Overcoming Overload?
Started by Ken
on 3/10/2015
Ken
3/12/2015 3:59 pm
Chris Murtland wrote:
Many great points, Chris. I do rely on checklists in certain time-critical situations where making a mistake could be somewhat problematic. I find that you have to trust your checklist, and not try to outthink it. I have been knocking out big tasks, which are important as well, but as there are a number of large projects all trying to "get through the door" at the same time, I usually triage my time as I know that they all cannot make it through at once, but hopefully right behind each other, as they all cannot fit at the same time. I am probably going to give Workflowy a chance for a variety of reasons that I will try to touch upon below, but I do know that it is not the be-all, end-all solution to my problems.
--Ken
I read something about military pilots experiencing "task saturation" in
the cockpit - too many things competing for their attention at once.
They overcome this by following checklists.
Of course, designing the right checklists (and how often to go through
them) to get you past the overload is perhaps not as obvious with
knowledge work as it is flying a plane.
Another tip, which I got from J. D. Meier's "Getting Results the Agile
Way," but which I've also seen elsewhere, is to pick out the top three
outcomes for each day and each week and to focus on these outcomes first
rather than tasks. I also like his idea of "flowing value" rather than
"burning backlog," which means you focus on providing the most value to
your stakeholders rather than just checking off as many tasks as
possible.
Also, it may be unpopular, but I've found that if I get super
overloaded, I simply ignore a lot of things (and especially the overhead
of "processing" all the things put onto my plate by others), and the
truly important and urgent will keep coming back to me.
Finally, I think the real productivity killer with overload is the
increased decision-making overhead. You start to get the deer in the
headlights syndrome where you can't do much at all because you're so
worried about choosing the wrong tasks at the wrong times. There is
something to be said for sometimes just cranking through as many tasks
as possible in any random order (or any order that seems good in the
moment) rather than spending any time deciding.
Theory is always easier said than done, however. I would agree that the
tools used can also introduce time overhead and friction. You don't want
to have to spend a lot of time entering in a bunch of field values for
each task. Actual paper or Workflowy would probably be best for reducing
data entry overhead. In Workflowy, you could take notes in outline form
in a meeting and simply tag the action items at the same time - all as
fast as you can type.
Many great points, Chris. I do rely on checklists in certain time-critical situations where making a mistake could be somewhat problematic. I find that you have to trust your checklist, and not try to outthink it. I have been knocking out big tasks, which are important as well, but as there are a number of large projects all trying to "get through the door" at the same time, I usually triage my time as I know that they all cannot make it through at once, but hopefully right behind each other, as they all cannot fit at the same time. I am probably going to give Workflowy a chance for a variety of reasons that I will try to touch upon below, but I do know that it is not the be-all, end-all solution to my problems.
--Ken
Ken
3/12/2015 4:08 pm
MadaboutDana wrote:
Thank you for being sympathetic. It is easy to wonder if we are just not performing fast enough, and a reality check with others is quite reassuring. The concept of running in parallel was what struck me yesterday, as I know that Asana is a task manager, and that is not an ideal place to store things that are not tasks. Running parallel requires a commitment to make it work, but even though Workflowy does not necessarily have everything I want, it's layout and hoisting features may be what I need (he says with a nod to Mick Jagger).
--Ken
I sympathise, I must say. As the director of an SMB who's also heavily
involved in day-to-day production, I have a ridiculously full task list.
And yes, I do find it helpful to run stuff in parallel. I have a main
task list I keep for putting things down in a reasonably structured way,
then I have a 'daily' list that is really more akin to detailed notes.
The apps aren't really the point here, it's the approach. My 'formal'
task list has everything in it, more or less organised by priority,
sometimes by due date. But I try and avoid putting huge amounts of
detail in there – it's a tracking system rather than a full-on
management system.
Once I prioritise the tasks I'm going to do today, I jot them down in a
separate note-taker (currently my favourite is Mindscope, but I
regularly experiment with others - as you know!). This is where I keep
details notes on what I'm doing during the day. But it's also where I
jot down fast-moving stuff that comes in during the day, so I can
transfer it to my 'formal' list once I've reached a break in the flow.
