The guys at workflowy have kept it super simple and basically made a tool that works just about like pen and paper, but enhanced it all the right ways...

So it basically works just like a pen and paper list. You start at the top and proceed to the bottom. You can group things together and create hierarchies if you want to (great if you want to organize like tasks under a project). You can insert into the list wherever you want. You can also dive into the hierarchy and just show that list which is very nice for focusing in on a specific group of tasks. You can also re-order tasks by just dragging.

It is all web based, but its so simple and clean that you can use the web interface on PC, iPad, iPhone. There is really no need for a mobile app.  They leave your session open forever so you aren't constantly logging in. I can't remember the last time I logged in. You just go to workflowy.com and instantly you are in your list.

My wish List

There is only one thing I really want to see in the tool that is missing and that is some improvement on managing completed tasks. Basically you can choose to show or hide all completed tasks. What I really want is to only show recent completed tasks or show all completed tasks. Seeing your progress checking things off is pretty motivating so I like to keep some around for a while. As I've described in previous posts on Uberfocus, keeping completed tasks around highglights the tasks I'm procrastinating when I have 1 incomplete task surrounded by 15 completed tasks.  I emailed the Workflowy guys and one of the creators emailed back promising some enhancements in this area so I'm optimistic to something improved here soon.

How I use it

It's a pretty simple tool and this hardly needs description, but I have mine organized like the following hierarchy:

• Personal
• Archive
• Completed tasks go here
• Active
• Current tasks and projects
• Project 1
• Task 1
• Task 2
• Another task
• Professional
• Archive
• Completed tasks go here
• Active
• Current tasks and projects
• Project 1
• Task 1
• Task 2
• Another task

The Archive section is just a way that I use to get some completed items out of the way.  Basically every week during my weekly review I start at the top of my list and move all completed items between the top of the list and the first incomplete item into the Archive section.  This is the only tool on which I can operate about 90% of the Uberfocus system effectively.

Summary

For right now I am using Workflowy instead of pen and paper. I am really liking it. I do find it a bit less engaging than pen and paper, but more convenient for most of my computer based tasks which represent a large portion of my important and critical tasks. For non-computer projects I find pen and paper a bit more engaging and effective, but for simplicity I'm sticking with Workflowy as my single system. My poor notebook looks bored and abandoned on my desk now.

Workflowy is definitely worth a try. It's free and easy to get started. Give it a shot and let me know how you like it.

Related posts

• Where my experiment left me… After finally abandoning all hope of finding an electronic task...
• GTD Mac Showdown Round 2 Update of my reviews of Omnifocus and Things and added...

Honestly the only way I found to really get back on track with the deficiencies of the tools was to revert back to good 'ol pen and paper.  There is something extremely rewarding about writing things down and see them checked off.  You are never fighting the tool.  When I'm using an electronic tool I'm always wanting it to do one more thing than is really does.  Then I look for workarounds, then I just live with it, but all the while knowing that what I want is possible, but just not in this tool.

The pencil and paper system like I wrote about previously are rock solid systems that really just work.  They take all the focus off the system and just getting things done.  I can highly recommend it.

And all of that said I have finally found an electronic system that pretty much just works (well 98%).  More on that next time.

Loren

Related posts

• GTD Mac Showdown Round 2 Update of my reviews of Omnifocus and Things and added...

I'm going to just lay this out in chronological order of how my experiment unfolded.  I ended up in a different place than I started, but not for any of the reasons I expected.

So first I decided to compare Omnifocus and Things at the same time.  I normally keep two separate systems running (context), one for my main job and one for everything else: family, personal, financial, businesses I own, etc.    I put my main job into Omnifocus and everything else into Things.  I felt this would let me get the best side by side comparison of the two tools.

If you have not read my earlier writing on Autofocus and Uberfocus I think that these system address a major gap in my understanding of GTD.  GTD is wonderful at capture, organizing, and planning, but the execution portion I think is underspecified.  The "focus" approaches are all about how to execute through the tasks currently on your plate.  In my opinion any tool that can't support an efficient way to execute my Uberfocus system is useless to me.  My needs are not unlike anyone using the AutoFocus systems, but if you aren't into that then your criteria may be a bit different.

First Omnifocus.  Without re-writing my earlier review let me say that I think very little has really changed with the tool and that most of my earlier comments are still valid.  Omnifocus really stands out in its ability to synchronize across multiple devices and integrate with email.  It's very hard to beat it for that.  Where I think it is still in the stone ages is that it really has no solid notion of how to order your work, but its loyalty to GTD does not make that a surprise.  In other words I don't want the sequence in which tasks shows up to be forced upon me.  The only place you can move the sequence of Projects and Actions is in planning mode.

In short I used it for a week, tried everything to get it to behave the way I wanted.  Ended up actually using planning mode for everything but even that is incredibly clunky and inefficient.  I had to abandon it because it was seriously impacting my work.

