Discussion Forum > Which system to use for October?
Is it the flexibility of doing what you want on the list that is the most attractive part of simple scanning for you? How much of that are you willing to give up in order to gamify the process?
October 1, 2021 at 10:40 |
Aaron Hsu
Aaron Hsu
I've been writing in a composition book, freeform, in chronological order, what ever comes to me. I realize I have been making a lot of short lists, and notes, and it is easy to review what I wrote today or yesterday or the day before. This is maybe the easiest method of collection Phase, almost stream-of-consciousness sometimes. I use Simple Scanning. However, there is so much material that the Review Phase, and Processing and Execution Phase takes longer.
I have started a new notebook and intend to keep all tasks together, making a long list in AF fashion.
I realize that don't have to give up short lists, and perhaps I can find a balance.
Using only one method has the advantage of simplicity. Also, you get good at it, and it almost automatic. However, it can use the same mental process over and over, and become fatiguing. Only looking at things one way can create blind spots.
I might be good to continue the method one is using, and make it the core method, and add one or two other methods which are opposite or contrasting. For example, long list and short lists, timer and no timer, "little and often" and deep thinking/timeblocking one task for a long time period. Structured and unstructured. Perhaps something contrasting Simple Scanning would be a short list of must-do items, in which you have to complete all of them in a certain period of time.
A long list lends itself to processing in various ways, forward and backward, every 10 items, per page, etc.
One could rotate methods by day, week, by month. In the long run, it seems better to stick to one or a few, and add or substract methods, so that there is some constancy. I have tried almost all of the systems/methods on this blog, and it is good to experiment and explore, and we could leave time to do that. I have used the Randomizer method, using dice, when I have had a vacation day free. Although some here use it regularly, I don't gravitate to it. Eventually you find something that suits you, and when you find it, it seems best to keep it up in some way, if not daily, then weekly, whatever. I have the same kind of appointment book for several years in a row now, the same type of notebook. It's good to have some regularity, so we can do things automatically, and not have to think each step through all the time. That is the difficulty with GTD and others, where you need a complicated flowchart to process items. AF gives an alternative to this by constantly review a long list.
I have started a new notebook and intend to keep all tasks together, making a long list in AF fashion.
I realize that don't have to give up short lists, and perhaps I can find a balance.
Using only one method has the advantage of simplicity. Also, you get good at it, and it almost automatic. However, it can use the same mental process over and over, and become fatiguing. Only looking at things one way can create blind spots.
I might be good to continue the method one is using, and make it the core method, and add one or two other methods which are opposite or contrasting. For example, long list and short lists, timer and no timer, "little and often" and deep thinking/timeblocking one task for a long time period. Structured and unstructured. Perhaps something contrasting Simple Scanning would be a short list of must-do items, in which you have to complete all of them in a certain period of time.
A long list lends itself to processing in various ways, forward and backward, every 10 items, per page, etc.
One could rotate methods by day, week, by month. In the long run, it seems better to stick to one or a few, and add or substract methods, so that there is some constancy. I have tried almost all of the systems/methods on this blog, and it is good to experiment and explore, and we could leave time to do that. I have used the Randomizer method, using dice, when I have had a vacation day free. Although some here use it regularly, I don't gravitate to it. Eventually you find something that suits you, and when you find it, it seems best to keep it up in some way, if not daily, then weekly, whatever. I have the same kind of appointment book for several years in a row now, the same type of notebook. It's good to have some regularity, so we can do things automatically, and not have to think each step through all the time. That is the difficulty with GTD and others, where you need a complicated flowchart to process items. AF gives an alternative to this by constantly review a long list.
October 1, 2021 at 16:07 |
Mark H.
Mark H.
Mark, interesting ideas. Something to keep in mind...rather than give up on simple scanning, just try something else for a day but then return to simple scanning the next day.
Aaron, I started again using simple scanning this morning. So far I'm loving it again. I forget how quickly it kills procrastination. When you don't have to decide to do something but just moving on it when it stands out, amazing things happen.
Aaron, I started again using simple scanning this morning. So far I'm loving it again. I forget how quickly it kills procrastination. When you don't have to decide to do something but just moving on it when it stands out, amazing things happen.
October 1, 2021 at 19:30 |
Cameron
Cameron
Simple Scanning (SS) is yet another system that is *not* in Mark's list of systems on the TM-Systems tab above! I'm switching to it now after several years of Real Autofocus (RA), which is also not on the list.
In the blog post -
http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2018/10/12/top-10-reasons-simple-scanning-is-the-best-of-all-possible-s.html
- Mark mentions that there is no need to weed the long list. But I fully intend to add tasks such as "weed list" or "DDD oldest page" if I feel like it's getting too long. That way I can keep it manageable without having to use a specific rule - just cull unactioned items when I want to.
In the blog post -
http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2018/10/12/top-10-reasons-simple-scanning-is-the-best-of-all-possible-s.html
- Mark mentions that there is no need to weed the long list. But I fully intend to add tasks such as "weed list" or "DDD oldest page" if I feel like it's getting too long. That way I can keep it manageable without having to use a specific rule - just cull unactioned items when I want to.
October 1, 2021 at 22:24 |
ubi
ubi
where is Real Autofocus?
October 2, 2021 at 1:38 |
Mark H.
Mark H.
Mark H.
<< where is Real Autofocus? >>
http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2017/7/19/real-autofocus.html
<< where is Real Autofocus? >>
http://markforster.squarespace.com/blog/2017/7/19/real-autofocus.html
October 2, 2021 at 9:13 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Not every system needs to be in that list page, but surely Simple Scanning is one of the more important!
October 2, 2021 at 16:33 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Real Autofocus should be there too.
I read the post on it. Thanks.
I read the post on it. Thanks.
October 2, 2021 at 16:49 |
Mark H.
Mark H.
Hi Cameron:
I also used Simple Scanning for a couple of years (with the additional freedom that I could scan the list in any direction/manner I wanted). Starting from a few months ago I've been trying out several systems (FVP, AF1...) for a couple of weeks each. I found I didn't like systems which were too restrictive/laborious in the task selection process.
The ones I found viable for long-term use were created by other forum members. Both retain the freedom of SS in the task selection process.
Voluntas' KeepFocus:
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2782266
Andreas E's Dead Simple AF (currently using this one):
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2037791
I also used Simple Scanning for a couple of years (with the additional freedom that I could scan the list in any direction/manner I wanted). Starting from a few months ago I've been trying out several systems (FVP, AF1...) for a couple of weeks each. I found I didn't like systems which were too restrictive/laborious in the task selection process.
The ones I found viable for long-term use were created by other forum members. Both retain the freedom of SS in the task selection process.
Voluntas' KeepFocus:
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2782266
Andreas E's Dead Simple AF (currently using this one):
http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2037791
October 3, 2021 at 4:48 |
Virix
Virix
Hi Virix. Thanks for the suggestions. The Keep Focus sounds like a very interesting system. I like that it, well, keeps you focused like a no list system, but still has some advantages of a long list system. I'll consider it. I might try an AF system based on Mark's comment in one of those threads that AF1 is one of the systems that he rarely gets bored with long term.
October 4, 2021 at 3:16 |
Cameron
Cameron
Besides simple scanning, which other system have you all tried that you would recommend for somebody that already likes simple scanning? I've considered AF4, but never tried it.