Discussion Forum > Domain Management
Alan:
Sounds an interesting concept. How would you see it differing in practice from Project Lists under the control of a Master To Do List?
Sounds an interesting concept. How would you see it differing in practice from Project Lists under the control of a Master To Do List?
June 21, 2019 at 16:05 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
At this point I'm not sure. I don't know that this idea maps only to one particular process. My current process has nothing to do with lists or projects. I simply take the evening to plan my next day. We'll see if this develops into anything different.
June 21, 2019 at 17:54 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Interesting idea.
Would be good to see if possible to function in life with no lists whatsoever and instead do tasks when you “see” they need action.
I guess you would need to leave visual clues everywhere and have a major rethink on how not to miss anything.
I imagine you would only need a diary?
Would be good to see if possible to function in life with no lists whatsoever and instead do tasks when you “see” they need action.
I guess you would need to leave visual clues everywhere and have a major rethink on how not to miss anything.
I imagine you would only need a diary?
June 22, 2019 at 8:39 |
MrBacklog
MrBacklog
Aren't these Domains the same thing as Areas of Focus in GTD, RPM-Blocks in RPM and Subjects in GED?
June 25, 2019 at 15:40 |
Christopher
Christopher
MrBacklog:
<< Would be good to see if possible to function in life with no lists whatsoever and instead do tasks when you “see” they need action.>>
The trouble with this is that tasks don't present themselves one at a time at intervals which neatly match the time it has taken to finish the previous task. They come in at unpredictable intervals with a mixture of different priorities.
So you don't just see one thing that needs action. You see twenty. And then another five before you've got half-way through the twenty, And so on.
<< Would be good to see if possible to function in life with no lists whatsoever and instead do tasks when you “see” they need action.>>
The trouble with this is that tasks don't present themselves one at a time at intervals which neatly match the time it has taken to finish the previous task. They come in at unpredictable intervals with a mixture of different priorities.
So you don't just see one thing that needs action. You see twenty. And then another five before you've got half-way through the twenty, And so on.
June 25, 2019 at 17:12 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
And the ones you need to do soonest hide. (Eg Turning on the outside water in the spring. I can't reach the taps. I write it in the calendar. Otherwise it won't be done before watering season starts.)
Or grocery shopping. If I don't write "eggs" on the list, I don't remember to buy them, so make multiple trips.
I agree, though, that we shouldn't blindly assume that everything on the list is important. I want to take my kid to a movie, or dinner, or a hike, but not all three. I need to know which so I can buy tickets, or iron the fancy clothes, or check the weather.
Or grocery shopping. If I don't write "eggs" on the list, I don't remember to buy them, so make multiple trips.
I agree, though, that we shouldn't blindly assume that everything on the list is important. I want to take my kid to a movie, or dinner, or a hike, but not all three. I need to know which so I can buy tickets, or iron the fancy clothes, or check the weather.
June 25, 2019 at 19:41 |
Cricket
Cricket
Yes I agree. It would be too much of a challenge relying on memory etc.
I suppose lists are really just an effective way of condensing all the various things we want to do,so reviewing and doing things at the right time is possible.
However I like the idea of doing away with them as they can be a stark reminder of all the things that need to be done which can cause anxiety & overwhelm.
Ignorance is bliss....
So the list is to stay, but maybe more selective of what to put on it?
I suppose lists are really just an effective way of condensing all the various things we want to do,so reviewing and doing things at the right time is possible.
However I like the idea of doing away with them as they can be a stark reminder of all the things that need to be done which can cause anxiety & overwhelm.
Ignorance is bliss....
So the list is to stay, but maybe more selective of what to put on it?
June 26, 2019 at 7:57 |
MrBacklog
MrBacklog
PS my list is quite short now of only 15 or so mainly recurring items.
Eg
do email
Do post it notes
Check spam folder
Do x task every 3 months
Etc
So I would say I don’t really have a list - instead it is a “checklist”
I email myself a lot of tasks where I might forget them.