Next up: Things.  Again not much has really changed with Things since my last review.  I am much happier with my integration with email this time around and it now has short cut keys for moving where tasks are in the list.  A fundamental action in Uberfocus is to work on something until you can't work on it anymore, and then you want to essentially re-write it at the end of the list to be continued later.  This makes it very clear which actions are progressing and which are not.  Things makes this very easy.  The only complaint I had is that I really want new items to show up at the end of the list and not the top and I wasn't able to get this to work.

Replacing OminFocus...

I had committed to 30 days and barely made it to 7 with OmniFocus.  So I decided to broaden my net and look for new GTD applications that might be promising.  After some research "The Hit List" looks like the most promising one that might have met my needs.  I really like the Hit List.

The UI is my favorite of all the tools reviewed here.  It has great key strokes for shortcuts and it's foldering system seems more powerful than Things', but cleaner than OmniFocus.  It has a very nice system for setting up recurring tasks (like "Write status report").

It's email integration (or at least the one I came up with) is the least powerful of the 3, forcing everything into the Inbox.  I prefer to just dump most of those into a single list I call Next Actions and I wasn't able to quickly work out a way to do that.  It also seems to struggle with Task ordering and actions seem to not be where I want them.   It does easily let me move tasks to the end of the list, but again new tasks don't always go where I want them.

Summary

This has been a really brief summary of my experiment with the 3 tools and you can probably tell I'm not completely happy with all of them.  I was completely committed to continuing to use Thing and Hit List for the 30 days to give them both a fair shot.  As the 30-days came close to expiring I had planned to switch my personal work Hit List and just keep using them.  Intellectually I really prefer the idea of having an electronic system and I do love that my tasks that were generated from emails let me get back to the original email with a single click.

All through the 30 days I had this pervasive sense that my life was unraveling and I could not stay on top of things.  I really did not connect that feeling with the tool evaluation.  It's true that it's an incredibly busy quarter for me with many very large projects in my life all nearing completion, working with new business partners and colleagues, etc.  One day I finally asked the question, "Could this pervasive sense of losing control have anything to do with having changed my system."  I know that at home for example, I had everything captured and in my system, but I just found that I wasn't taking the time to work on my actions when I was at home.  At work I knew what the projects were, I had everything captured as well, but I was beginning to miss deadlines which had not happened in a very long time.  Coincidence?

I'm going to address how I resolved this issue in my next post.  In quick summary on these 3 tools here is my basic rating:

- Hit List - If electronic tools work well for you, I think it's the best of the 3.  More powerful than Things, simpler and far more beautiful than Omnifocus.  If you can live without good device syncing.  I would highly recommend it.  You can get it here...

- Things - In theory I like it, but I've just found that I seem to avoid using it.  It's device syncing is weaker than OF, so I can't really think of any reason to use it over Hit List.

- Omnifocus - I just really dislike it and have never found myself really successful using it.  I love how easy it is to capture things with it, but unfortunately things don't get done when I use it.

I'm sure there are many differing opinions on these tools and how to use them.  Those are mine.  I hope they are useful to you.

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QUESTION #1: What am I no longer willing to tolerate or compromise on in my life?

QUESTION #2: What are my basic core beliefs?

QUESTION #3: What specific things do I need to be doing for my behavior to be more aligned with what I truly believe.

QUESTION #4: What would I be willing to give up to have more of what I truly want?

I won't provide many examples because I don't want to limit how you might think about these questions, but Question #2 might require a bit of explanation.  For this I try to think about things where my internal thoughts don't seem to match my external behavior.  So I might really believe its important to serve in my community, but I never really do.  Or do I really believe its important?  I mean watching TV is pretty important to, right?  Or I might believe that be truly successful at the level I want I'd need to eat a healthy diet, but I eat at McDonalds twice a day, or....what is it for you?  And what does it take to begin doing more of what really matters?

Happy New Year!

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1) My lists aren't like Mark's as far as I can tell.  I tend to have more things on there that I won't be able to take action on for a while.  There just aren't enough small chunks in a day to work on everything and that is completely okay with me.  My life is extremely busy.  I'm married, I have 6 young children, I am an executive in one company and work full-time as a senior manager in another, and I have many interests outside of all of that.  It's okay for things to sit on the list for a little while.  So the dismissal rules of AF4, as I understand them, are far too aggressive.  I also seem to have more urgent tasks that come up that really need to be done with a quick turnaround.  AF4 makes it very hard to get back to the Active list when followed literally.

2) I have felt for a long time, that the unconscious mind gets subjugated to strict processing rules in some of the AF systems.  I think my system improves that by allowing the unconscious to get a bit more involved by controlling, not just what item is selected to be worked, but the flow through the list.

3) Given that my backlog can be fairly long, I really need a way to get back to my Active list quickly.  When urgent things come up with AF4 I find that I am constantly just ditching the processing rules to get back to the active list or I end up being unresponsive to important items.  So I have to break the system to make it work.

4) I think the introduction of the Backlog/Active line in AF4 is a stroke of genius, but I much prefer my system for using the Backlog/Active line than is described in AF4.  See below for more details.

My System in a Nutshell

The system is basically the same as AF4 in terms of adding tasks to the list as one long list.  I currently use a simple cheap notebook (they tend to last longer than the more expensive ones I've tried ironically).

