Get Everything Done

LAO Accountability Grid, Daily, with Mini-Diary and Excuse Log

It works, and easily combines several motivational tools.

I've used one for four weeks. It's survived travel, sick days, exam week, and camp-packing stress. It helped rebuild momentum on several projects that had stalled, and encourages me to do go back and earn just one more checkmark.

The grid has days on one axis; fields (tasks, areas, projects) on the other and enough room in each cell for a word or two. I make a new one each week. For most areas, I do a different thing each day. E.g., bathroom sink, toilet, tub, floor, and whatever else needs doing. (Stay in the room, bored, until I see something, like that towel bar I've been meaning to fix, and do it.)

Each and every cell is filled in each day, with Done, Details, or the Reason (or Excuse) why I didn't do it.

Some lines refer to other lists, such as Recurring Tasks or Phone Calls.

If the weekly one-off list is large, I scan both the grid and the weekly list. If it's small, I might use a field that says, "Something from weekly list," or even "Second thing from weekly list." It varies with week.

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Why does it work?

It combines several other tools, such as "points per day" and "don't break the chain", a brag board, and, most importantly, an excuse log, into a single sheet. (Well, two if you have a lot of projects.)

(Excuse log only works if you fill in each and every cell every day.)

It encourages the Often part of Little and Often, which is a problem for me.

Daily tasks are written once, not copied every day.

Projects which have not been done today, or for several days, are easy to see.

The chart makes daily and weekly review very easy. It's all on one page.

The mini-diary keeps track of when I did things, especially recurring tasks where you ask, "When did I last do it?"

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Specifics

Currently, I have 30 fields. The number goes up and down, as they get added, removed, combined or expanded. There's plenty of room for more, so I can change it on the fly.

Every field gets an entry every day. If it doesn't get a checkmark, or "skipped with reason", it gets an excuse.

Some fields are for general records. (Appointments all day. Sick. Packing.)

Some are "tidy this room, again". Stand in the room until you see something and do it. Easier, more flexible, and more complete, than working from a set list.

Some fields are negatives. (Time spent on FaceBook.)

Some are subdivided, if there are parts I'm tempted to skip, or want to makes sure I don't leave all the tough bits to the end (pull one thistle and one easy weed), or I want to speed it up (one weed, a second weed, a third weed).

Some get status reports. Number of email left in inbox. Is it growing? Why? If so, why, and can I do something about it?

One is "recurring task list". Do at least one, and look ahead for critical tasks.

Most of the list-working methods will work.

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The chart doesn't replace my weekly list of one-off tasks, and the catch-all list. One of the fields is "see urgent task list". Another is "review and planning". That means one of: Weekly review, Purse/meeting book, Catch-all list (feeds urgent list), or any planning task I can think of.

Some activities can earn checkmarks in more than one column. If I help my husband helps fix the towel bar, that counts as bathroom for the day, do something with husband, and nag him. (Yes, he asked me to nag him. Otherwise, he doesn't get things like this done.)

I tried it on the computer and tablet. Opening the file interrupted the flow. (How many times will I repeat that experiment?)

Penciling in which task to do each day didn't work. I need more flexibility. Looking at the recurring task list each day combines accountability and flexibility.

A field for "one big thing" had mixed results. Some days it encouraged me to take a deep dive into something complicated, or make more progress than usual on a big but simple project. Other days, it became an excuse, or even pressure, to do that when there were more important smaller tasks to be done.

I used to include eating each meal. That helped me when I was time-logging. Eating took more time than I thought. However, I never forget to eat, so don't need that as a reminder. (Eating veggies every day, though, is worth a field. Carrots make an ok bedtime snack.)

Don, Much as I hate having two active books on my desk, I'm beginning to agree with you. I did it for a bit, then thought, "Inefficient!" and stopped.

Try leaving room for more than F-Failure. The built-in excuse log is incredibly useful. It helped me stop making excuses for some things, change systems so other things got done more often, and, this week, convinced me that the reason was I was too drained rather than too lazy.

Tommy, none of my lists are suitable for pics right now. I'll create something.

Here's a picture. A lot of it is codes. The charts aren't intended to be read by others. Most of the benefit is in the doing, not analyzing weeks later.

http://cricketb.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/daily-task-excuse-grid/

Password is "mf".

That week I experimented with a schedule, for appointments and a rough plan. I have mixed results with that method. I tend to be too optimistic and overwhelm it.

