Get Everything Done

AF is promoted as a time management system. But isnt it really a work processing system.

Mark - Kentish Man generally gets things the wrong way round.

Hi Kentish
I, too, regard the two as different disciplines or endeavors.
learning as I go

opps...I forgot to define the difference which seems obvious to me......one determines what I've chosen to do and the other determines when I'm going to do it.
learning as I go

This is true of many modern organizational systems, of course, including GTD.

Nothing in the AF system, as far as I can see, tells you when to pick up the AF list and work from it. This is a good thing. In my experience, almost ANY attempt to schedule the use of discretionary time (except perhaps for having a daily start-time that you aim for) is counterproductive, setting up extra new things to fail at!

I agree with Kentish man. Of course time in itself is not manageable; we all have the same amount of hours in a week. But as I see it, a time management system assumes that it is; time is a commodity like money (hi Ben!) and treats it as such. maybe this is the big fallacy that undermines all time management system.
AF is more a way to manage workload, and that's more sensible.

Massimo
I think you're underestimating our good sense. We KNOW that "time" is only a word describing the sequential nature of existance and we know that when we refer to our calendars or watches, that we aren't actually manipulating the medium of experiencing! ROTFL! We use it to plan, predict, remind, etc..... This silly premise would be similar to physicists arguing that the movement of particulate matter isn't mathematics!
learning as I go

Kentish

I'd describe AF as a task management system not a time management system. Add a diary to AF to record your appointments and its pretty much a time management system.

Regarding the difference between a work processing system and a time management system, Learning wrote:
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one determines what I've chosen to do and the other determines when I'm going to do it.
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Using this definition, Autofocus is an integration of both in one package.

This doesn't mean, however, that Autofocus processes *all* your work and manages *all* your time. It deals with the stuff that doesn't need to be done in a pre-specified time block.

Hi Mark
I certainly haven't chosen everything I'm going to do.....with most things, I have options.....much like the menu example. If I've predetermined my meal selection, then I needn't look at the menu. Other times, I want the menu to make a fresh decision. Even then, I've still must chose THIS meal. I don't have all my future meal selections ordered in a queque. I'll plan some of the meals I'm going to cook........but I also like spontaneous choices as well. I've only chosen eating as an example. The same goes for anything...people, books, my new current initiative, when I'll go to the dentist......Life is a mixture of pre-determined selections and spontaneous selections. That's part of the fun of it!
re: time management vs processing work....please re-read my above post. I know of no other way to explain the difference. Example: I've scheduled a time block at 2 to 4 pm for project X(time management). I used my work system to decide to work on project X to completion rather than begin project Z before it's completed. (Of course, this is only an example. I'm almost afraid to speak here as some people like to debate semantics and interpretations! *blush*)
learning as I go

p.s.
Mark
Even with the work I've already committed myself to, I use my system to guide the selection....and most future selections.
learning as I go

p.s.s.
.......on the other hand.......(and this is why I'm steadfast about staying current/slightly ahead with the important stuff).........I might wake up at 2am REVVED UP........I MUST paint this NOW....I MUST weld that NOW.....I MUST write this NOW.......it's hard to explain...the passion/epiphany says NOW NOW NOW ..it's just part of my life........
learning as I go

Hi Mark
Under *ideal/normal* conditions, of course, I've got both my commitments and timeframe lined up. The commitments, of course, come first. But....but....but.....my ABILITIES can't be predermined because the pain levels can't be predicted. It also plays havoc with my brain damage.......pain also fractures focus. I AIM for a normal planned session of work, but, alas, I'm forced to choose what I'm able to do at the time. My weekly format helps immensely in this regard. Before I was disabled, the weekly format was great mostly for surprise oppurtunities and burning inspirations. Now it's mostly a framework for my unreliable brain and body. Somehow, I still maintain it....with an open-mind and a flexible attitude. I try my BEST to follow the given format (shedule and habits combos) as closely as I'm able. Adding to this, when my pain levels are more "merciful", I still need to split that time between work and pleasure. I'm like a cat on a hot tin roof! LOL!
learning as I go

Until last year, the only man of Kent I'd heard of was the "hairy handed gent who ran amuck in Kent". (And _he_ was eponymously based in London.)

Suddenly they're all over the place: what's going on?

p.s.
Today is a great example of how I must be flexible and jump on my oppurtunities to do different kinds of work. Today, my neck and shoulder feel like someone is pumping boiling grease out of my spinal cord and it's running down my left scapula! I feel GRATEFUL that I finished Friday Accounts day round-up on Monday as, today,....there's no way I can crunch numbers with any accuracy. Hell, even time references disappear without hard focus......I don't CARE that it's the 19th day of June in the year 2009....all I care about is doing the best I can 5 minutes at a time for a maximum of 90 minutes. The drugs don't help either. Now I'm both stupified and suffering! LOL! This is a great day for lowest level house chores.....but....but....but......it could all change. The unpredictable pain levels are both vexing and a blessing! LOL! I'm PRAYING for a pain level change ASAP! LOL! LOL! LOL! When the pain levels are more merciful, I jump on my opportunities like it's a gift from heaven............yet.....in the back of my mind, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.......ROTFL! On the bright side, it's taught me how to spontaneously strategize! while staying firm with my weekly output /accomplishments aims. LOL! I may be a mess but I'm somehow making the grade. LOL!
learning as I go