• Each morning I review each list (I currently maintain two lists: one for my full-time job and another that combines my personal tasks and a company that I separately, but that I frequently do work for at home).  I ask myself, "What tasks on the list absolutely need to be done today or something catastrophic will happen including my breaking a committment or not acting with complete integrity?"  Any tasks that meet that criteria get a small checkmark.  On average there are about 5 tasks each day that meet this criteria.

• Then I begin processing by working through only the checkmark items.  I just refer to this as being in "checkmark mode".  I do everything possible to complete these tasks before working on anything else.  Sometimes enough progress is made that I'm satisfied with my progress for the day and re-write the task.  If I am interrupted I will re-write it with a check to be continued later in the day.  Once I complete "checkmark mode".  I begin following the following rules.

• I begin processing my list from the end backwards.  This is my Active List.  I follow the normal AF rules of reading back through until some task stands out as being right to be done right now.  I work on that task until completion or I feel the need to move on.  If not complete, I re-write it at the end of the list and continue moving backward through the list.

• The exit from the Active list is to hit the Active/Backlog line and ask the following question: "Is there anything in the Active list that is more important to be doing now than the tasks in the backlog?" If yes, process the Active List again back to front. If no, then go to the beginning of the backlog.  This is purely an intuitive question.  My reasoning is that my mind knows what's on these lists and I let it guide me where to put my attention.

• Process forward through the backlog until you reach the Active/Backlog line and ask the same question: Is there anything in the Active list that is more important to be doing now than the tasks in the backlog?" If yes, go to the end of the list and begin working backward again.  If no, then go to the beginning of the backlog and continue processing.

• As the backlog is processed each time the end of a page is reached where no actions have taken place ask, "Are there any tasks on this list that are no longer important or that I should defer?"  (On an average day this results in dismissing 1 or 2 tasks).

Moving the Active/Backlog Line

I move the Active/Backlog Line purely based on my intuition about my list.  My goal in moving the line is to make sure that anything that is reasonably urgent is easily reachable while processing the Active List.  (For reference, my personal list is about 18 open pages right now, and my main work list is 6 open pages).  I find that I feel comfortable with my Active/Backlog line being 1-2 pages from the end of the list.  One rule of thumb I frequently use is: "After doing my daily check-marking, if the Active/Backlog line is significantly earlier in the list than the earliest check-mark item, then I will move the A/B line to just before that earliest check-mark item."  That one rule probably accounts for moving the line 80-90% of the time and has worked very nicely.  The rest of the time, I will just move it to a place that seems about right.

Structure of my Notebook

• I use a simple black school notebook right now.  It has 100 pages and 24 lines per page.  I number each page in the upper right corner when I get the book.  I only number right facing pages, so my numbers are 1-100.

• The last 10 pages are reserved for additional lists that I will describe in a minute.

• I use left facing pages for notes on whatever I'm doing.  It might be technical notes, meeting notes, something I've read, miscellaneous lists, etc.

• I run my personal/2nd business list starting at page 1 and my full-time job list start at page 45.  They both progress at very similar rates.

• The last 10 pages include the following: 3 pages for daily statistics.  I expect to complete a book in less than 2.5 months at my current velocity, so I need about 75 lines.  This gives me 72.  I'll have to hustle.  For each day I track the following stats for each list: how many items created, how many items completed, how many items dismissed, number of open pages, number of check marked items, and how many check marked items I completed (yes I don't always finish them).

• I use one page to write lists of books, movies, online videos I wanted to go watch.  I used to keep these in my main list, but they ended up always getting dismissed because I can only really read one or two books at a time.  Now I keep them on their own page and work on one at a time, when I complete a book, I go back to this page, cross it off the page, and then add a new item to my main list, "Read <Book Title>".  I usually keep one audio book and one regular book the main list at a time.  I divide the page in 4 quadrants one for Audios, Videos, Books, Movies.

• I use 5 pages as a tickler file.  When I start a new book I put the next 4 months in the book.  So my current book was started October 1, so I have pages for Nov. 2009, Dec. 2009, Jan. 2010, Feb. 2010, and Future/Someday.  I am okay with having things I want done in the next 30 days in my main list.  So at the beginning of November, I'll dump all the November items into the Main List.  I also will check the other lists to see if there is anything else on there that seems more urgent that should be moved up.  If your book is larger or you will take longer to move through it, I would recommend having more months reserved in the back.

• I have one free page that I haven't decided what to do with yet.  Suggestions?

Additional Thoughts

• I fought the introduction of the checkmark mode very hard and tried various versions of it and have found that this version works the best, and for me is absolutely necessary to stay on top of certain tasks.  I normally complete this checkbox mode by early morning at the latest.  Although on some days, depending on work/home balance, I might leave home tasks until evening if I know I can do them when I'm back in that context.

