FV and FVP Forum > Weekly Task Count Check-In for FV or FVP
Zane:
Ha. We were both using "But first..." last week! It did seem the most natural way to simplify the guide question as it combines "But before that..." with "But right now..." in two words.
I'm trying something else this week. After reading on Monday that Mark had returned to the original FVP question "What do I want to do more than X?", I began using this guide question:
"But I want to..."
(Totals later as I had a notebook change.)
Ha. We were both using "But first..." last week! It did seem the most natural way to simplify the guide question as it combines "But before that..." with "But right now..." in two words.
I'm trying something else this week. After reading on Monday that Mark had returned to the original FVP question "What do I want to do more than X?", I began using this guide question:
"But I want to..."
(Totals later as I had a notebook change.)
August 5, 2015 at 1:03 |
Michael B.
Michael B.
FVP
No question
38 tasks
3 1/2 pages (@21 lines per page)
No question
38 tasks
3 1/2 pages (@21 lines per page)
August 5, 2015 at 1:03 |
nuntym
nuntym
FVP-Q
44 tasks
12 pages
44 tasks
12 pages
August 5, 2015 at 9:39 |
Will
Will
FVP
No Question
234 tasks
24 pages
Observation: I have far more pages that are completely closed out than I think I've had with any other system. It might be a good metric to track those, too.
Also, my notebook is really quite worn -- FVP just chews it up. I feel more engaged with the whole list, too, even with so many open tasks and pages.
No Question
234 tasks
24 pages
Observation: I have far more pages that are completely closed out than I think I've had with any other system. It might be a good metric to track those, too.
Also, my notebook is really quite worn -- FVP just chews it up. I feel more engaged with the whole list, too, even with so many open tasks and pages.
August 6, 2015 at 0:43 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
I've ended my trial of the question "But I want to...". I have decided that "But first..." is superior as the implied question is "What do I want to do more than X, right now?", where "But I want to..." implies "What would I rather do than X, right now?".
August 10, 2015 at 1:52 |
Michael B.
Michael B.
FVP
"But I want to..."
263 Tasks (Up from 241)
45 Pages (Up from 29, 22 lines per page)
"But I want to..."
263 Tasks (Up from 241)
45 Pages (Up from 29, 22 lines per page)
August 10, 2015 at 2:21 |
Michael B.
Michael B.
FVP (just at home)
No question
61 tasks
5 pages
No question
61 tasks
5 pages
August 13, 2015 at 10:44 |
Joe
Joe
"Also, my notebook is really quite worn -- FVP just chews it up."
I don't think that's a good thing because it implies you're investing a lot of time dealing with the notebook itself, time which could be invested in doing things. This admin cost was touched on in the algorithms discussion and your description seems to bear it out. Do you know how long you're spending in there? It would be interesting to monitor. It would take me a couple of days non-stop to fill a notebook, let alone cause it to become worn.
Chris
I don't think that's a good thing because it implies you're investing a lot of time dealing with the notebook itself, time which could be invested in doing things. This admin cost was touched on in the algorithms discussion and your description seems to bear it out. Do you know how long you're spending in there? It would be interesting to monitor. It would take me a couple of days non-stop to fill a notebook, let alone cause it to become worn.
Chris
August 14, 2015 at 1:31 |
Chris
Chris
<< it implies you're investing a lot of time dealing with the notebook itself, time which could be invested in doing things >>
That really hasn't been my experience. The only thing I find a bit time-consuming, is sometimes when I am starting a new series of dots (after having completed all, or nearly all, of the previously dotted items). It can take some time to read through and engage with the items on the page, letting them mentally register in my mind. This doesn't have an administrative, mindless, overhead kind of feel to it. There's more to it than that. It's really worth the time. It's *thinking time* -- time to assess priorities and get re-focused after having just finished up the last set of things.
As such, it's one of the more valuable things I can spend my time on. What makes it really easy, is that this is just built into the algorithm for processing the list (at least when using a flexible "standing out" method and the "dotting power" principles).