It may sound a bit clunky, but being able to focus on a short list of
tasks (not more than today + tomorrow) while you're actually working is
a lot easier than being overwhelmed by a vast list of every task under
the sun - keep them apart, I say! I've found this approach makes a huge
difference to my sanity and organisation.
Thank you for being sympathetic. It is easy to wonder if we are just not performing fast enough, and a reality check with others is quite reassuring. The concept of running in parallel was what struck me yesterday, as I know that Asana is a task manager, and that is not an ideal place to store things that are not tasks. Running parallel requires a commitment to make it work, but even though Workflowy does not necessarily have everything I want, it's layout and hoisting features may be what I need (he says with a nod to Mick Jagger).
--Ken
Ken
3/12/2015 4:10 pm
Dr Andus wrote:
Great articles to read when we get bogged down in the weeds. I enjoyed them, as well as the referenced one in the decluttering post.
--Ken
MadaboutDana wrote:
>It may sound a bit clunky, but being able to focus on a short list of
>tasks (not more than today + tomorrow) while you're actually working is
>a lot easier than being overwhelmed by a vast list of every task under
>the sun - keep them apart, I say!
Your post reminded me of these two Gingko blog posts by Adriano Ferrari,
which are well worth reading in the context of this thread:
"Two (silly) Techniques for Lasting Change"
http://blog.gingkoapp.com/essays/two-silly-techniques-lasting-change
"Decluttering your Extended Mind"
http://blog.gingkoapp.com/essays/decluttering-extended-mind
Great articles to read when we get bogged down in the weeds. I enjoyed them, as well as the referenced one in the decluttering post.
--Ken
Ken
3/12/2015 4:21 pm
Marbux wrote:
Unfortunately, I need to give short answers to these questions at the moment, but the detailed information that you provided was helpful, and I am going to give Notecase a better look this weekend if time permits.
1. My work flow ebbs and flows, and right now it is higher than it has been in some time. It should eventually reside to less than a crisis level, but I am usually running with a backlog of work even when things are slow.
2. We have a very limited budget, so I am not expecting any major changes in the next year or so.
3. My manager is trying to get some temporary help, but I fear it may be too little too late. My work is highly specialized, and there are only a few folks, who retired recently, who could step in with minimal training.
4. We are using Win7, but IT policies are very strict about "unauthorized" software being installed. I used up much of my capital when they let me keep Ecco on my machines. But when we migrated to Win7, that goodwill came to an end. So, it is either cloud-based solutions, portable apps, or using my own hardware.
--Ken
Some questions that might affect the recommendation:
1. Is this a temporary problem or is it expected to continue, even get
worse?
2. Is there a budget for solving the problem?
3. Is assigning an assistant (human) feasible?
4. What operating system(s) are you using?
Unfortunately, I need to give short answers to these questions at the moment, but the detailed information that you provided was helpful, and I am going to give Notecase a better look this weekend if time permits.
1. My work flow ebbs and flows, and right now it is higher than it has been in some time. It should eventually reside to less than a crisis level, but I am usually running with a backlog of work even when things are slow.
2. We have a very limited budget, so I am not expecting any major changes in the next year or so.
3. My manager is trying to get some temporary help, but I fear it may be too little too late. My work is highly specialized, and there are only a few folks, who retired recently, who could step in with minimal training.
4. We are using Win7, but IT policies are very strict about "unauthorized" software being installed. I used up much of my capital when they let me keep Ecco on my machines. But when we migrated to Win7, that goodwill came to an end. So, it is either cloud-based solutions, portable apps, or using my own hardware.
--Ken
Marbux
3/12/2015 9:02 pm
MadaboutDana wrote:
Very sensible thoughts. Of course Notecase (being Java-based) is also
available for Mac...
Yes, for OS X. But it's not Java-based. It's written in C and uses the GTK+ libraries. So there are separate builds for each supported OS.