• AF and particularly this latest variant has radically and dramatically improved my ability to make incremental progress on long-term tasks.  One big area of improvement is in helping my kids to get things done with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, sports, or other long-term projects.  I put tasks in my lists to work with them, e.g. "Scouts - John".  I usually just mentally allocate a day to do that, usually Saturday.  When Saturday comes around those tasks get picked off, I either remind them to do something for it or work on it with them.  The difference in their progress is DRAMATICALLY BETTER.  I'm now the parent with kids on top of all these things.

• There are several other daily type tasks that I usually put in my list.  For example I'm learning Spanish right now using Rosetta Stone, so when I complete my practice on Saturday I will insert "Spanish (L: Sa)".  This means I did it last on Saturday.  This is useful for two reasons.  One, for the rest of the day Saturday it makes it easy to see that I already did this tasks today (yes sometimes I can't remember), and if I get busy and miss a few days it's easy to see how far behind I am.  This has been a big help in keeping track of things I do daily, but only once daily.

• I have not found this or any of the AF methods at all useful for staying on top of physical exercise.  I find calendaring this into my fixed daily schedule is FAR more effective.

• As I said I keep daily statistics.  This usually takes about 10-15 minutes to update, but it also forces a read through of my entire list each morning which is quite useful and I recommend even if you aren't keeping track of statistics.

• I have experimented with overlaying Covey's quadrant model onto this.  Ultimately I found that this new system basically addresses the quadrants implicitly.  The checkmark mode handles Quadrant 1 activities nicely.  Quadrant 2 activities naturally get dealt with by letting tasks stand out to be done.  By allowing access to the Backlog whenever there is nothing more important to be done (Quadrant 1), the elegance of the AF model to build incredible momentum and focus is preserved.  Quadrant 3 activities, also get handled well by a combination of the checkmark mode, and having many ways to get on and stay on the active list if needed.  Quadrant 4 tasks can be built in and selected appropriate or dismissed.

I hope you find this useful.

No related posts.

First I have to say I was quite happy to be back to pencil and paper.  I felt that this worked much better for me.  One of the things I've liked so much about AutoFocus is that it builds a sense of momentum, but I felt this was lacking somewhat using AutoFocus where there was really no notion of a page, and little sense of completion or progress.  It's a little like running on a treadmill compared to running outside.  I think an AutoFocus app could be built, but I don't think you can just take a GTD app and redeploy it as an AutoFocus application and get all the benefits of AutoFocus.

In many ways this experiment with the revised AutoFocus rules was something of a failure.  The major change here is the use of modes a reverse mode and a forward mode.  Forward mode is handled by entering a task on your list called "Switch to Forward mode" and then when that is the task that sticks out you switch to Forward mode.  Over the two weeks I've been doing this I only found myself switching into forward mode 3 times.  I found the tail end of my list far more compelling and important.  The beginning of my list that could only be reached using Forward mode really didn't have that many truly critical and important tasks so they tended to get dismissed each day (with a few exceptions).  Dismissing those tasks always seemed very reasonable and painless.  There were tasks that I dismissed that I wished I'd gotten around to doing, but none of them were a big deal.

Overall I have to say that I was pretty happy with the new revised rules because they do help you get back to the beginning of the list and I continue to like the new dismissal rules.

Let me share my stats for the past few weeks because I think they are fairly interesting.  I found them pretty interesting.

It's clear that I'm opening pages much faster than I'm closing them out, at least some are getting closed out.  If this trend continues though I'll end up with an untenable number of pages.  There seem to be only 3 possibilities for addressing this issue:

1) Dismiss items faster

2) Do a better job of taking small actions more frequently so that I can cover more pages.

3) Add fewer tasks

#1 is an option and I'm sure there are more tasks that could be dismissed faster  (AutoFocus 1 handled this a bit better.  #2 is an option, but already feel that there are times through the day when I'm shifting my attention too many times - often to things of lower importance.  #3 isn't in the spirit of AutoFocus where you can dump things in and filter them.  I think this is actually working pretty well because the things that aren't getting done in general are not that critical.  My worry is that I am still spending too much time on things less critical rather than spending more of my time on the truly important things in my life.

You'll see from the dates above that this experiment is a few weeks old now. I have done another variant involving prioritizing critical items. I'll post the results of that tomorrow.

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When Mark Forster posted his updates on using AutoFocus I started a new notebook and began using it and loved it.  A  number of people were posting on his forums about successfully using OmniFocus and other electronic versions.  In my opinion this was only made possible with the use of Open Lists in AF2 vs. Closed Lists in AF.  I have purchased and have extensively tested both OmniFocus and Things as traditional GTD tools.  I have previously stated my preference for Things over OmniFocus, but OmniFocus does provide much better syncing with the iPhone and so I opted to go with OF for this test.

Implementing AutoFocus with OmniFocus is the simplest thing in the world.  I simply deleted all my previous contexts and deleted all my previous projects and created one new project called "AutoFocus".  Then I clicked on the Contexts button and all my tasks show up as "No Context" which is just fine.  Then I work from the bottom to the top.  I add tasks using Quick Entry and just type the name of the task and set the Project to AutoFocus.  With the Auto Complete this is very efficient.

