(This is continued from Part I and Part II)
The System (Continued)
- General File System (see Part II)
- Tickler (see Part II)
- Calendar (see Part II)
- Actions Lists. These lists sit right at hand in slots directly under my inbox. These are not your ordinary “to do” lists. They are lists designed to make a spare moment as productive as possible. Now that I’m a stay-at-home-mom the main lists I use are “At Home.” “At Computer,” and “With Stephan.” I also have an “Errands” and “Calls” list and I still have a “With People” “At Anywhere” and a “Waiting For” list, but I don’t use them as much anymore. As you can see the lists are divided by location or necessary ‘equipment,’ such as the computer, a phone, or a specific person. This means whenever I am in a specific place, with a specific person, or have the use of a specific devise I can use the time immediately and effectively because I can pull out a list of things relevant to that situation. The only thing I need to decide and scan for is the best item to pick given the time I have, my energy level, and the importance of the task. There is no order to the list, I just add and check off as I go along. I really appreciate the GTD idea that you can’t prioritize now what needs to be done tomorrow – priorities are always changing because you never know when a child will get sick or the weather will turn too beautiful to stay inside. The decision of what to do with my time is made at each moment fairly effortlessly because the state of affairs is always at my fingertips. I LOVE the sense of freedom and peace this gives me! I can fully enjoy playing with Joseph, or taking the time for a friend knowing that nothing pressing is waiting to get done. I can also more easily refuse an invitation or tell a friend I cannot talk at the moment because I know exactly what is waiting to be done and why it needs to get done. Then I can DO it because each item on an Action List is carefully kept to one simple step and all necessary information or tools is referenced or in the plastic sleeve itself. For example, I have a entry on my “At Computer” list that says to research an exercise class for those recovering from birth. A simple (ss) after the entry tells me to “see sheet” and in the plastic sleeve there is the brochure for the class with the website on it. If the items are listed well there is no need to procrastinate because I need to do something before I can do the task itself. It’s just one step and I can check it off, though of course usually a task generates another task, but you can at least check something off right away. Let me give an example from inbox to action list. A lady at church gave me her number because she offered to help out once the baby arrived. Before, the number would sit on my desk waiting for me to have the guts to make the phone call (and most of you know that’s a HUGE barrier for me). With the system, the piece of paper got tossed into my inbox right after church. When I processed my inbox I asked myself “What is the very next babystep that needs to happen with this?” For some, just putting it on the “calls” list would be enough, but not for me. I decided to put an item on my “At Home” list that says “plan a get-to-know-you meeting with (name) so she can help with the baby when here. (ss)” and then chucked the phone number paper in the plastic sleeve. Once I do this task (which is just thinking) I’ll have a clearer vision of what I want to say when I call her up, so I can then put an entry on my “Calls” list that states specifically (in brief) what I will say and ask when I make the call. Then when I have a moment of peace by the phone I can look at my “Calls” list (or I may decide to schedule the call) and everything I need is there: the name, the number, and basically what I want to say. Now there is very little to keep me from just holding my breath, picking up the phone and getting the call done. Of course for some that is ‘way too many steps for a simple phone call, but for me, it’s what I need to actually get it done with as little guilt and little time as possible. At least this way things keep moving bit by bit rather that stagnating and building up inertia and a “oh that task - I really don’t want to do that one” stigma. As I wrote that last sentence (pointless aside: I really dislike it when authors write things like that in their prose, but I’m a blogger just trying to get some ideas down before bedtime) Stephan interrupted me with a question and it reminded me that I wanted to give some money to a certain cause. I could have written the task down directly on a list, but because I like to make the items on my list as simple and easy to do as possible I prefer to jot down the thought and toss it in my inbox. Soon enough I’ll process the inbox and be able to do the necessary thinking to properly prepare for taking action. At the moment, I don’t want to take that time away from the precious computer time I have to get my thoughts down for the blog. Besides, I’d get derailed. Now where was I? Action lists. That pretty much explains them. When the paper gets full (one single column of tasks) I review each remaining task and either transfer it to a new sheet of paper, rewrite it because I’m procrastinating on it for some reason and have to identify a smaller first step, or decide it’s no longer necessary and cross it off. A list that’s getting full inspires taking care of lingering tasks so I don’t have to transfer them, and the lists always stay pretty and clear. No more scraps of chicken scratch lists still lying around because there’s one or two items still not complete!
