Discussion Forum > Salience Zero
Sounds like we're thinking along similar lines. I was using Resistance Zero but it made me realize I wanted to augment it with a few things, like daily checklists (which could probably be mostly summarized as morning routine, evening routine, and cleaning). I also realized I kind of wanted to organize the list into categories but I also felt the categories should be organized by "relevance." I started using separate pages for categories but there is actually resistance to organize tasks and flip between pages often (which is a definitely plus for the single long list). I few ideas that are bouncing around my head at the moment are a kind of kanban that supports daily checklists, and something about the idea of "deferred actions." A lot of todos are just actions that were deferred in the past. When you do something sometimes it creates new deferred actions. Sometimes you want to not do something right now but you want to see it again soon, before other things rather than accumulate more deferred actions.
July 2, 2022 at 1:01 |
Don R
Don R
I found a word I like better than Salience, and that is Pertinence. It refers to a task pertaining [being related] to something that matters to me. I like that it has a funny pejorative negation.
If a given task was never pulled off a sublist, because it never seemed pertinent at any time to start working it, then maybe that task should be deemed impertinent and sent away.
<< there is actually resistance to organize tasks and flip between pages often there is actually resistance to organize tasks and flip between pages often>>
Flipping between pages often, definitely would be a no-go process for me. Instead, I have two methods. If I focus on a subject for a long time, I just spend my time working directly in that list of tasks, and I.follow whatever process of navigating them as seems suitable, before I set that aside and return to the main list. Or, if it’s not a subject I intend to spend a lot of time on, I will select one or two tasks and pull them out into the main list. I probably won’t look at that sublist for another week.
A kanban version of a checklist is two columns: To do, and Done, with a fixed set of cards.
With deferred actions, it sounds like you want to prefer completing a series of linked actions over switching to something new. A Kanban of that might have 3 columns (maybe more). First is things you haven’t started. Second is what you cal Deferred Actions. Maybe the card description changes each time you complete something. Then there’s the done pile. So to meet your objective you prefer selecting things in Deferred over selecting things in the first column.
If a given task was never pulled off a sublist, because it never seemed pertinent at any time to start working it, then maybe that task should be deemed impertinent and sent away.
<< there is actually resistance to organize tasks and flip between pages often there is actually resistance to organize tasks and flip between pages often>>
Flipping between pages often, definitely would be a no-go process for me. Instead, I have two methods. If I focus on a subject for a long time, I just spend my time working directly in that list of tasks, and I.follow whatever process of navigating them as seems suitable, before I set that aside and return to the main list. Or, if it’s not a subject I intend to spend a lot of time on, I will select one or two tasks and pull them out into the main list. I probably won’t look at that sublist for another week.
A kanban version of a checklist is two columns: To do, and Done, with a fixed set of cards.
With deferred actions, it sounds like you want to prefer completing a series of linked actions over switching to something new. A Kanban of that might have 3 columns (maybe more). First is things you haven’t started. Second is what you cal Deferred Actions. Maybe the card description changes each time you complete something. Then there’s the done pile. So to meet your objective you prefer selecting things in Deferred over selecting things in the first column.
July 3, 2022 at 13:54 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
What is the effect of this process?
The Resistance Zero method primes your mind to be ready to do things, by repeated exposure. The process above can do this with the short task list you’ve retained, but for the rest it’s kind of an inverse. By hiding things you aren’t ready to do, many of the things on these lists lose their salience. If they are truly important, they will stand out and be activated. But for the rest, what Resistance Zero would prepare you to do, this process will incline you to see tasks as Salience Zero and delete them.
Does it work though? Do things disappear? Or do you end up with piles and piles of lists of forgotten things? My experience is it mostly works. Important stuff is done more, and lesser stuff is done less. Is something additional needed to tame things? I’m not sure.
(In the end, Salience Zero is a terrible name for a system. It’s not really about that, but more about the focusing on things of Relevance.)