Because I had only switched to using AutoFocus 2 a few weeks before this experiment I chose to not start over and not re-enter tasks either.  I did the unthinkable I used both.  I began entering all new tasks in OF and worked backwards and when I reached the top of the list I began working back in the notebook.  My thinking was that I would quickly clear the notebook and fully into the OF version.  This did not happen.  At the end of the 2 weeks I still have 4 open pages in the notebook.

Results

In the 15 days of this experiment I created 337 tasks and completed 234 of them.  This seems roughly 50% slower than the progress that I seemed to make with the notebook.  I like using the notebook better because although it can be slightly less efficient to enter the tasks (I definitely type faster than I write) and it's less convenient to carry a notebook around I do think there is something important about physically writing things.  Overall I think OmniFocus is perfectly fine at implementing the system as I defined it, the inability (perhaps my own) at simulating the physical notion of a page is missing.  There is something compelling about completing a page rather than just checking things off one long electronic list.

I found the OmniFocus syncing to the iPhone to work much better this time around.  Probably because I was using the tool in a much simpler way.  I also found that in the entire time I entered about 2 tasks on the iPhone and checked off about 3.  So overall having it was nice when I needed it, but even in those cases my notebook was just as accessible so the benefit was fairly marginal.

Next Steps

Now that Mark Forster has once again revised the system, reincorporating AutoFocus 1 as "Forward Mode" I am going to try that system out for 2 weeks and report the results back.  I am going to switch completely over to the notebook again and re-write my current task list over.  I'm not in love with the complexity of his new formulation (it feels like a classic coding hack when you know how to make something work, but aren't sure how to streamline it) but I'm going to try to give the system a fair shake.  If I can complete that before it changes again I'll also implement my own tweak to the system that I think may resolve my existing issues with AF2 and not being able to get back to the beginning of the list.

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AutoFocus review

On June 27, Mark Forster released his AutoFocus 2 which is a followup to his AutoFocus time management system released earlier this year.

AutoFocus is described on Mark's site and I did an earlier comparison of it to David Allen's GTD here.   AF2 is designed to resolve some of the issues that have been observed about AF.  Mark describes these well on his site.  This quick article is my description of my experience with AF2 after the first 10 days.

Overall I'm very pleased with AF2.  It has really re-engaged my use of the system.  I found my use of AF flagging a little bit in the few weeks before AF2 came out.  I think this was partly due to having split my lists into a Home and Work list.  With AF2 I am back to a single list.  While I initially really liked the "closed list" idea of working on a single page until there were no items that were standing out, it became difficult to iterate through the list fast enough to deal with urgent issues.  In AF2 you work backwards through the list and after each task you jump to the end again so it allows very rapid progress as items come up.  I find that this makes it difficult to get back to items earlier in the list though.  So far I've solved this by making one linear pass through the list each day, where I start at the end and just keep working back.  Then I follow the normal rules the rest of the day.  This seems to work well and allows reasonable progress on all parts of the list, but also allows me to make quick progress on important items and things that are important that come up during the day.

The other thing I really like are the new rules for dismissing items.  It becomes pretty clear what items will get dismissed "tomorrow" and almost every day I have dismissed one task.  On one occassion it was a task I really should have done, but just didn't get to and it was reasonably urgent (but really dreaded doing).  In every other case, the dismissal has removed a task that really isn't that important, or something that is important, but not for a while.  These new dismissal rules are great and help get pages cleaned up much faster than before.

When I started AF2 I threw away my old list and started with a brand new notebook.  In 10 days I've got 12 pages, 2 of which are closed, and many of the pages have just a few items remaining.  My pages currently hold 26 tasks, compared to the 40 my prior notebook hold.  I find I like having a bit more room to write the tasks.  In comparing my current statistics to my earlier experience with AF after 5 weeks, it appears that I'm moving a bit faster and closing pages faster as well.

The best way to compare AF and AF2 is they both seem to build incredible momentum to getting tasks done, but with AF2 there is more fluidity and it feels easier to naturally follow through on important tasks whereas with AF it often felt as if I sometimes needed to do unimportant tasks in favor of things I knew intuitively were more important.  As stated earlier, I think the biggest problem now is how to really handle important things that aren't at the head of the list.  I do believe that the key to resolving all these issues is to really internalize and follow the notion that  your intuition is the guide and determines what "stands out".

If you are using AF2, what is your experience?

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The Autofocus system is simple and you can read about it at the link above. I won't detail how the system works because you can read it there.  It is an alternative to GTD although I think they complement each other somewhat rather than being strictly mutually exclusive.

What I like about it is expressed by the following quote:
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"...Leonard da Vinci

First let me provide a bit of background...

I have used GTD for about 3 years.  My experience with it has been positive overall, but I never was able to get to the point where I really felt on top of everything in front of me.  The idea of Inbox Zero and collection were extremely effective for me.  The "2 Minute Rule" made sure I responded to many more emails quickly and properly filed the actions that I needed to come back to later.  I feel that fewer important things got dropped and I could always find emails and things that needed to be responded to.

