Isn’t it wonderful when you learn something you didn’t even know that you didn’t know. And more wonderful when it’s something that you desperately needed. By way of his blog, Matt Cornell has just introduced me to the idea of transitions and how they relate to Getting Things Done.
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
There are a number of moments or still points each day where we transition from one place to another. The place may be physical, from the office to the car, or mental, as we finish on activity and begin on another. These points of transition represent moments of choice that until now I didn’t realise existed. In the GTD methodology, as you finish a next action step, you should decide what to do next. I have to admit I’m not as strong there as I should be. Even with the support of ResultsManager to help filter what is possible I don’t always remember to think of what to do next (being software based I don’t always have access either). It may sound simple but part of the reason for this is simply not having a name for that moment.
In his blog entry, Matt lists several examples of transitions
- Leaving the house—Is there anything I need to take, based on where I’m going?
- Leaving the driveway—Is there anything on @Errands I can pick up?
- Entering the office—What contexts are available? @Phone? @Computer?
- Finishing an action—What’s my context/time/energy/priority like? Should I activate another action from an associated project?
- Finishing a phone call—do I have time to make other calls from @Phone?
(GTD’ers will recognise the meaning of the @ symbol as designating a particular context of action)
These examples are little different from what I would normally ask myself—when I remember to ask that is. Now I need only train myself to think “transition, what next?”.