GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system. • Hacker News Board

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#11

Post by dave1619 » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 3:31 PM UTC

apinstein wrote: post #6

sgdesign wrote: post #4

You should check out WeekPlan, it's a good tool to manage that kind of workflow (and made by a HN'er): http://WeekPlan.net

I used to do the 7 Habits style but found that I was constantly moving stuff from one week to the next when I didn't finish. I switched to GTD a few years back and am much happier. I won't claim to be a perfect GTD adherent, but the brain dump + 0-inbox cycle theory works great in practice. I no longer constantly worry about "I need to remember to do X" since I have set up tools that allow me to place all action item…

I also learned a lot from GTD like getting things out of my brain, next actions, and zero inbox. Te challenge I found in GTD is exactly what you're pointing out - theres so many projects that it's hard to prioritize and sid you do your next actions based on context it doesn't ensure you're working on the most important things. But I still think some people with certain types of jobs can make GTD work, especially if you have a less creative job and just need to get a ton of tasks done... and you like to work that way.

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#12

Post by pirateking » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 3:46 PM UTC

My natural (non)system is to work on whatever I feel like until bored. Then to work on whatever else I feel like until bored. Continue.

It used to trouble me greatly, and I tried using Things, all sorts of custom text files, sticky notes, and many other devices to force myself into a predictable pattern of work. What I found though is that the natural system self corrects.

All the time spent on any project or interest is used to its maximum potential, as I am fully engaged, work at a brisk pace, and explore actively. At the cost of an unpredictable, slower schedule, I am able to extract very high quality output, across a wide variety of projects and interests. This combination of depth and breadth also sometimes allows connections to be made across fields, leading to possible value multipliers. And since the only constraint in the system is "until bored", it acts as an optimal Attention to Value Conversion Machine (AVCM).

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#13

Post by ChrisLTD » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 3:48 PM UTC

I feel the author's pain. My to do lists are miles long and it can be overwhelming. However, rather than abandoning GTD, the solution is deciding what projects are priorities, what can be delegated, and what you should just strike from your list.

Your time and attention is finite, 'curating' your GTD lists is a necessity.

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#14

Post by tommi » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 3:59 PM UTC

pirateking wrote: post #12

My natural (non)system is to work on whatever I feel like until bored. Then to work on whatever else I feel like until bored. Continue. It used to trouble me greatly, and I tried using Things, all sorts of custom text files, sticky notes, and many other devices to force myself into a predictable pattern of work. What I found though is that the natural system self corrects. All the time spent on any project or interes…

I like your non-system and I have been using the same. However, I want to have more influence to when I am bored and what bores me. What kind of methods you use to drive yourself towards something or is everything just ad-hoc what ever you feel like doing?

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#15

Post by pixelcort » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 4:00 PM UTC

The solution I use to this problem is to use a to-do heap, where I can only see what's on top of the heap. From there I can either delete the task or push it down further in the heap and move on to the next task.

By preventing myself from seeing more than one task at a time, I'm forced to focus on the task at the top of the heap, or make a reasonable decision as to how far down in the heap I want to defer it. Personally, I only use one heap, but I imagine a heap per project might work.

I use a prototype I built for myself at http://taskthing.com/ . I've since pivoted to working on flashcard spaced repitition algorithms for use on mobile devices.

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#16

Post by pirateking » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 4:40 PM UTC

tommi wrote: post #14

pirateking wrote: post #12

My natural (non)system is to work on whatever I feel like until bored. Then to work on whatever else I feel like until bored. Continue. It used to trouble me greatly, and I tried using Things, all sorts of custom text files, sticky notes, and many other devices to force myself into a predictable pattern of work. What I found though is that the natural system self corrects. All the time spent on any project or interes…

I like your non-system and I have been using the same. However, I want to have more influence to when I am bored and what bores me. What kind of methods you use to drive yourself towards something or is everything just ad-hoc what ever you feel like doing?

I guess the system is driven by dreams, or abstract long term goals. Most things I do help float me vaguely closer to them. Occasional detours turn out to be serendipitous more often than not, so I just go with them.

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#17

Post by dave1619 » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 5:39 PM UTC

zdw wrote: post #2

The tendency is to fill up your task software with dozens of projects and tasks under each project. But the more you look at your projects and tasks every day for the next few weeks, it gets discouraging. It feels like a never-ending river of stress. Two points on GTD that deal with this: - Part of writing everything to down is to get it out of your head so you don't worry about it. If you have a bunch of big detaile…

But how do you know what's on your plate today with GTD? Usually the prescribed approach is to go into a context (ie, @email or @phone) and start plugging away at the next actions from various projects that require you to be in that context. Great if you're in a straitforward task job like sales but not good for creativity and getting creative work done. It's too rigid and the focus is on the granular next actionable step. Sometimes tough problems require 5 hours of focused going at it. Correct me if I'm wrong but GTD never worked for me to promote that kind of focus. (btw, I wrote the OP)

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#18

Post by dave1619 » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 5:42 PM UTC

pirateking wrote: post #12

My natural (non)system is to work on whatever I feel like until bored. Then to work on whatever else I feel like until bored. Continue. It used to trouble me greatly, and I tried using Things, all sorts of custom text files, sticky notes, and many other devices to force myself into a predictable pattern of work. What I found though is that the natural system self corrects. All the time spent on any project or interes…

It sounds like intuitively you know what's important in the long-run and what interests you. However, the challenge occurs when you face a short-term hurdle that is required for your long-term goal but that short-term hurdle is something that you're not interested in. What do you do then?

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#19

Post by dave1619 » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 5:43 PM UTC

pixelcort wrote: post #15

The solution I use to this problem is to use a to-do heap, where I can only see what's on top of the heap. From there I can either delete the task or push it down further in the heap and move on to the next task. By preventing myself from seeing more than one task at a time, I'm forced to focus on the task at the top of the heap, or make a reasonable decision as to how far down in the heap I want to defer it. Persona…

How often do you go through the heap to prioritize the cards?

Re: GTD sucks for creative work. Here’s an alternative system.

#20

Post by drumdance » Sun, Jun 03, 2012, 5:48 PM UTC

Overall I'm a fan of GTD. I've found it's especially good for managing routine repetitive things that have cycle times of more than a month: remembering to get the oil changed, putting on/taking off snow tires on my car, planning my next vacation etc.

Also, the "capture now, process later" mindset is a great way of handling the emergence of random ideas and tasks on the fly, and asking myself "what is the next action?" when processing is great for getting clarity. I use this a lot in meetings - it forces everyone to get clarity on why we're there and what should happen next.

I've also found the "waiting for" and "someday/maybe" lists to be extremely really useful.