Woolgathering #137: How to Better Manage "Next Actions" in Your Productivity System
The longer you've used a system, the longer (and more overwhelming) the list gets. But there is hope...
The point of putting down all of your projects and next actions in a list is to make them more manageable by getting them out of your head. When those things aren’t making you anxious by rattling around in your head, you’ll be in a better position to manage them.
But what happens once you have a long list of projects, and an even longer list of actions?
I’ve been fighting this battle ever since I started doing my own version of GTD. I have a long list of next actions—some are even sorted into contexts (like “errands”, “calls”, etc.). But that long list of next actions still remained mostly unmanageable until recently. I became fed up with it. I needed to find a way to parse it out into chunks that were manageable, and made sense to me.
So recently, I came up with a simple scheduling system. It’s helped me to look at my long list of next actions and feel like I stand a good chance of getting them done. It also integrates nicely with the Today Card system I’ve been using for the past few months.
Second Chance to Join the Beta Testing Group for My New Productivity System
It’s called the Today Card, and it’s off to a roaring start.
There’s an in-depth tutorial webpage showing how to use it, and the ideas behind it.
There’s regular emails to clarify concepts and motivate you as you get rolling on it.
There’s a forum where you can talk about your experience and engage with others in the group.
If you’re interested in joining, you can do so here.
Feed Your Brain
How to Leave an Effective Voicemail
I know, I know. Voicemails are easy, right? But why do people leave so many terrible ones? This is a great guide from one of my faves of the old early-00’s productivity web, Merlin Mann, and a great audio instruction on leaving an effective voicemail.
On Creators Getting Paid Directly, and the Booming Economy Around It
As someone who creates content, and who likes the idea of getting paid for it, I’m always interested in what’s going on in that space. As it turns out, there’s a lot going on. Platforms (like Substack, where I’m now writing this newsletter!) are popping up all over, to allow and encourage various audiences to pay creators directly. They’re trying various different models of doing it, and have all different kinds of big investors. AngelList gave a good rundown of the space in their most recent newsletter.
Book Recommendation
A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas
by Warren Berger
Making decisions is difficult. Coming up with ideas is also difficult. You can brainstorm and whiteboard all you want, but without the right questions, those activities will bear little fruit. In this book, Warren Berger describes how questions have driven some of the biggest innovations in recent memory, as well as how you can find the right questions for your mission. I’ve long favored the practice of asking questions as a strategic tool, but this book has given me a whole new appreciation for and depth of understanding of questioning.
Tell a friend…
As always, I’ve got 3 things I created that you might want to check out, or share with people you think would appreciate them:
The GTD-GS spreadsheet, to run David Allen’s GTD system in a single spreadsheet.
My e-book Be, Think, Do—which is a collection of my favorite early essays on productivity and personal improvement.
My book The Wabi-Sabi Way, published in June 2020 by Rockridge Press.
A Quote
“Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right.”
— Phillip C. McGraw