My major challenges with GTD have been the following:

• Weekly Reviews seem essential and are very rewarding, but so hard to get around to and complete in a busy schedule. In discussing GTD with colleagues and reading what others struggle with online it seems to be a consistent issue.  I've heard David Allen say that the people who succeed with GTD are the ones who do the Weekly Review.
• People seem to constantly fall off the GTD bandwagon.  There are definitely things that are easy, like collection, but getting things organized into Projects, Tasks/Next Actions, Contexts, Tickler files, Someday/Maybe, etc., is a bit of work in itself.  If this unravels I think the system breaks down pretty quickly.
• Widget cranking is a bit overrated.  I understand the intellectual argument of separating planning and action and the psychological payoff of completing a task.
• When to do it...GTD seems to lack any specific guidance on when to do an action.  It seems to emphasize just cranking through the list based on context and prioritization is downplayed.  I haven't found that this works well and its too easy to start jumping around working on whats easy rather than what's important.  Maybe there are great solutions to this in GTD, but I haven't seen them.

Overall while I think GTD has been a big help to me, it seems like a tall horse that I and others seem to fall off of all the time.  If you are riding a horse to your destination, constantly falling off just hurts and doesn't get you there very fast.  GTD strikes a cord with so many people because it helps solve the overwhelm so many of us feel in our busy world, but I really wonder how many people are really getting things under control with it compared to those who feel they are more under control simply because they have a system.  Not that feeling under control is bad, but maybe there's a better way.

Enter AutoFocus

I have endlessly tinkered with my GTD system since I first started using it...I wonder if this is because I'm just a tinkerer (because I am) or because there is something missing in the system.  I'm pretty smart, hold an advanced degree in engineering, have read David's books multiple times, have listened to GTD interviews, read many many blog postings on GTD.  I've used many software versions of GTD: GTD Outlook Add-in on Windows and Kinkless GTD, Omnifocus, Things, and its still not quite working for me.  So when I read about AutoFocus I figured I'd give it a try.

I will explain the basic mechanics of how I use AutoFocus then try to explain what I like about AutoFocus as well as what I think isn't quite working yet.

So how do I use this?

Mark Forster describes the Autofocus system as being run from a spiral bound notebook.  So in order to implement the system closest to how it was described I started using a Moleskine notebook and doing everything manually.  I found that I REALLY liked doing it manually.  My initial concerns of course were that I would lose track of important emails and other digital information, web links I wanted to follow, etc.  (More on that later).

I started out with a single list and including everything on it.  This definitely had the effect of getting personal and professional items moved forward, but when I really had to focus on professional tasks, it made it too hard to find those tasks amongst the many personal tasks mixed in.  So for the past few weeks I have started using two contexts: Professional and Personal.  When I'm working on professional tasks I'm working the pages at the front - forward, and when I'm home, I'm working back through the pages.  This works very nicely.  I initially used both sides of the page, but now just use the right page for AF tasks, and the left page for notes.

I know there are many people trying to figure out how best to use AutoFocus on a computer.  Having been a GTD digital tool addict for 3 years I can't believe I'm saying this - I don't think you can beat pen and paper.  It's true I always have my iPhone clipped to me, but its still sluggish to open the app, wait for the app to load all my tasks (and it is slow if you have a lot of tasks), enter new tasks on the clunky keyboard, etc.  It's almost always just as easy to keep a notebook handy.  Its all in one place.

Getting Everything Done

I love AutoFocus because almost everything in my life is more or less under control now.  Very few aspects of my life are completely starved of attention.  I realize there is a time for imbalance, but I've been pretty imbalanced for the past 3 years with GTD by choosing to spend 98% of my time in the work contexts.

At this point, for example, projects around my house are moving forward quickly and I'm catching up on a long backlog.  Not every project is moving forward, but this aspect of my life is definitely going forward much better, as are most others.

I think there are a couple of reasons for this.  One is the intuitive way tasks are chosen.  If something really needs to get done or is easy to get done, it shows up as the next thing to be doing.  With GTD I found it easy to isolate these into contexts that I simply ignored.  So I would say that having fewer contexts is much better for me.

No Weekly Review

I don't feel an intense need for a Weekly Review like I used to with GTD.  I've heard David Allen say that the people who succeed with GTD are the ones who do their Weekly Review, but I also know very few GTDers who consistently do a Weekly Review.

Because I tend to circulate through the pages in my AF notebook almost once a day (when things are moving along well), I see all the items on a pretty regular basis.  I am regularly evaluating and thinking about how to move an item forward.  AF also has a nice system for dismissing items.  That is, if you go through a page without picking any of the actions then you mark them with a highlighter (I circle them) and mark the page as closed.  I only dismiss items if my pass through the page does not pick any items because they don't seem important.  If the tasks are waiting on something else or important, but I just can't get to at the moment, like "Fertilize the grass".  Well I can't fertilize until I've mowed the lawn then I wouldn't dismiss it.  If it were, "Read Leonardo da Vinci biography" then this is probably a great task and there is nothing stopping me from taking action on it, but nothing I'm going to get around to soon, so I will dismiss it.

