Discussion Forum > Starting Over
Glad to see that you got rid of those 30 pages Mel - one way or the other!
What's the DIT email approach you're using? I don't have a process other than check 2-3 times a day at work and get my inbox down to empty each time. Projects get moved into my ".Act" file.
I'm doing a "goals dump" (no more than a page) every time I go camping for the weekend on my master list. That keeps things moving along a lot faster. The pages are harder to get through, but it encourages me to learn to work on them little and often.
I think the key, like you said, is to "work the page hard" and not be so quick to move on.
What's the DIT email approach you're using? I don't have a process other than check 2-3 times a day at work and get my inbox down to empty each time. Projects get moved into my ".Act" file.
I'm doing a "goals dump" (no more than a page) every time I go camping for the weekend on my master list. That keeps things moving along a lot faster. The pages are harder to get through, but it encourages me to learn to work on them little and often.
I think the key, like you said, is to "work the page hard" and not be so quick to move on.
June 13, 2009 at 2:11 |
Jacqueline
Jacqueline
I was also adding "blog posts" to my lists which became cumbersome. I still write them down as I think of them so I can dump the idea and get back into the flow of whatever I was currently involved in, but when I go back over my lists, I "action" that entry by moving it to an external list. I have set times in my schedule for blogging so I just refer to that external list when I'm in that mode.
June 13, 2009 at 2:20 |
Gretchen Cawthon
Gretchen Cawthon
Jacqueline, the DIT approach to email is to process all of yesterday's email today and to make everything prior to yesterday's email a backlog. You whittle away at the backlog as you're able, but try to process everything that came in yesterday. You also leave all but the urgent emails from today until tomorrow.
What do you mean by a goals dump when you go camping?
What I like about my approach is the mix of working hard to complete yesterday's page and a little and often approach to the rest of the tasks. I think it's the best of both worlds for me. When I was using DIT, I had this idea that I had to COMPLETE everything on yesterday's list. Now I know I just need to do a little to move it forward.
What do you mean by a goals dump when you go camping?
What I like about my approach is the mix of working hard to complete yesterday's page and a little and often approach to the rest of the tasks. I think it's the best of both worlds for me. When I was using DIT, I had this idea that I had to COMPLETE everything on yesterday's list. Now I know I just need to do a little to move it forward.
June 13, 2009 at 5:17 |
Mel
Mel
Hi Mel,
Oh, I see. There's that backlog word again. I guess in that case you would be kind of current, just a day behind. I'm sure I'll have a backlog of email when I go on holiday in a couple of weeks so will have to experiment. I've always tried to just hit my email for 1/2 hour a day while on holiday before so I wouldn't come back to a mess, but I won't be in the position to do that this time.
Re. goals dump: I just find that in day to day living, I sometimes don't ensure that there are things on my list related to moving my goals forward. So I'll go through my list of goals - which I am starting to regularly modify by using the digg method - this works really well with AF for implementation - and write down a page of actions related to them. If I keep resisting the actions, that's a pretty good sign that the goal isn't right and gets a double dismissal from the digg list and AF. And since I go camping every 2 weeks, and I'm closing out pages on average about 14 days now with AF condensed, the timing is good. :-)
http://thegrowinglife.com/2008/02/a-digg-approach-to-goal-setting-discover-digg-or-bury-and-repeat/
I think the nice thing about "working the page hard" is that you can end up with only 3 or 4 items on there, which means it should be easy to get through later. Most of the time, at that stage, I realize I'm leaving things that need to be left/dismissed because I thought I was at the point of deciding, but wasn't.
Oh, I see. There's that backlog word again. I guess in that case you would be kind of current, just a day behind. I'm sure I'll have a backlog of email when I go on holiday in a couple of weeks so will have to experiment. I've always tried to just hit my email for 1/2 hour a day while on holiday before so I wouldn't come back to a mess, but I won't be in the position to do that this time.
Re. goals dump: I just find that in day to day living, I sometimes don't ensure that there are things on my list related to moving my goals forward. So I'll go through my list of goals - which I am starting to regularly modify by using the digg method - this works really well with AF for implementation - and write down a page of actions related to them. If I keep resisting the actions, that's a pretty good sign that the goal isn't right and gets a double dismissal from the digg list and AF. And since I go camping every 2 weeks, and I'm closing out pages on average about 14 days now with AF condensed, the timing is good. :-)
http://thegrowinglife.com/2008/02/a-digg-approach-to-goal-setting-discover-digg-or-bury-and-repeat/
I think the nice thing about "working the page hard" is that you can end up with only 3 or 4 items on there, which means it should be easy to get through later. Most of the time, at that stage, I realize I'm leaving things that need to be left/dismissed because I thought I was at the point of deciding, but wasn't.
