Using Bonsai with Getting Things Done: Thinking

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Using the Outline: Thinking

Once a week I sit down and think about what is going on in my system. This is where I look at what I have going on, what I am trying to accomplish and how I will know when something is done. I find that if I skip this step, I end up with lists of things that are un-doable, and consequently I will start ignoring my system.

2.1 Start this week

I use the Start field on Bonsai items to set items that need to be started at a given point. These start dates usually represent promises I have made, or things with recurring deadlines. For example, I have an item in Bonsai that is part of a project (Implement House Fairy program for three months) where I have to schedule a House Fairy visit for each week. (No, I’m not insane, just a very satisfied practitioner. Check out http://www.housefairy.org to see how you can get your children to clean their rooms without yelling.)

I also examine each item to see if another project needs to be completed before starting any other one on this list.

I don’t do anything with this list other than familiarize myself with things that need to be done in the next week.

2.2 Due this month

This filter represents items with hard and fast due dates. I can see what is coming up within the next month. I chose a month because only rarely do I have projects that require more than 30 days preparation time.

Again, I don’t do anything with this list other than familiarize myself with the contents.

2.3 Current P&S (Projects and Somedays)

I use this outline to see what my workload is here. Underneath the Projects level 1 item, I examine each of the items under each Area of Focus. I ask 3 questions:

1. “Do I have too many things going on in this area to the neglect of other areas?”
2. “Can I drop something in this area to leave more time for other areas?”
3. “Am I really going to commit to moving forward on these projects in the next week?”

This filter allows me to balance the workload. One of the troubles I have with Getting Things Done is my tendency to keep on working and not take time to renew myself. Another trouble is that I always feel like I can get more done than I actually can — and I inevitably fall short, get discouraged, and accomplish almost nothing. Balancing allows me to prevent these situations from happening.

2.4 Projects

This list shows the current workload. It’s a double-check on the balance. I often will move projects into somedays when I see only those items I’m going to commit to working on in the next week.

2.5 Project Priority

I assign projects priority based loosely on how important they are going to be 6 - 12 months from now, and how well they fit in with my goals. The original idea was that I should spend 50% of my time on those items marked #1, 30% on #2, and 20% on #3. In practice, it doesn’t work quite that way, but I find that I work more on the higher priority goals when given a chance.

2.6 Project Setup

This filter’s primary goal is to show me where I haven’t defined a purpose and outcome. For each project, I make a point of thinking about why I am doing something (the purpose) and also how I will know when this project is done (the outcome). I place this information in the notes of the project item, and tack on a third area, brainstorming, where I list all the things I can think of that I will need to do or consider to bring this project to its outcome.

To use this filter, I select it, and then I scan through the list concentrating on the icon for projects, which I have set as my left-most column. If I see any of my project icons there, I stop and enter in the appropriate fields in the notes. The filter looks for the word “Outcome:” in the notes, so I make sure that I have that in the notes.