FV and FVP Forum > What was the cause of FV first task resistance?
Aaron:
There's no particular mystery about why resistance grows to the first task on the list in FV. It's due to the way the algorithm works.
First of all, let's be clear that it's not the original first task on the list to which resistance grows. It that successive first tasks on the list get progressively more difficult as easier tasks get done.
So if we start with a list like this:
- Easy task
- Not quite so easy task
- Easy task
- Medium difficulty task
- Unbelievably difficult task
- etc.
After the first pass the active tasks will be:
- Not quite so easy task
- Medium difficulty task
- Unbelievably difficult task
- etc.
After the next full pass the tasks will be:
- Medium difficulty task
- Unbelievably difficult task
- etc
And after the next full pass the list will start:
- Unbelievably difficult task
- etc
It's there that everything falls apart.
What can be done about it?
There are several possible solutions, and you can probably think of more:
1. Use the 15-second rule (work on the task for at least 15-seconds)
2. Grit your teeth and do it by sheer will power
3. Give up and use a different system
4. Break the task down into more easily managed chunks.
5. Use the DDD rule (do, defer or delete)
There's no particular mystery about why resistance grows to the first task on the list in FV. It's due to the way the algorithm works.
First of all, let's be clear that it's not the original first task on the list to which resistance grows. It that successive first tasks on the list get progressively more difficult as easier tasks get done.
So if we start with a list like this:
- Easy task
- Not quite so easy task
- Easy task
- Medium difficulty task
- Unbelievably difficult task
- etc.
After the first pass the active tasks will be:
- Not quite so easy task
- Medium difficulty task
- Unbelievably difficult task
- etc.
After the next full pass the tasks will be:
- Medium difficulty task
- Unbelievably difficult task
- etc
And after the next full pass the list will start:
- Unbelievably difficult task
- etc
It's there that everything falls apart.
What can be done about it?
There are several possible solutions, and you can probably think of more:
1. Use the 15-second rule (work on the task for at least 15-seconds)
2. Grit your teeth and do it by sheer will power
3. Give up and use a different system
4. Break the task down into more easily managed chunks.
5. Use the DDD rule (do, defer or delete)
January 25, 2022 at 11:46 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
I guess my question becomes, then, is this a bad thing? I'm not so sure it is.
After all, when it comes to tasks, we either find them easy to do or we don't, and at some point, there are tasks that are sufficiently unclarified that we don't want to do anything on them. However, that gives us really only two choices: we can clarify them sufficiently to decide what to do with those tasks, or we can avoid them.
It seems to me that maybe this is another way of looking at the heart of the issue of the constant problem of list growth. An oppressively long list is a sign that we haven't sufficiently clarified our situation, because more clarity would cause those items on the list to either be done or removed as "undoable" for one reason or another.
It seems me that the only way to address the oppressiveness of long lists is to face that internal conflict and clarify it into something that finally jives with reality better. I'm not sure that a system would be better that didn't bring us face to face with this conflict on a regular basis.
After all, when it comes to tasks, we either find them easy to do or we don't, and at some point, there are tasks that are sufficiently unclarified that we don't want to do anything on them. However, that gives us really only two choices: we can clarify them sufficiently to decide what to do with those tasks, or we can avoid them.
It seems to me that maybe this is another way of looking at the heart of the issue of the constant problem of list growth. An oppressively long list is a sign that we haven't sufficiently clarified our situation, because more clarity would cause those items on the list to either be done or removed as "undoable" for one reason or another.
It seems me that the only way to address the oppressiveness of long lists is to face that internal conflict and clarify it into something that finally jives with reality better. I'm not sure that a system would be better that didn't bring us face to face with this conflict on a regular basis.
January 26, 2022 at 2:57 |
Aaron Hsu
Aaron Hsu
Aaron Hsu:
<< It seems me that the only way to address the oppressiveness of long lists is to face that internal conflict and clarify it into something that finally jives with reality better. >>
You are right. See my latest comment on the concurrent comment thread "Mark, have you broken Simple Scanning yet?"
<< It seems me that the only way to address the oppressiveness of long lists is to face that internal conflict and clarify it into something that finally jives with reality better. >>
You are right. See my latest comment on the concurrent comment thread "Mark, have you broken Simple Scanning yet?"
January 26, 2022 at 10:44 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
My interest is in what sort of resistance this was, and why it tended to grow? Alan recommended a suggestion years ago to do analysis on trying to understand the resistance as the first little step on the first task if you were encountering a lot of resistance, but I didn't see anyone reporting back on whether this meta-thinking about the first task actually ended up helping them or not.
Is there any further discussion of this phenomenon in FV?