Discussion Forum > Official Bullet Journal website highlighting someone from this comunity
Jonathan, you have to link to the article, not just the blog as a whole.
June 3, 2021 at 19:36 |
Christopher
Christopher
It's the first one listed -- http://bulletjournal.com/blogs/bulletjournalist/simple-time-management
June 4, 2021 at 4:16 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
<< What do you think about her system? I am intrigued.... >>
I'm not sure how I could make her 1-2-3-4 system work. The demands in my time don't come in nice ratios of 1:1:1:1 for small:tidy:large:fun tasks. I think the small tasks would suffer.
Her Zombie list reminds me of something I am experimenting with. I like Randomizer and DIT for just getting stuff done (which reminds me of the Zombie list); and I like AF1, FVP, and Serial No-List for things that need additional thought, reflection, sifting, percolation, etc. But it's hard to manage because it's not always easy to tell the difference. Some stuff must be done but still needs significant sifting and thinking.
My latest experiment works something like this:
1. If something just needs to be done -- it goes on the DIT list. Work on it every day as much as it needs. Usually that means (a) do everything I can do, (b) set aside till the next day to follow up with the next person who needs to do something. I just work through this list FIFO every day. It all has to be done. This is like the Zombie list.
2. If I am not sure whether something needs to be done -- opportunities, ideas, information that needs additional consideration before I can tell if it contains implicit tasks, etc. -- then it goes on the AF list. I let AF do the sifting and sorting.
3. Sometimes I am not sure what to do with an item. I discovered that these are usually things where something MUST be done -- a response is needed, a decision is needed, a problem needs to be solved, etc. -- but I don't know HOW to do it, or don't know where to start, or how long it will take -- I need to figure out what to do. These belong on the DIT list because they must be done. But they belong on the AF list because they need sorting and thinking. In the end, I decided that these must go on the DIT list, and I must take them as far as I can every day. Usually this means I just break it down and identify the next 1-2 steps. Then I write down those steps, and I am done for today. Or if I want, I can get one or more of those steps completed, and then I write the follow-up on my list for the next day.
Then, here is how I order my day.
1. Calendar -- follow my basic schedule, attend meetings, etc.
2. During discretionary time, do the DIT list first. I have found it's important to work through all the existing WIP and follow-ups from previous days, before processing anything new (new emails or action items).
3. When the DIT list is completed, then I switch to my AF list -- sorting and thinking, working on whatever stands out.
I've tried things like this in the past, and it never worked, but this time it seems to be working, at least so far. I'm not sure what I'm doing differently. Maybe it's the way I am handling the gray-area items, where it's not initially clear what list something belongs on. That always tripped me up in the past.
I'm not sure how I could make her 1-2-3-4 system work. The demands in my time don't come in nice ratios of 1:1:1:1 for small:tidy:large:fun tasks. I think the small tasks would suffer.
Her Zombie list reminds me of something I am experimenting with. I like Randomizer and DIT for just getting stuff done (which reminds me of the Zombie list); and I like AF1, FVP, and Serial No-List for things that need additional thought, reflection, sifting, percolation, etc. But it's hard to manage because it's not always easy to tell the difference. Some stuff must be done but still needs significant sifting and thinking.
My latest experiment works something like this:
1. If something just needs to be done -- it goes on the DIT list. Work on it every day as much as it needs. Usually that means (a) do everything I can do, (b) set aside till the next day to follow up with the next person who needs to do something. I just work through this list FIFO every day. It all has to be done. This is like the Zombie list.
2. If I am not sure whether something needs to be done -- opportunities, ideas, information that needs additional consideration before I can tell if it contains implicit tasks, etc. -- then it goes on the AF list. I let AF do the sifting and sorting.
3. Sometimes I am not sure what to do with an item. I discovered that these are usually things where something MUST be done -- a response is needed, a decision is needed, a problem needs to be solved, etc. -- but I don't know HOW to do it, or don't know where to start, or how long it will take -- I need to figure out what to do. These belong on the DIT list because they must be done. But they belong on the AF list because they need sorting and thinking. In the end, I decided that these must go on the DIT list, and I must take them as far as I can every day. Usually this means I just break it down and identify the next 1-2 steps. Then I write down those steps, and I am done for today. Or if I want, I can get one or more of those steps completed, and then I write the follow-up on my list for the next day.
Then, here is how I order my day.
1. Calendar -- follow my basic schedule, attend meetings, etc.
2. During discretionary time, do the DIT list first. I have found it's important to work through all the existing WIP and follow-ups from previous days, before processing anything new (new emails or action items).
3. When the DIT list is completed, then I switch to my AF list -- sorting and thinking, working on whatever stands out.
I've tried things like this in the past, and it never worked, but this time it seems to be working, at least so far. I'm not sure what I'm doing differently. Maybe it's the way I am handling the gray-area items, where it's not initially clear what list something belongs on. That always tripped me up in the past.
June 4, 2021 at 5:58 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Jonathan:
<< What do you think about her system? >>
She's obviously spent a lot of time working this out, and I'm glad to find another member of the "Inventors and Testers of Time Management Systems" Club. There are some intriguing ideas there.
