Do Next Actions Really Simplify the Task At Hand?
Posted on April 2, 2009 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Productivity
In Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
What Are Next Actions Good For?
In my experience, I find that defining next actions can get me over the hump of something I’ve been putting off. For instance, instead of “Finish quilt”, I need to think about what I need. I need to buy the supplies to finish the quilt. Therefore, I must buy them. Likewise “write novel” has been stalled on my list for a couple weeks. Looking at the next action, I see that I need to finish the re-plotting of the book. And that involves re-plotting three sub-plots. Next action? Brainstorm plot #1.
Next actions, then, are good for getting you moving and defining why you are procrastinating on something.
Why Are Next Actions A Hindrance?
If we apply the level of granularity of next actions to everything we do, we soon end up mired in details. If your project is “Do Weekly Grocery Shopping” your next action list would look like:
- Make list of needed groceries
- Drive to grocery store
- Shop for groceries
- Drive home
- Bring groceries into the kitchen
- Put groceries away
- Put grocery bags away
It’s what it breaks down to (and I could go more granular, as well). But the truth of the matter is, who would ever go grocery shopping and leave the food in the car because the next action is not on “the list”?
The problem I am finding with defining next actions is that I don’t necessarily need to define them all. Yes, I know that I need to wrap a birthday present after I buy it, but if I rely on my project list and next actions to define this for me, the action may come too late.
As I have experimented with AutoFocus (see Why I Went Back To Basic Autofocus and Mark Forster’s New System Is Now Public), I have found that I no longer desire to write out the steps in a project, unless it is something I feel I might forget. I find I am only writing out next actions when I need to get past a stopping block in the progress of the project, or as a sort of “bookmark” for where I need to pick up again. And I find that I am getting more done by not having to define what needs to be done next.
Photo by Dr. Hemmert
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Comments (2)
Wow, I cannot believe it. Does the “Autofocus system” work so well?
I’m amazed at it myself. I still don’t fully trust the system – I haven’t abandoned my PDA with repeating reminders, and I maintain a project list just so nothing falls through the cracks. But yes, it is actually working and working well.
I find that I only think about next actions only when I am stuck on something, and I haven’t moved forward. Otherwise, I know what needs to be done.
I like the fact that for projects that take a really long time I can work a bit, and stop, re-entering the same task on the list. With GTD, I always felt I had to finish the next action in one sitting. And sometimes that is simply not possible. I am thinking specifically of a knitting project I have going. My next action is to finish the sleeve. But this will take hours of knitting. Under GTD, I would resist it because I knew I couldn’t finish it. With Autofocus, I do a bit and move it forward.