FV and FVP Forum > Running out of time while working the chain
The rules cover this situation. Depending on the degree to which the preselection has become outdated you can either:
1) Abandon the existing preselection and reselect from scratch, or
2) Starting from the last task on the pre-select list, reselect from there to the end of the list.
I find 2) is perfectly adequate for most situations.
1) Abandon the existing preselection and reselect from scratch, or
2) Starting from the last task on the pre-select list, reselect from there to the end of the list.
I find 2) is perfectly adequate for most situations.
March 15, 2012 at 10:31 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
I've run into this situation several times already, with yesterday especially being chopped into little bits because of too many meetings...
And Mark's recommended approach (#2, above) has worked great.
And Mark's recommended approach (#2, above) has worked great.
March 15, 2012 at 17:33 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Thanks Mark,
Your suggestions (especially #2) is great for dealing with the aftermath once you get back to your list (and is a great way of dealing with unexpected interruptions). What I was really wondering, though, was if you would do anything different *before* you have to stop, to allow for the limited time available. If you know you only have 20 minutes, for example, would you change the way you work your list to allow for this, or would you just follow the rules exactly, disregarding the available time, and keep working as usual until you have to go?
I'm guessing your answer would be to keep the available time in mind when you decide which items to put into the chain -- and that if you run out of time you should use that as a chance to learn how to estimate better...
Am I guessing right?
Thanks,
- Erik.
Your suggestions (especially #2) is great for dealing with the aftermath once you get back to your list (and is a great way of dealing with unexpected interruptions). What I was really wondering, though, was if you would do anything different *before* you have to stop, to allow for the limited time available. If you know you only have 20 minutes, for example, would you change the way you work your list to allow for this, or would you just follow the rules exactly, disregarding the available time, and keep working as usual until you have to go?
I'm guessing your answer would be to keep the available time in mind when you decide which items to put into the chain -- and that if you run out of time you should use that as a chance to learn how to estimate better...
Am I guessing right?
Thanks,
- Erik.
March 15, 2012 at 20:43 |
Erik Westra
Erik Westra
Erik:
I think asking yourself "What do I want to do before I do x?" does imply that you would be conscious of how much time you have available. But of course it's easy to misjudge this.
I'm personally pretty flexible about adding or subtracting from the pre-select list, but also very careful that whatever changes I make are in order to get work done, not in order to procrastinate.
I think asking yourself "What do I want to do before I do x?" does imply that you would be conscious of how much time you have available. But of course it's easy to misjudge this.
I'm personally pretty flexible about adding or subtracting from the pre-select list, but also very careful that whatever changes I make are in order to get work done, not in order to procrastinate.
March 16, 2012 at 0:53 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
I'm finding that as I use FV more, I'm preselecting less items for two reasons. First, I'm more cognizant of what is toward the end of the list and I'm more eager to get there. Secondly, I'm more in tune with how much time I want to spend on a cycle. The preselection serves almost as a reward where I get to start over. So I want a shorter list to get my reward sooner.
Today, the reward was more like a negative punishment. The sooner I got to preselection, the less time I had to suffer through the monster preselection list where I wanted to do everything before the previous item I selected. The long list really weighed on me. It will be shorter lists from now on, I'm sure.
Today, the reward was more like a negative punishment. The sooner I got to preselection, the less time I had to suffer through the monster preselection list where I wanted to do everything before the previous item I selected. The long list really weighed on me. It will be shorter lists from now on, I'm sure.
March 16, 2012 at 3:27 |
MartyH
MartyH
Edit: I've asked Mark in another thread if this is an acceptable expansion, and, if not, how he recommends dealing with limited time without frequent use of the escape clause.)
I found that when time was short, 'before' included a healthy dose of 'instead of'. That changed which items I pre-selected. When I have more time, or I'm in a mood to get things done, or today's critical tasks are done, 'instead of' will become a smaller part of 'before'.
I'm also experimenting with expanding the question to "What do I want to do before X and starting the next cycle". It's already an implied part of the question, but an awareness of that changes the answer.