MadaboutDana
3/12/2015 10:41 pm
So it is, I'd forgotten. I remember reading that this was one of the reasons NoteCase is so fast.
Pavi
3/13/2015 7:33 am
Hi, I'd like to add my experience to this thread as I have been dealing the the same issues. Both work and family life have been stressful, and I've found it hard to focus and prioritize. However, I came up with methodology and software system that has been incredibly useful!
I should probably post about my method somewhere else, as it may apply more to researchers. But I wanted to share the time management application I use:
Watership Planner!
The reason this software is so important in my system is it allows me to plan my projects and tasks in a minimal amount of time, and then tells me what to do next. The auto-scheduling of time based on estimates and prioritization is simply fantastic. It makes you just flow along without using any excess energy on the "what to do now" issue. On the negative side, the price is now $220; however, additional years of upgrades are $49 I think and this needs not be purchased every year. Would I buy at that price? Absolutely, as I estimate that I get at least an extra 1 hour of productivity per day. With the whole of my "system", I am probably double as efficient.
Just to highlight the key features I have incorporated into my workflow:
- Work strict hours, 7 am - 4 pm, 1 hour lunch/gym
- Block off 7-11 for core project work, schedule meetings, etc. only after this (if possible)
- Focus on one project at a time. Of course sometimes a second project must be addressed.
- Email in two 15 min recurring tasks per day, at 11 am and in the afternoon. Often it takes less time.
- Make a next day task list in the late afternoon, 15 min task but often it takes
I should probably post about my method somewhere else, as it may apply more to researchers. But I wanted to share the time management application I use:
Watership Planner!
The reason this software is so important in my system is it allows me to plan my projects and tasks in a minimal amount of time, and then tells me what to do next. The auto-scheduling of time based on estimates and prioritization is simply fantastic. It makes you just flow along without using any excess energy on the "what to do now" issue. On the negative side, the price is now $220; however, additional years of upgrades are $49 I think and this needs not be purchased every year. Would I buy at that price? Absolutely, as I estimate that I get at least an extra 1 hour of productivity per day. With the whole of my "system", I am probably double as efficient.
Just to highlight the key features I have incorporated into my workflow:
- Work strict hours, 7 am - 4 pm, 1 hour lunch/gym
- Block off 7-11 for core project work, schedule meetings, etc. only after this (if possible)
- Focus on one project at a time. Of course sometimes a second project must be addressed.
- Email in two 15 min recurring tasks per day, at 11 am and in the afternoon. Often it takes less time.
- Make a next day task list in the late afternoon, 15 min task but often it takes
Hugh
3/15/2015 12:10 pm
Chris Murtland wrote:
.
Finally, I think the real productivity killer with overload is the
increased decision-making overhead. You start to get the deer in the
headlights syndrome where you can't do much at all because you're so
worried about choosing the wrong tasks at the wrong times. There is
something to be said for sometimes just cranking through as many tasks
as possible in any random order (or any order that seems good in the
moment) rather than spending any time deciding.
A colleague at work used to have a sign above his desk that said simply "Just plump". (I don't know whether American English has the same usage - in the UK "to plump" can mean "to choose without consideration or analysis".) "Paralysis by analysis" can be a symptom of overload. Just plumping can be a useful, if temporary, response.
Paul Korm
3/15/2015 5:55 pm
It's called "Crew Resource Management" (CRM) and is a technique developed after several serious accidents. (Witn advice from NASA, CRM grew out of situations at UAL, a former employer of mine.) Hospitals and other intensive environment where decision making has life-sustaining consequences have adapted CRM. Lists are important in CRM, but communication is more so. Crew (team) members should assess situations, state facts clearly, suggest solutions succinctly, and confirm verbally that leaders and team members heard and understood all of the foregoing. There are a few simple practices in CRM that take careful practice and focus to be successful.
Chris Murtland wrote
Chris Murtland wrote
I read something about military pilots experiencing “task saturation” in the cockpit -
. too many things competing for their attention at once. .
