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Next actions: Both physical _and_ visible
Merlin Mann | Sep 17 2004
Just a GTD quickie, but something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. David Allen defines next actions as “the next physical, visible activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion.” [ch. 2, pg. 34; emphasis mine]. I’m finally realizing that this subtle change in thinking can have profound effects on the way you look at the stuff in your life. See, I’m an inveterate list-maker, and I’ve always thought I was actually pretty good at it, but when I look back now, I can see how my typical TODO list was littered with landmines.
I’ll bet you have (or had) a similar running list of all the nagging stuff that was littering your mental landscape, right? The thing is, I now see how items like these can’t really be “done” at all; each one of those things is actually a complex, multiple-item project with built-in dependencies and waiting time. To look at any of them as a single thing I need to do is to buy into the anxiety-inducing premise that my goals and behaviors should somehow mirror each other on a one-to-one basis. If you think about it, that’s plainly ridiculous. A more reasonable approach using GTD would be to focus just on that next physical activity needed to undertake each project; even if it seems like a trivial activity. In order:
I imagine a lot of people roll their eyes at this kind of self-absorbed minutiae-tracking, and a lot of people certainly don’t need it. But, for me, turning anxieties into projects and projects into discrete physical behaviors has a lot of appeal. It takes all the pressure off your brain and puts it back where it belongs: on your eyes, on your hands, and on that fat ass you need to get into gear. More on GTD
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 I only started reading your...Submitted by Kev Place (not verified) on September 18, 2004 - 11:28am.
I only started reading your blog after it appeared in an entry at boingboing - even your overview seemed like the answer to my prayers, and I've been following avidly since. I got the book on Tuesday, and am busy implementing workflow tips now. I too was starting to trip up defining actions that were more like projects. Today I was finishing reading the book and the 'light I came on' - I realised that you need to consistently define projects by their outcome - it really helps keep separation from the actions. I have an assignment to finish. Earlier today my outline headers read eg "Finish Cert-Ed" & "Produce 3000 word assignment". They now read "Bask in the glorious achievement of qualifying for a professional academic qualification" and "My curriculum assignment has been completed, printed, and handed in for review". Once I changed my focus to the outcomes, the actions flowed through as easy as anything... I've been using Life Balance this last few days, and am relishing the flow of thought that is starting to come through. My 'Mind like water' was more of a 'Mind of Mango Chutney' this time last week! Anyway, back to it - I have an assignment and portfolio to complete! Great work mate - please keep it up. » POSTED IN:
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