I think the list gets chewed up so much simply because things are getting completed so fast -- for example, right now my last active page has 3 active tasks, 15 completed tasks, and 12 empty lines waiting to be filled. So you can see that even the newest page already has plenty of writing and cross-outs. This makes the whole notebook feel "well-used".
That really hasn't been my experience. The only thing I find a bit time-consuming, is sometimes when I am starting a new series of dots (after having completed all, or nearly all, of the previously dotted items). It can take some time to read through and engage with the items on the page, letting them mentally register in my mind. This doesn't have an administrative, mindless, overhead kind of feel to it. There's more to it than that. It's really worth the time. It's *thinking time* -- time to assess priorities and get re-focused after having just finished up the last set of things.
As such, it's one of the more valuable things I can spend my time on. What makes it really easy, is that this is just built into the algorithm for processing the list (at least when using a flexible "standing out" method and the "dotting power" principles).
I think the list gets chewed up so much simply because things are getting completed so fast -- for example, right now my last active page has 3 active tasks, 15 completed tasks, and 12 empty lines waiting to be filled. So you can see that even the newest page already has plenty of writing and cross-outs. This makes the whole notebook feel "well-used".
August 14, 2015 at 7:06 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
FVP
No Question (unless I happen to find it useful at the moment)
293 tasks
29 pages
Average days to close each page = 17.7 days
No Question (unless I happen to find it useful at the moment)
293 tasks
29 pages
Average days to close each page = 17.7 days
August 14, 2015 at 7:13 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
I agree that the rapid notebook consumption is NOT a bad thing. For me, it has a lot to do with the crossing-out/rewriting of tasks that are being actioned in small but frequent increments. And the tasks that are getting added and finished quickly.
I found out the hard way that the FVP algorithm doesn't work nearly as well if you don't cross out an in-progress item and rewrite it at the end of the list each time you've taken action on it. (Unless it's already pretty close to the end.) Keeping items on their original pages over time also tends to increase the number of active pages you have to flip through to get through your whole list; that's annoying. At that point, you'll want to consolidate them anyway.
Also, I'm not sure about Seraphim, but I maintain the list on the right-hand page only. The left pages are for supplemental notes. And some pages get written on and given to other people, etc. That speeds up notebook consumption too.
I mean, I REALLY am using just one notebook at a time.
I believe I'd do roughly the same amount of note-taking and list-making with any other system, even if I organized the material differently. And when I had no formal system at all, I took far more notes and made far more lists - redundantly and inconsistently. It wasn't obvious, because I didn't keep them all in one notebook. They were scattered in various locations, and were frequently misplaced. I still run across an old list from time to time; it's horrifying.
So, yes, it might be a bit alarming at first to see how fast a notebook can get used up. But it's only one notebook at a time. And all that scribbling represents freed-up processing power and memory inside my head.
I found out the hard way that the FVP algorithm doesn't work nearly as well if you don't cross out an in-progress item and rewrite it at the end of the list each time you've taken action on it. (Unless it's already pretty close to the end.) Keeping items on their original pages over time also tends to increase the number of active pages you have to flip through to get through your whole list; that's annoying. At that point, you'll want to consolidate them anyway.
Also, I'm not sure about Seraphim, but I maintain the list on the right-hand page only. The left pages are for supplemental notes. And some pages get written on and given to other people, etc. That speeds up notebook consumption too.
I mean, I REALLY am using just one notebook at a time.
I believe I'd do roughly the same amount of note-taking and list-making with any other system, even if I organized the material differently. And when I had no formal system at all, I took far more notes and made far more lists - redundantly and inconsistently. It wasn't obvious, because I didn't keep them all in one notebook. They were scattered in various locations, and were frequently misplaced. I still run across an old list from time to time; it's horrifying.
So, yes, it might be a bit alarming at first to see how fast a notebook can get used up. But it's only one notebook at a time. And all that scribbling represents freed-up processing power and memory inside my head.