They overcome this by following checklists.
Pavi
3/18/2015 7:25 am
As Chris and Hugh point out, "decision-making overhead" was a core cause of my lack of productivity, and this is alleviated using Watership Planner. I get to work and simply start with the tasks that are already planned (according to my earlier setup).
The author, Mark, has designed it to remove resistance to starting/completing tasks, and allow you to be in flow. I find that it works very well for this!
Hugh wrote:
Chris Murtland wrote:
.
>
>Finally, I think the real productivity killer with overload is the
>increased decision-making overhead.
A colleague at work used to have a sign above his desk that said simply
"Just plump". (I don't know whether American English has the same usage
- in the UK "to plump" can mean "to choose without consideration or
analysis".) "Paralysis by analysis" can be a symptom of overload. Just
plumping can be a useful, if temporary, response.
Garland Coulson
3/19/2015 2:41 am
I coach a lot of people on time management so here are a few thoughts.
If you could get a company wide project management system going that everyone used, then no one would have to email, phone or walk into your office and interrupt you for updates. Instead, each task and project is just updated with comments and progress reports. Saves a lot of emails.
The one I use personally is Teamwork.com.
Also, try to set aside at least one "Power Hour" each day where you turn off ALL notifications (phone, email, mobile), close your door and put a sign out that you are not to be interrupted unless the building is on fire. Then work on the most important priority task/project in that hour.
Exceptional performance requires exceptional focus - multitasking has been proven by science not to work.
If you could get a company wide project management system going that everyone used, then no one would have to email, phone or walk into your office and interrupt you for updates. Instead, each task and project is just updated with comments and progress reports. Saves a lot of emails.
The one I use personally is Teamwork.com.
Also, try to set aside at least one "Power Hour" each day where you turn off ALL notifications (phone, email, mobile), close your door and put a sign out that you are not to be interrupted unless the building is on fire. Then work on the most important priority task/project in that hour.
Exceptional performance requires exceptional focus - multitasking has been proven by science not to work.
Ken
3/20/2015 4:14 pm
Garland Coulson wrote:
I suspect that your first suggestion can be implemented in some environments easier than others, and as I work in a municipal government, I do not see it happening as software decisions are made in what seems like another solar system IMHO. By necessity, it is a bit of a top down structure, and Microsoft currently rules the day as we will be heading to Office365 in the near future.
I would totally agree about the "power hour", but for me it usually comes at the end of the day after hours. It can be useful, but for a variety of reasons, it is reserved for special occasions like this recent overload.
And speaking of which, I wanted to give a very short update before I create a separate thread about a piece of software that was not discussed in this thread, but which I wanted to discuss. I open a Workflowy account, and can totally see why folks like it. The hoisting is very nice, and being cross-platform is great in today's ever changing device environment. I used it to take notes rather than Asana, and it turned out that it helped me find a key mail message that somehow got deleted, but I mostly chalk that up to taking notes and not the program itself. But, Asana got neglected during that time, and I still find myself not comfortable using the most basic form of outline for containing a multitude of different projects, notes and tasks. I am primarily a folder kind of person, and am starting to warm up to judicious use of tags with them. Having said that, I suspect that Workflowy is not going to be an effective solution for me. But, I really do appreciate the wisdom and support that I received from everybody here. I am still in the midst of this mess, and it is probably going to last for some time longer, but a sanity check, a little support and some good work habit suggestions from everybody here are quite appreciated.
Thanks,
--Ken
I coach a lot of people on time management so here are a few thoughts.
If you could get a company wide project management system going that
everyone used, then no one would have to email, phone or walk into your
office and interrupt you for updates. Instead, each task and project is
just updated with comments and progress reports. Saves a lot of emails.
The one I use personally is Teamwork.com.
Also, try to set aside at least one "Power Hour" each day where you turn
off ALL notifications (phone, email, mobile), close your door and put a
sign out that you are not to be interrupted unless the building is on
fire. Then work on the most important priority task/project in that
hour.