Also a lot of tasks are habits so no need to list them. eg the garden needs a bit of work each weekend so I just walk round and tidy up whatever I see needs attention.
Eg
do email
Do post it notes
Check spam folder
Do x task every 3 months
Etc
So I would say I don’t really have a list - instead it is a “checklist”
I email myself a lot of tasks where I might forget them.
Also a lot of tasks are habits so no need to list them. eg the garden needs a bit of work each weekend so I just walk round and tidy up whatever I see needs attention.
June 26, 2019 at 8:06 |
MrBacklog
MrBacklog
Taking this one step forward, I have written these domains on the wall as a kind of daily checklist. Not with the intent to do everything every day, but with the intent to mark items when I do address them. I have a visual of the things I need to be thinking about, and also to see what I am neglecting if anything. As with the daily planning, this is not a list of tasks.
June 27, 2019 at 5:49 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Alan --
This idea of reviewing your Domain and attending to the needs of its Citizens reminded me of this passage from the introductory chapters, "Who is likely to succeed?" in the 1935 book, "Five Acres and Independence" -- introducing the idea of farming to city folks. Perhaps it is applicable to your Domain, at least by analogy.
<< One of the most profitable habits you can form is systematically, every day, to go over at least part of your premises in a leisurely, scrutinizingly thoughtful way, and the whole of it at least once each week throughout the year to reap the harvest of a quiet eye and fill the granary of your mind with knowledge of the habits of helpful and harmful animals, birds and insects; to observe and understand the characteristics of plant growth from the sprouting of the seed through all the stages of stem, leaf, flower, fruit and seed development; to note and interpret the behavior of plants, poultry and animals under varying conditions of heat and cold, sunshine and shade, drought and wetness, fair weather and foul, rich and poor feeding. Here is not only the best farm school in which to learn the duties you owe your dependents (plants and animals) and yourself for your own best interests, but in which to enjoy the most delightful compensations of farm life; for it gives the thinking observer mastery over his business, brings him en rapport with his environment and in tune with The Infinite. >>
Maurice G. Kains, Five Acres and Independence (1935, 1940, 1973), ch. 4
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741
Every now and then, I'll put a task on my list: "Walk the grounds". I have this idea in mind.
This idea of reviewing your Domain and attending to the needs of its Citizens reminded me of this passage from the introductory chapters, "Who is likely to succeed?" in the 1935 book, "Five Acres and Independence" -- introducing the idea of farming to city folks. Perhaps it is applicable to your Domain, at least by analogy.
<< One of the most profitable habits you can form is systematically, every day, to go over at least part of your premises in a leisurely, scrutinizingly thoughtful way, and the whole of it at least once each week throughout the year to reap the harvest of a quiet eye and fill the granary of your mind with knowledge of the habits of helpful and harmful animals, birds and insects; to observe and understand the characteristics of plant growth from the sprouting of the seed through all the stages of stem, leaf, flower, fruit and seed development; to note and interpret the behavior of plants, poultry and animals under varying conditions of heat and cold, sunshine and shade, drought and wetness, fair weather and foul, rich and poor feeding. Here is not only the best farm school in which to learn the duties you owe your dependents (plants and animals) and yourself for your own best interests, but in which to enjoy the most delightful compensations of farm life; for it gives the thinking observer mastery over his business, brings him en rapport with his environment and in tune with The Infinite. >>
Maurice G. Kains, Five Acres and Independence (1935, 1940, 1973), ch. 4
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Management/dp/0486209741
Every now and then, I'll put a task on my list: "Walk the grounds". I have this idea in mind.
June 28, 2019 at 3:50 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Thanks, Seraphim -- that was a beautiful passage. Literally, a "weekly review"!
June 28, 2019 at 16:34 |
Mike Brown
Mike Brown
I concur with Kain's exposition.
June 29, 2019 at 15:01 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
These days in Europe he would also need a "walk through EC regulations". I expect it's much the same in the US.
June 29, 2019 at 15:40 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
I like that the walk includes taking the time to observe and enjoy. Time to be aware of your surroundings, the work you have already done, and what has been done without you, and how that got done.
