FV and FVP Forum > Equilibrium
Elynn:
<< I also wanted to thank ubi for a tip that has worked well for me - When I start a chain, I mark my 'top of the list' item. But then I go to the end of the list and work backwards asking "What is 1st thing want to do before X?" When I find it, I do it, and then keep going up the list. >>
You're not following the standard FV algorithm then, because you're using the same benchmark (the root task) for every selection, and the FV algorithm says to used the most-recently-selected task as the benchmark for each selection. You're probably constructing a different chain as a result, but I don't know what the effect would be. Mark might know the impact of NOT changing the benchmark for The Question -- I suspect it was one of the experiments he would have tried during the development of FV...
<< Another variation I've been using - for those real bug-a-bear items that actually make it to the top of the list spot, I leave them at the top of the list til they are well and truly DONE. I only have to take some small action to end the chain, but then the same general project stays at the top of the list. That way I keep chipping away at it on every chain. Everything else I work on gets bumped to the bottom of the list after I take some action on it. >>
You might want to try Prioritized FV:
http://www.markforster.net/fv-forum/post/1806263
What you're doing here is EXACTLY the same as what Prioritized FV would do with just one prioritized task. With multiple prioritized tasks, Prioritized FV will cycle through them, but always be chipping away on at least one of those prioritized tasks.
<< I also wanted to thank ubi for a tip that has worked well for me - When I start a chain, I mark my 'top of the list' item. But then I go to the end of the list and work backwards asking "What is 1st thing want to do before X?" When I find it, I do it, and then keep going up the list. >>
You're not following the standard FV algorithm then, because you're using the same benchmark (the root task) for every selection, and the FV algorithm says to used the most-recently-selected task as the benchmark for each selection. You're probably constructing a different chain as a result, but I don't know what the effect would be. Mark might know the impact of NOT changing the benchmark for The Question -- I suspect it was one of the experiments he would have tried during the development of FV...
<< Another variation I've been using - for those real bug-a-bear items that actually make it to the top of the list spot, I leave them at the top of the list til they are well and truly DONE. I only have to take some small action to end the chain, but then the same general project stays at the top of the list. That way I keep chipping away at it on every chain. Everything else I work on gets bumped to the bottom of the list after I take some action on it. >>
You might want to try Prioritized FV:
http://www.markforster.net/fv-forum/post/1806263
What you're doing here is EXACTLY the same as what Prioritized FV would do with just one prioritized task. With multiple prioritized tasks, Prioritized FV will cycle through them, but always be chipping away on at least one of those prioritized tasks.
May 18, 2012 at 20:09 |
Deven
Deven
I keep my list(s) in excel. It makes it easy to bump items to the bottom of the list, keep items coded for work or home, and keep a separate column to code for multiple steps in a project.
I also wanted to thank ubi for a tip that has worked well for me - When I start a chain, I mark my 'top of the list' item. But then I go to the end of the list and work backwards asking "What is 1st thing want to do before X?" When I find it, I do it, and then keep going up the list.
This works well for me because 1) I don't have to read thru my whole intimidating list at once. Even though it has stopped growing, it's still pretty long. 2) I'm able to build up some momentum starting with easy items that usually hover at the end of the list. 3) There's a nice balance of 'structured procrastination' with some medium resistance items looking like a good idea finally compared to the top of list item and 4) by the time I reach the top of list item, I'm so ready to be DONE with this chain already and start over that I have that push I need to just DO something on it and move on!
Another variation I've been using - for those real bug-a-bear items that actually make it to the top of the list spot, I leave them at the top of the list til they are well and truly DONE. I only have to take some small action to end the chain, but then the same general project stays at the top of the list. That way I keep chipping away at it on every chain. Everything else I work on gets bumped to the bottom of the list after I take some action on it.
Thanks for the system Mark!