The Elementary Productivity Planner Part 2
This is a follow up to my Elementary Productivity Planner post.
If you put the Elementary Productivity Planner in place, you may still find that you’re having trouble accomplishing the tasks because you don’t have them well defined. That is where the Elementary Productivity Planner part 2 come in.
A Look At What We Have
Using the EP Planner we have set up a work schedule that allows us to work towards all of our goals and dreams on a regular basis. The result looks like this.
Enter “Getting Things Done”
If you haven’t read David Allen’s book, I highly recommend going out and getting a copy. One essential point in GTD is the idea of the “Next Action.” When you make a to-do list, do you put general tasks on it, like “work on business plan”? Allen suggests that instead of doing that, we should instead think through each item until you get it down to the very next thing you can do on that task. For the Business Plan example, your next action might be “write a description of the physical property.” This is a manageable task, which makes me much more likely to do something than just “work on plan.” This next action list will make your Elementary Productivity Planner much more useful.
Setting Up Your Next Action List
You already have a list of all your projects, which you used to fill in the EPP. Now, go down that list and number each project.
Start a list for your next actions using the number of the goal to categorize an action. Be sure that your task is actionable and small enough to be an accomplishment in one sitting. If it isn’t, rework or break down the task until it is.
Also, place a context at the front of the entry (after the number) in the form @context. This will help you know quickly if you are able to perform an action at any given time.
Using the List
The next action list breaks down tasks so you have no question what to do next in a given goal. Here’s how to use the list with your EP Planner:
- Do all 2 minute tasks - Are there any next actions that will take less than two minutes? Get those done!
- Write the Next Action as soon as you complete one - This keeps your project rolling.
- If you can’t act on a goal, it’s usually because you are waiting on something - If this is the case, use @wait before the item you are waiting on and put it in your list. I usually underline the @wait, so it’s very clear.
- All goals should be represented on the Next Actions list at all times - They could either be a Next Action or an @wait item.
- Use the EP Planner’s schedule to pick a task - Start with the next action for the top item for today in the EP Planner. Once you complete that task, you can move on to next action for the second goal on the list. I always get the top item completed daily, if at all possible, as that means I am moving towards my goals.
If you missed the EP Planner post, click here to find out how to download a copy of the planner.
This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 1:00 am and is filed under general. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
on July 11, 2008 at 9:01 am Home Office Warrior » Home Office Tips and Hints…Links wrote:
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