Discussion Forum > The long list book
Aaron:
The answer is that I have easily enough material for a book on long-list systems, except for the last chapter "Which is the best long-list system?"
The answer is that I have easily enough material for a book on long-list systems, except for the last chapter "Which is the best long-list system?"
September 18, 2022 at 18:24 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Mark Forster:
For me, the question is "which is the best long-list system for me today?"
After a vacation when things have piled up, serial no-list is the best for me. But when I'm in the saddle for a while, then smart scanning works fine, with maybe a switch to autofocus now and then to clear out the older pages.
Long-list is for me a set of systems that I can deploy depending on situation, mood, etc. Others may have more success sticking with the same system but I like the novelty of switching things up.
For me, the question is "which is the best long-list system for me today?"
After a vacation when things have piled up, serial no-list is the best for me. But when I'm in the saddle for a while, then smart scanning works fine, with maybe a switch to autofocus now and then to clear out the older pages.
Long-list is for me a set of systems that I can deploy depending on situation, mood, etc. Others may have more success sticking with the same system but I like the novelty of switching things up.
September 19, 2022 at 15:22 |
Mike Brown
Mike Brown
From a standpoint of usability, the original Autofocus is best. There is no need to dot anything. There is no need to jump with your eyes across the list in order to compare to dotted items. Scanning happens only on the active page, thus scanning fatigue is kept to a minimum.
Then there is the architecture of the list. The pages actually mean something. Each page is a distinct work place and each page is a closed list. This works to bake structured procrastination into the system.
It is also just one list and not several of them, so you have one sequence of items. (A general problem with the usability of all these Long List systems is having always at least two "hot spots" where things happen: one for entry of new tasks, but often another one for scanning/dotting/working on entered tasks.)
The dismissal process works to create a well sifted someday-maybe list, a feature that is necessary to maintain the resting mind like water, the state of being complete with all to-dos in one's life.
The dismissal process was often misunderstood by practitioners. Instead of seeing dismissal of a task as "I am not going to do work on this for now", it was seen as "I will abandon this task forever, to never to return, I failed to complete this task."
This misconception makes people reluctant to dismiss tasks, which in turn slows the system down and overloads it. This increases the cognitive load of processing an ever growing list, a burden that is only growing heavier by the successively increasing scanning fatigue.
That will invariably lead to a breakdown of the system.
No wonder, since the natural division that the system provides, between active to-dos and resting to-maybe-think-abouts, is disregarded.
A faster progression through the pages is further nutured by close observance of fast and humble beginnings. To quickly think about a task only to re-enter it into the list with a better formulation, maybe adding newly appearing sub-tasks, can already be counted as work.
In fact, thinking about one's work is the most important step of it. For without thought there is nothing. And this can be done very well, when one has some time for it and a few Autofocus pages with dismissed and highlighted tasks. Because those are the things you promised to yourself you would think about at a better time.
One could call that activity "highlighted reflection" and enter it as a task in one's Autofocus list. Or, maybe, schedule it on some day.
So, back to the question of the OP, I would say that the best Long List system is the original Autofocus and I also like FV better than all the other ones.
Then there is the architecture of the list. The pages actually mean something. Each page is a distinct work place and each page is a closed list. This works to bake structured procrastination into the system.
It is also just one list and not several of them, so you have one sequence of items. (A general problem with the usability of all these Long List systems is having always at least two "hot spots" where things happen: one for entry of new tasks, but often another one for scanning/dotting/working on entered tasks.)
The dismissal process works to create a well sifted someday-maybe list, a feature that is necessary to maintain the resting mind like water, the state of being complete with all to-dos in one's life.
The dismissal process was often misunderstood by practitioners. Instead of seeing dismissal of a task as "I am not going to do work on this for now", it was seen as "I will abandon this task forever, to never to return, I failed to complete this task."
This misconception makes people reluctant to dismiss tasks, which in turn slows the system down and overloads it. This increases the cognitive load of processing an ever growing list, a burden that is only growing heavier by the successively increasing scanning fatigue.
That will invariably lead to a breakdown of the system.
No wonder, since the natural division that the system provides, between active to-dos and resting to-maybe-think-abouts, is disregarded.
A faster progression through the pages is further nutured by close observance of fast and humble beginnings. To quickly think about a task only to re-enter it into the list with a better formulation, maybe adding newly appearing sub-tasks, can already be counted as work.
In fact, thinking about one's work is the most important step of it. For without thought there is nothing. And this can be done very well, when one has some time for it and a few Autofocus pages with dismissed and highlighted tasks. Because those are the things you promised to yourself you would think about at a better time.
One could call that activity "highlighted reflection" and enter it as a task in one's Autofocus list. Or, maybe, schedule it on some day.
So, back to the question of the OP, I would say that the best Long List system is the original Autofocus and I also like FV better than all the other ones.
September 29, 2022 at 10:11 |
Christopher
Christopher
Christopher:
<< From a standpoint of usability, the original Autofocus is best. There is no need to dot anything. There is no need to jump with your eyes across the list in order to compare to dotted items. Scanning happens only on the active page, thus scanning fatigue is kept to a minimum. >>
For what it's worth, I'll just point out that there are long-list systems with even less scanning than AF1. For instance: Another Simple and Effective Method, where the sections are typically shorter than a page: http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2013/5/20/another-simple-and-effective-method.html
Or the following system, where you only scan ten tasks at a time: http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/12/27/how-to-do-the-same-old-thing.html
But AF1 does have unique qualities, as you point out.
<< From a standpoint of usability, the original Autofocus is best. There is no need to dot anything. There is no need to jump with your eyes across the list in order to compare to dotted items. Scanning happens only on the active page, thus scanning fatigue is kept to a minimum. >>
For what it's worth, I'll just point out that there are long-list systems with even less scanning than AF1. For instance: Another Simple and Effective Method, where the sections are typically shorter than a page: http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2013/5/20/another-simple-and-effective-method.html
Or the following system, where you only scan ten tasks at a time: http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2016/12/27/how-to-do-the-same-old-thing.html
But AF1 does have unique qualities, as you point out.
September 29, 2022 at 20:58 |
Belacqua
Belacqua
I remember reading a while back that you had never been able to bring yourself to write a book on your long list methods at least in part because you didn't feel like you had "settled" enough on a single system that you could comfortably enshrine into book form.
Do you feel that you're experience with long list systems has matured to a point where you would be able to enshrine a single method into a book on long list systems in general?
Obviously, just because it is in a book doesn't make it the "best" or anything, but I wonder how one might go about choosing such a system, why you would choose this system over that system, and whether you feel like you have enough experience with these systems to be able to do so?