Right after I began my Day Planner series, I read David Allen’s Getting Things Done. It caused me to immediately revamp the way I was doing certain things. I thought I should finish describing the way I had been using my day planner so as to avoid leaving anyone hanging 🙂 , but now that I’ve covered all the basics, I want to talk about this book and how it affected my thinking.

“To-Do Lists” (Contexts)

Since it’s so closely related to the last post, I’m going to start with to-do lists. (Although Mr. Allen does not use the term “to-do” list in describing any part of his system, I will stick with that term simply because it’s familiar.) After reading the book I made two major changes to the way I use to-do lists, one in my daily lists and one in my long-term lists.

Mr. Allen recommends against putting anything on a daily to-do list that does not have to be done that day. In other words, nothing goes on the to-do list that can be rescheduled for a later date. (That is not an absolute truth, as in you could call this person back and reschedule an appointment, so you can’t write it down; it refers to items you could potentially keep putting off, as opposed to tasks applicable specifically to that day.) The reasoning is that it “dilutes” this list, because you know you don’t really have to do everything on the list, so it’s easy to overlook things that really are pressing.

The change to the long-term to-do list was more radical (and it is much less “long-term,” due to both changes). It is now multiple lists. Initially, this sounds more complicated, but it actually simplifies things. Each “context” has its own list, and a “context” is defined by what resources I need to have available to complete the task. This allows for looking over only those tasks I am currently able to complete and avoiding being bogged down with others. Everyone’s set of contexts will be a little different, but right now I have: Anywhere (doesn’t require any special resources or equipment), Home, Online, Computer (doesn’t require an internet connection), Calls (telephone), Errands (for when I’m out), $$$ (items to buy; requires money, obviously), Michael (need to talk about/do with hubby), Ariel (need to talk about/do with Ariel), Sophia (need to do with Sophia).

Next Actions

There were a few other things that really jumped out at me and have been a great help. The first is the concept of “next actions.” (What I am calling “long-term to-do lists,” David Allen calls “next action lists.”) This is a very simple concept, but it did wonders for my productivity! The basic gist is this: nothing gets added to a to-do list except for a “next action.” Many things we put on to-do lists aren’t actually actions; they’re projects. (A project is anything requiring at least two steps, not necessarily a large complex series of tasks requiring lots of planning.) An example he offered that really clicked for me was making a telephone call. If I need to call the vet’s office, chances are that to-do item is going to get copied over and over and over and I am going to drag my feet about doing it. Why? It isn’t the next action! The next action is “get the telephone number for the vet’s office.” (This will, of course, not always be the case with a telephone call.) This is true for a lot of things, and is almost certainly true of any to-do item you have repeatedly put off. So how do we handle this with the GTD system? Keep a “projects” list, and put the projects on that list. Write down only the next action on the appropriate context list, and regularly review to see if there is a new “next action” to be added to the context lists (as items are completed). Personally, I like to handle these three different ways. If there are literally only two simple steps (like with the telephone call example), I will simply write the first action down. When I complete that action and cross it off the list, that reminds me to write down the next action (for example, making the call). Other projects go onto one of two separate project lists. One is for the complex types of projects we think of as projects – those requiring on-paper planning. The other is for “projects” which are not just two simple steps, but which are still very simple and don’t really require conscious planning. For some people, that would be over-thinking, but it helps me to separate those I think of as projects from those I wouldn’t have even thought to call “projects” if I hadn’t read this book.

Review

Another key concept is review. The only way a system like this will work (especially with projects, as mentioned above) is if it is reviewed regularly. This is much easier than it may sound. Context lists are reviewed on an ongoing basis. For example, when I sit down at the computer, I glance over the “Computer” list. This only takes a matter of seconds, because I don’t have to weed through a long list of unrelated tasks. On a weekly basis, all lists are reviewed, including the projects list, and any incoming “stuff” (paperwork, emails, notes about ideas, etc.) is dealt with and added to lists where needed. If it’s kept up with, this shouldn’t be too time-consuming, either. I think that this would probably take me anywhere from about half an hour to an hour if I were actually consistent. (This is a habit I have not yet fully developed. Reading a productivity book days after having a new baby is not very conducive to putting the new skills into practice! 🙂 )

Someday/Maybe & Waiting On

Two other lists Mr. Allen recommends (which would also be gone over during the weekly review) are the Someday/Maybe list and the Waiting list. The Someday/Maybe list is where you write down every idea that comes to mind for something you want to do eventually, or which you might like to do sometime. These are generally pretty low-priority in the present, so they aren’t currently in the works, but you don’t want to forget about them. My list includes things like, “visit local Dexter cattle farm,” “learn Java,” “build a genealogy website,” and, “learn Spanish.” The Waiting list is for those items which have been delegated to someone else, or which are pending and will need to be checked on (such as an order you placed online or through the mail). You don’t want them constantly clogging your to-do lists and bogging down your mind, but you do need a periodic reminder to check their status.

Putting it Into Practice

How do I fit this stuff into my pocket Day-Timer? Well, I’m still working on it. 🙂 For a while, I used the self-adhesive to-do list sheets, stuck onto the pages of a Day-Timer work booklet. (The work booklet provided an anchor for the self-adhesive lists, while the self-adhesive lists could be thrown away or rearranged much more readily than the work booklets – plus they’re cheaper.) This worked okay, and I might go back to it, but I found that the pages were a little awkward to turn. (The top-adhesive notes might work better than the side-adhesive ones I’ve been using.) The self-adhesive notes also have smaller lines for writing on than the regular pages, so I’d like to find a better solution.

[UPDATE: See how I incorporated these into my Day-Timer.]

Another option I’m checking out is an “hPDA.” hPDA is a name given to a stack of 3×5 cards, usually held together with a binder clip. (Do a web search for “hpda” and you will find a wealth of sites discussing variants of this system.) I like to be able to flip through my lists, so I’m not crazy about the idea of a binder clip, but the 3×5 cards should fit into my Day-Timer case just fine, and they’re very versatile (and cheap!). I am experimenting with cards placed on a binder ring using holes punched in the corner.

I highly recommend this book, by the way (Getting Things Done). I have read a lot of organizational and time management books, including some unconventional ones for more “right-brain” thinkers, and have never seen anything new and rarely seen anything especially helpful – until this book. It was truly worth the investment (although many libraries should have it).