Exceptional performance requires exceptional focus - multitasking has
been proven by science not to work.
I suspect that your first suggestion can be implemented in some environments easier than others, and as I work in a municipal government, I do not see it happening as software decisions are made in what seems like another solar system IMHO. By necessity, it is a bit of a top down structure, and Microsoft currently rules the day as we will be heading to Office365 in the near future.
I would totally agree about the "power hour", but for me it usually comes at the end of the day after hours. It can be useful, but for a variety of reasons, it is reserved for special occasions like this recent overload.
And speaking of which, I wanted to give a very short update before I create a separate thread about a piece of software that was not discussed in this thread, but which I wanted to discuss. I open a Workflowy account, and can totally see why folks like it. The hoisting is very nice, and being cross-platform is great in today's ever changing device environment. I used it to take notes rather than Asana, and it turned out that it helped me find a key mail message that somehow got deleted, but I mostly chalk that up to taking notes and not the program itself. But, Asana got neglected during that time, and I still find myself not comfortable using the most basic form of outline for containing a multitude of different projects, notes and tasks. I am primarily a folder kind of person, and am starting to warm up to judicious use of tags with them. Having said that, I suspect that Workflowy is not going to be an effective solution for me. But, I really do appreciate the wisdom and support that I received from everybody here. I am still in the midst of this mess, and it is probably going to last for some time longer, but a sanity check, a little support and some good work habit suggestions from everybody here are quite appreciated.
Thanks,
--Ken
MadaboutDana
3/20/2015 4:22 pm
Thank you, Ken. The volume of interesting answers to your heartfelt issues shows just how important this particular aspect of outlining, or information management, or whatever else one chooses to call it, actually is. I suspect information overload is the main reason most of us are interested in 'outliner software' in the first place.
As for me: I've been using Ulysses for Mac and iPad increasingly over the last few days, and it's gradually become my go-to task manager. Despite the shortcomings (and there are a few), the app's versatility is truly astonishing – outliner-style hierarchy, plus multilevel nesting, plus tags (keywords), plus a powerful search function. Much better for my way of working that Workflowy!
But I do wish it supported an alternative to iCloud...
As for me: I've been using Ulysses for Mac and iPad increasingly over the last few days, and it's gradually become my go-to task manager. Despite the shortcomings (and there are a few), the app's versatility is truly astonishing – outliner-style hierarchy, plus multilevel nesting, plus tags (keywords), plus a powerful search function. Much better for my way of working that Workflowy!
But I do wish it supported an alternative to iCloud...
Paul Korm
3/20/2015 4:35 pm
I'm glad, Ken, you feel like there's a bit of relief. Please persevere!
MadaboutDana wrote
That's really interesting. I've used Ulysses through every iteration and I would never have thought of using it for task management -- I use it for writing documents for clients and publication. How do you do that, Bill?
(BTW, I'm falling in like again with Write -- mainly because the document folder in Dropbox that Write is using syncs instantaneously and I can sync that same folder with DEVONthink, Write on the desktop, and TheBrain. I like the idea of universal inboxes that can be access on multiple platforms and through multiple apps. I'm developing a feature matrix of apps that support that. I'll publish a link to the matrix, here, whenever I get it finished. Rather, *IF* I get it finished.)
MadaboutDana wrote
As for me: I’ve been using Ulysses for Mac and iPad increasingly over the last few days, and it’s gradually become my go-to task manager.
That's really interesting. I've used Ulysses through every iteration and I would never have thought of using it for task management -- I use it for writing documents for clients and publication. How do you do that, Bill?
(BTW, I'm falling in like again with Write -- mainly because the document folder in Dropbox that Write is using syncs instantaneously and I can sync that same folder with DEVONthink, Write on the desktop, and TheBrain. I like the idea of universal inboxes that can be access on multiple platforms and through multiple apps. I'm developing a feature matrix of apps that support that. I'll publish a link to the matrix, here, whenever I get it finished. Rather, *IF* I get it finished.)
