Steve Blank (2010) Strategy is Not a To Do List https://steveblank.com/2010/10/07/strategy-is-not-a-to-do-li...
nice observation, understand strategy before todo otherwise it's a rudderless ship
To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
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Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#32Steve Blank (2010) Strategy is Not a To Do List https://steveblank.com/2010/10/07/strategy-is-not-a-to-do-li...
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Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#33I don't know about most people, but this works terribly for me. Motivation is huge for my happiness, so I want to do something when I'm in the mood for it. This means I do keep a list of the things I need to get done, so whenever I've got free time, I take a look at the list and see what I'm most in the mood to do. Of course, this is the real world -- sometimes something has a firm deadline so you have no choice (so…
>I don't know about most people, but this works terribly for me. Motivation is huge for my happiness, so I want to do something when I'm in the mood for it.
That's a sure-fire recipe for never doing most things one needs to do, because most of those things are not things that one looks forward to anyway.
Even for the core work someone does (e.g. writing for a writer), people mention time and again that setting up times in advance and committing to them works better than getting in the mood.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#34Marketing Material. TLDR; Version: In order to get things done, you don't just make a list. You also add Time (calendar) and Place (if applicable) to the Task. This is same thing someone (can't remember) said that TODO lists get done only if you also put a time and place to each TODO Task.
Personally, I like the Any.do approach of categorizing all ToDo items into Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming, Someday.
It splits the difference between flexibility and awareness of time limitations.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#35How about this - different people respond well to different organizational methods? Perhaps like many things there is not a one size fits all solution.
For me, todo lists in the form of a Kanban board with columns that hold longer term "need to remember" tasks really help so I don't forget those things. And when I am sitting idle wondering what to do next, I have a list ready (unless something else pops up that is higher priority).
I think over scheduling might lead to its own inflexibility and paralysis as well. But it might work great for some people!
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#36I don't know about most people, but this works terribly for me. Motivation is huge for my happiness, so I want to do something when I'm in the mood for it. This means I do keep a list of the things I need to get done, so whenever I've got free time, I take a look at the list and see what I'm most in the mood to do. Of course, this is the real world -- sometimes something has a firm deadline so you have no choice (so…
Totally agree that scheduling is not for everyone. I've also read a lot of so called productivity expert saying that you should write down all the things in mind without bothering scheduling them. IMHO, there's no single solution for personal productivity boost but to work hard and figure out the best solution for yourself.
Different tools for different cases. What I find helpful (as long as I'm in a mood to stick to it):
- Writing down all the things in my mind (i.e. mind dump) - tremendously reduces my stress and clears my head; a good mind dump makes my mind feel temporary empty, unburdened. After doing that I usually quickly review what I wrote down and make a conscious decision about what to do with each item (e.g. put it on a TODO list, ignore it, shoot a mail about it and forget), so that those things don't start immediately cluttering my head again.
- Big todo lists - mostly useful to keep track of random errands that I'd otherwise have to remember. I'm e.g. happy to tell that I don't remember when my rent is due, or when I have to remind a friend about sending me the details of a project - but I'm confident that my todo list will remind me at the appropriate moment.
- Improvised, throwaway todo lists - help me focus on a difficult task through the process of breaking it down into steps small enough I can execute them one-by-one without getting a panic attack.
- Scheduling - works for me if I schedule blocks dedicated to particular task or project - like "work", "project X", "random", "HN break". Helps me focus without triggering my otherwise usual anxiety attacks. Also I make sure to schedule "random / shallow work" blocks regularly, which exist to ensure I do process my todo lists, that would otherwise go stale.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#37I don't know about most people, but this works terribly for me. Motivation is huge for my happiness, so I want to do something when I'm in the mood for it. This means I do keep a list of the things I need to get done, so whenever I've got free time, I take a look at the list and see what I'm most in the mood to do. Of course, this is the real world -- sometimes something has a firm deadline so you have no choice (so…
> I don't know about most people, but this works terribly for me. Motivation is huge for my happiness, so I want to do something when I'm in the mood for it. That's a sure-fire recipe for never doing most things one needs to do, because most of those things are not things that one looks forward to anyway. Even for the core work someone does (e.g. writing for a writer), people mention time and again that setting up ti…
I concur. If you schedule in advance, it's much easier to break through the initial emotional barrier of starting the thing you're anxious about.
I used to hate scheduling, now I swear by it. The change was entirely in my understanding what "scheduling" means. I used to treat this as iron-strong commitments. Those made me dislike scheduling because I felt I'm losing autonomy over my own life. Now, I treat scheduling in advance as my best-effort plan for efficiently doing what I want, subject to revision at any point I deem necessary. I found allowing myself to shuffle the schedule around as I need made it feel liberating, and my worries about losing autonomy pretty much disappeared.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
This mentality can be a little dangerous. You're training yourself to cater to your moods. This can result in important but not urgent tasks that you're never really in the mood to do never getting done. Or, if it's a task that has to be done, a lot of resistance because you're used to waiting for motivation to kick in. For me, a better approach has been to consciously force myself to do things I don't feel like doin…
Different approaches work for different people. I wish people would understand that, instead of assuming that what works for other people is ~secretly harmful~ and they should just use what works for the speaker. The first and only ironclad law of productivity is "Do what works."
But the corollary of that law is "try and figure out what works for you". So test the different approaches, instead of assuming they won't work for you; evaluate them honestly, and stick to those that produce results.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#39This is a repeat of the famous Getting Things Done book, which covers prioritizing your life through organization and scheduling.
>This is a repeat of the famous Getting Things Done book, which covers prioritizing your life through organization and scheduling.
Pretty much the opposite!
David Allen is against scheduling anything other than hard deadlines. The ones which if you miss, you really miss! The examples in the article are the ones he tells you never to put in the calendar (groceries, date night, etc). Anything that you can delay means it does not belong in there.
He does have a tickler file, but that's merely for reminding you, and only at the day granularity.
Re: To-Do Lists Are Not the Answer to Getting Things Done
#40I use a to-do list for things that are important but outside my focus. Prepare records for my accountant, errands to complete before a trip, a random deadline, etc. If it's inside my focus I don't need to write it down, and if it's not important, it's not getting done.
I think these matters vary enormously for each person. Using a tool badly doesn't make it a bad tool.