Getting Things Done - GTD

Long-term projects can be tricky

AUTHOR: Francisco Sáez
tags List Management Project Management
"The distance is nothing, it's only the first step that is difficult." ~ Madame du Deffand

Do You Want to Boost Your Personal Productivity?

{:headline=>"Do You Want to Boost Your Personal Productivity?", :subheadline=>"Get Your To-Dos Organized.", :cta=>"TRY FacileThings FOR FREE"}

The Ultimate Solution to Do GTD®

Your GTD® System, Ready from the First Minute

Working from Home? Do It the Right Way!

Find the Right Work-Life Balance

Learn GTD® by Doing

30% Discount for Starters

Long-term projects can be tricky

One of my favorites David Allen’s statements is that you cannot do projects, you can only do action steps. In the end, a project shows up as done after doing a lot of small, physical and visible actions that make the world fits with what you had in mind.

The usual problem with long-term projects is that the label long term invites you to procrastinate, to take no action right now. If you have a project that has to be done within the next three years, it is easy to postpone the task of figuring out what the first next action step should be.

A common mistake in GTD, is to add these long-term projects to the Someday/Maybe list. However, there is an important difference between something that is long term and something that falls into the category of Someday/Maybe. If you have commited to do a project, it falls into the category of as soon as possible (although as soon as possible may be three years) and there should be an action step defined for it to progress. If you do not define an action step, physical and visible, as soon as possible will become never. No matter how far it is the commitment date; if you think about it, surely there is something you can do right now.

The Someday/Maybe list should have only things you have not committed yet (and maybe you will never do). Some of them will be projects in the future, but others may be just wishes and good intentions.

If you make an agreement to do a long-term project, a critical success factor—and also very motivating—is to do small action steps in the short term that take you nearer the desired result.

Take a look at your Projects List. Have you defined a next action step for each one?

avatar
Francisco Sáez
@franciscojsaez

Francisco is the founder and CEO of FacileThings. He is also a Software Engineer who is passionate about personal productivity and the GTD philosophy as a means to a better life.

The 5 steps that will put your life and work in order

Download the ebook The GTD® Workflow FOR FREE!

ebook cover

No comments

Posts are closed to new comments after 30 days.

Try FacileThings FREE for 30 DAYS and start living at your own pace

No credit card required for the free trial. Cancel anytime with one click.