Are tasks you need to work on mixed in with information you save and refer to? Or simply put, is everything in one big pile on your desk or everything saved in your e-mail Inbox?
Nine out of ten people can’t tell the difference between an Action and a Support—even though they think they can. Tasks to work on (Action) are often stored with reference materials (Support).
Think about all the e-mails in your Inbox you need to work on that are mixed in with other e-mails on which you are waiting for something from someone else that are mixed in with e-mails you are just storing there because you don’t know what to do with them. Whew!
The goal is to use the same Action system for your paper and your e-mail. Action is anything you intend to work on now or in the future—no matter when. The key in recognizing an Action is to listen for a verb when you have a thought. An intention of doing something with it. Support is information that you simply refer to with no intention of working on. Kind of like that chore your wife has repeatedly asked you to do.
By storing all of your Actions together in one spot, you will never forget what you need to work on.
80% of being organized is understanding the difference between an Action and a Support.
© Greg Vetter 2017. All rights reserved.
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