The next line is hrs apts, meaning hours away from home due to appointments. Looking at that often turns "too lazy" to "no time", which has a very different solution. Open circle means I wanted to highlight it as not done (often to remind me to do it the next day). One of the excuses is "tired, run?" wondering if I should not plan to do as much on the days I run. Ex is excercise. (Common excuse is Rain or Heat. Solution A: Get up earlier (nope, didn't work). Solution B: Treadmill (worked))

It also shows my ambivalence about knitting and meditation. I know they're good for me, but in the moment they feel like a waste of time. My current knitting project also requires concentration. Res means resisted. Focus means I didn't think I could focus enough to do the work (without making too many mistakes). Wednesday I tried, and make a mistake (that I didn't notice until the next week, so I had to pull out several hours of work). FB/MF means hours on FaceBook and here. Too many hours could be a cause of less progress elsewhere, or a sign that I need a break. Pocket/Feedly is a reading backlog, with a goal of 50 items per day, which I met. Untangled is a non-fiction library book I was stalling on. "Long" is because I hoped to do one long session each day, but didn't specify which in advance. Near the end of the week, I kept fewer notes.

I find even things I always do need to be on the grid because :

1. Habits that I've held for years sometimes drop silently. This includes things that I have evidence of doing regularly, like running logs and pill organizers that empty on schedule.

2. When I look back at the day and say I didn't do anything, I can look at the routine things I did do and feel better, which helps break the inertia.

3. When I go to check them off, I see the other things in the list.

4. Making groups of checkmarks reinforces the group as a single habit.

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I have several rooms like your breakfast bar. My goal is "one day, plus one thing". So, everything that arrived in the last day gets dealt with, plus one more thing. That works surprisingly fast, and it's non-threatening. Doing it that often also forces me to look at the system. Why aren't I putting things in their official homes? Often, it's because the official homes are really bad places for them.

I find working on a few time capsules, one piece per capsule per day, works better than one at a time. In theory, it takes longer to get one done, but I find this way lowers resistance. One thing from that box A, doable, earn checkmark. And one thing from box B, doable, earn checkmark. Not too many boxes, though. That gets physically messy.

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Sometimes YouTube and Reddit time are distractions. Other times, I think they're a symptom. I deleted a video game from my tablet, and the next day downloaded (actually bought, not elibrary) three novels. (Currently, resisting packing for a week away.)

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Two weeks ago, I reversed the order when creating the chart. Instead of boring, routine stuff first, I put projects and resisted things first. Successful experiment, in that I learned something, but I won't be repeating it. I had hoped it would put pressure on those things, but instead it broke a successful pattern of starting the day with small routine physical work.

First day back after travelling, and I'm very happy with this system.

I often feel overwhelmed after travelling. This morning, I couldn't even sit down and create the grid for the week. Yep, feeling of overwhelm way out of proportion to reality. Normally, I look forward to planning, since I know it helps me relax and focus. Setting up the computer was even more overwhelming.

But! I had internalized much of the routine, and believed it was worth the time to continue, even things I often put off as not urgent, such as self-care (meditation and journal) and "day plus one" for each room. Those things are important, and I knew nothing on the computer had to be done before lunch.

So, to work, taking advantage of flow, and roughly alternating short and long, physical and sitting.

Two hours later, I have journalled, meditated, unpacked (that was the +1 for two rooms), and done "1 day +1 thing" everywhere. When I finally made the grid,1/3 of it was already done. When I checked my recurring tasks page, I had done everything that didn't need a computer. Even better, I had not spent any time on distractions.

So, the grid, and the focus on small wins, is a good training tool. I don't see myself graduating from it--I need the safety net--but I do see an improvement in how I work when it's not available.

I'm moving in the opposite direction, over 40 habits, inspired by Tiny Habits (BJ Fogg) and Habit Stacking
http://www.developgoodhabits.com/building-habit-stacking-routine/

Yes, I do need a checkmark for each habit in each stack. (I work better with check-do than do-check lists, especially if the order I do things in can't be predicted, such as if the kitchen is full, so I start the laundry before eating breakfast.)

Either way, having to write the reason I didn't do something helps. Monday, first day after vacation, I finished almost everything. Yesterday, I drove my MIL around all afternoon. Writing Appt 20 times was fine. Today? Unless I get a lot done in the next two hours, I get to write "good novel" 20 times. Tonight, I'll put the reader under my todo book, journal, and meditation log.

After a terrible August, filled with computer problems, travels, and kids in transition, I'm happy to report that the daily grid reboots really well.

