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authorLars Wirzenius <liw@liw.fi>2011-09-18 11:41:49 +0100
committerLars Wirzenius <liw@liw.fi>2011-09-18 11:41:49 +0100
commit7803611e735d497523f44756c8d2ba4922abe4f6 (patch)
treef1f7414d4c6425ccd5b8b78fadd532634a8bdb19 /waiting-for.mdwn
parent62cb18bf75e18772c8e94f7b61b673adebe74d16 (diff)
downloadgtdfh.liw.fi-7803611e735d497523f44756c8d2ba4922abe4f6.tar.gz
Write about "waiting for".
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+Waiting for things to happen
+============================
+
+After delegating something, you usually want to keep track of the issue
+to make sure it gets done. Minions are often lazy, and
+you don't want to be the kind of overlord who forgets orders he's given.
+So you need another list: a list of things you're waiting for to happen.
+
+This list is not just for delegations. It's also for other events you're
+waiting for. For example:
+
+* you've ordered something online, and are waiting for it to arrive
+* you've started a week-long benchmark run, and are waiting for it to finish
+* you're short of cash right now, so you're waiting for your bonus, and
+ after it arrives, there's a bunch of things you'll need to do, or you'd
+ like to do
+
+Lars uses a "waiting for" list of the following format:
+
+ * End-of-year bonus arrives.
+ - since 2009-09-01
+ - then buy a new disco ball
+ - then pay off credit card debt
+
+This format makes it easy to keep track of what you're waiting for,
+how long you've waited already, and what to do after the event happens.
+
+You could keep track of the reactions to an event elsewhere. For example,
+they might be in the project list, and the project would be marked
+"blocked" in some manner. However, there's no direct link from the
+"waiting for" list to the project list, and you'd need to remember
+that there are blocked actions, so you'd at least need to write down
+pointers to the blocked projects.
+
+Lars also keeps another kind of "waiting for" list, for things that will
+need to be finished the same day. He calls this the "in progress" list.
+It usually contains things that automation is doing for him, but he needs
+to remember to check up on when they're finished. For example:
+
+* a half-hour test run for some software he's writing (it's so easy to
+ start one, then lose the window under a dozen others, and only notice
+ it a week later: this seriously slows down development speed)
+* Roomba is vacuuming in another room
+* the washing machine is running; when it's done, it needs to be emptied
+ and possibly another load started
+* a co-worker is looking up some information and promised to have something
+ by lunchtime
+
+The "in progress" list is otherwise like the "waiting for" one, but he
+keeps it at the top of the "next actions" list, so it's always in his
+face. This makes it harder to forget stuff that is currently happening.
+The crucial difference, for Lars, is that "in progress" needs to be
+finished the same day, whereas "waiting for" may usually wait until the
+next weekly review.