June 13, 2009 at 18:55 |
Jacqueline
Jacqueline
Interesting link! So you don't just write goals, but list actions, too, and add them to your AF list? I was wondering if a separate AF Goals list would work? IOW, on your AF list you'd write Goals List, then you'd work your list as though it was a regular AF list. Would you want each page to be one goal or many goals on one page? Just thinking aloud. I'm not familiar with Digg so the Top 15, Popular, etc. categories don't really resonate with me. I'm also not in a very goal-focused place right now. I have goals, but they're not the formal kind.
June 14, 2009 at 3:52 |
Mel
Mel
>> Interesting link! So you don't just write goals, but list actions, too, and add them to your AF list? >>
The whole thing sounds complicated.
The whole thing sounds complicated.
June 14, 2009 at 6:03 |
Avrum
Avrum
Mel, I don't write goals themselves onto my list, they're in a separate excel file so I can manipulate them. I will sometimes write them as a short tag before the action on the AF list.
I have found that the rewriting and retooling of the goals on a regular basis has reinforced commitment to the ones that are important. That's why we don't do them or are "too busy" doing other things - because we're not committed to those more important things.
I've also found that when I do things like list "100 things I want to do before I die" and think up random items, it opens your mind up to interesting possibilities once you get past the day to day and what you think is possible.
Say if one of my goals is to go to Mexico for a couple of months while I'm on sabbatical this upcoming year (which it is). My AF action two weeks ago was to request the Pimsleur Spanish CD's from my library and this week will listen to them on my commute to work. If I wasn't thinking about my goals, I'd probably just keep listening to mindless radio programs and not know more than 10 words in Spanish once I hit the border like 99% of the people who go there. One of the girls I work with is from Mexico and I can practice on her. :-) If I didn't think about that goal on a regular basis, I wouldn't see the golden opportunity presented by this person from Mexico right there in my office. It gets your reticular activating
I put all the actions on one page - sometimes it's only 10 items (for 10 goals). They're right on the AF list, not on any separate page, I want them to come up more frequently, you know what I mean? Plus it's not really like dumping because if you have 10 goals, they'll have very different types of actions. Some will be easy, some will be harder
I just find that I get into a rut of doing the same old things in my leisure time if I don't actively try to do something different. I don't want a life of regrets for the things I didn't do because I was too busy.
I have found that the rewriting and retooling of the goals on a regular basis has reinforced commitment to the ones that are important. That's why we don't do them or are "too busy" doing other things - because we're not committed to those more important things.
I've also found that when I do things like list "100 things I want to do before I die" and think up random items, it opens your mind up to interesting possibilities once you get past the day to day and what you think is possible.
Say if one of my goals is to go to Mexico for a couple of months while I'm on sabbatical this upcoming year (which it is). My AF action two weeks ago was to request the Pimsleur Spanish CD's from my library and this week will listen to them on my commute to work. If I wasn't thinking about my goals, I'd probably just keep listening to mindless radio programs and not know more than 10 words in Spanish once I hit the border like 99% of the people who go there. One of the girls I work with is from Mexico and I can practice on her. :-) If I didn't think about that goal on a regular basis, I wouldn't see the golden opportunity presented by this person from Mexico right there in my office. It gets your reticular activating
I put all the actions on one page - sometimes it's only 10 items (for 10 goals). They're right on the AF list, not on any separate page, I want them to come up more frequently, you know what I mean? Plus it's not really like dumping because if you have 10 goals, they'll have very different types of actions. Some will be easy, some will be harder
I just find that I get into a rut of doing the same old things in my leisure time if I don't actively try to do something different. I don't want a life of regrets for the things I didn't do because I was too busy.
June 14, 2009 at 14:24 |
Jacqueline
Jacqueline
I should book that trip to NYC for the end of August that I was hesitating over. I need to give my RAS time to work on it. :-)
W. H. Murray in "The Scottish Himalaya Expedition":
'But when I said that nothing had been done I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money--booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!'
W. H. Murray in "The Scottish Himalaya Expedition":
'But when I said that nothing had been done I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money--booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!'
June 14, 2009 at 14:30 |
Jacqueline
Jacqueline
Mel wrote:
'I will now be keeping separate lists for these things and will only list "Read," "Watch a movie," "Blog," "Scrapbook," etc.'
This is a good idea, if they're things that are enjoyable to do, there won't be resistance to doing anything on the separate lists.
'I will now be keeping separate lists for these things and will only list "Read," "Watch a movie," "Blog," "Scrapbook," etc.'
This is a good idea, if they're things that are enjoyable to do, there won't be resistance to doing anything on the separate lists.