The dismiss idea is a good technique to evaluate why something is on your list, but not getting any attention.  I enter an item in my notebook called, "Evaluate dismissed tasks".  Then whenever I have time I go back and evaluate those items and figure out why they were not moved forward.

In GTD the idea of renegotiating your commitments is discussed.  AF and dismissal provides a very clear way to know what you need to go back and re-negotiate.

Next Actions are Great, but is that all there is?

I've heard the example in GTD of a project being anything that takes multiple steps to complete.  So if I need to get new tires on my car, the Next Action would be "Get phone number of the tire store".  Then once I've done that I'd add "Call tire store and get prices", then I'd eventually decide whether or not to go to the tire store and ultimately I might enter "Take care to tire store".  Are we stupid?  With AF I feel free to write down "Get new tires on car".  When I get to that it's not too difficult to ask myself, what's the next step? If the answer is, "Call the tire store" then that's what I do.  When I complete that I might simply re-enter at the end of the list, "Get new tires on car."  I know perfectly well where I'm at on the project.

I guess I just don't believe that its really possible to separate the action and thinking parts and I don't think that's a good idea anyway.  AF lets you take some action on an item and then move on when that makes sense and just re-write it at the end of the list.  This is a superb technique for reducing procrastination and creates a rhythm and momentum that is hard to describe, but that I rarely experienced with GTD.

Engaging Intuition

My favorite thing about AutoFocus is that it provides explicit guidance on how to select items to be done next.  It really lets you engage your intuition or unconscious mind in the process of selecting the next task.  I think this is extremely powerful if one is willing to really trust the process.  Much more could be said about this, but when the conscious and unconscious portions of a person are aligned massive action can result.  In many cases I've found that when I trust the system I pick things to work on that surprise me consciously, but generally has worked out for the best.  With GTD I've often observed people having the desire to just get things checked off and so they are checking off actions with no real concern for the importance.  This creates a false sense that everything is equal.

Mark Forster has described AutoFocus as using Closed Lists.  This means that rather than roaming over the entire list of actions to find something to do you are limited to a single page.  You continue working on that page until you pass over the list and find nothing that stands out.  This seems like a minor point, but in my experience it's quite important and helps prevent one from just skimming pages looking for something easy to do.  It really helps move things along quickly.

The Closed List property of AutoFocus also gives rise to concerns that you can't get to urgent things because you just added to the list because you are stuck working through a few pages back.  My experience is that when intuition is guiding things you will usually get a sensation or signal that you need to be doing something else other than what is going on in the pages.  I use the AF system is used for work when there is nothing more urgent and important to be doing.  I always start my work with the question, "What do I need to be doing right now?"   If something critical comes to mind then I do that immediately and I repeat that until the only answer is something like:  "Just work through the lists."  Then I start my official AutoFocus work.  When I first started using AF, there was almost always something urgent I had to deal with.  Now its most common that I just work the lists and as I get things done proactively I find myself having fewer emergencies.
Statistics

I have closed out relatively few pages and over time I've realized recently that if something isn't getting attention you should dismiss it earlier and investigate the reasons its not progressing, either its not important or there is some obstacle (real or imagined) to taking action.  I have quite a few pages with 1 or 2 items remaining that probably should be dismissed.  Dismissing leads to insight and helps move things forward rapidly or gets rid of items that came up at some point and got on the list, but really aren't important to get done.  These numbers are a bit misleading because mid-stream I switched from one context to two which resulted in some items being moved from single list to a personal list even though no action was taken on them, but overall I think they are instructive.

Work List: 23 pages, 20 open, 3 closed (average page is about 80% complete)

Personal 7 pages, 0 closed (average page is about 70% complete)

Average page has 40 items on it.  Over 5 weeks this is about 1200 items entered, 800 of which are complete.

Lessons for GTDers

If you are interested in trying a new system I would recommend trying Autofocus.  If you aren't ready to try that consider a few ideas from AF in your GTD system:

• Reduce the number of contexts you are using
• Keep track of items that aren't getting done (by creation date) and figure out why
• Try using a physical system rather than a digital one

Summary

Overall I'm very pleased with AutoFocus and feel that I've been much more productive since I've started using it.  I love its simplicity and the drive it creates to move things forward and complete them.

Having built many complex systems as an engineer I can say without doubt that those that operating simple, easy to remember, easy to understand systems work by far the best.  I think the fact that there are 100s of applications to do GTD and GTDers seem to endlessly tinker with their systems and programs is evidence that its not really working for many people.  Fixing the tools won't solve the underlying issues.  Autofocus is simple, easy to apply, and seems to work.

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Making Commuting Fun

While an increasing number of people are working from home, most of us still spend significant amounts of time in our cars or the train or a bus going to and from a job, visiting clients, or if you are lucky just going back and forth to the bank to deposit your big checks.

Like we discussed in a recent post, those minutes can really add up.  You might not be able to easily reduce the amount of time you spend in the car, but you can probably make better use of your time and arrive more relaxed, smarter, and more prepared for what comes next.  So here are 10 tips for spending your commuting time wisely.

