A traditional to do list and a next actions list are superficially similar, but there are a couple of key differences worth noting:

Many of the individual items found on a to do list are multiaction tasks, or what in GTD are called projects. Even something as mundane a “Buy wedding gift” would be considered a project if more than one action is involved. For instance, if the gift hadn’t yet been decided, there would be nothing to buy, so the “to do” wouldn’t be actionable. The action that would enable the purchase would be the next action: an errand like “Sur la Table: browse for wedding gift selection,” or the equivalent action online.

Next actions have no dependencies. This is illustrated in the above example. If something has to happen before an action can be taken, then that “something” is the next action. To do lists frequently contain items with dependencies — “Give desk lamp to Angela” instead of “Call Angela: set up time to bring desk lamp.” If Angela were in the same room or building, “Give desk lamp” would be a next action. If not, the phone call would be the next action, and “Give desk lamp to Angela” would go on project list.

MEGO: My Eyes Glaze Over

When an action item that depends on another action that hasn’t been made clear, the tendency is to stare at the item and gloss over it instead of acting on it. “Give desk lamp” is a simple thing to do, but without the action trigger to contact Angela for handing over the lamp, the written to do will probably sit on the list longer than necessary. A few seconds of ensuring that the action item is actually the very next action can save days or even weeks of inaction.

Lack of processing = lack of action

On September 7, I volunteered as an assistant organizer for a Meetup group. I asked the head organizer if she had a date for the first meetup, proposing a tentative date and location in case she didn’t have one in mind. She replied that she didn’t, but felt that my proposed date was too soon (without a date in mind, what’s the reference point for “too soon”?). On the 8th and 10th, I sent follow-up emails asking again if she had a date in mind, neither of which were replied to.

Since I’m used to dealing with people who work at a slow pace, I sent my next email on the 19th, proposing a new tentative date. On the 21st, I repeated the question in yet another email and received the following answer later that day:

I am trying *very* hard to stay out of contact for a few days to relax and rejuvenate for my birthday and to prepare for quitting my job and moving forward with my groups. I have received all of your emails. I’ll be in touch some time during the week.

Any one of my messages could have been replied to in a few seconds with a simple “no” or, heaven forbid, an actual date. Since the organizer collected my emails without processing them, an extremely simple task was treated as something complex enough to require several days of “rejuvenation” after sitting on email my two full weeks since the first message.

I sent another email diplomatically removing myself from the group, not stating my reasons. As I predicted before I checked, as of today, more than a month later, there’s still no set date for the meetup.

A higher standard of precision

The better you get at nailing down next actions, the more you notice when others don’t. “Be in touch some time” is not a next action, it’s an intention. What’s the next action? Once a date has been selected, it would be, “Email meetup date to Andre.” What’s required to determine the meetup date? It might be something as simple as taking three seconds and picking the first whitespace on the calendar.

This is a thought process, not a character issue. It’s hard for people to recognize projects as stuck when they’re used to working from to do lists that mix actions and projects indiscriminately. When a project is placed on a to do list, the next action to carry the project forward still has to be decided, and in most cases, people will wait until they “have time” to decide instead of deciding right on the spot.

Doing the action might require more time, but defining the action should normally take a few seconds of engaged thinking. If the next action can’t be defined in short order, it’s usually due to a lack of information, in which case the next action is to get the information. But “Get information” isn’t a next action; it has to be a physical, visible action like, “Call Sarah: get enrollment date.”

This kind of granular thinking process takes a little bit of mental muscle, but the time savings from making the extra effort can be enormous.

(Photo credit: petit hiboux)

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