5 Phases of Workflow
by michaelp6of7@ · 46 things on Twos
- Collect things that command our attention
- Anything personal or professional, big or little, that you think should be different than it currently is and that you have any level of internal commitment to changing
- Get it all out of your head
- Minimize your collection buckets
- Physical in-basket
- Writing paper and pads
- Electronic note taking
- Auditory capture (answering machines, voicemail, dictating equipment)
- Email
- Empty the buckets regularly
- Process what they mean and what to do about them
- What is it?
- Is it actionable? YES or NO
- NO
- Trash
- Incubate
- Someday/maybe list
- Tickler file (suspended or follow-on file; a 3D calendar)
- 43 folders:
- 31 Daily Files
- 12 Monthly Files
- Tomorrow’s Date at the front
- Yes
- What is the next action?
- Do it
- Delegate it
- Defer it
- Project (anything requiring more than one step to accomplish the desired outcome)
- Actionable Tracking
- List of Projects
- Storage or files for project plans and materials
- Calendar
- Time specific actions [appointments], day specific actions, day specific information
- List of reminders of next actions
- A list of reminders of things you’re waiting for
- Only review as often as they have to be in order to stop wondering about them
- Reference
- Reference should be information that can be easily referred to when needed
- Organize the results
- Review the options
- Do
- Choosing actions in the moment
- Context
- Time available
- Energy available
- Priority