1. Review the day from multiple perspectives. Don't just think about the day from one perspective, but think about a few key interactions you had (face-to-face, over the phone, or e-mail) and think about them from the perspective of each of the other people involved.  Then imagine you are an objective 3rd party just watching the interaction and think about it from that perspective.  This always has a way of adding some new perspective to the situation for me.  And remember just because you think about it from their perspective doesn't mean you know what they are thinking...you probably aren't a mind reader yet, but at least you can see the situation from a perspective other than your own.
2. Recall the things that went really well during your day. When were you at your very best?  What did you really excel at?  Did you surprise yourself with how superb your performance was?  While thinking about this, think about what things you want to be doing next?
3. Be grateful. Think about all the things in your life you are really grateful for.  Start with what you are grateful for right now, in this very moment.  Then think about each of the areas of your life: work, family, friends, financially, etc.  If this doesn't change your perspective a  bit, not sure what can be done for you.
4. Connect with someone you haven't reached out to for a while or someone you know who might need a boost. You can always check an action item off your list by making a needed call on your mobile.  You can also choose to reach out to someone and just connect.  You can reach out to someone you know who might need a boost.  The more selfless you can your intention in making the call the better.
5. Improve your Memory. Memory is primarily a function of usage and training.  So train your brain to pay attention to details and things it might not otherwise notice.  Make it a game.  Try to remember license plate numbers of cars you've passed.  If you go the same way regularly, try to remember the exact wording on an upcoming billboard you've seen a 100 times.  As you pass it you can check yourself.  You can try to remember what your significant other or kids were wearing when you saw them as you walked out the door.  You can try to remember the lines from a movie or TV show you saw the night before.  You can try to remember what each of the people in the last meeting you had were wearing, exactly what they said (word for word) and if you can hear in your mind the exact tonality as they said it, even better.  If you do this consistently your memory will dramatically improve.
6. Listen to music (intentionally). Sure, many people listen to music while travelling, but for what purpose?  To keep them from going cold-stone crazy?  What mood would you like to be in when you get where you are going?  Do you want to be relaxed, creative, pumped up, motivated, or even angry and aggressive?  Find music in your collection, or go buy some more that will help you get into the moods you want.  Make a playlist on your iPod for each mood and when you get in the car, pick your mood and let the music help you arrive prepared.  You have seen Olympic athletes listening to music as they prepare for the biggest events in their lives.  Now go and be an Olympian in your own life!
7. Do some writing or public speaking. Are you working on writing the great-American novel, the next Self-Help or just your next blog post or twitter tweat?  If you can take notes on your commute it's a great time to brainstorm.  If you are driving get a little voice recorder and record your ideas.  You might also be able to practice for an upcoming speech or presentation, or just asking your boss for the raise you deserve.  Talk our loud and hear yourself talk, do it until you sound the way you want and are sure you'll get the desired response.
8. Listen to audiobooks and podcasts.  Keep current and learn a skill. I generally don't advise people to spend a lot of time listening to the news.  So little of it has lasting value, but think about what you can learn.  Pimsleur language lessons usually contain 3 levels of 30 30-minute lessons.  So basically in 90 hours (assuming you repeat each one twice) you could have reasonable fluency in a foreign language.  If you just did 30 minutes a day, in one year you could have reasonable mastery of two new languages.  Audiobooks are normally from 3-20 hours.  Many people can get through an additional 10-20 books a year this way.  That can get expensive, so try Podcasts there are thousands of them and most are free.  It's true that most of them are lousy, so try some out until you find something that really speaks to you.
9. Close the Loops. At the end of a long day most people will have engaged in far more multi-tasking than is really healthy for normal human beings.  Multi-tasking often means there are a lot of  incompleted tasks at the end of the day and that wacky unconscious mind just keeps working on them.  If you have a minute before leaving the office go through and consciously complete things.  Consciously shut-down email (get to Inbox Zero if you must), turn off the machine, monitor or fold up the laptop very deliberately.  Organize the papers on your desk in some conscious way.  Pick up the phone and  hang it up again.  Open and close your desk drawers.  Do anything else to signify that you are closing up your day and transitioning.  As you walk out, notice the sound of the door closing on your way out.  As you begin your transition home, let your mind wander to any unfinished conversations or activities, and note mentally if needed, but preferably on paper or a voice recorder what needs to happen tomorrow to move those things forward.  Then consciously shift your thinking to something else.  If you do this thoroughly you will have a very smooth transition to your next set of activities and be able to approach things with a fresh mind the next day.
10. Practice Progressive Relaxation. As you drive or ride home, begin to pay attention to the feelings in your body.  Begin with the toes and notice them, notice the weight of your toes, notice any tension, and allow the tension to fall away and consciously make your toes relax.  Work slowly and progressively up your body, noticing the feelings in each part of your body and relax each part.  Only keep the tension necessary to be safe and alert.  If you find yourself getting drowsy, stop and move your body to get alert again.  If you can learn to relax your body like this then you can really release tension and arrive at your destination ready for what's next.

Hopefully these tips are useful.  I'd love to hear your ideas on how you use your commuting time wisely.

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