Domains sound like Covey's Roles. Absolutely worth looking at your plans (and actual results) from that level!
I often think of domains when planning my week. I want to do 3.5 - 7 hours in Housework this week. Between my weekly checklist, random notes, calendar, and simply walking around, I can easily find 5 times that much -- but then the other domains would suffer.
I often think of different modes for each domain. Emergency mode where things don't fall apart too fast. Maintenance mode where an observer thinks I have things mostly together, but I know things are building up. Preferred mode where I keep all my inboxes close to empty. Superwoman mode where I actually get to everything on my annual list in the same year and tackle the boxes in storage.
I can't be in Superwoman mode in all the domains at the same time. There aren't enough hours in the week. I hope to be in Preferred mode for most of them most of the time.
My domains / roles include self-care, relationship with each household member, shopping, cleaning, email, accounting.
Domains sound like Covey's Roles. Absolutely worth looking at your plans (and actual results) from that level!
I often think of domains when planning my week. I want to do 3.5 - 7 hours in Housework this week. Between my weekly checklist, random notes, calendar, and simply walking around, I can easily find 5 times that much -- but then the other domains would suffer.
I often think of different modes for each domain. Emergency mode where things don't fall apart too fast. Maintenance mode where an observer thinks I have things mostly together, but I know things are building up. Preferred mode where I keep all my inboxes close to empty. Superwoman mode where I actually get to everything on my annual list in the same year and tackle the boxes in storage.
I can't be in Superwoman mode in all the domains at the same time. There aren't enough hours in the week. I hope to be in Preferred mode for most of them most of the time.
My domains / roles include self-care, relationship with each household member, shopping, cleaning, email, accounting.
July 1, 2019 at 15:21 |
Cricket
Cricket
Levels of service, what you call modes, seems a good way to think about this. Currently I'm just tracking each domain and I can see in the log how much I'm giving, and I can decide if I want to improve any as I consider. My exception is that I'm committed to a certain level of service for my work obligations.
The current evolution of my process goes as follows:
Each night I mark whether I engaged in a positive way with each of my domains. (For most, I didn't, so the log tells me how long since I last did something.). Then I lay out my day plan for tomorrow. I have a template so it's typically just filling in the details. In doing this I reflect on the domains and what needs doing. Next I consider how I might prepare to do the chosen activity well. E.g get clothes for exercise, or lunch for work.
Besides this I have a very short 'long list' of things I plan to do, which I may consult during free times in my day.
I really like not being bound to a list for extended periods. It's not that it was a problem for me for hours at a time but I always struggled to keep it up for days on end.
The current evolution of my process goes as follows:
Each night I mark whether I engaged in a positive way with each of my domains. (For most, I didn't, so the log tells me how long since I last did something.). Then I lay out my day plan for tomorrow. I have a template so it's typically just filling in the details. In doing this I reflect on the domains and what needs doing. Next I consider how I might prepare to do the chosen activity well. E.g get clothes for exercise, or lunch for work.
Besides this I have a very short 'long list' of things I plan to do, which I may consult during free times in my day.
I really like not being bound to a list for extended periods. It's not that it was a problem for me for hours at a time but I always struggled to keep it up for days on end.
July 8, 2019 at 23:49 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
And now, rather than be focused on a list of tasks that need to be worked on, I will focus on the citizens of my Domain and what they need. And again, rather than formulate a list of the things I need to work on, or a list of what I should do for each, I want to approach this as surveying my domain. For a concrete example, I don't need a todo list about my house. I need to look about my house and observe what needs doing. To transform the thoughts a step further, instead of "what needs doing", I could think about what I want my house to be like, and when I observe that my house is not like what I want, then I can formulate a plan to restore or to improve it. Or just get to work on the spot and improve it.
I don't know how far this thinking will carry me or if it will break down quickly, we will see. One last step in my current thought, I'm also taking my days to be a landscape rather than a series of todos. Parts of each day are planned the day before to be dedicated to parts of my domain.