From 18c4c561cfb77fb04fa66f7ac42c2d6ba9d40910 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Lars Wirzenius Date: Sat, 23 Jul 2011 19:48:30 +0100 Subject: Add first draft of chapter on projects and next actions. --- projects-next-actions.mdwn | 126 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 126 insertions(+) create mode 100644 projects-next-actions.mdwn (limited to 'projects-next-actions.mdwn') diff --git a/projects-next-actions.mdwn b/projects-next-actions.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f18d125 --- /dev/null +++ b/projects-next-actions.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,126 @@ +Projects and next actions +========================= + +In the GTD system, a "next action" is a physical action you can take, +preferably something that lasts a fairly short time. Examples of +next actions would be "write e-mail to project mailing list explaining +your plan to implement a new test driven development approach", or +"buy apples and bananas for home". + +A **bad** next action would be "start a side business". It's bad for +two very important reasons: + +* it's not short; indeed, it might be of indefinite length +* it's unclear when it's finished + +When you actually start doing things, it's much easier if you know what +you need to do, and when you're finished. + +Obviously, some things you want to get done are going to take a lot of +time. That's OK: they just should not be next actions. Next actions need +to be things that you just do. No more thinking or planning should be +required. + +Anything that takes more than one step (more than one next action), +is called a project in GTD. Like next actions, projects should have +a clearly defined goal so that you know when you're finished. For +example, "form a corporation for side business" might be a good +project: + +* it's clearly defined (it's done when the corporation is formally and + legally founded, and has a bank account, accountant, e-mail address, + and other such things) +* it takes several steps: decide on name, register, open bank account, etc + +Also like next actions, projects should be finished within a limited +time, though the time will be much longer. Next actions should typically +be doable within half a day (but shorter is better), whereas projects +might last up to a year. + +Not everything will fit into these definitions of next actions and +projects, but we'll get to that later. + +Keeping track of projects and next actions: the art of lists +------------------------------------------------------------ + +You'll likely have more than a handful of projects or next actions. +Even if you only have a few of each, it's best to write them down. +The human brain is not good at remembering things without triggers, +whereas even the cheapest pen and piece of paper will do lists with +excellence. (In fact, my memory seems to work better the more I write +things down.) + +You should keep one list of projects, and another list of next actions. +You can keep them in any way or form that you like: + +* a single plain text file for each +* a web page for next actions (so you can read it on your phone), and a + folder on your computer's desktop for every project +* using an outliner: one tree for next actions, one for projects +* using a specialized GTD application +* a sheet of paper for next actions, and a project folder for each project + +If you choose to have one folder per project, whether digital or physical, +that provides a convenient place to store files related to that project. +However, this requires all files to be arranged according to project, +which can be inconvenient: if you have two projects related to the same +software, do you check out the source code twice, once per project folder? +You might instead keep a simple list of projects, and then store the +supporting files in a way that is more natural than per project. Or you +might decide that per-project is the natural way. Your choice. + +There is one right way to do this: anything that you do that helps you +keep track of things is fine. Anything that is a hassle or gets in your +way is wrong. + +Next action contexts and categories +----------------------------------- + +The list of next actions is what you will be dealing with most with GTD. +It is important that it's easy and fast to use. However, as soon as it +grows longer than two or three dozen entries, it will become hard to +pick something from it quickly: you need to read through a lot of it +to find something suitable to do. + +Say you're waiting for the bus, and you have maybe ten or fifteen minutes. +You have your laptop, and there's a place for you to sit. This would be +a perfect time to knock of an item from your next actions list, but +what should you do? If it takes five minutes to scan the list and find +something to do, you've wasted maybe half of your available time. Not good. + +You should break down the list by context or other suitable category. +A context is the things that are reqwuired for you to do the action: +"at phone" would be the context for anything that requires you to use +your phone; "online" would be all the things you need Internet access +to do; "at home" for things you must be at home to do, etc. + +Geeks have spent inordinate amounts of times figuring out the ideal +contexts and categories +for them. This is an easy thing to obsess over. However, it's +also clear that nobody else can decide what contexts suit you than yourself. +Still, for inspiration, here's the list of contexts Lars uses: + +* **In progress**: for anything that has been started, but is currently + waiting for something, typically a long computation being performed by + a computer +* **Unfun**: anything that is unpleasant, and is therefore easily postponed; + having this as its own category helps avoiding that (also, there's a rule + that every workday at least one unfun thing needs to be done) +* **At phone, able to call**: for phone calls one needs to make (a special + category of unfun, most of the time) +* **Errands**: things that require you to go somewhere, such as a shop, or + office, or meet someone outside your normal locations +* **With person X**: things that need to be discussed with a specific + person, either in person or perhaps over the phone +* **At home, not using a computer**: cleaning, dishes, etc +* **At home, using computer**: typically involves a desktop computer, or + external hard disks, or a printer/scanner, or other hardware that is + hard to carry +* **At laptop, offline**: the laptop being my primary computer, this is all + the things I need to do at a computer, which don't require Internet access; + I travel a bit, and I often go sit in a cafe to work a bit, and so I can't + take the Internet for granted; there's a lot of things that fall into this + context, so this is often quite a long list +* **At laptop, online**: like the previous one, but these require both the + laptop and Internet access + -- cgit v1.2.1