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best way to be reminded of an “as soon as I can” action is by the particular context required for that action—that
How discrete these categories will need to be will depend on (1) how many actions you actually have to track; and (2) how often you change the contexts within which to do them.
(for people and meetings) Read/Review
Calls This is the list of all the phone calls you need to make;
At Computer If you work with a computer—particularly if you move around with a laptop/tablet or have a computer at work and another at home—it can be helpful to group all those actions that you need to do when it’s on and running.
Think carefully about where and when and under what circumstances you can do which actions, and organize your lists accordingly.
Errands It makes a lot of sense to group together in one place reminders of all the things you need to do when you’re out and about.
I’d use an “Office Actions” or “At Office” list for anything that required me being physically present there to take the action,
At Home Many actions can be done only at home, and it makes sense to keep a list specific to that context.
Agendas* Invariably you’ll find that many of your next actions need to either occur in a real-time interaction with someone or be brought up in a committee, team, or staff meeting.
These next actions should be put on separate Agenda lists for each of those people and for that meeting (assuming you attend it regularly).
Read/Review You will no doubt have discovered in your in-tray a number of things for which your next action is to read.
It’s practical to have organized reading material at hand when you’re on your way to a meeting that may be starting late, a seminar that may have a window of time when nothing is going on, a dentist appointment that may keep you waiting, or, of course, if you’re going to have some time on a train or plane.
A Review/Watch file in your e-mail folder system or a Surf Web action list could be a good place to hold e-mails with
links to recommended videos, blogs, or online articles.
When the next action on something is up to someone else, you don’t need an action reminder, just a trigger about what you’re waiting for and from whom.
It’s important for this category in particular to include the date that each item is requested for each entry, as well as any agreed-upon due date.
You might take notes in the meeting with your boss, but you can toss those after you’ve pulled out any projects and actions associated with them.
There are some exceptions to this rule, however. Certain kinds of input will most efficiently serve as their own reminders of required actions, rather than your having to write something about them on a list. This is particularly true for some paper-based materials and some e-mail.
Some things are their own best reminders of work to be done.
The primary reason for organizing is to reduce cognitive load—i.e. to eliminate the need to constantly be thinking, “What do I need to do about this?”
Whether it makes more sense to write reminders on a list or to use the originating documents in a tray or folder or digital directory will depend to a great extent on logistics.
reminders should be in visibly discrete categories based upon the next action required. If the next action on a service order is to make a call, it should be in a Calls group; if the action step is to review information and input it into the computer, it should be labeled “At Computer.”
Managing E-mail-Based Workflow
getting “in” empty doesn’t mean you’ve handled everything. It means that you’ve deleted what you could, filed what you wanted to keep but don’t need to act on, done the less-than-two-minute responses, and moved into your reminder folders all the things you’re waiting for and all your actionable e-mails. Now you can open the @ACTION file and review the e-mails that you’ve determined you need to spend time on.
Before you leave your office for the day, or before you decide to spend a big part of your day doing something previously
unplanned, those actionable e-mails that you still have pending must be reviewed individually, just like your Calls and At Computer lists. In essence, @ACTION is an extension of your At Computer list and should be handled in exactly the same fashion.
Your paper-based Pending workflow must likewise be assessed like a list if the paper materials are bein...
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You don’t want things lurking in the recesses of your systems and not being used for their intended purpose: reminding you. The digital world can be dangerous in this regard, because as soon as data is offscreen, it can tend to disappear as a viable prompt.
The Projects list is not meant to hold plans or details about your projects themselves, nor should you try to keep it arranged by priority or size or urgency—it’s just a comprehensive index of your open loops.
You actually won’t be working off of the Projects list during your moment-to-moment activities; for the most part, your calendar, action lists, and any unexpected tasks that come up will constitute your tactical and immediate focus.
The real value of the Projects list lies in the complete review it can provide (at least once a week), ensuring that you have action
Critical for control and focus Alleviates subtle tensions Core of the Weekly Review Facilitates relationship management
Critical for Control and Focus It is impossible to be truly relaxed and in your productive state when things you’ve told yourself you need to handle continue to pull at your mind—whether they be little or big.
Alleviates Subtle Tensions The smaller or more subtle things we tell ourselves we need to deal with create some of the more challenging stresses to handle, simply because they are not so much “in your face.”
Core of the Weekly Review As I have indicated in other places, the Weekly Review is the critical success factor for marrying your larger commitments to your day-to-day activities.
Facilitates Relationship Management Whether you are in conversation with your boss, your staff, your partner, or your family, having a sense of control and overview of all of your commitments that may have relevance in your relationships with them is extremely valuable.
There are three primary areas in which you are likely to have “hidden” projects: Current activities Higher-horizon interests and commitments Current problems, issues, and opportunities
Current Activities Often there are projects that need to be captured from a simple inventory of your calendar, your action
lists, and your wo...
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Double-check that you have them all associated with the further and final outcomes instead of remaining workflow orphans.
Higher-Horizon Interests and Commitments There is a good chance that you might still have subtle attention on some of your commitments and interests from a longer and higher view of your responsibilities, goals, visions, and core values.
have you identified all the projects that they
should engender for you, so that you can move on them appropriately?
Are there things coming toward you further out in the future of your personal life that have started to pull on your attention to do something about them—kids or parents growing older, your retirement, life partner’s aspirations, fun and creative things you’d love to start exploring?
Current Problems, Issues, and Opportunities A very rich place from which to gather items for your inventory is the broad area of often-amorphous things that can disturb your focus if not recognized and dealt with by shaping them into real projects with action steps.
and capacity-building opportunities
When is a problem a project? Always. When you assess something as a problem instead of as something to simply be accepted as the way things are, you are assuming there is a potential resolution. Whether there is or not might still need to be determined.
Invariably there are also projects lurking amid your
administrative, maintenance, and workflow processes—in both the professional and personal arenas.