- Project Folders: These folders sit on my desk also within easy reach. Like the general reference files, each one is just a manila-type folder with a post-it label. Because they are active folders they are at-hand rather than filed (aka buried) with the reference folders. David Allen of “Getting Things Done” defines a project as anything with more than one discrete task. I’m a bit looser with the definition and generally define a project as anything where the discrete tasks don’t flow naturally one to the next and thus need some level of organization. My example of receiving the phone number from the lady at church is a good example. I made it more than one step, but I don’t need to make a project folder for it because each next step is fairly obvious to me. Other projects need more organization, for example, I had a “Christmas” project folder in which I organized everything for the holiday and surrounding activities. When it came time to think about Christmas, I made a folder and started with a brainstorming session. I use the Natural Planning Method suggested in GTD. First define the purpose and principles (and write them down on a clean sheet of paper with the project name as a heading) then jot down your vision – what would WILD SUCCESS look like? Don’t worry, this doesn’t violate the “good enough is better than perfect” principle – this is just a brainstorm, not a “to do” list. It helps to define what’s important to you want if you let yourself dream big. Next is the “brainstorm” where you jot down every idea that comes to mind without judging it – just let the ideas flow from mind to paper. Cutting and choosing comes later. I usually do those three steps at the same time and then feel pretty tired but much better because all my ideas and worries and “must remember to do this” thoughts are captured in a place where I know they won’t be forgotten. Later I do the “organization” phase where I evaluate all or some of the brainstorm ideas (depending on how big the project is this can take several iterations), prioritize them, and break them down into “next actions” so I can enter them into my Action Lists. Not every project needs quite that much organization and thought. I have a master project list that sits with the project folders and is called “Current Projects: List and Loose” where I keep a master list of all the currently ACTIVE projects. I box the ones that have their own project folder so I can see the state of things at a glance. An example of a project that doesn’t need a folder is renewing my alien card. There were a number of different documents I had to gather from difference sources so it was a multi-step project I didn’t want to loose sight of but it was pretty straight forward and didn’t have lots of papers associated with it so it didn’t need a brainstorm or a separate folder. Whew! If you’re still with me, I’m impressed!
- Trash or Recycling: Nothing fancy here – just get rid of guilt and clutter!
The system needs review, tweaking, and general work against entropy, but that can wait for another time. Basically, the system breaks everything down into such little pieces that when things start to unravel all you have to do is pick one of the pieces to bring back to speed and you can move onto the next and get everything back in order fairly easily. Now when I feel life is getting too scattered, the system is fraying and I feel like I need to “just get my head together” I can take an hour or so and really get my head together. I don’t let myself DO any task, I just get things back into an orderly state so I have proper perspective on what there is to do and have peace about where I stand and how I’ll move forward (and the courage to cut things if it’s really too much!). What peace!
My email system/inbox doesn’t work quite as well, but it’s getting there.
And there you have it, my life exposed. If you got through it all I hope you found some of it useful! All the best at finding the system that works for you!
(This post is continued from Part I)
The System
On bad days I do very little work in the system, but I almost always make sure I clean up for the next day. It doesn’t take much, I just pick up the floors and go through the stuff on my desk, most of which I just throw into my inbox. The inbox is the place for everything without a place. On bad days, it’s so lovely to have an inbox to collect all that comes my way and still keep a relatively clean place. Lunch is burning, Joseph needs me, and I remember something I mustn’t forget. No problem, I just jot a note and throw it in my inbox – lunch and Joseph can wait that long.
Even on bad days I (almost) always check my Tickler and plan the next day before I go to bed. It doesn’t take much time because most of the thinking has been done already and there are just reminders in my calendar and Tickler and I try to be very realistic about what I can accomplish in a day. Usually I stick to what has been scheduled and add just one, most important thing that would make a big impact if I got it done (thanks Tim Ferris). Just ONE. That’s hard, but if I stick to it, it is surprisingly effective. I can’t use the many things on my “to do” lists to procrastinate on what is most important and I end the day feeling good about what I’ve accomplished because it was, after all, important. Besides, I often end up getting more done than that one thing because once that one thing is out of the way I get a burst of productive energy (like when you’ve finally turned in that paper that’s been hanging over your head).
In order for the inbox to work, it MUST NOT breed mosquitoes. It must not stagnate. I have varying success with this, but a few keys keep the turnover going.
- Processing the inbox does NOT mean doing it means THINKING.
- Pick up ONE item and THINK. You must decide what the very next thing that should be done with it, but you don’t have to DO it. In fact, you shouldn’t do it unless it would take less time to do it than to write it down into the system.
- Do NOT put the item down and say “I’ll decide later.” Decide on each item before moving on to the next. Often this shows me that I really don’t want or need to take the time to do whatever it is so I chuck it – no guilt and no mess on the desk!
- Regularly process the inbox so it doesn’t pile up. I find it works well to go through some of the inbox while my computer is booting. I usually empty it before Windows is ready for me. (Something positive about the “Bill Gates tax.”)
Just this much keeps my desk space clean and pretty and keeps me “in the know” with all I have to do and I have peace of mind that nothing important is languishing someplace in the clutter.
On bad days you can see that almost nothing gets done accept one key thing: I’m prepared for the next day. I used to crash into bed exhausted and unsure how I’d survive the next day. Now I go to bed confident that I have a decent shot at it and a clean house and desk to great me in the morning to boot. That is quite a gift.
Many days I don’t have much time to get to anything but the planned tasks because I have a beautiful son whose growth requires plenty of investment, but usually I can be there for him with my full attention because I know where I stand and know just what does and does not need to get done that day. On these days the house stays clean, the family is fed by a calm mama who has taken some time to rest during the day, and I go to bed ready for the next day. That didn’t used to be the norm. In the past I would have called that a very good day.