August 14, 2015 at 16:55 |
JulieBulie
JulieBulie
<< Also, I'm not sure about Seraphim, but I maintain the list on the right-hand page only. The left pages are for supplemental notes. >>
That used to be my usual practice, also. But with FVP I started using both sides of the paper and it's been working great. I made the change because I had observed I didn't need as many side notes with FVP -- ideas, notes, and actions could all go straight onto the list, and get handled really well. I have less and less need for separate notes, unless I want to preserve the record of a conversation or something like that, and then I use a separate sheet in the back of the notebook.
That used to be my usual practice, also. But with FVP I started using both sides of the paper and it's been working great. I made the change because I had observed I didn't need as many side notes with FVP -- ideas, notes, and actions could all go straight onto the list, and get handled really well. I have less and less need for separate notes, unless I want to preserve the record of a conversation or something like that, and then I use a separate sheet in the back of the notebook.
August 16, 2015 at 0:45 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
After two weeks on vacation (adding to the list but hardly taking anything off of it)
FVP
No Question (I love the simplicity of "what stands out")
87 entries
10 pages
Oldest item was added on 29 July
Not tracking time to page completion*, but there are only 3 items still hanging on from 29 July.
*I have been guilty in the past of hanging on to notebooks filled with crossed-out tasks... so when I went back to paper recently I bought the cheapest notebook that I thought would not fall apart in the time I would be using it, and am removing/recycling completed pages.
FVP
No Question (I love the simplicity of "what stands out")
87 entries
10 pages
Oldest item was added on 29 July
Not tracking time to page completion*, but there are only 3 items still hanging on from 29 July.
*I have been guilty in the past of hanging on to notebooks filled with crossed-out tasks... so when I went back to paper recently I bought the cheapest notebook that I thought would not fall apart in the time I would be using it, and am removing/recycling completed pages.
August 17, 2015 at 21:10 |
Sarah
Sarah
FVP
No Question (unless I happen to find it useful at the moment)
377 tasks (net increase of 84 tasks or 29%)
43 pages (net increase of 14 pages or 48%)
Average days to close each page = 17.7 days
These last seven days have been extraordinarily busy, returning from a business trip, LOTS of follow-up tasks, a lot of follow-up meetings which generated their own new tasks, and kickoff of a new project; and at home, the school year started back up this week, we needed to deal with several problems with vehicles, and a few other minor emergencies. I've stayed very focused on the urgency and changing priorities, but cycled back to the beginning of the list only once, spent almost no time on the earlier pages, and did not close out any pages (although several have only 1-2 tasks left).
My final assessment is that is was a very productive and focused week. I feel pretty exhausted but actually don't feel overwhelmed, rather I feel almost exhilarated at how much I got done, and how much I felt on top of things. I think a great deal of this is attributable to FVP - so thank you again, Mark!
No Question (unless I happen to find it useful at the moment)
377 tasks (net increase of 84 tasks or 29%)
43 pages (net increase of 14 pages or 48%)
Average days to close each page = 17.7 days
These last seven days have been extraordinarily busy, returning from a business trip, LOTS of follow-up tasks, a lot of follow-up meetings which generated their own new tasks, and kickoff of a new project; and at home, the school year started back up this week, we needed to deal with several problems with vehicles, and a few other minor emergencies. I've stayed very focused on the urgency and changing priorities, but cycled back to the beginning of the list only once, spent almost no time on the earlier pages, and did not close out any pages (although several have only 1-2 tasks left).
My final assessment is that is was a very productive and focused week. I feel pretty exhausted but actually don't feel overwhelmed, rather I feel almost exhilarated at how much I got done, and how much I felt on top of things. I think a great deal of this is attributable to FVP - so thank you again, Mark!
August 22, 2015 at 5:31 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
FVP
No question
49 tasks (up from 53)
pages (up from 3 1/3)
No question
49 tasks (up from 53)
pages (up from 3 1/3)
August 25, 2015 at 4:30 |
Zane
Zane
I junped to paper. 40 tasks over 3 pages. FVP, question varies with mood. I wonder, how many things on your list will keep getting acted on but never deleted? I suspect about half of mine are perpetual tasks.
