Getting Things Done

PRACTICING STRESS-FREE PRODUCTIVITY | PART TWO

for her approval (now it's back on your "Waiting For" list). And

so on.*

You'll get a great feeling when you know that your "Waiting

For" list is the complete inventory of everything you care about

that other people are supposed to be doing.

Using the Original Item as Its Own Action Reminder

The most efficient way to track your action reminders is to add

them to lists or folders as they occur to you. The originating trig-

ger won't be needed after you have processed it. You

might take notes in the meeting with your boss, but

you can toss those after you've pulled out any projects

and actions associated with them. While some peo-

ple try to archive voice-mails that they still need

to "do something about," that's not the most effec-

tive way to manage the reminders embedded in them.

There are some exceptions to this rule, however. Certain

kinds of input will most efficiently serve as their own reminders of

required actions, rather than your having to write something

about them on a list. This is particularly true for some paper-

based materials and some e-mails.

Managing Paper-Based Workflow

Some things are their own best reminders of work to be done. The

category of "Read/Review" articles, publications, and documents

is the most common example. It would obviously be overkill to

write "Review Fortune magazine" on some action list when you

could just as easily toss the magazine itself into your "Read/

Review" basket to act as the trigger.

*Digital list managers (like the Palm's) or low-tech papers in separate folders

have an advantage, here over lists on paper because they let you easily move an

item from one category to another as the action changes, without your having

to rewrite anything.

Keep actionable
e-mails and paper
separated from all
the rest.