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Clarification on some of the books principles.
Kris | Aug 27 2007
Hi all. I've just finished reading Getting Things Done about a week ago, and am starting on my second pass (hitting the main topics) to try and cement these ideas. However, I'm still left with some uncertainties on a few topics. Reading through some past posts cleared a couple up, but there's still some remaining. I'm hoping with the vast experience some of you seem to have, you wouldn't mind helping this amateur out a little bit. ;) First up: projects. I took David's advice and created a project reference file system. I'm used to planning out projects when I get them, and detailing the steps needed on the road to completion, albeit at usually a broader scale, so I decided to refine this. When processing a project from "in", I plan it out right there, except instead of a broad set of steps, I create a list of narrowly defined next actions, write the first NA on it's proper list in my organizer, and file the project plan. However, from the sounds of it, you can/should only have the current NA for a project on list, but I find that if I'm not at home where my filing is, and I complete the NA, yet have time to do more, how do I know what my next NA is (since I shouldn't be keeping that in my head)? Do you guys take project plans with you in whatever you use to organize things? Do you write down the next few NA's on a list, just incase? I'm probably over-thinking this, I just don't want to become terribly inefficient. Aw, son of a... I had more questions, but for the life of me I can't remember them at the moment (my memory is terrible. Hence my attempt at GTD :p ). They'll probably come to me in a day or two, so I'll reply again when they pop up. Thanks for now! 11 Comments
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 I'll add a few thoughts...Submitted by cornell on September 3, 2007 - 6:19am.
I'll add a few thoughts to the other terrific comments above. o How much project planning you need to do is a combination of personal preference and the complexity/scope of the project. You decide. *However*, doing it while processing your inbox is not a good idea - it will slow you down from getting it to zero, which is crucial. If two minutes of "back of the napkin" sketching is adequate, great. Otherwise, make an action called "plan project x." That said, if you have a ton of ideas just from looking at the sheet of paper, by all means capture them. It's not work losing them (as you experienced with your "I just had it" question). o Each project needs at least one active action, but more (if they're independent) is fine. You're call - how fast do you want to move the project ahead? o Contexts are optional. I've worked with people who have 200+ actions and *like* a single "actions" list. Your call - try both, see which works. o If you're away from your files and you'll be working on the project, make sure to bring the plans with you. I recommend to clients they carry the following: o calendar o "sub" projects: If it helps mentally to create separate projects for different parts of a main project, that's OK. The main project might have an overarching set of plans and ideas, which are implemented by the sub-projects. In general, keep it simple if possible. One tip: If you want to keep paper from separate aspects of the project grouped together, try prefixing the file folders with the project name then the subcategory, e.g., "NASA consult - plans", "NASA consult - contract", "NASA consult - travel", etc. Hope that helps! » POSTED IN:
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