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Thursday, November 26, 2009
Weekender's GTD
If you google GTD you'll find all kinds of over-engineered systems for getting things done. A good proctrastinator can spend a lot of time building a system without actually accomplishing anything.
At work we've recently switched to the Scrum system, which strikes a good balance between organizational overhead and actual work. But for an individual on the weekend it's too much. And the priorities are different. On the weekend, if you've got a regular job, slacking off is an important part of the schedule.
My system is built around a list of tasks and operates in two different modes, depending on what I'm trying to accomplish.
The first step is always the same: make a list of prioritized household projects. They can be regular chores like cleaning the cat boxes or doing the dishes, or one-off tasks like fixing something around the house. Generally they'll each take 10-30 minutes. If they're longer break them down into smaller pieces.
For a relaxation day here's what I do. I look at how many hours I've got, figure out how many tasks I need to do per hour to get them done. Then I drop the list and go watch TV, or play a video game, read a book etc. But here's the key. At the top of each hour I pause what I'm doing and bang out the necessary tasks so that I can get back to slacking off.
Creative personal projects, like design or writing, will eat as much time as you'll give them. I've got two approaches. One is to treat the project just like my relaxation approach, breaking hourly to do the required tasks.
But if the project requires a sustained period of time, hours of focus without distraction, then you may only have one choice: do all the necessary tasks immediately. Then you'll have the rest of the day to focus.
Now, if I want to be really productive here's what I do. I break down my fun stuff, be it watching a TV show, taking a hike, mucking about on the computer, into finite tasks. Then I prioritize them along with the boring stuff and just work down the list.
Two important things to keep in mind. One is to make sure nothing on the list takes more than an hour, max. If you think it might then break it down into smaller parts. This helps with momentum and with the next important thing. Make sure the fun stuff is mixed in with the obligatory stuff.
In the end these systems are all about using the stuff that you actually want to do as motivation to get what you need to do done. They're also about prioritization and momentum.
Update:
I forgot two important things, probably more important than the rest of my ramblings.
- You need a portable copy of your list. I use an iPhone app, but a 3x5 card works.
- You need to ask your significant other if she/he has anything that needs to go on that list at the beginning of the weekend.
posted by Nils T. Devine # 10:59 AM 
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