Today, I plan to do the first cycle with an awareness that time might be short, and the next with an awareness that I really want to get some of the little-and-often off my desk. (I went over-board with little-and-often some time ago; there are so many that it's more little than often. I want to get some of them done!)
I found that when time was short, 'before' included a healthy dose of 'instead of'. That changed which items I pre-selected. When I have more time, or I'm in a mood to get things done, or today's critical tasks are done, 'instead of' will become a smaller part of 'before'.
I'm also experimenting with expanding the question to "What do I want to do before X and starting the next cycle". It's already an implied part of the question, but an awareness of that changes the answer.
Today, I plan to do the first cycle with an awareness that time might be short, and the next with an awareness that I really want to get some of the little-and-often off my desk. (I went over-board with little-and-often some time ago; there are so many that it's more little than often. I want to get some of them done!)
March 16, 2012 at 13:13 |
Cricket
Cricket
Mark:
<<I think asking yourself "What do I want to do before I do x?" does imply that you would be conscious of how much time you have available. But of course it's easy to misjudge this.>>
Indeed -- I'm terrible at it!
<<I'm personally pretty flexible about adding or subtracting from the pre-select list, but also very careful that whatever changes I make are in order to get work done, not in order to procrastinate.>>
Very interesting. I understand what you're saying about getting work done versus procrastinating, but do you have any guidelines / suggestions for when it might be appropriate to add or subtract from the list, or even toss the entire list out and start again? New urgent tasks would be one example, but are there others?
A couple of times now, I've either run out of time while working through my pre-select list, or have just looked at that list, thought about the time I have left, and decided that my time would be much better spent working on other things.
Today I had forgotten about an appointment, plus the fact that I need to do some exercise, and realised that my day suddenly went from having lots of spare time to having only an hour left on which to work through my list. Nothing really changed except that I'd forgotten what I had committed to do...and so my existing pre-select list is suddenly no longer appropriate.
Do you have any suggestions or guidelines for dealing with this type of thing? Could this perhaps be something suitable for your FAQ?
Thanks!
- Erik.
<<I think asking yourself "What do I want to do before I do x?" does imply that you would be conscious of how much time you have available. But of course it's easy to misjudge this.>>
Indeed -- I'm terrible at it!
<<I'm personally pretty flexible about adding or subtracting from the pre-select list, but also very careful that whatever changes I make are in order to get work done, not in order to procrastinate.>>
Very interesting. I understand what you're saying about getting work done versus procrastinating, but do you have any guidelines / suggestions for when it might be appropriate to add or subtract from the list, or even toss the entire list out and start again? New urgent tasks would be one example, but are there others?
A couple of times now, I've either run out of time while working through my pre-select list, or have just looked at that list, thought about the time I have left, and decided that my time would be much better spent working on other things.
Today I had forgotten about an appointment, plus the fact that I need to do some exercise, and realised that my day suddenly went from having lots of spare time to having only an hour left on which to work through my list. Nothing really changed except that I'd forgotten what I had committed to do...and so my existing pre-select list is suddenly no longer appropriate.
Do you have any suggestions or guidelines for dealing with this type of thing? Could this perhaps be something suitable for your FAQ?
Thanks!
- Erik.
March 20, 2012 at 23:56 |
Erik Westra
Erik Westra
Hi, I'm interested to see again the assumption that you're supposed to complete a chain within a work session. It seems many people are coming to the pre-selection with the question, "How can I make a chain of tasks that I can complete within this session?" - and this is sometimes over-riding the main question. I would have thought this was a slight distortion of the system. But it sounds like I've got it wrong? Mark F?
John
John
March 21, 2012 at 3:51 |
John Graham
John Graham
I'd prefer to complete my chain in a session, only because the remaining dots may become irrelevant next session. It's a drag to have leftover inapplicable dots.
Call it "LID syndrome."
Nevertheless, most of my chains end up being multi-session.
Call it "LID syndrome."
Nevertheless, most of my chains end up being multi-session.
