Get Everything Done

This system basically works just like DIT, except any tasks left over at the end of the day go into the Randomizer.

If you are using a dated journal, it works like this:
--Your Today list is a closed list of tasks you accumulated the previous day. It is on the current page in your dated journal.
--Your Tomorrow list is on the next day's page, where you accumulate all new incoming tasks
--All older pages that have tasks remaining are your Random pages.

So just cycle through your Today list till nothing stands out. Then roll the dice and start moving through your old pages, following the Randomizer rules. When you land back on the Today page, then cycle through it as much as you want and do whatever stands out.

In practice, I find most of my attention stays on the Today list till it is done, with only a few tasks remaining at the end of the day. The Closed List maintains its "pull" and makes you want to complete it.

Stuff that doesn't get completed is almost always the stuff that doesn't even need to be completed, or at least isn't urgent, or is maybe exploratory or optional. So it works great to let it roll over to the Randomizer.

Sometimes I see a task on my Today page that I just know doesn't need to be done today, and I want to clear it off of my current list and save it for later. It's so easy to do that: I just move it to an empty slot on the most recent Random page. That seems to work fine.

I often do the same things with incoming new tasks that I know don't need to be done any time soon -- reading, exploration, ideas.

Because of the nature of the way the tasks accumulate on the page, the Randomizer pages are not always filled with tasks -- there are often blank lines at the end of the page. That is fine - I just treat them like crossed-out tasks. In other words, if I land on a blank line, I just "slide" down to the next task (generally sliding back up to the top of the page and then to the first unactioned task on the page).

I really like this system.
--Extremely simple
--All the benefits of DIT
--All the benefits of Randomizer
--Surprisingly, it kind of feels like Serial No-List, maybe because of the way unfinished stuff just rolls to previous pages.
--But using Randomizer processes those earlier pages more systematically and more quickly.
--And DIT provides a lot of focus and momentum to get closure for the day
--I always really liked DIT's sense of closure at the end of the day. It really feels nice to get the Today closed list finished, and then spend some time cycling through the Random pages in a relaxed manner.

You don't have to use a dated journal, but I thought that was the easiest way to explain what I am doing.

I was kind of surprised this combination hadn't come up before, so I did a search.

There is a great thread on different variations combining DIT and Randomizer -- http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2290127

But it doesn't seem anyone has tried this particular combination. I'd be happy to be proven wrong! I don't care so much about being the first one to try it -- I just like how it seems to work so well, and would love to compare notes with anyone who has tried anything similar. :)

Hi Joe -

Thanks for the interest and the questions!

<< 1. After working on a recurring/unfinished task on an older page, where would you typically reenter it? I assume on tomorrow's page if you've done 'enough work for today' on it >>

Yes, I just re-enter it on tomorrow's page.


<< 2. It seems like you are suggesting to continue to rotate between scanning today's page until nothing stands out and then doing a random pass through the old pages. How do you know when you are 'done for the day'? Is it when you have completed all the old pages and whatever stands out on today's page? >>

Yes, that is exactly how I go through the pages.

I get that "done for the day" signal when today's page is done. The old/random pages can hang around as long as they want. The randomizer will take care of them soon enough.


<< I have a hard time of giving up DIT's signal that I've finished work for the day. But maybe I could use your system and define a day's work as - cycle through today's page until nothing stands out then one random pass through the old pages then one final cycle through today's page until nothing stands out. >>

There is no need to give up the signal. If I clear today's tasks, then I am done, and I relax. If I still have time, I may choose to spend it doing a round or more of the old pages with the randomizer, but this is purely voluntary and it feels like a break. It feels like one of those Friday afternoons when there are no more meetings and you've finished all your commitments for the week and can just catch up on a few things that you WANT to do, not that you HAVE to do -- rarer and rarer in our hectic world. This method has given that back to me. Most days have been like that. There is great focus to get today's list done; then a great sense of closure and accomplishment when it *is* done; and then relaxed but regular attention on the other stuff.

This is how I always wanted "dismissed" tasks to work in AF1 -- they are gone from the active pages, but still get regular review to see if I should reactivate them, in a systematic but relaxed way. Letting the tasks roll to the old pages is a way to "dismiss" the tasks like this. The randomizer will pick them up within good time, but there is no pressure at all to deal with them.

<< Also thanks for the suggestion about treating empty lines on half-filled pages as crossed-out tasks for the purpose of the randomizer. I might start doing that. I usually skip over the empty lines, which means sometimes the randomizer skips pages with small numbers of items, which doesn't feel right and appears to go against the randomizer's purpose. >>

Yes, that is exactly the problem I was trying to solve.

Earlier I wrote:
<< This is how I always wanted "dismissed" tasks to work in AF1 >>


This makes me wonder how Randomizer could be integrated with many different systems. For example, maybe it could be integrated with AF1 as follows:

1-- Do AF1 as normal

2-- But whenever you are done with the last page (i.e., you cycle through the last page, and nothing stands out), take a Randomizer walk through all the dismissed pages.

3-- After you cycle once through all the dismissed pages in this way, go back to the first active page and continue as normal with the AF1 rules.

Joe - that's a great idea!

Mark -

Thanks for the suggestions!

I think this is essentially the same system, and yes, your version might be simpler. The lines separate the list into sections. The last section is like the accumulating "Tomorrow" list. The penultimate section is like the "Today" list (and it's a closed list).

Since your method retains this closed list, I think it could still offer the same sense of completion. To make this clearer, maybe the rules should specify that one should aim to clear out this penultimate section every day.

The main difference is my method uses the end of the page as the delimiter, and your method uses a line. Also, your method has the advantage of cycling through the tasks on the Tomorrow list -- it doesn't make you wait till tomorrow actually comes. So it could be more responsive to new urgent tasks.

Maybe you could mark the change of systems by using a highlighter to mark the unfinished tasks on the "Today" section of the list (between the last two lines). All the highlighted tasks are subject to the Random regime, and all the rest are subject to the Simple Scanning regime.

This is reminiscent of AF1's use of the highlighter to mark all the "dismissed" tasks.

This would also make it possible to "dismiss" individual tasks that you don't want to deal with right now, but also don't want to delete. For example, you could add a new idea to your list and immediately "dismiss" it to the random regime by highlighting it.

Thanks for the clarifications.

I think most of the differences were terminological. For example, you called the final section the Today list, I called it the Tomorrow list, but they essentially functioned the same way.

There was one real difference. Simple Scanning just does one pass through your Yesterday and Today sections, then returns to the earlier Random sections. I have been cycling through those sections repeatedly till nothing stands out, and only then returning to the earlier Random sections.

Maybe my brainstorming about implementing the "marker" by using a highlighter also caused some confusion. I currently don't do anything like that -- I was just riffing off your idea of using a marker.

Anyway, I really like the way you have implemented this, and it will be interesting to see the results.

I've starting using Vegheadjones' Nibble That Frog approach instead of this DIT+Random approach. It is a nice combination of FVP, 3T, and Randomizer that is working better for me than the DIT + Randomizer combination.

http://markforster.squarespace.com/forum/post/2793563