June 14, 2009 at 14:34 |
smileypete
smileypete
I read the Digg article on goals. (How do you find all these great books and articles, Jacqueline???) :-)
I hadn't really thought about it before, but it seems like the Digg methodology is just another approach to let the important things get the attention they deserve while the dross falls to the wayside. In other words, it's an Autofocus competitor. :-)
But, my key takeaway from reflecting on all that, is that Autofocus would probably be a better methodology for a Digg-like site. It's already clear how that works for an individual -- add articles to read to your Autofocus list, and see which ones actually get read, and which ones get dismissed. It would be really interesting (and perhaps a profitable venture?) to come up with a way to apply the same thing to groups on a Web2.0 site.
But back to the main topic -- goals. My main takeaway vis-a-vis goals is just to Autofocus my goals. I've been so BUSY lately, that I've been doing 99% tasks and projects in my AF list, but neglecting the weightier matters. The article was a good reminder to add goals, reflecting, reviewing, thinking, and pondering activities to my AF list.
And I think that's probably exactly what I will do, rather than set up a separate spreadsheet and a separate methodology.
Perhaps if I find the goals aren't getting enough extended attention this way, I could transfer them all to a sub-list, and add a "Review goals" task to my main list. When I do "Review goals", I could open my Goals sub-list, and just process it for an hour or two, using the same Autofocus methodology. That approach has been working great for some of my projects lately.
I hadn't really thought about it before, but it seems like the Digg methodology is just another approach to let the important things get the attention they deserve while the dross falls to the wayside. In other words, it's an Autofocus competitor. :-)
But, my key takeaway from reflecting on all that, is that Autofocus would probably be a better methodology for a Digg-like site. It's already clear how that works for an individual -- add articles to read to your Autofocus list, and see which ones actually get read, and which ones get dismissed. It would be really interesting (and perhaps a profitable venture?) to come up with a way to apply the same thing to groups on a Web2.0 site.
But back to the main topic -- goals. My main takeaway vis-a-vis goals is just to Autofocus my goals. I've been so BUSY lately, that I've been doing 99% tasks and projects in my AF list, but neglecting the weightier matters. The article was a good reminder to add goals, reflecting, reviewing, thinking, and pondering activities to my AF list.
And I think that's probably exactly what I will do, rather than set up a separate spreadsheet and a separate methodology.
Perhaps if I find the goals aren't getting enough extended attention this way, I could transfer them all to a sub-list, and add a "Review goals" task to my main list. When I do "Review goals", I could open my Goals sub-list, and just process it for an hour or two, using the same Autofocus methodology. That approach has been working great for some of my projects lately.
June 15, 2009 at 5:06 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Seraphim, I've come to the same conclusion!
June 15, 2009 at 17:24 |
Mel
Mel
Hey Seraphim and Mel,
I just like the opportunity to spend half an hour once every couple of weeks fantasizing and daydreaming. :-)
I want to let those old goals (ie. what I think is possible / practical) go to a certain extent and focus on identifying things that really excite me. I feel I've lost too much of that. Maybe that's because with AF, I no longer think I need to spend huge amounts of time to move forward on things anymore.
I used to read stuff about writers (what I always wanted to be when I grow up) and they'd say "write just one page first thing in the morning - and in a year you'll have a book" or write half an hour a day, and I could never make myself stick to that. Focusing on work was easier and the payoff guaranteed and immediate. I am starting to believe now with AF that this is actually possible. It's kind of scary actually.
I just like the opportunity to spend half an hour once every couple of weeks fantasizing and daydreaming. :-)
I want to let those old goals (ie. what I think is possible / practical) go to a certain extent and focus on identifying things that really excite me. I feel I've lost too much of that. Maybe that's because with AF, I no longer think I need to spend huge amounts of time to move forward on things anymore.
I used to read stuff about writers (what I always wanted to be when I grow up) and they'd say "write just one page first thing in the morning - and in a year you'll have a book" or write half an hour a day, and I could never make myself stick to that. Focusing on work was easier and the payoff guaranteed and immediate. I am starting to believe now with AF that this is actually possible. It's kind of scary actually.
June 15, 2009 at 17:46 |
Jacqueline
Jacqueline
I plan to keep two additional tweaks that I continue to enjoy using. I will continue to make a digital "page" consist of tasks entered on one day. My page for today then is called 061209. When I go for a period of time when I have very few tasks added, I will add them all to the last day I was actively working the list. This has been my procedure for some time now and it works very well.
My second tweak is to use more of a DIT approach that many have described before. Tomorrow I will aim to move as many of today's undone tasks forward as possible before I begin working the list as the instructions suggest. In other words, I won't be working backwards, but will always start my day by working yesterday's page hard before continuing to work forward from the page where I left off.
As for my giant old list, I only moved 12 key deadlined tasks to today's list. I am effectively dismissing the remainder of my old AF list and have added a task to Review old AF list. I have also gone back to using the DIT approach to email which gives me great peace of mind.