I agree with Seraphim's point about tasks not coming in nice ratios of 1:1:1:1. They don't for me either and I suspect they don't for her. So Lisa, if you happen to read this. Perhaps you could explain further how you deal with this. Or do most of your easy tasks end up on the Zombie list (a great idea btw)?
One problem is that I find it painful to image what her beautifully neat notebook would look like if I got hold of it. My lists are scrawls which would be incomprehensible to anyone else (and sometimes to me too).
I've invited her to come and join the discussion here.
<< What do you think about her system? >>
She's obviously spent a lot of time working this out, and I'm glad to find another member of the "Inventors and Testers of Time Management Systems" Club. There are some intriguing ideas there.
I agree with Seraphim's point about tasks not coming in nice ratios of 1:1:1:1. They don't for me either and I suspect they don't for her. So Lisa, if you happen to read this. Perhaps you could explain further how you deal with this. Or do most of your easy tasks end up on the Zombie list (a great idea btw)?
One problem is that I find it painful to image what her beautifully neat notebook would look like if I got hold of it. My lists are scrawls which would be incomprehensible to anyone else (and sometimes to me too).
I've invited her to come and join the discussion here.
June 4, 2021 at 9:18 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
I am experimenting with writing down on a post-it note my calendar events, and a block of time to work on 2 or 3 things I need or really want to accomplish that day. This is sort of like Lisa's zombie method. The rest of my time is following either the simple scanning or NQ-FVP.
I kind of like Lisa's idea of categorizing tasks and introducing a system to keep balance. But at the same time, I can see myself after some time resisting categorizing or not wanting to "balance" my tasks between hard, fun, mindless, etc... I might be on a role and really want to focus on the hard. Or I need to take a break for a while and just need to get a few easy wins.
I kind of like Lisa's idea of categorizing tasks and introducing a system to keep balance. But at the same time, I can see myself after some time resisting categorizing or not wanting to "balance" my tasks between hard, fun, mindless, etc... I might be on a role and really want to focus on the hard. Or I need to take a break for a while and just need to get a few easy wins.
June 4, 2021 at 10:27 |
Jonathan
Jonathan
This is Jonathan again. I wasn't registered so couldn't change my post above. I realize the post was unclear so I wanted to rewrite it again to make it a little more clear.
I am experimenting with writing down on a post-it note the following:
1. my calendar events
2. a block of time to work on 2 or 3 tasks I need or really want to accomplish
3. those 2 or 3 task items
This is sort of like Lisa's zombie method.
The rest of my time is following either the simple scanning or NQ-FVP.
I kind of like Lisa's idea of categorizing tasks and introducing a system to keep balance. But at the same time, I can see myself after some time resisting categorizing or not wanting to "balance" my tasks between hard, fun, mindless, etc... I might be on a roll and feel I have great capacity to get things down then I might just focus on a few difficult tasks.
Or I might feel my energy is waning and I need to take an extended break for a while. Then I would focus on fun combined with easy tasks in order to get a few easy wins.
I am experimenting with writing down on a post-it note the following:
1. my calendar events
2. a block of time to work on 2 or 3 tasks I need or really want to accomplish
3. those 2 or 3 task items
This is sort of like Lisa's zombie method.
The rest of my time is following either the simple scanning or NQ-FVP.
I kind of like Lisa's idea of categorizing tasks and introducing a system to keep balance. But at the same time, I can see myself after some time resisting categorizing or not wanting to "balance" my tasks between hard, fun, mindless, etc... I might be on a roll and feel I have great capacity to get things down then I might just focus on a few difficult tasks.
Or I might feel my energy is waning and I need to take an extended break for a while. Then I would focus on fun combined with easy tasks in order to get a few easy wins.
June 4, 2021 at 10:52 |
Jonathan B
Jonathan B
Jonathan B:
<< This is sort of like Lisa's zombie method. >>
Is it? I thought Lisa's Zombie Mode was for "routine and brainless tasks".
<< This is sort of like Lisa's zombie method. >>
Is it? I thought Lisa's Zombie Mode was for "routine and brainless tasks".
June 4, 2021 at 16:06 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Hey all! Lisa here.
I'm a big fan, obviously, and a long time lurker (since FV was new I think). I guess it's time I finally show myself. :)
I don't think most casual readers care as much about time management as I do, so I tried to keep it simple and brief in my Bullet Journal article. But if you guys have any questions, I can elaborate.
Re: the 1-2-3-4 System:
Mark is correct, I usually do not have a 1:1:1:1 relationship between the tasks. Currently I have four 1s, three 2s, twelve(!) 3s, and three 4s. On the surface, it looks like I'm going to be left with a bunch of 3s pretty quickly. This is the advice I usually give people who ask about this scenario: Change the pattern to bunch up the excess tasks with a longer break (1-2-3-3-4-4 or 1-2-3-3-3-4-4-4). Alternatively, if you run out of tasks in a category (for example, you run out of 2s), you can skip the missing task or fill in the gap with a different task (1-3-4 or 1-1-3-4).