On good days the systems really shines. Just an unexpected hour to myself and I can rip through so many tasks because it is all ready and prepared for me. Here’s how I work it.
Each paper item from my inbox goes into one of the following places: a general file system, my personal diary (calendar), the tickler, an action list, a project folder, or the trash. Non-paper items get put away or assigned a new home. Here I’ll focus on paper since that’s most of what’s coming in on a daily basis anyway. There isn’t the time and space to write about how I got the system up and running and the many iterations of tweaking I’ve done to make it suit my needs, but if you’re interested in hearing more I’ll be happy to share!
- The General File System: We have a lovely four-drawer file cabinet we got on ebay, so we have no guilt in being “wasteful” with our file system. We use the equivalent of manila folders with a post-it for a label. This makes it easy to make a new folder and to recycle folders in a jiffy since we don’t bother with hanging folders (though there are some here and there to keep things up upright). There’s a folder for each different item or related documents. It was SO hard at first to make a folder for one piece of paper, but it is much easier to find things when they are not grouped and headed and sub-foldered, if that’s a word. The whole system is A-Z and folder are labeled by topic, person, project, or company with no more than one subcategory (for example Garden:Ideas and Garden: Catelogues; not Free Time:Janet:Garden:Ideas). I don’t have to get up from my chair to reach the materials for making a folder and at first I had the “topic, person, project or company” reminder with the materials as well since my conservationist tendency is to save materials by grouping things together. Stephan and I use the same file system and since it’s purely alphabetical without many sub-categories it doesn’t take us long to find the other’s stuff even if it’s not exactly how we’d do it ourselves. Currently it’s not the prettiest, but it’s very functional, so we’re happy. Another important thing to remember is that NO ACTIONABLE ITEMS get FILED! It is a reference system. Things that have actions attached to them should not get buried here.
- My Personal Diary (Calendar). My wallet also has a calendar in it so I have it with me at all times. I used to have a Palm, but I prefer paper now. The calendar is used in the obvious ways, but I also use it for my nightly planning. I write down those essential tasks for the next day with a box next to each item so I can check them off as I go. This leaves quite a cluttered look, but only for the past. Future events are clear.
- The Tickler: A box of 43 “manila” folders labeled for each day of the month and each month of the year that sits on my desk immediately handy and visible. There is then always a separate folder for day 30 days from now and each month 12 months from now, which for me is plenty for filing any date-specific papers that come in. I’m a stickler about the Tickler. Except for some things in the coming week I ONLY use it for DATE-SPECIFIC events. I do not want my tickler getting filled with “hope to get to” items and nasty “you have to do this day” surprises that would make me not want to check it religiously. It doesn’t work if you don’t check it every day, so I didn’t want to set myself up for failure. I check the tickler every evening for the next day. I have a paperclip on the following Monday so I can easily see the days of the week for the next week. On good days I take care of each piece of paper, on bad days the planning consists of dumping the tickler contents into my inbox and heading off to bed. Examples of good tickler items are:
1) Invitations to events that include directions or other information that I’ll need on the day but not before. The date is in my calendar so I know it’s coming up, but the relevant papers are making a mess of my desk asking to be lost before I need them. When the date approaches there’s what I need neat and ready.
2) Bills. Stephan uses his tickler to collect all the incoming bills because he always pays them on a certain day. He doesn’t waste time logging into e-banking every time a bill comes in and he doesn’t miss bills because the tickler reminds him of his “bill day” with a stack of bills that are easy to enter in all at once.
3) Photos and other “pick-me-ups”. I have photos of loved ones that I haven’t framed but I don’t want to get rid of. Stephan had the brilliant idea of dropping them randomly in my tickler for happy reminders in the future. They brighten my day but don’t add to the “to do” list.
4) “This about this later.” This can be dangerous, but there are some things that are not appropriate for now but that might become relevant later. Information about theater productions in Luzern might be better filed in the general reference system so I can get to it whenever it strikes me, even though I don’t think I’ll have a chance for a while because of children, but a gardening catalogue might be a good thing to put in the tickler a few months before spring to remind me to order seeds and plan the garden. BE CAREFUL! The tickler has 43 places for papers to get lost, so don’t put anything in a random spot that you might want to reference at some other time – it’s awfully difficult to find something in all of those papers!
5) I do use the tickler for some “hope to” items when planning a week in advance. I have recurring cards for laundry and vacuuming, phone calls and prayer requests that aren’t exactly date-dependent, but I want to get to with some frequency. For example, I have a card called “Joseph Swim” and after each swim I record the date on the back of the card so I have an easy record and then toss it in the next few days when I think I’ll be able to take him again. I like the sense of accomplishment making check marks gives me, so I love writing the date as a sort of “check” and seeing at a glance how often we’ve swum. If I had a log on the computer it would be another thing to procrastinate on.
(Part III explains Action Lists and Project Folders and sums things up)
