunday came around and I had the desire to work on the scrapbooks and did. Not only that, but I worked my butt off doing cleaning tasks I've put off for months. The only explanation I have is that I had no expectations of myself for the day. I am wondering if you didn't make 4-5 your AF list time, but your time to do whatever you wish if you wouldn't have better results. Or, if that isn't a good time for that, perhaps you can reserve other time for doing whatever you wish. The one thing I kept repeating to myself is that I didn't HAVE to do whatever I was doing. I could stop whenever I chose. I found myself saying (not out loud - lol) that it was okay; I would keep going.
This worked so well that I may have do whatever I wish times during the day as well.
January 19, 2015 at 19:51 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
One more thing, Seraphim. I read the book, The Magic of Tidying, over the holidays. It's pretty woo-woo in parts, but something clicked. I don't know if it's because I grew up with very little, but I hang on to so many things that deep down I know I'll never use. I'm not a hoarder at all. I declutter a lot, but because I have a large home with plenty of storage, I have a LOT of stuff. I didn't realize how hard I was making my life because of it. What do you choose to wear when you have a big closet full of clothes?
I have gotten rid of half of my clothes, leaving only the items that I LOVE--not the things that I might wear, have worn, spent good money for, etc., but the things that I am crazy about. Yes, even underwear! Why keep underwear that you wouldn't want to get into an accident in? ;-)
So anyway, I am starting to apply this same way of thinking to my tasks. I am kind of like my big house. I can do a LOT of things. I have the energy for it. But I do a lot of things that aren't necessary that I don't love. Of course, there are things I have to do that I will never love, but what about my discretionary time? Shouldn't that be taken up with things I'm passionate about doing? Wouldn't my life be so much easier if I just ejected half the things that are on my list??
Example. I get tons of email about blogging, organizing, homeschooling, writing, entrepreneurship, life change, exercise, yadda yadda. I don't need to read them! I've already got a Ph.D. in those things because I've read so much. I know what I need to do. I can pretty much delete all the "tasks" around these that aren't going to help me get my curriculum published. And here's the other truth that has set me free: if I don't do something the week I hear about it, I probably won't do it. By the time I "have time," I will have discovered something else that fascinates me. Yes, it helps me to write it down -- like a wish list of sorts. But I don't need to look at it again. I'm too busy doing the things I love right now.
I am going to blog about this because I'm passionate about it!
I have gotten rid of half of my clothes, leaving only the items that I LOVE--not the things that I might wear, have worn, spent good money for, etc., but the things that I am crazy about. Yes, even underwear! Why keep underwear that you wouldn't want to get into an accident in? ;-)
So anyway, I am starting to apply this same way of thinking to my tasks. I am kind of like my big house. I can do a LOT of things. I have the energy for it. But I do a lot of things that aren't necessary that I don't love. Of course, there are things I have to do that I will never love, but what about my discretionary time? Shouldn't that be taken up with things I'm passionate about doing? Wouldn't my life be so much easier if I just ejected half the things that are on my list??
Example. I get tons of email about blogging, organizing, homeschooling, writing, entrepreneurship, life change, exercise, yadda yadda. I don't need to read them! I've already got a Ph.D. in those things because I've read so much. I know what I need to do. I can pretty much delete all the "tasks" around these that aren't going to help me get my curriculum published. And here's the other truth that has set me free: if I don't do something the week I hear about it, I probably won't do it. By the time I "have time," I will have discovered something else that fascinates me. Yes, it helps me to write it down -- like a wish list of sorts. But I don't need to look at it again. I'm too busy doing the things I love right now.
I am going to blog about this because I'm passionate about it!
January 19, 2015 at 20:13 |
Melanie Wilson
Melanie Wilson
@Seraphim
"Here are some links - for my future reference, if for no other purpose :-)
- AutoDIT series of discussions - http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1699249
- AF1 improvement - http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1690127 "
I followed the link about the AF1 improvement and I found Mr.Forster saying :
"We've now established that we can make AF1 more effective within the existing rules by starting each day on the page where the first entry for the previous day is located."