Something I don't usually tell people is that personally I use this inequality to gamify the list. I am motivated to complete a bunch of 3s in a row (without doing any 1s, 2s, or 4s) simply because I compulsively want to balance the list. So I often switch between the legit 1-2-3-4 System, this "balancing" method, and doing anything urgent that pops up.
I'm a big fan, obviously, and a long time lurker (since FV was new I think). I guess it's time I finally show myself. :)
I don't think most casual readers care as much about time management as I do, so I tried to keep it simple and brief in my Bullet Journal article. But if you guys have any questions, I can elaborate.
Re: the 1-2-3-4 System:
Mark is correct, I usually do not have a 1:1:1:1 relationship between the tasks. Currently I have four 1s, three 2s, twelve(!) 3s, and three 4s. On the surface, it looks like I'm going to be left with a bunch of 3s pretty quickly. This is the advice I usually give people who ask about this scenario: Change the pattern to bunch up the excess tasks with a longer break (1-2-3-3-4-4 or 1-2-3-3-3-4-4-4). Alternatively, if you run out of tasks in a category (for example, you run out of 2s), you can skip the missing task or fill in the gap with a different task (1-3-4 or 1-1-3-4).
Something I don't usually tell people is that personally I use this inequality to gamify the list. I am motivated to complete a bunch of 3s in a row (without doing any 1s, 2s, or 4s) simply because I compulsively want to balance the list. So I often switch between the legit 1-2-3-4 System, this "balancing" method, and doing anything urgent that pops up.
June 4, 2021 at 17:51 |
Lisa F
Lisa F
Lisa F:
Thank you for answering our questions about the 1-2-3-4 system. I think you can make quite a good game of that. It all helps to maintain interest in the workings of the system, which is at least as important as maintaining interest in one's work itself.
I personally particularly like the idea of the Zombie list. I have plenty of routine tasks which take little or no effort, and for that very reason tend to get shunted aside in favour of more high-profile tasks. As I said in another recent thread in connection with identifying the six most important tasks, if you spend all your time doing them, when do you do the unimportant stuff? Routine unimportant stuff has a habit of making its presence known if you neglect it.
Thank you for answering our questions about the 1-2-3-4 system. I think you can make quite a good game of that. It all helps to maintain interest in the workings of the system, which is at least as important as maintaining interest in one's work itself.
I personally particularly like the idea of the Zombie list. I have plenty of routine tasks which take little or no effort, and for that very reason tend to get shunted aside in favour of more high-profile tasks. As I said in another recent thread in connection with identifying the six most important tasks, if you spend all your time doing them, when do you do the unimportant stuff? Routine unimportant stuff has a habit of making its presence known if you neglect it.
June 4, 2021 at 23:45 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Mark:
I agree! There are plenty of zombie days, zombie partial days, and zombie hours. There's no need to waste this time since there are always low-importance, non-urgent tasks that need doing.
I've noticed since making my initial Zombie List I've added a lot more routine tasks that I had never really considered to be zombie tasks. For example, in the past I would only write down "empty recycle bin" when the bin was full. Then I would procrastinate a few more days until we had a bunch of overflow bags of recycling. Then finally I would take it out when the pile was huge, and it would take 10 trips to the dumpster. But why wait until it's a large effort? If I write "empty recycle bin" on my Zombie List, I can do it every time I'm in Zombie Mode. Then its just one quick trip to the dumpster and onto the next task. No more huge pile.
I had a lot of tasks like this. High-effort tasks I thought were once a month recurring, but were really low-effort little-and-often tasks. Adding these to my Zombie List has made my life a lot easier.
I agree! There are plenty of zombie days, zombie partial days, and zombie hours. There's no need to waste this time since there are always low-importance, non-urgent tasks that need doing.
I've noticed since making my initial Zombie List I've added a lot more routine tasks that I had never really considered to be zombie tasks. For example, in the past I would only write down "empty recycle bin" when the bin was full. Then I would procrastinate a few more days until we had a bunch of overflow bags of recycling. Then finally I would take it out when the pile was huge, and it would take 10 trips to the dumpster. But why wait until it's a large effort? If I write "empty recycle bin" on my Zombie List, I can do it every time I'm in Zombie Mode. Then its just one quick trip to the dumpster and onto the next task. No more huge pile.
I had a lot of tasks like this. High-effort tasks I thought were once a month recurring, but were really low-effort little-and-often tasks. Adding these to my Zombie List has made my life a lot easier.
June 5, 2021 at 18:10 |
Lisa F
Lisa F
Lisa F:
<< For example, in the past I would only write down "empty recycle bin" when the bin was full. >>
Yes, I have exactly the same task with exactly the same result!
<< For example, in the past I would only write down "empty recycle bin" when the bin was full. >>
Yes, I have exactly the same task with exactly the same result!
June 7, 2021 at 13:07 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
In the article, she shares her 1-2-3-4 simple system which is a variant of one of the running lists. .
At the end of the article under her "My Favorite Resources for Time Management," Lisa mentions first Mark Forster’s Books, Blog, and Forum: http://markforster.squarespace.com/.
I am guessing that this will probably drive a lot of interest and traffic to Mark's blog and possibly this forum.
What do you think about her system? I am intrigued....