August 25, 2015 at 6:00 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
FVP
"But right now I should..."
234 Tasks (Down from 263)
54 Pages (Up from 45, 22 lines per page)
"But right now I should..."
234 Tasks (Down from 263)
54 Pages (Up from 45, 22 lines per page)
August 25, 2015 at 6:16 |
Michael B.
Michael B.
FVP
"What would bring me more stillness than x?"
I rewrote the list to go with the new question
34 tasks spread over 2 pages of 46 lines each
In answer to Alan Baljeu's question "How many things on your list will keep getting acted on but never deleted?":
5 one-off tasks (these have a fast turnover, hence the low number)
5 recurring books/series/courses which will get deleted when finished but will be replaced by other books/series/courses
24 recurring tasks which will (in theory at least) remain on the list for as long as there is a list, though a few of them are seasonal (e.g. Mow Lawn). I operate an "inbox zero" policy on most of these. They include things like: Email, Facebook, Evernote, Comments, Shred, Exercise, Finance, Tidying and so on.
Apart from ongoing permanent projects I don't usually put projects down as such on the list because I find that an item like "Project X" has a high resistance value. Instead the tasks relating to Project X will get dealt with individually either as one-off or recurring tasks.
I could if I wanted run the whole list on the basis of permanent recurring tasks. I'd do this by making the other tasks more generic. So the one-off tasks would be a separate Inbox for "One-Off Tasks", which would be dealt with on an inbox zero basis like email. Instead of "Glossika French Fluency 2" I'd put "Current Language Course", instead of "At Lady Molly's" I'd put "Current Novel". And so on.
Would doing it that way might make the problem of list expansion easier to control?
"What would bring me more stillness than x?"
I rewrote the list to go with the new question
34 tasks spread over 2 pages of 46 lines each
In answer to Alan Baljeu's question "How many things on your list will keep getting acted on but never deleted?":
5 one-off tasks (these have a fast turnover, hence the low number)
5 recurring books/series/courses which will get deleted when finished but will be replaced by other books/series/courses
24 recurring tasks which will (in theory at least) remain on the list for as long as there is a list, though a few of them are seasonal (e.g. Mow Lawn). I operate an "inbox zero" policy on most of these. They include things like: Email, Facebook, Evernote, Comments, Shred, Exercise, Finance, Tidying and so on.
Apart from ongoing permanent projects I don't usually put projects down as such on the list because I find that an item like "Project X" has a high resistance value. Instead the tasks relating to Project X will get dealt with individually either as one-off or recurring tasks.
I could if I wanted run the whole list on the basis of permanent recurring tasks. I'd do this by making the other tasks more generic. So the one-off tasks would be a separate Inbox for "One-Off Tasks", which would be dealt with on an inbox zero basis like email. Instead of "Glossika French Fluency 2" I'd put "Current Language Course", instead of "At Lady Molly's" I'd put "Current Novel". And so on.
Would doing it that way might make the problem of list expansion easier to control?
August 25, 2015 at 11:19 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Questionless FVP
58 entries (down from 87 last week, when I was just coming off 2 weeks' vacation)
10 pages (same as last week)
Oldest item is dated 8/15
Been keeping some stats since last week:
Average days from page open to page removal: 14.8 (probably still artificially inflated post-vacation)
Ratio of full* : partial** list traversals per day (on average): 2.2 : 9.6***
* creating the chain starting from the first task on the list
** creating the chain starting from the last completed task
*** this includes what I've done so far today (it's 10:20 am local time as I write this)
58 entries (down from 87 last week, when I was just coming off 2 weeks' vacation)
10 pages (same as last week)
Oldest item is dated 8/15
Been keeping some stats since last week:
Average days from page open to page removal: 14.8 (probably still artificially inflated post-vacation)
Ratio of full* : partial** list traversals per day (on average): 2.2 : 9.6***
* creating the chain starting from the first task on the list
** creating the chain starting from the last completed task
*** this includes what I've done so far today (it's 10:20 am local time as I write this)
August 25, 2015 at 15:20 |
Sarah
Sarah
Questionless FVP, using the tweak at http://markforster.squarespace.com/fv-forum/post/2536636
72 tasks
8 pages (at 21 lines per page)
72 tasks
8 pages (at 21 lines per page)
August 28, 2015 at 11:15 |
nuntym
nuntym
FVP
No question
45 tasks (down from 49)
3 1/2 pages (no change)
No question
45 tasks (down from 49)
3 1/2 pages (no change)
September 1, 2015 at 0:34 |
Zane
Zane
Questionless FVP
50 entries over 13 pages (things appear to be getting more spread out!)