Paul Korm
3/20/2015 4:36 pm
"How do you do that, Bill" --> meaning, how do you use Ulysses for task management.
Franz Grieser
3/20/2015 5:16 pm
Paul Korm wrote:
I would appreciate a "work in progress" matrix while waiting for the final version :-)
I'm developing a feature
matrix of apps that support that. I'll publish a link to the matrix,
here, whenever I get it finished. Rather, *IF* I get it finished.)
I would appreciate a "work in progress" matrix while waiting for the final version :-)
MadaboutDana
3/21/2015 11:51 pm
Sorry, Paul, just picked this up...
Paul Korm wrote:
Well, I discovered, after blethering about with other task management programs, that I really want a couple of things:
- something flexible enough to take extensive notes for each task
- something that allows me to prioritise easily using something resembling the GTD system (but simplified, in fact).
- something that allows me to zoom in/out of my task lists so I can concentrate on more/fewer tasks really easily, rather than always having to scroll through a daunting list of hundreds of tasks (see Ken's remarks on overload!).
So in Ulysses, I have a folder (sorry, that's a 'group') called Task Management, with subgroups Work and Home. Each of those have a (few) further subgroups (no point creating too many subgroups, because Ulysses for iPad doesn't fold, so you find yourself scrolling down an endless left-hand navigation bar - hence my irritation a few days ago).
To take an example, my Work subgroups include Projects and Admin (Admin includes a couple of others, like Quotes, Invoicing and ICT).
I then have, in a separate 'group', various sets of filters. One set consists of sheets (Ulysses-speak for notes) filtered by keywords 'now', 'next' and 'pending'. Another set consists of sheets filtered by keywords for clients and status (currently I only use 'active' for status, so the filters effectively show me 'projects active by client').
I use my 'priorities' filters to view my work in descending order of urgency. The great thing (not unique, but still unusual) about Ulysses is the nesting capability. So for example, if I click on the folder 'By Priority' with my three priorities filters in it, I see ALL the tasks to which I've assigned priorities in the appropriate order (I organise the filters and projects manually - another of Ulysses' great strengths).
To illustrate: part of my navigation bar looks like this:
Task Management
- Work
-- Projects (folder where I organise my actual project-related tasks)
-- Admin (folder where I organise my actual admin-related tasks)
-- Filters
--- By Priority
---- [now / based on keyword] (filter showing tasks from 'Work' with the keyword 'now')
---- [next / based on keyword] (ditto with keyword 'next')
---- [pending / based on keyword] (ditto with 'pending')
--- By Client
---- [active projects for Dreadlock Inc / based on two keywords]
---- [active projects for Lemmingsville GmbH / based on two keywords]
---- [active projects for Hamfisted Global PLC / based on two keywords]
- Home
and so on: the square brackets indicate folders that are really filters based on keywords, rather than actual folders full of tasks. They are windows onto tasks from various perspectives.
I organise my projects and admin stuff in their respective folders. I assign the appropriate keywords (keeping them to a minimum: normally a client designation, plus a status designation 'active', plus a priority designation - either 'now', 'next' or 'pending'.
If I click on the folder/group 'Filters', I see ALL of the 'By Priority' and 'By Client' filters in order (because of Ulysses' nesting feature). If I click on the filter group 'By Priority', I see ALL of my tasks due 'now', 'next' or 'pending'. If I want to zero in on my most immediate tasks, I simply click on 'now', and then I only see the tasks due right now.
Note that the 'Filters' folder is on the same level as Projects and Admin, meaning that the filters in that folder act on those two folders. But they DON'T act on my Home folder, which is another level higher. At the top level of my navigation tree, I have another set of filters called 'All by Priority' which list ALL tasks - in both Work and Home folders - according to their urgency. So I can choose to view urgent work-related tasks only, or ALL urgent tasks, including home-related ones.
