Chapter
2 was great because I see how Allen is setting up the framework for the rest of
the book. He gives us the broad
"Five Stages of Managing Workflows."
I strongly agree with Allen that the most import stage is process because many people can try to
collect, review and do. But, without the
key step of process, one can easily
get lost in the flood of "stuff" to collect, review and do. But, when you process something, you can designate an action, or non-action, for
that item. And one of the great things
that processing items does, is that
it "empty's your containers." So,
instead of having containers pile up and trying to spend a week in getting your
containers empty, processing items will help keep trays up-to-date. Another strategy tip that I loved was to make
my calendar 'sacred.' This means to not
just make my calendar a Daily-To-Do list, because when you always have a To-do
list, the items in the list will tend to lose it's importance. Without proper processing and organizing of
"stuff," your To-do list can easily become another container, and not
a container with value. The last part of
chapter 2 was valuable because it made me think of my own "Six-level Model
for Reviewing my Own Work." Although,
I have done short-term and long-term goals lists, this six-levels really makes
it more in depth and allows me to think of each goal clearly and thoroughly,
helping me clear my RAM during those moments.
I felt like chapter 3 was an
in-depth example of what chapter 2 was telling us. Chapter 3 had a lot more of a business-model
vibe to it. The "Five phases of
project planning" were: purpose/principles, vision/outcome, brainstorming,
organizing, and next actions. His
example of picking out a restaurant to go eat is a great example of how these
five phases are utilized in every and any situation.
I agree that only putting items on a calendar that must be done on those days is a great way to reduce the clutter of "stuff" and increase focus on specific actions. There are other place where "someday/maybe" items are more appropriate, since you do not have to do them immediately. The "someday/maybe list" reminds me of a bucket list, but with some less extreme items (e.g. learn Spanish) mixed in. They are stored somewhere for viewing, and should be reviewed even weekly as Allen noted in "The Weekly Review" (46). However, the calender should definitely be left for action items.
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