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Context lists: I've had an afflatus!
unstuffed | Feb 10 2007
In addition to finally being able to log on for real (I was starting to feel like a real Nobby No-Mates: even the intertubes don't like me, sob choke:( ). Anyway, I've been all a-lurk for a while now, and I've just had an afflatus which drove me here. It's about context lists, and how, as Merlin has pointed out, they're not quite so easy for geeks as for management or sales folks. Stop me if I'm wiffling, but it struck me that the context lists are basically a means of reducing the number of NAs we have to consider when choosing what to do next. We remove from consideration anything that we physically can't do from where we are. Now it's possible to extend that to some degree by reference to what software/projects (in the sense of software dev projects for clients) we've got open. For instance, if my list tells me I could do work on the EvilCorp World Domination 0.98 project, but I don't have it open in Eclipse, then I won't be doing that. I'm too lazy to open it up just for a 10-minute task. Alas, I've usually got everything open all the time. My desktop is like the finale of a musical, with everyone on stage. I'm sure I'm not the only one. So. I was posting a comment about context lists on another forum when it hit me: The David says that our choices of what to do next depend on context, energy level, time available, and so on. So why not shoehorn some of those into the role of contexts? Time is tricky, unless you're proficient at micro-estimates of time. I'm not. But for those that are, you could have context lists for 5, 10, 15 minutes, etc, if those are the chunks of time you have in the interstices of your day. Or you could categorise based on energy level and how you feel. I know that when I feel crap, I really don't fancy talking on the phone, so I won't even look at my phone list. So how about lists like @I've Used Up All My Brain, @Cruising Comfortably, and @Focused Like A Zen Master? Given that phone and computer are all within arm's reach anyway, and given that I choose what to do based on how I feel anyway, why not structure my lists that way? I'd be interested to hear if anyone's tried this, or something similar. 3 Comments
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 Contexts never work as well...Submitted by mdl on February 15, 2007 - 7:07am.
Contexts never work as well as I think they should. I would agree that The David's contexts seem optimally designed for middle managers and business road-warriors--the type of people who whip out their Blackberries to check email as soon as a flight has landed. Contexts work well if one's work consists of a bunch of mini-tasks--phone calls, emails, meetings, letters, etc. I once had a manager whose work seemed to consist entirely of delegation: forwarding emails and sending one-line messages to his subordinates. I wouldn't be surprised if he did everything within the "two minute" rule. I've found contexts difficult for a couple of reasons. 1) Context lists actually decontextualize my work by removing actions from their original context within a project plan or master to-do list. When all my actions are together in a master list, it's much easier to get a complete picture of my work situation. 2) My contexts change every day, depending on whether I'm at home, at work, at the library. And there are no hard boundaries between these environments--computers, phones, email are pretty much always accessible. But there are certain work boundaries I would like to set up--e.g., I don't want to be doing "work" work at home. 3) Here, I would disagree with The David and say that it's actually more helpful (for me) to divide tasks by priority and intensity. How much time/energy will this take? What is the payoff? I've gotten around the problem of contexts by using index cards. Each card (vertical orientation) is an action and/or project. If a project, then I list the next actions below the project outcome. These cards can then be shuffled and rearranged any way I like: by context, by priority, etc. At the same time, however, this method allows me to see all my actions within their true context (projects, objectives, etc.). » POSTED IN:
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