This approach may sound complicated, but works remarkably well, because you can constantly zoom in and out of your list of stuff. If you want to concentrate on just a few things at a time, you focus on sub-sub-folders. If you want more of an overview, you pan out using higher-order folders. It's actually very simple and compared to other much more complex systems (Watership Planner does, I'm afraid, come to mind), very easy to manage and set up. Filters are very easy to create in Ulysses, and keywords are very easy to set up. I hate systems that try and guess how I work. They invariably get it wrong! Ulysses is purely manual. But clever.
You can have as many different kinds of filters as you want. I have another one for clients due to be invoiced, for example. You might ask: why do you have folders when you could do everything with keywords. Or why do you have keywords, when you could a lot of that with folders? And the short answer is: yes!
There are any number of combinations you can use, depending entirely on your preferred way of working. Fewer folders, more keywords. No folders at all, all keywords + filters (although remember, filters are effectively also folders, as the diagram above attempts to make clear). No keywords, all folders (but that would mean I couldn't manage my projects in their own folder, and their priorities in the separate filtered folders; I would constantly have to drag and drop tasks into different folders). It's a hugely flexible system.
There are just three problems.
1. iCloud. It's relatively slow, except when it's not, and doesn't always respond. Sometimes you can only get it to respond by quitting Ulysses and opening it again. Or even by changing the status on a project several times. That's not good. Letterspace (for example), which also uses iCloud, has resorted to building and using its own 'push' system to prompt iCloud into doing things more quickly/efficiently. I'm very much hoping Ulysses will soon include support for Dropbox, which is much more reliable - or even OneDrive.
2. You can't set reminders in Ulysses. At first, I thought this would be a problem. But you know, it really isn't. If I can't do without a reminder, Apple has perfectly good Calendar and Reminder apps. But I find that with a well-organised set of notes and priorities, I don't need reminders half as much as I thought I did.
3. You can't link to notes (sorry, that's 'sheets' in Ulysses-speak) from within other notes (sheets). Still a big weakness, in my view.
But none of those problems are deal-breakers.
If the above is somewhat confusing, I apologise. It's remarkably difficult, I think, to convey a particular working structure that has been developed over many years to people who don't work with that structure. But I can assure you that the Ulysses combination of folders (groups), nesting (so you can see more or fewer subgroups the higher/lower up/down the hierarchy you are) and filters gives you an astonishing range of options. And I haven't even touched on the way you can 'glue' sheets together so you can see the content of multiple sheets in a single window (although that doesn't work on iPad yet; unfortunately, the sheets also have to be contiguous).
There you go, Paul! If that's totally confused you, I can try to explain it again using screenshots or something!
Paul Korm wrote:
"How do you do that, Bill" --> meaning, how do you use Ulysses for task
management.
Well, I discovered, after blethering about with other task management programs, that I really want a couple of things:
- something flexible enough to take extensive notes for each task
- something that allows me to prioritise easily using something resembling the GTD system (but simplified, in fact).
- something that allows me to zoom in/out of my task lists so I can concentrate on more/fewer tasks really easily, rather than always having to scroll through a daunting list of hundreds of tasks (see Ken's remarks on overload!).
So in Ulysses, I have a folder (sorry, that's a 'group') called Task Management, with subgroups Work and Home. Each of those have a (few) further subgroups (no point creating too many subgroups, because Ulysses for iPad doesn't fold, so you find yourself scrolling down an endless left-hand navigation bar - hence my irritation a few days ago).
To take an example, my Work subgroups include Projects and Admin (Admin includes a couple of others, like Quotes, Invoicing and ICT).
I then have, in a separate 'group', various sets of filters. One set consists of sheets (Ulysses-speak for notes) filtered by keywords 'now', 'next' and 'pending'. Another set consists of sheets filtered by keywords for clients and status (currently I only use 'active' for status, so the filters effectively show me 'projects active by client').
I use my 'priorities' filters to view my work in descending order of urgency. The great thing (not unique, but still unusual) about Ulysses is the nesting capability. So for example, if I click on the folder 'By Priority' with my three priorities filters in it, I see ALL the tasks to which I've assigned priorities in the appropriate order (I organise the filters and projects manually - another of Ulysses' great strengths).
