Note Studio GTD Refresher
7. Action Items
In the previous section I talked about processing your inbox. The fundamental question for each item was: "Is this item actionable?"
Now I want to talk about what happens when the answer is "Yes. This item is actionable."
Remember, processing your inbox is designed to be a short, simple task. It should not be onerous, or something you dread or
avoid. In fact, you'll find that when your inbox is empty, you like processing items as soon as they come it.
In the GTD system, action items can be treated a few different ways.
You do the action immediately.
Dave Allen recommends that if the task is going to take less than two minutes, you should do it straight away. This is because
there is some overhead to recording a task that you will do later. If it's such a short task, it's usually best to deal with
it as you're processing your inbox. This way, the action item never really makes it into your system. It's just handled. It
keeps things simple and efficient. This is known as the two-minute rule.
You delegate the action.
You'll be doing this a lot if you're managing other people. You will be offloading tasks to other people all the time. This
may be a case of writing a short email, or making a quick phone call (the two minute rule still applies, so if you can't quickly
delegate it, then defer the action). With delegated items, you need to manage that the action actually gets done. Usually,
you'll end up waiting for someone else or something else. This gets captured on a list of things that you're waiting for.
You defer the action.
Any action that will take longer than two minutes is deferred while you're processing your inbox. You will also defer actions
which will not be done today, but will be done in the future (eg going to the doctor next week).
Items which are deferred are either deferred until a specific date and time (in which case you'll track it in your calendar,
and maybe a tickler file), or they are deferred until you get time in the future to do the task. Then the item is stored on
a list of action items.
The important thing here is that you're tracking actions as necessary. If you can do the action straight away, you don't need
to store it on a list. It is done - handled! Otherwise, actions are stored in your system somewhere. It may be on a calendar,
in a tickler file, or on a list of actions or waiting-for items. If the action is not complete, it is stored somewhere.
This is a good time to repeat what I said in an earlier article. Your brain can relax when it trusts the external system you
are using to manage items. If you are capturing all your action items in this system, then you'll notice your brain becomes
a lot more relaxed, and 'present'. In other words, you'll be able to focus on what you're doing in the moment, whether it's
writing a report, watching a movie or out to dinner with friends, because your brain doesn't keep bubbling up things you need
to remember.
Note Studio and Action Items
Each Action Item in Note Studio is listed with its context. For example, if my next action is "call Ted at his office", then
I include the "Call" context with that action (this is explained in our "Note Studio + GTD" section). This means I can bring
up various actions based on context, for example, I can bring up a list of calls.
If possible, I also try to store all of the other information I need to do the action. It's frustrating to get stuck with
an action item you can't do, because you don't have the information. In my example, if I was on the road, I would be frustrated
if I found the "Call Ted" item, but did not have the number available. That includes other information I might need during
the call. I try to have all the information I'm going to need at my fingertips. Often this means having it pasted on the same
page as the action itself.
This is a good way of doing things. With other systems, you maintain your action lists separate from your reference information,
but I find it's much more convenient to have it all on the same page.