it includes detailed advice that approximately no one will follow
Hey, I read the book in 2012, and I still have a GTD-ish alphabetical file, GTD-ish desk “inbox”, and GTD-ish to-do list. Of course they’ve all gotten watered down a bit over the years from the religious fervor of the book, but it’s still something.
If you decide to eventually do a task that requires less than two minutes to do, that can efficiently be done right now, do it right now.
Robert Pozen Extreme Productivity has a closely-related principle he calls “OHIO”—Only Handle It Once. If you have all the decision-relevant information that you’re likely to get, then just decide right away. He gives an example of getting an email invitation to something, checking his calendar, and immediately booking a flight and hotel. I can’t say I follow that one very well, but at least I acknowledge it as a goal to aspire to.
OHIO has also been a useful corrective for me, as I’ve had a lot of success ‘processing things subconsciously’, where if I think about a problem, ignore it for a while, and then come back, the problem will have been solved by my subconscious in the meantime. But while this is quite appropriate for math problems, there’s a huge category of logistical, administrative, and coordinative tasks for which it doesn’t make sense, and nevertheless I have some impulse to try it.
What does Pozen discuss in terms of constraints on how OHIO works in practice? I might have all the “decision-relevant information” about a project, but not have the resources, e.g. the time, to start and complete the project immediately.
I’m not sure how well this would fall under that principal, but I’ll often outline a project right away, e.g. with tasks to book a flight, reserve a hotel room, etc., if I decide to attend some even to which I’ve been invited (and making that decision would depend on checking my calendar first).
Hey, I read the book in 2012, and I still have a GTD-ish alphabetical file, GTD-ish desk “inbox”, and GTD-ish to-do list. Of course they’ve all gotten watered down a bit over the years from the religious fervor of the book, but it’s still something.
Robert Pozen Extreme Productivity has a closely-related principle he calls “OHIO”—Only Handle It Once. If you have all the decision-relevant information that you’re likely to get, then just decide right away. He gives an example of getting an email invitation to something, checking his calendar, and immediately booking a flight and hotel. I can’t say I follow that one very well, but at least I acknowledge it as a goal to aspire to.
OHIO has also been a useful corrective for me, as I’ve had a lot of success ‘processing things subconsciously’, where if I think about a problem, ignore it for a while, and then come back, the problem will have been solved by my subconscious in the meantime. But while this is quite appropriate for math problems, there’s a huge category of logistical, administrative, and coordinative tasks for which it doesn’t make sense, and nevertheless I have some impulse to try it.
What does Pozen discuss in terms of constraints on how OHIO works in practice? I might have all the “decision-relevant information” about a project, but not have the resources, e.g. the time, to start and complete the project immediately.
I’m not sure how well this would fall under that principal, but I’ll often outline a project right away, e.g. with tasks to book a flight, reserve a hotel room, etc., if I decide to attend some even to which I’ve been invited (and making that decision would depend on checking my calendar first).