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writing a book and have too many next actions
chadgr | Oct 14 2006
Hi. I'm just getting started on GTD while part way into writing a book. I've gone through the collection process and most of the things I wrote as tasks on my mind (and now in my inbox) relate to the book. Perhaps I don't understand how to process the inbox correctly, but I'm wondering whether the whole book should be my one project (with a ton of action items) or if I should break it into subprojects in KGTD (e.g., gather information on issue A, collect photographs for Chapter 5). If I keep it as a single project, it seems I have an unmanageable number of actions each of which could be eligible for a "next action." I hope I'm making sense. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 11 Comments
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 I try to keep my...Submitted by mdl on October 14, 2006 - 8:33pm.
I try to keep my projects as small as possible, so as to give myself a sense of accomplishment. I would put "write book" in the higher levels of GTD planning, perhaps at 20,000 feet (areas of responsibility), 30,000 feet (1-2 yr goals) or at 40,000 feet (3-5 year goals). This would depend on how soon you need to finish the book. You know you want to write the book. The key is coming up with all the smaller projects that will get you to that larger goal. You might create projects for each of your research agendas. Or you can create a project such as "draft chapter one." By setting your sights on more immediate outcomes, you can then think of the concrete steps you need to do in order, say, to draft the first chapter. Sometimes, when working on a big project, it's helpful to forgot the immensity of the total task and to focus on the smaller pieces. » POSTED IN:
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