I'm very interested in reading the discussion that led to the idea of "starting each day on the page where the first entry for the previous day is located" but I'm not able to find it.
Can someone help?
Thanks
"Here are some links - for my future reference, if for no other purpose :-)
- AutoDIT series of discussions - http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1699249
- AF1 improvement - http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1690127 "
I followed the link about the AF1 improvement and I found Mr.Forster saying :
"We've now established that we can make AF1 more effective within the existing rules by starting each day on the page where the first entry for the previous day is located."
I'm very interested in reading the discussion that led to the idea of "starting each day on the page where the first entry for the previous day is located" but I'm not able to find it.
Can someone help?
Thanks
January 22, 2015 at 14:53 |
nick61
nick61
nick61 - see this rather cryptic post from Mark, and the discussion that follows.
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1688987#post1689244
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/1688987#post1689244
January 22, 2015 at 16:01 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Seraphim: Thank you, a very interesting reading
January 23, 2015 at 15:18 |
nick61
nick61
Hi Melanie -
<< One of the changes I am making this year is to leave Sundays as a true free day. I have no expectations for what I will do with the day. >>
I've been doing this too, and I like it. Gives me more time with the family, or with things that are a high priority for the family and my wife (and not just things that are high priority on my DIT list. LOL!)
<< One of the changes I am making this year is to leave Sundays as a true free day. I have no expectations for what I will do with the day. >>
I've been doing this too, and I like it. Gives me more time with the family, or with things that are a high priority for the family and my wife (and not just things that are high priority on my DIT list. LOL!)
February 5, 2015 at 18:38 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Hi Melanie -
<< I get tons of email about blogging, organizing, homeschooling, writing, entrepreneurship, life change, exercise, yadda yadda. I don't need to read them! I've already got a Ph.D. in those things because I've read so much. >>
Yes, I hear you! My Feedly app was turning into another Inbox to clear - and for what purpose? I've taken to reading a lot less reading on the Internet, and spending more time with solid books. It's been so much more fruitful.
<< And here's the other truth that has set me free: if I don't do something the week I hear about it, I probably won't do it. >>
I think this is one reason why I keep coming back to DIT. It helps keep that principle front-and-center. Which leads me to my next post...
<< I get tons of email about blogging, organizing, homeschooling, writing, entrepreneurship, life change, exercise, yadda yadda. I don't need to read them! I've already got a Ph.D. in those things because I've read so much. >>
Yes, I hear you! My Feedly app was turning into another Inbox to clear - and for what purpose? I've taken to reading a lot less reading on the Internet, and spending more time with solid books. It's been so much more fruitful.
<< And here's the other truth that has set me free: if I don't do something the week I hear about it, I probably won't do it. >>
I think this is one reason why I keep coming back to DIT. It helps keep that principle front-and-center. Which leads me to my next post...
February 5, 2015 at 18:43 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Earlier I posted:
<< I've got two experiments in mind.>>
Here is an update.
<< One is the AF1 hour, at the end of the day.>>
The "AF1 Hour" idea didn't work at all. I just could not get in the hang of finishing my DIT list an hour early and then switch to AF1. So I'm stopping that experiment. Instead, I've stopped adding to my AF1 list, and to clear the old AF1 items, I've been pulling a page from my AF1 notebook into my DIT list from time to time. Many of those items still need to be done (i.e., they would still bring value to me or my family or my work if I complete them).
But I'm fooling myself if I just keep deferring them. I really do need to stick to the "one day's incoming work to be processed every day, on average" rule. If I can't/won't do it now, then I am less likely to ever do it. "Now or never" seems to be working pretty well, unless something is truly blocked / waiting for someone else.
<< The other is a #workingoutloud idea, to post a weekly summary of my DONE list and my observations about it, on our corporate social media site, where my manager and team (and the whole company) can see it. I'll let you know how they work out. >>
The #workingoutloud idea is going OK. I'm having a hard time summarizing my DONE list in a reasonable way. But I've always struggled with that. I'm trying to limit myself to a tweet-sized summary of my day, and then distill all the days into a 2-tweet-sized summary of the week. Such a strict limit helps me stay a lot more focused.
