• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Digging the digital

  • /Now
  • Nieuw? Start hier
    • Blogroll
    • Tag Index
  • WordPress en Indieweb
    • WordPress en het indieweb
    • Hoe gebruik je IndieAuth met WordPress
    • WordPress en webmentions
    • WordPress en Micropub
    • WordPress en de Post Kind plugin
  • Notities
  • Bookmarks
  • Likes

Many little Next Actions make a Big One

10 February 2005 by Frank Meeuwsen

The last couple of weeks have been extremely hectic and have given me ample time to really update my GTD principles. But step by step I am getting more organized again. But my Next Action list just keeps growing. The biggest issue I am facing right now is how to divide my time between little jobs that have to be done (a phonecall, email, letter) and balancing my time in actually not doing all these little things because my big project I am working on gets less attention. It’s the “Long Tail thought”:http://longtail.typepad.com/the_long_tail/ in some way is it not? If I do everything right now that takes less than two minutes, it will take me 2 hours to do it. But! In these two hours, urgent email rushes in, phones ring because a server went down, my co-workers need to be updated on the project, have questions and oh yeah, I have an appointment waiting. And I don;t get the things done for the Big Project I know, this is the classic case where GTD can be of help. But really, what is the signal, the red flag that tells you to stop doing these little things and get on with it? Even though these little are equally important? How do you handle with it? I find the book very vague about this. PS: I can’t tell you or show you anything on The Big Project, since it is for a client. But I will let you know as soon as I can in public

Filed Under: punkeydotcom

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike Sale says

    10 February 2005 at 11:24 pm

    I think your text says it all: “the Big Project”.
    Your issue is that you need to take that big project and get the next physical action. If that next action is something that doesn’t fit into an executable period of time due to the interrupt level of your day, then you need to do one of two things:
    1. Isolate
    2. Breakdown
    If you cannot cut yourself off from the interruptions, then you need to put that next action into progressive chunks. For example, “30 Minutes of brainstorming Big Project.”
    The reality is that 99% of the time, your Big Project starts with some very small, executable next actions like the phone calls, email, etc., at the end of the day it is the stuff that takes some concentrated time that tends to get you. For me that means doing it in a truly isolated area with pen and paper. If I need to be on the computer, then I unplug (physically) from the network and phone and close the door, set the kitchen timer and get to work.

Footer

Wat is dit?

Frank MeeuwsenDigging the Digital is de digital garden of commonplace book van Frank Meeuwsen. Onderwerpen variëren van indieweb tot nieuwsbrieven, bloggen, muziek en opvallende gebeurtenissen op het internet.

Meer Frank

Bloghelden - De definitieve geschiedenis van webloggend Nederland

On this Day

  • 3 years ago...
    • I’ve locked myself out of my digital life
    • Bryce Wray
  • 4 years ago...
    • OPEN S02E45 – Niets dan nieuwsbrief nieuws!
  • 6 years ago...
    • WeChat and the Surveillance State
    • Bookmark: Maak je eigen feeds met FiveFilters.org
    • How a Phone Glitch Sparked a Teenage Riot
  • 20 years ago...
    • tags
  • 21 years ago...
    • The lord of the raised sword
    • Satellite images ‘show Atlantis’
    • Nieuwererste Pivot
    • Accidental condom inhalation
    • Presentatie corporate weblogs
    • Glimmen 2004
  • 23 years ago...
    • Dee Dee Dood
    • BumFights.com
    • Onze grote vriendin op de voorpagina
    • www.nicodijkshoorn.com
    • Gisteren naar Star Wars geweest
  • 24 years ago...
    • VET, het www in 3d.

Archives

Copyright © 2025 · DTD Genesis on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in