Discussion Forum > Remembering things with no-list -- a DIT-like approach
By the way, this method scratches the "catch-all" itch without actually introducing all the problems with catch-all. I've got a systematic place to capture anything that needs capturing, but without any implication that I am obligated to work on any of it.
April 1, 2016 at 20:57 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Inspired by Mark's latest newsletter, and the Two Book Dart method for reading a book (which Mark describes at http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/4/2/how-to-read-a-book-once-twice.html ), I've been modifying this DIT-like approach slightly.
Rather than treating the DIT list like an inbox, I use the Two Book Dart approach like this:
(1.) Put two Book Darts on (or near) the first unfinished task still listed in the DIT task diary.
(2.) At various times through the day, find the earliest Book Dart. From that point, read through the tasks for as long as you want. Delete whatever tasks are already done or no longer relevant. When you have read as many tasks as you want to read, move the Book Dart to the point where you stopped reading.
(3.) Repeat (2.) until both Book Darts are on the last task of today's page. At that point, start again from (1.)
This seems to work best just before I take a break, or just before end of the day. Then while I am on the break, my mind is thinking about what I just read. Then when I come back to my desk, I write out my 5T list on my whiteboard, and get moving. Next time I do my read-through, I find that most of the "important" tasks are getting done.
When doing step (2.), sometimes I just read a couple of tasks, sometimes I read the whole list, sometimes a bit in between. I seem to "stumble" over the hard tasks, which causes me to stop reading. I guess that's where my mind wants to stop so it can let the hard task percolate.
I suppose this approach would work with any kind of catch-all list, even a free-form "Open List" or journal. But I like using it with a DIT-like task diary, so I defer new tasks till tomorrow.
Anyway, this has been a fun experiment, we'll see where it goes.
Rather than treating the DIT list like an inbox, I use the Two Book Dart approach like this:
(1.) Put two Book Darts on (or near) the first unfinished task still listed in the DIT task diary.
(2.) At various times through the day, find the earliest Book Dart. From that point, read through the tasks for as long as you want. Delete whatever tasks are already done or no longer relevant. When you have read as many tasks as you want to read, move the Book Dart to the point where you stopped reading.
(3.) Repeat (2.) until both Book Darts are on the last task of today's page. At that point, start again from (1.)
This seems to work best just before I take a break, or just before end of the day. Then while I am on the break, my mind is thinking about what I just read. Then when I come back to my desk, I write out my 5T list on my whiteboard, and get moving. Next time I do my read-through, I find that most of the "important" tasks are getting done.
When doing step (2.), sometimes I just read a couple of tasks, sometimes I read the whole list, sometimes a bit in between. I seem to "stumble" over the hard tasks, which causes me to stop reading. I guess that's where my mind wants to stop so it can let the hard task percolate.
I suppose this approach would work with any kind of catch-all list, even a free-form "Open List" or journal. But I like using it with a DIT-like task diary, so I defer new tasks till tomorrow.
Anyway, this has been a fun experiment, we'll see where it goes.
April 5, 2016 at 16:44 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
For example, I've struggled with how to remember the random things that come up during the day, that I need to remember to do. I don't want to act on these immediately, so they don't belong on my "5T" list. They don't belong on my calendar, and I don't like using reminders in Outlook or on my phone. Eventually I just started capturing these on my whiteboard in a "dynamic list" that'd I'd try to clear out by the end of each day. But often, this list would sit till the end of the day, and I'd scramble at the end of the day to decide what to do with it all and clear it all out (following Mark's advice about "dynamic lists" -- throw them out at the end of the day).
So I decided I'd break Mark's rule and clear it out the next morning, together with clearing out my inbox.
And then I realized, this is just DIT with a twist! That side list works exactly like the Task Diary in DIT, but with this important difference. When I process the list in the morning, I treat it like an Inbox rather than like a Will Do list.
I always loved DIT, so once I made this realization, it was easy to work a new habit into my workflow. Whenever some new task or idea comes up, I just write it into my journal on tomorrow's page. And then, one of the first things I do in the morning is clear out that page. But I treat it like an inbox. I don't commit to DOING everything there -- I just make sure I DEAL WITH IT, just like dealing with yesterday's email.
Perhaps that is how Mark intended the Task Diary to be cleared out every day all along! But that's not how I was implementing DIT myself in the past, when DIT was the center of my time management. I treated it more as "I need to make adequate process on everything on this list every day". Treating it like an *inbox* that I need to clear out gives it a whole different feel.
Anyway, this relieves all that stress with no-list about what to do when "things come up" that I need to remember, or just want to deal with later. I just write them onto that DIT list, and clear it out the next day. 5T remains the center of how I actually manage my work and attention through the day -- which means, it's alive, and engaging, and conscious, and relevant, and unburdened by long lists of undone work. I'm pretty happy with this.