Memento Mori - Remember that you will die.
Time is an amusing thing. Three minutes standing in front of the microwave oven, waiting for our lunch, seem like an eternity. Yet days and months can pass in blink, without leaving any trace behind. Theref...
Our lives can be considered a horizon, spanning roles that we assume and obligations that we have. This horizon might comprise our responsibilities at work, at home, with our family, with our partner. It might also include different projects that you created for yourself, which cover anything from decorating your desk to starting a new business. When we have a large number of things that need to be done spreading across our horizon, it is easy to be overwhelmed and stressed. You know how that feeling when you know that you have many things to do, but you are not even sure what they are and whether you miss anything?
This is why we need a process for horizontal management. This process contains 5 steps: Collect, Process, Organize, Review, Do. It might look complicated, but it is only in the first few days when you try to adjust to the system. Afterwards, using this process becomes a habit. However, it is helpful to customise / shrink down the lists and process to match you specific scenario.
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Collect
The first step is collecting all open loops in our life into an "in-basket". These open loops can be an article that we put aside to read, a report that we need to fill, an email that we need to send, a new project that we need to explore, a new computer to setup, or even a broken device that must be disposed. We also collect all open ideas and concerns in our mind into a list an put it in the "in-basket". Our goal in this step is collecting every open loops into one place, our "in-basket", without considering or evaluating each one. This step only concludes when we are satisfied that we collected all open loops.
Personally, I use a page in One Note to maintain an in-basket. It is sync across all of my devices. Whenever I have a new idea, come across an interesting piece of information, or receive a task, I record it in the list and process it later. With this system, I rarely miss any thing, and I do not have to fill my head with these open loops.
Process
The second step is processing collected open loops. For each open loop, we first determine what it is and then decide whether it is something that we can do. Each open loop can be:
-Reference information. We need to put this item into an archive for future usage.
-A thing that we hope that we can do one day, such as items in our bucket list.
-Things that offer no value. They belong to the trash.
-Project: A project is any desired result that requires more than one action step. For instance, "getting fit" or "preparing a new research article" is a project. We do not do projects. We only do actions that contribute toward reaching the desired outcome of a project.
-If the open loop can finished in less than two minutes, do it.
-If the open loop requires more than two minutes, and it depends on the result from someone else, it belongs to "waiting" list.
-If the open loop must be completed at a specific time with no negotiation, it belongs to the calendar.
-If the open loop is to be carried out as soon as possible, it belongs to one of the next actions lists.
Processing follow three rules: (1) First item first, (2) one item at a time, and (3) never put an item back into the in-basket.
Organise
The third step is organising processed open loops into appropriate lists, according to the classification carried out during the processing. Organisation system generally contains 7 categories as follow:
-List of projects -Support material for projects -Calendar for actions and information -Lists of next actions. -1 waiting-for list -1 someday/maybe list -Reference material
The rule of thumb is that boundaries between categories must be concrete and absolute. If next actions are hidden within reference materials or maybe list, our trust in the system will be compromised, and our mind will store open loops again.
In case we identify a large number of next actions (i.e., actions to be carried out as soon as possible), we need to break our next actions list into multiple sub-lists. A recommended approach is organising by context of an action, which specifies the location and productivity tools required to carry out the action. For instance, "at home", "at work", "agendas", "meeting" are possible sub lists.
A pitfall is creating daily to-do lists. These lists do not work and represent a waste of effort. Due to the constant change of priorities during a work day, it is impossible to write daily to-do list ahead of time. It is a waste of effort to change and revise it constantly to make it matches the reality. Moreover, if daily to-do list is constantly out of shape, it loses its value to guide actions and deteriorates the trust of our mind in our system.
Review
Review ensures that our system is updated, functional, and reliable. It also helps assessing our progress, where we are with respect to where we want to be. Weekly review includes three tasks:
-Gathering and processing stuffs -Reviewing lists and calendar -Updating lists
Review can be carried out on 6 levels:
-Life
-Three-to-five year vision
-One-to-two year vision
-Areas of responsibility. These are responsibilities that we handle in our life. They influence the creation of projects. To manage this level, first, we identify our roles, their goals, and responsibilities. Second, we maintain an area-of-focus list to ensure that projects and actions are available for each area-of-focus to manage our responsibility.
-Current projects. Projects determine our next actions. In the review, we ensure that all available projects are captured. We also make sure that each project has next actions.
-Current actions. Actions are accumulated in lists. In the review, we ensure that action lists are updated, and complete.
If actions are linked to projects, and projects contribute to our area of responsibility, then carrying out actions will move ourselves towards our goals, and ultimately, our visioned life.
Do
The last step of the project is making the decision, in the situation, on which action to carry out. With list of actions identified, we are free to choose among options, without having to think about what those options are.
Actions can be selected based on 4 criteria: -Context: locations and available productivity tool -Time available -Energy available -Priority