System review: Chart with many small tasks or projects I want to do daily. If I don't do something, I have to record why not. Only two projects get deep attention. All the rest are LAO (little-and-often). A new chart per week seems to work.

Once normal started again, I surprised myself. 80% of the tasks every day the first week! Mon and Tues this week were perfect, and I'm well on my way to a perfect Wed.

Flexibility in how much I do seems to work. By touching each project every day I break the back of the big ones, and remind myself of its status. I naturally do more on some projects some days, and other projects on other days. On beautiful days, I do more gardening. I know today's step in one project is nasty, so I conserve energy by doing less on everything else.

ADDITIONS

New type of week planning chart. I'll start another thread for that. On the same spread as the daily list. The catch-all also goes on the same spread.

Large stickies for projects with multiple steps. I plan to move them from week to week. I like listing small steps, so there's a lot of movement on these stickies.

Re-reading my old posts. My goal for LAO items switches between "one day plus one thing" and "five minutes or five things" and "1/5 of the weekly work".

The exact amount of work isn't critical. As long as I do something in the area often, it's self-correcting. If I'm falling behind, I know I need to do more. If I'm pulling ahead, it doesn't matter. If I'm excited about finishing, great!

There are dangers, though, in doing too much too fast. The obvious one is burnout. Not a big problem with LAO. If I do too much one day, I can do a tiny bit the next, just enough to keep up the habit.

A bigger problem is finishing something that isn't actually a finish-able project. For example, any inbox, and most cleaning. If I think it's finished, then I don't look at the area for days...weeks...months. Oops. Sometimes I slow down, so there is something left to do each day. Eventually I'll need to vacuum again. Other times I increase the scope. If the room is spotless, I'll tidy a drawer. After a few days of that, it's time to vacuum again. If a project goes through a slow stage, I'll review and clarify my notes or tidy the files. If I have fewer arrivals in my inbox than usual, I'll tidy and purge old files.

Yep, stalling today. I overdid the gardening two days in a row. Tomorrow's gardening goal is much easier, and already primed for success. While running errands, go to the city brush pile and empty the van.

Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest on Sunday.
-- Little House in the Big Woods.

Rebooting, again, this time after two weeks down. I need to accept that I often get very little done for weeks at a time.

Many experts recommend themed days. I could declare each thing done, at least for the week. This grid, doing a little bit on several projects each day, is the opposite.

Themed days and finishing projects makes sense. Accomplishment! Batching! This forum even discussed ABCABCABC vs AAABBBCCC scheduling. The latter finishes A and B much faster.

Then I think about it. What if I don't finish washing on Monday? Does half of itnot get done that week? Do I make Tuesday the the 2nd half of washing and the 1st half of ironing? Baking would never get a turn! What if there's a mending emergency? Or I need to shop? Or, when pigs fly, what if there is no laundry?

It's complicated further by frequent unproductive weeks. I need a system that handles them.

When I reboot, do I start with all the washing? Or, since it's Tuesday, the ironing? (Ignore the laundry/ironing connection.) And what about all the things that don't get a day?

Once again, a bit in each room each day works best, and one room is "other".

One load of washing a day does the routine laundry just fine, survives if I miss one, and doesn't collapse if I need to do two in an emergency. Every so often there's room for something special, like the blankets. During the rest of the day, everything else gets a turn. A bit of ironing, the mending emergency, churning takes less time overall when done in larger batches so leave that and clean the two dirtiest things (then use a double-slot for churning tomorrow), bake something for tomorrow's potluck.

If I'm doing well, I can do more. Look ahead (make soap from lye and ashes), current (clean behind the furniture), or behind (take the old butter churn to the dump).

If I'm not doing well, each area gets just enough attention to keep going.

When I reboot, I don't spend hours on one area, only to fall again without any progress on the rest. Clean washing doesn't mean much when all the clothes have holes.

Another benefit:

Today I almost started another project.

Then, I remembered I had a dozen or more boxes left to check on the grid for today. If, by the time I finish them, I still have energy, I might consider the project. By then, though, I'll have a better perspective, and probably use the energy on something more useful.

This works better than rewriting.

With rewriting, if I work on an area every day for a week, then miss two days, it looks like it's getting less attention than an area that I worked on once in January and once yesterday. With the grid, I can see the overall totals.

(One could record "times done since Jan 1" on the rewritten line, or even write several at once. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, or Session 1, Session 2, or even Hour 1, Hour 2 if you want to more carefully track hours. But, the grid combines all that information nicely. Just write what you completed in the cell.)

