Get Everything Done

I would like to share my way of combining FV with Today List. In fact, I combined Today List with Autofocus before, now I have combined it with FV successfully for more than 4 weeks.

What goes to Today List? Everything what should be done today. I try to limit items going here. E.g. I added 12 tasks during all day on today real Today List. Typically they are (1) really important/urgent tasks which are best to do today, where there is danger of postponing for later (2) routines or habits, which are automated by doing at specific day (13th day of month: banking day, sunday: clean-up day etc. (3) important repeating daily activities (4) small chores and tasks which I know I will do today (5) scheduled tasks for the day.

These tasks could be of course also put on standard FV list, but I found out that I prefer to keep those tasks visually separated to be able to check them easily. First, I tried to star them in FV list (only for visual distinction). Now I write them in separate "Today List" page, which is part of my Final Version system. The only new rule is to consider this "Today List" page as additional page, belonging BELLOW the end of standard FV list.

How it works? Everything is the same like standard FV, except when preselecting tasks and having finished standard FV list, I continue with preselection in Today List. Then I go in standard way - ladder up. If I preselected something in Today List, I do these tasks first (because they are bellow standard FV list), then I continue with standard preselected FV tasks. No additional rules. Some rounds I do not preselect any task from Today List and last preselected task is thus in standard FV list, sometimes I do. In short, Today List page behaves like normal FV page at the end of the list.

When I have new tasks, I add them in standard FV List. When they are so urgent/ready that they should be done today, I add them into Today List. Also, any (big or small) tasks/chores which I know I want to do today go as new tasks to Today List (including e.g. "make a tea" when I am in a mood to be able to forget...).

When I review Today List at the evening and sometimes decide not to do remaining tasks, I either (most often) let them as they are and continue tomorrow with doing them + adding new tasks, or (less often) move them where appropriate (ticklers, general FV list). I do not make new "Today List" page for next day, I just continue on the ongoing "Today List" page (which usually has crossed-out tasks from previous day(s), like standard FV page). Also, when I need to repeat some task more times a day, I cross it out from Today List and rewrite it at the bottom - again, according to standard FV rules.

This way of working may sound little bit overcomplicated when described, but for me is very beneficial and easy. It brings me very clean and quick review of most urgent/ready/today tasks and at the same time I am not forced to use two systems/lists but only one FV method.

Yes, this way can also lead somebody to combine superfocus and FV...

Just wondering if you are still using this approach now an how it is going?

Kerry, I am not using FV at the moment. It was effective (FV+today list) and I used this combination until I abandoned FV. Today, my lists are still similar (today list + other current tasks) but I work without specific methodology/FV rules, only with general rules which I sometimes keep, sometimes break...I also try to work more intuitively going through the lists and looking for what is standing out or asking Lakein`s question "what is the best use of my time at the moment?"

Kerry, I just wanted to let you know that I am back at this system. I tried to use more intuitive approach (which was in fact the same system but without FV rules) but it did not work for me. Now, I am back to FV+Today List as specified above + I also included AndreasE recommendation for choosing first task in a ladder (first task which stands out at first page, if nothing -> dismiss the page). Works like a charm.

It is quiet funby because i tried somethibg a little similar which is call pomodoro system. Pomodoro has also 2 lists one is the inventory wich is a general list and the other is a today list. Then the system force you to work 25 mn = a pomodoro. It works like a charm with me.

Daneb,

A question about your October 5, 2012, post. You said, "It was effective (FV+today list) and I used this combination until I abandoned FV."

You recently said you're using FV + Today List and it's working like a charm.

Why did you abandon FV + Today List when it was effective?

Phil, good question. In fact, I still used the same pattern (today list + task list), but I wanted to simplify the rules (or - better said - to experiment with that.). Why? Maybe because I am helpless experimenter. And because I want my system to be as simple as possible.

That is why I abandoned FV rules and hoped that I would be able to work only intuitively (just to go through the list woking on what seems important). It worked good in the beginning but later it started to be somehow distracting for me. I lost track of things, I did not feel like having overview over my tasks, I did not feel to do the most important etc. So I realized that this shift was too much and that I need these rules back. So I returned to FV (+some additional hacks, which are not so important in this answer). And... I did not promise to myself this would be for ever, again :-)

Hey Daneb,

Any chance you could tell us how your system is holding up? Are you still using the Today List with FV? Have you tweaked it any further? What are its strengths, what are its weaknesses and how do you tackle them?

I'm curious how it's holding up after 3 months or more :).

I've just been re-reading your tweak, and I may have misunderstood something when I read the tweak before:

"Everything is the same like standard FV, except when preselecting tasks and having finished standard FV list, I continue with preselection in Today List."

Does this mean that when you get to the Today List, you preselect the first item on the Today List automatically and continue preselection as if the Today List stood on its own? Or do you keep looking for a task that you want to do before doing the task you last preselected in the normal FV list? Two months ago, I assumed the latter, while now upon re-reading, I'm guessing you actually meant the former.

Could you (or somebody) clarify?

Thyranys,
I meant the second meaning: "looking for a task that you want to do before doing the task you last preselected in the normal FV". In case there was no task in Today List, which I would have liked to do before current preselected task, I did not feel obliged to do any task from Today List in that run.

As for your question about status of my "tweaking", I am currently not using FV (again) and got back to classic tasklist (organized by projects/areas) from which I choose several tasks to today list. What is new (when I compare it with my post above) is that I organize the tasklist by projects/areas. I realized that keeping one long tasklist was the reason I felt lost often, now with tasks grouped by projects/areas I am much more confident. So I can work more intuitively now, again.

Also, I try to implement some ideas from Mark`s books (Get everything done, Do it tomorrow), but nothing fixed yet, just experimenting.

Alan, interesting, could you elaborate more? My main question: Standard FV is based on the notion "oldest tasks are first in the list, newest tasks are last" when preselecting tasks (and the opposite is true when doing preselected tasks from bottom-up). I am curious how it works when you preselect/do tasks in the order set not by age of the tasks, but by project order?