Get Everything Done

Hi,

Having worked successfully with AF4 for some time, I'm starting to feel some anxiety about not knowing what are the rest of my tasks (after and before the current one).
My memory is terrible, so I can't trust my intuition 100%.

I put everything on my list, including things I have to do as a programmer (1 bug=1 task, for example), which could be next to "clean the bathroom", even if Mark suggested that I should move my programming tasks to another type of list (which I do, but in addition). As some other people, I really like the idea of having everything together, without previous classification.

AF2 included a specification about reading the whole list before starting a session. I'm tempted to do that, but then, I wouldn't want to let the "urgent" tasks to take priority automatically.

I'd really like to hear how other users deal with this. Thanks!

I like to read the whole list whenever I've had a day of back-to-back meetings. On such days I usually don't have time to work off the list, so the next day I like to read through the entire list to get a feeling again for what's on it. In my case, that means I read through the whole list (apart from reading while processing) about once a week, sometimes twice.

I truly believe that one of the most brilliant innovations in AF (pick you number) is the engaging of the unconscious. If you feel anxious I recommend treating that as a signal that you aren't attending to something that is elsewhere on your list, so when you have that sensation don't push it down, respond to it. Go read through your list in some other order than you are currently responding to it.

I used to have this sensation as well, but by responding to my intuition and basically doing whatever stood up across the whole list, and then noticing where I really NEEDED to be in my list (regardless of the rules) really helped me create new processing rules that keep me at the right point in my list at the right time.

When I am feeling that way, I start using a timer. Work on a task for no more than, say, 15 minutes or 30 minutes (or whatever works for you). That way I don't get sucked into a task for several hours while neglecting other important work.

It's not perfect, but it helps.

I'm thinking about reading the whole list, but not right before starting to work with it, just to avoid preconditioning.

I could add a task for that, but I get the feeling that this should be done in a more scheduled fashion. Maybe at the end of the day?


Seraphim: I liked the idea of a timer. It should increase the feeling of control, though it maybe contradicts the "work for as long as you want" principle.

Here's a thought: Suppose you have one thing you know is most important on your list, and you aren't sure about the rest of the list. So you scan your list and to each task you either say, No, that's less important, or Yes, this will only take a minute. 10 minutes later you get to your Big Important, and you work on it. 20 minutes later you think, maybe there's something I'm forgetting. You scan forward looking at every item. They each turn out to be less important, but one catches your attention as Oh No I Forgot About This, and you take 15 minutes to get it done. The rest are less critical than your Big Important and you pass them by. Eventually you get back to the big item.

Here's the result: In one hour you will have scanned your entire list, and done the few urgent tasks you forgot about. Now you are back at your big item and you KNOW it's safe to spend time on it. Do it!

The Big Important task and the Forgotten Urgent should drive you to scan your entire list, and nothing should interrupt the moving forward until you know you are safe. Once you get to Safe, you can relax. Work on your Big one as much as you want, and move on when you want.

>>>I liked the idea of a timer. It should increase the feeling of control, though it maybe contradicts the "work for as long as you want" principle.<<<

I don't think it contradicts that. Sometimes it's useful to apply your rational thought process in addition to your intuition. AF has always been great at helping synchronize those two parts of our psychology.

Another thing that I've done when feeling a bit lost / unsure that I'm missing something important: Spend 20-30 minutes going through the whole list, especially the Open List, and copying forward (to the end of the Open List) anything that makes me feel "Oh yeah, I have to get that done SOON!"

Sometimes I like to go sit outside in the garden or something and go through my list. It helps to "get away" for a few minutes and the implicit pressure of the computer and the telephone.

I usually end up copying 6-12 things forward like that. And then, when I've gone through the whole list and get to the end where I've written the hot tasks, I have them all in one place at the end of my list, and can start taking action on them. The anxiety is gone, and the "high" of knowing exactly what to work on takes over. The timer comes in handy at this point, too.

>> I usually end up copying 6-12 things forward like that. And then, when I've gone through the whole list and get to the end where I've written the hot tasks, I have them all in one place at the end of my list, and can start taking action on them. <<
I like this. ;-)
I guess I'll be doing it more often, now that I have "crossing/readding" easily done in my Tasks/Todo list that is sorted by due date (just change hte due date) ...