Next Actions
Next Actions
Next Actions in GTD
Next Actions are a critical component of GTD but many who practice GTD fail to truly identify what a Next Action really means to them and what relationship it has with moving a task to completion or a Project to completion.
Next Actions (Single Task)
The "Next" view in Nirvana is where your single task live. By default they are all Next Actions because they do not require multiple steps. Task with multiple steps are Projects. When adding a new task to your "Next" list, you must really make sure that it's the very Next Action required to complete it.
Many people have single task in their "Next" view that should really become a multiple step process and therefore a project. One example is "Clean Car". Does this truly identify what you need to do next? For some people it does for other it may not. If I usually take my car to a drive up Car Wash, I may be just fine with "Clean Car". If however you are planning to wash the car at your home and don't know if you have all the tools required for the job or the proper products. You are not truly identifying the very Next Action in completing this task.
This in many cases leads into procrastination or an unproductive attempt in completing the task when you do get started. If you look at the task "Clean Car" but in your mind you know you don't have a Sponge, you don't remember if you still have that bucket you let your Parents borrow sometime ago or if you have any Armor All or Rain X left. You will think about these things as you read the task "Clean Car" during your Weekly Review or Daily Review and decide to pass on it. You have not cleared your head on what steps are truly required and you procrastinate.
What do to do?
You need to always make sure that you are properly listing the very Next Action required to complete the job and if you find that you don't have that clarity, you should make it a Project. It may be a small Project, but the Next Actionable task would be clearly identified and move you toward actually doing something.
So the single task called "Clean Car" can become a Project called "Clean Car". Here is what it could look like.
Clean Car
1. Check Garage to see if I have all my tools for the job.
- Sponge
- Bucket
- Detergent
- Water Hose
2. Purchase missing tools if needed
- Go to Target with my list
3. Clean Car in the back of the house
That may be it. You may not need to break down each step of the car cleaning process, but the idea here is that you clearly identified what "Next Action" means to you and the completion of the Task/Project. Now when you go through your Weekly Review or Daily Review, you don't have all these thoughts in your head about the details of Cleaning the Car. You know for a fact that you must first go into the Garage and find all the tools you need first. You may not Clean the Car the same day you accomplish the Next Action, but now you have progress. Now you know the next step is to make a trip to Target and pick up what you are missing. Now you are moving a Project forward which is what David Allen teaches. You can't finish a Project, you can only do the very Next Action that will move it forward. Eventually you would have completed all the Actions required and the Project is done.
So think about you list and ask yourself what "Next Action" means to you and the task/Project at hand. Avoid procrastination and have a mind like water.
- Proximo
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32 Posted by Proximo on 27 Jul, 2010 02:37 PM
Until we get a Unified Next List, my only suggestion is to clearly identify all the steps required to complete your task/project.
If it's one step, then it's a single task in your Next List. If it's a multi-step process, then it's a Project in your Project list.
Choose the option to show Projects in the Next List and make sure you sort the task in the proper order (Sequential)
Mark the Next Action of a Project that you will be working on with the "Star" which adds it to your Today list and when it's complete, go to the Project and mark the next task in line with the "Star".
This is only true if you have decided to work on the Next Action of that project. Again, use Time, Energy, Context to determine what is best for you to be doing right at that moment and go from there.
We can only hope the Unified Next List becomes a reality.
33 Posted by c.barber80 on 05 Aug, 2010 12:14 PM
@roddy, Thanks for the response - interesting. I like your hopes for the implementation, however I think it could be even better if we could define the sequence and therefore if it was just tasks waiting on other tasks, the next ones in line would automatically become next actions. A completely different implementation would be to involve tasks in 'waiting for's somehow - allowing you to set a task as the 'waiting for' for another task.
@Proximo - I think that is also a nice workaround for this, using a star reminds me of your Toodledo workflow :)
34 Posted by Proximo on 05 Aug, 2010 04:26 PM
@c.barber80
It seems that Nirvana Development is currently working on a Unified Next List as the next major upgrade. I am sure when it's launched, many of us will be happy and many of us will ask for tweaks to perfect it. :-)
I remember my workarounds in Toodledo and I am hoping things just work naturally per GTD with Nirvana. They are close and I believe they will get there.
35 Posted by roddyt on 05 Aug, 2010 04:43 PM
@c.barber80,
Everything in due time.
Right now, my interest is in having the Next list show only Next Actions in a form similar to that of the Today list (i.e., Unified Next List).
The fastest way to get there is to put the onus on the user to manually select NAs. Automating for sequential tasks would be nice, but I'm not going to muddy the water by talking about it now. Once we have the UNL, then I may start talking about automation.
36 Posted by Proximo on 05 Aug, 2010 06:00 PM
@roddyt,
I agree. Let's get the UNL implemented and go from there.
Support Staff 37 Posted by Elbert McLaughlin on 05 Aug, 2010 06:13 PM
Yes - Let's get the UNL implemented and go from there.