March 21, 2012 at 5:57 |
Bernie
Bernie
I don't try to make my chains one-session. I don't find it necessary, because as I've said I'm pretty flexible about adding things to the chain. Generally speaking the longer you are away from the list the more likely you are to need to add things. For instance, first thing in the morning I will normally scan from the last unactioned task on the preselect list. Most of the things that get added that way don't take a great deal of time.
March 21, 2012 at 7:05 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Be flexible about adding things to the chain.
That sounds like a significant point in the operation of the system.
That sounds like a significant point in the operation of the system.
March 21, 2012 at 14:18 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Mark,
<<I don't try to make my chains one-session. I don't find it necessary, because as I've said I'm pretty flexible about adding things to the chain.>>
I am surprised but delighted. Perhaps I've been making things too difficult. If a chain lasted several days without making it back up to the top, at what point would you feel it needed to be cleared and restarted? I am pretty sure you've posted about clearing the chain, but right now I cannot remember where, or how it relates to this topic.
Alan,
<<Be flexible about adding things to the chain.
That sounds like a significant point in the operation of the system.>>
Yes, it would be nice to let this part flow more. I will work on that. (Is it a contradiction to "work on" flowing more?)
<<I don't try to make my chains one-session. I don't find it necessary, because as I've said I'm pretty flexible about adding things to the chain.>>
I am surprised but delighted. Perhaps I've been making things too difficult. If a chain lasted several days without making it back up to the top, at what point would you feel it needed to be cleared and restarted? I am pretty sure you've posted about clearing the chain, but right now I cannot remember where, or how it relates to this topic.
Alan,
<<Be flexible about adding things to the chain.
That sounds like a significant point in the operation of the system.>>
Yes, it would be nice to let this part flow more. I will work on that. (Is it a contradiction to "work on" flowing more?)
March 22, 2012 at 5:01 |
Bernie
Bernie
Bernie:
<< If a chain lasted several days without making it back up to the top, at what point would you feel it needed to be cleared and restarted? >>
In fact I've never needed to restart a chain. I put that in the instructions for times like being away for several days or a complete change of priorities. Neither have my chains ever lasted as long as one day. But I have often carried a chain over night and added tasks at the start of the following morning.
<< If a chain lasted several days without making it back up to the top, at what point would you feel it needed to be cleared and restarted? >>
In fact I've never needed to restart a chain. I put that in the instructions for times like being away for several days or a complete change of priorities. Neither have my chains ever lasted as long as one day. But I have often carried a chain over night and added tasks at the start of the following morning.
March 22, 2012 at 7:42 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Mark,
<<In fact I've never needed to restart a chain>>
Wow.
<<Neither have my chains ever lasted as long as one day.>>
Wow!
<< ... first thing in the morning I will normally scan from the last unactioned task on the preselect list. Most of the things that get added that way don't take a great deal of time.>>
Good point.
This is encouraging and extremely helpful. I will try again. Thanks!
<<In fact I've never needed to restart a chain>>
Wow.
<<Neither have my chains ever lasted as long as one day.>>
Wow!
<< ... first thing in the morning I will normally scan from the last unactioned task on the preselect list. Most of the things that get added that way don't take a great deal of time.>>
Good point.
This is encouraging and extremely helpful. I will try again. Thanks!
March 22, 2012 at 14:04 |
Bernie
Bernie
First off, a hearty thank you to Mark for the wonderful new system. I've been using it for a couple of days now, and am amazed at how much I've gotten done. It's way too early to say, of course, but I'm quietly confident that I'll stay amazed in the weeks and months to come.
I do have a quick question about what to do when you have limited time to work your list. I had a fixed appointment today, and started my day working through my FV list. It started well, but I found that I'd underestimated how long it would take me to do some tasks, and I'd preselected a chain of tasks that took longer than the time I had available. I ended up abandoning my FV list, just quickly doing the tasks I knew I had to do before I left (a couple of them were "getting ready to go out" tasks), and then heading out.
When I returned, I still had my uncompleted chain of tasks, some of which were no longer relevant. Should I abandon the chain and start again, or just keep going? More generally, how would folks recommend dealing with limited blocks of time when working the FV list?
Thanks,
- Erik.