Oldest task was entered on 8/19.
Some Stats:
Average page life-span: 14.5 days (trending clearly downwards; I'm curious to see where it levels out as the semester starts up)
Ratio of Full:Partial chains picked per day (average): 1.67 : 6.67
50 entries over 13 pages (things appear to be getting more spread out!)
Oldest task was entered on 8/19.
Some Stats:
Average page life-span: 14.5 days (trending clearly downwards; I'm curious to see where it levels out as the semester starts up)
Ratio of Full:Partial chains picked per day (average): 1.67 : 6.67
September 2, 2015 at 18:32 |
Sarah
Sarah
FVP
No question
37 tasks (down from 45)
1 pages (1 page down from 3 1/2)
No question
37 tasks (down from 45)
1 pages (1 page down from 3 1/2)
September 5, 2015 at 16:34 |
Zane
Zane
FVP tweak at http://markforster.squarespace.com/fv-forum/post/2536636 using the standard question.
71 posts
11 pages (at 21 lines per page)
Looks like my list has stabilized at around 70 tasks.
71 posts
11 pages (at 21 lines per page)
Looks like my list has stabilized at around 70 tasks.
September 5, 2015 at 17:55 |
nuntym
nuntym
Mark:
<<"What would bring me more stillness than x?">>
Really interesting new question. I tried to find if you had discussed this elsewhere, but I didn't find anything. Could you explain what 'stillness" means to you? Thanks.
<<"What would bring me more stillness than x?">>
Really interesting new question. I tried to find if you had discussed this elsewhere, but I didn't find anything. Could you explain what 'stillness" means to you? Thanks.
September 6, 2015 at 1:35 |
Maureen
Maureen
Mark discussed the new question somewhere around here. Stillness is meant in the Christian sense, as in "Be still and know that I am God", and is related to inner peace. It doesn't mean inaction, but does mean that all your desires and activities become aligned with your beliefs and God's will. And, therefore you can rest (be at ease, not idle) in God's promises rather than struggle to your own capabilities. "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
September 7, 2015 at 6:53 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Mark first mentioned it here: http://markforster.squarespace.com/fv-forum/post/2533337#post2535825
September 7, 2015 at 15:28 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
Thanks, Alan and Seraphim
September 8, 2015 at 2:21 |
Maureen
Maureen
Questionless FVP
67 tasks over 15 pages (+ 17 tasks and + 2 pages since last week - that's what the beginning of the semester will do to you!)
Oldest item entered on 8/19
Average open tasks/page: 4.45 (+.6 from last week)
Average page "life": 14.76 days
Full:Partial chains picked per day: 1.14 : 5.93 (which probably explains the age of the oldest item)
67 tasks over 15 pages (+ 17 tasks and + 2 pages since last week - that's what the beginning of the semester will do to you!)
Oldest item entered on 8/19
Average open tasks/page: 4.45 (+.6 from last week)
Average page "life": 14.76 days
Full:Partial chains picked per day: 1.14 : 5.93 (which probably explains the age of the oldest item)
September 9, 2015 at 16:31 |
Sarah
Sarah
I've been a bit slack lately about closing threads when they are about to run over onto more than one page, so this one is well overdue.
Continuation thread is at http://markforster.squarespace.com/fv-forum/post/2542225
Continuation thread is at http://markforster.squarespace.com/fv-forum/post/2542225
September 17, 2015 at 17:02 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
39 tasks. Digital