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Daily Lists
Sarge | Sep 28 2006
Having read GTD quite a while ago now, I can't seem to remember if Allen mentioned any ways of creating daily lists. You know, the things that you do every day. For example - Check emails, clear voice mail, tidy desk, check calendar, diary, tickler etc . I'm just curious to how you guys manage these daily lists. What I do, is every week when I do my weekly review is create a 'Dailys' excel file where I have a list of all the things I want to get done daily and I have a check box for each. This piece of paper is stuck on my desk. Personally I've found this a really effective way to get my daily things done, I get a sense of pleasure in ticking off items on the list. Being a graphic design student I've actually added in some other items that I would like to get done daily - such as complete one illustrator tutorial a day, and participate on graphic design forums (this idea sort of came from Steve Pavlina's 30 day trial idea). Every week if I manage to get everything in my daily list checked off for a particular section, for example checking email, I challenge it for the next week and change 'check email' to 'check email - READ and REPLY'. This means I can't check this item off the list unless I've read through and replied to all my emails, so I don't just check to see there are emails. I will read through them all and reply to them (if required) as well. Anyways, I just wanted to share that, and also wondering how you guys manage your daily rituals. 22 Comments
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 From the DavidSubmitted by krackeman on January 12, 2007 - 12:00pm.
I believe this is on the Getting Things Done Fast tape series (no you can not have mine), but the David mentioned using checklists/daily lists. The caveat was that you use the list until you internalize it in some way. If you are just starting to do he payroll for your employees, you have a checklist to go through so that everything gets done. 3 years later, you just do the payroll. The best illustration I have for this has to do with learning to drive. When you first start, there seems to be a MILLION things to keep track of! (Mirrors, lights, gears, pedals, belts, dials, readouts) and it takes 10 minutes just to get settled and get ready to back out of the space. (Mirrors, check. Seatbelt, check. Car in gear, check. E-brake, check.) Drive for a year or two, and you just hop in the car and go. I guess my point (there's a point?) is that a daily list makes a ton of sense for new habits, new roles, new skill sets, but I would start to wonder about still needing a list after several months. At some point, you should internalize things. [SIDEBAR: Unless you pilot an aircraft, work at a nuclear power facility, or man some sort of long range weapon. Then, by all means - use the checklist EVERY TIME ] » POSTED IN:
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