<< I've got two experiments in mind.>>
Here is an update.
<< One is the AF1 hour, at the end of the day.>>
The "AF1 Hour" idea didn't work at all. I just could not get in the hang of finishing my DIT list an hour early and then switch to AF1. So I'm stopping that experiment. Instead, I've stopped adding to my AF1 list, and to clear the old AF1 items, I've been pulling a page from my AF1 notebook into my DIT list from time to time. Many of those items still need to be done (i.e., they would still bring value to me or my family or my work if I complete them).
But I'm fooling myself if I just keep deferring them. I really do need to stick to the "one day's incoming work to be processed every day, on average" rule. If I can't/won't do it now, then I am less likely to ever do it. "Now or never" seems to be working pretty well, unless something is truly blocked / waiting for someone else.
<< The other is a #workingoutloud idea, to post a weekly summary of my DONE list and my observations about it, on our corporate social media site, where my manager and team (and the whole company) can see it. I'll let you know how they work out. >>
The #workingoutloud idea is going OK. I'm having a hard time summarizing my DONE list in a reasonable way. But I've always struggled with that. I'm trying to limit myself to a tweet-sized summary of my day, and then distill all the days into a 2-tweet-sized summary of the week. Such a strict limit helps me stay a lot more focused.
February 5, 2015 at 18:51 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Here are some observations and some questions.
Both DIT and AF1 are really good at helping me get into a "flow" state, where I am totally focused on the work at hand, and things just move. This is a huge plus, and a big reason why I like these systems so much. And I also get a lot done, and get things moving.
But this "flow" is not enough by itself: I've still got to have a way to ensure I'm working on the RIGHT stuff and getting the RIGHT results.
With DIT, I feel great about getting my commitments finished, but don't feel that exploratory work gets enough attention, and I start to miss important opportunities.
With AF1, I feel great about the exploratory work: AF1 really helps me sort out the wheat from the chaff and find the opportunities with real value. But it's easy to lose sight of my commitments and hard objectives in the excitement of all these great opportunities.
What I really want is to find the right balance between BOTH of these areas. Ideally, I want a way to manage my work so that the balance happens automatically. When I am buried with commitments and deadlines, I don't have time for exploration, so I should just set aside all the opportunity-work. But when I have more free time, I want to be presented with more opportunities and things to percolate and find high-value potentials to explore.
I've tried using two lists simultaneously: using DIT for my main working list, and AF1 for my "grasscatcher" for things that have no hard deadline or implicit commitment. But I find that I get totally focused on the DIT list and clearing it every day, and never look at the AF1 list at all. If I do happen to browse through AF1, I find all kinds of things that make me go "Oh yeah! I really need to do that! I really need to look into that! That's a great idea, there's so much value there, I need to pursue that connection!" But since it's not in front of me all day every day, I allow my committed work on my DIT list to expand to fill the available time.
I *could* just do my committed work to an 80% level and it would be PERFECTLY FINE, and this would free up time for the AF1 stuff. But since all I ever really see is my DIT list, my AF1 list items are out-of-sight, out-of-mind, and they go stale, while I put all my attention on the DIT list.
I've tried scheduling time for working my AF1 list, but that just doesn't work. If the AF1 items are not fresh in my mind, I don't want to break the flow of working my DIT list, so I resist taking that scheduled time for AF1. When I *do* take the time for AF1, I find myself getting so engaged with it, that I don't want to return to my DIT list when my AF1 time is done. LOL
What I'd really like is a some kind of method for keeping both of these lists fresh in my mind, moving forward and getting closure on all the DIT items, and cycling/percolating all the AF1 items so they don't go stale, and auto-balancing the time spent in each of these areas as appropriate for my current level of commitments.
Anyone have any ideas? :-) Thanks!!!