On weeks when I don't get to everything every day, the grid makes it easy to tell which ones aren't getting attention. Even if the attention consists checking for fires, they get it.

I've started a new pair of recording symbols: Minimal attention, and ideal attention. Minimal is enough for the day. Dishes washed. I want to do more, though, Just a bit more. One shelf takes five minutes, and one shelf a week will get through the kitchen and pantry in a year.

RM, I thought about rotation, but then got caught up analyzing the details. Does mending mean the entire basket, even if this week it's huge? (I've know this one! It's a weekly rotation, so keep going until basket is empty or have done two typical week's worth. Unless there's a good reason to do otherwise.)

Yeah, small paper doesn't work as well for this. Maybe a grid for each type of work? I used to have several grids. One for daily goals, one for weekly, one for monthly. Record date actually done, so I don't do laundry on the 30th and then the 1st. Or one for physical work and one for deskwork, with a master grid to help balance the two areas. It didn't have room for excuses, but worked well for about 6 months, until I got overwhelmed for other reasons. It also rebooted well.

I'm glad you commented. I'd forgotten to record my excuses! I rebooted most of the system, but not the finishing touches that make all the difference!

Alan, thanks for the comment. I only keep the records a few weeks, but often wish I kept them longer. I have some suspicions about my energy patterns over time. Female. Weather. Outside stresses. If I had longer records, I could better predict it, work with the patterns, and maybe defend against some of them.

RM,

Now I remember why rotating didn't work for me.

First, I was too optimistic. 10 hours of dailies doesn't leave much room for weeklies. No problem with too long on the dailies, the cycle will just take a day (or 5) longer. That's a risk for the grid, too. Maybe the earlier experience taught me to be more realistic.

I also expected to do 1/7 of the weeklies, 1/30 of the monthlies, etc. each day, and meet my long-term goals. How is that too optimistic? I expected to finish all my weeklies every week, even though I average only 3.5 days / week without appointments and unexpected projects. I needed to do 1/3 of my weeklies every working day, and if they don't fit into the time available, either do them less often (rotation takes more than a week) or do less each time (move 1 piece of furniture instead of 2).

Second, I had a too-elabourate tree structure. One of the dailies was "1/7 of the weeklies", one of the weeklies was "1/4 of the monthlies", one of the monthlies was... a) confusing b) optimistic c) not resilient.

Third, I need flexibility. If I say I'm going to do X, but don't want to do X, I do nothing. Scanning for something I want to do works better. Mark's recent blog posts are right!

Looking at my current systems, I wouldn't have to change much to go to rotation.

1. Several special lines on the daily grid: Recurring Tasks. Project-of-the-Day (for the very few projects best done in larger chunks). Triage Inboxes. (New to me: Put the non-urgent inboxes on the RTList.)

2. Use the grid for dailies, to reduce rewriting.

3. Use my Recurring Tasks List for weekly and longer.
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2681530

4. Be realistic in the amount I plan to do. Tara Brache calls it Radical Acceptance. Set my goals assuming only 3 working days per week.

Deleted a lot of details here.

Added up my commitments, ideal and absolute minimum time per week.

Take a busy week. 16 hours of appointments and urgents. Minimum maintenance on commitments. Calculate what I have for studying and projects.

Test that ratio on a light week. Only 8 hours of appointments and urgents. (Driving busy kids around takes a lot of time!) It works!

Not quite as much time on projects as I'd like, but this way the extra time on light weeks is balanced.

Wow! I usually start with all the things I want to do each week, and the total gets way too high. Looking at it this way, I know the minimum will get done, probably more, and it doesn't feel austere. My gut says it will be a good balance of work type and who benefits. No guilt at doing too much or too little.

It's not rotation, but thinking about how I would do the rotation got me looking at it in a new way.

Thanks!

This week I'm optimistic, but unfocused. Very unfocused. Unless you count the essays I've written here and elsewhere. I focused very well on them.

Alan, looking forward to hearing about your experience.

Meanwhile, I'm at the next level. The dangerous one. Instead of writing the list each week, I've put it in a spreadsheet so I can print it. Saves time, in theory. Fingers crossed. The last time I did this, I had to turn on the computer early each week to print the chart, before I could record what I did, or even roll a die to see what to do next. Turning on the computer is dangerous! This time, I'm just putting on routine tasks, with plenty of room for changing, so I can print a few weeks worth at a time. Fingers crossed. Still have plenty of boring graph paper left.