FV and FVP Forum > What do I do when I fill up a notebook?
I happened to change notebooks, or to switch between paper / electronics a few times. Each time I used this opportunity to clean my list : declare the old one as a backlog, and then import only relevant items on each pass of the task "review backlog"
July 1, 2015 at 14:51 |
AlexB
AlexB
Jesse, thanks for bringing this up because I can see this being a problem for me in the near future as well.
My first plan was to transfer only the items that need to be done soon. Then I'd tear out the pages that still had open tasks and distribute them randomly throughout my tickler file. But later that same day, I had to look through my notebook to see whether I had already written down a particular recent idea or not. Then I could see the havoc I'd cause for myself if I were to disperse all my old tasks like that.
I like AlexB's strategy. It seems like the least complicated option. Either transfer the old notebook items a few at a time when you review the backlog, or leave them all in the old notebook and cross them out as you work through the backlog. (Or most likely a little of both options.)
Whatever you do, I'd like to know how it works out!
My first plan was to transfer only the items that need to be done soon. Then I'd tear out the pages that still had open tasks and distribute them randomly throughout my tickler file. But later that same day, I had to look through my notebook to see whether I had already written down a particular recent idea or not. Then I could see the havoc I'd cause for myself if I were to disperse all my old tasks like that.
I like AlexB's strategy. It seems like the least complicated option. Either transfer the old notebook items a few at a time when you review the backlog, or leave them all in the old notebook and cross them out as you work through the backlog. (Or most likely a little of both options.)
Whatever you do, I'd like to know how it works out!
July 1, 2015 at 16:51 |
JulieBulie
JulieBulie
There are plenty of options available for when this event occurs. A few that occur to me off the top of my head:
1) Use both notebooks together until there are no more tasks left in the old one.
2) Tear the pages which have unactioned tasks on them out of the old notebook and put them in the front of the new notebook.
3) A variation on 2. If you want to keep your old notebook as a vital historical record of your triumph over time, life and the meaning of everything, then scan/photocopy the pages rather than tear them out.
4) Another variation on 2. If you want your new notebook to be neat and tidy, then carefully cut out the still-current pages from the old notebook, and cut out the equivalent number of pages at the beginning of the new notebook, leaving a narrow stub for each page. Then paste the old pages onto the stubs.
5) 3 and 4 together, ie. you print scans of the still-current pages and paste them into the new book as in 4. (Thought it would probably take less time just to copy the tasks into the new book!)
5) Use a small looseleaf binder rather than a bound notebook.
7) Start a new list in the new notebook and build it up gradually from scratch. (This is the one I'd probably do myself).
1) Use both notebooks together until there are no more tasks left in the old one.
2) Tear the pages which have unactioned tasks on them out of the old notebook and put them in the front of the new notebook.
3) A variation on 2. If you want to keep your old notebook as a vital historical record of your triumph over time, life and the meaning of everything, then scan/photocopy the pages rather than tear them out.
4) Another variation on 2. If you want your new notebook to be neat and tidy, then carefully cut out the still-current pages from the old notebook, and cut out the equivalent number of pages at the beginning of the new notebook, leaving a narrow stub for each page. Then paste the old pages onto the stubs.
5) 3 and 4 together, ie. you print scans of the still-current pages and paste them into the new book as in 4. (Thought it would probably take less time just to copy the tasks into the new book!)
5) Use a small looseleaf binder rather than a bound notebook.
7) Start a new list in the new notebook and build it up gradually from scratch. (This is the one I'd probably do myself).
July 1, 2015 at 21:21 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
I like to have a little notebook on me at all times to capture tasks, ideas, thoughts, and important memos. It was ideal to simply turn that into my FVP list. This actually worked really well, but the one problem with such prolific capture was that I ran out of blank paper to write on.
This means I needed to transfer the items to a new notebook or list. (Yup, this happened to me.) So it became a new project on the new list which had a single item of "move stuff from old FVP list to this one" or something like that. I started by only transferring the dotted items and then add more bit by bit. This meant that I had a new, more concentrated list, but it also needed to be reevaluated. I looked at this as a benefit of having to transfer some of the list to a new notebook.
But, I gotta say that the idea that eventually I'll need to transfer items from a filled-up notebook to an empty one is creating resistance to using paper for FVP, even if it may be superior to an electronic version. And yeah, I know my list is probably too long, but everyone's note book will fill up eventually and the idea of transferring stuff does not seem fun.
Any thoughts on how to transfer to a new list?