To illustrate: part of my navigation bar looks like this:
Task Management
- Work
-- Projects (folder where I organise my actual project-related tasks)
-- Admin (folder where I organise my actual admin-related tasks)
-- Filters
--- By Priority
---- [now / based on keyword] (filter showing tasks from 'Work' with the keyword 'now')
---- [next / based on keyword] (ditto with keyword 'next')
---- [pending / based on keyword] (ditto with 'pending')
--- By Client
---- [active projects for Dreadlock Inc / based on two keywords]
---- [active projects for Lemmingsville GmbH / based on two keywords]
---- [active projects for Hamfisted Global PLC / based on two keywords]
- Home
and so on: the square brackets indicate folders that are really filters based on keywords, rather than actual folders full of tasks. They are windows onto tasks from various perspectives.
I organise my projects and admin stuff in their respective folders. I assign the appropriate keywords (keeping them to a minimum: normally a client designation, plus a status designation 'active', plus a priority designation - either 'now', 'next' or 'pending'.
If I click on the folder/group 'Filters', I see ALL of the 'By Priority' and 'By Client' filters in order (because of Ulysses' nesting feature). If I click on the filter group 'By Priority', I see ALL of my tasks due 'now', 'next' or 'pending'. If I want to zero in on my most immediate tasks, I simply click on 'now', and then I only see the tasks due right now.
Note that the 'Filters' folder is on the same level as Projects and Admin, meaning that the filters in that folder act on those two folders. But they DON'T act on my Home folder, which is another level higher. At the top level of my navigation tree, I have another set of filters called 'All by Priority' which list ALL tasks - in both Work and Home folders - according to their urgency. So I can choose to view urgent work-related tasks only, or ALL urgent tasks, including home-related ones.
This approach may sound complicated, but works remarkably well, because you can constantly zoom in and out of your list of stuff. If you want to concentrate on just a few things at a time, you focus on sub-sub-folders. If you want more of an overview, you pan out using higher-order folders. It's actually very simple and compared to other much more complex systems (Watership Planner does, I'm afraid, come to mind), very easy to manage and set up. Filters are very easy to create in Ulysses, and keywords are very easy to set up. I hate systems that try and guess how I work. They invariably get it wrong! Ulysses is purely manual. But clever.
You can have as many different kinds of filters as you want. I have another one for clients due to be invoiced, for example. You might ask: why do you have folders when you could do everything with keywords. Or why do you have keywords, when you could a lot of that with folders? And the short answer is: yes!
There are any number of combinations you can use, depending entirely on your preferred way of working. Fewer folders, more keywords. No folders at all, all keywords + filters (although remember, filters are effectively also folders, as the diagram above attempts to make clear). No keywords, all folders (but that would mean I couldn't manage my projects in their own folder, and their priorities in the separate filtered folders; I would constantly have to drag and drop tasks into different folders). It's a hugely flexible system.
There are just three problems.
1. iCloud. It's relatively slow, except when it's not, and doesn't always respond. Sometimes you can only get it to respond by quitting Ulysses and opening it again. Or even by changing the status on a project several times. That's not good. Letterspace (for example), which also uses iCloud, has resorted to building and using its own 'push' system to prompt iCloud into doing things more quickly/efficiently. I'm very much hoping Ulysses will soon include support for Dropbox, which is much more reliable - or even OneDrive.
2. You can't set reminders in Ulysses. At first, I thought this would be a problem. But you know, it really isn't. If I can't do without a reminder, Apple has perfectly good Calendar and Reminder apps. But I find that with a well-organised set of notes and priorities, I don't need reminders half as much as I thought I did.
3. You can't link to notes (sorry, that's 'sheets' in Ulysses-speak) from within other notes (sheets). Still a big weakness, in my view.
But none of those problems are deal-breakers.
If the above is somewhat confusing, I apologise. It's remarkably difficult, I think, to convey a particular working structure that has been developed over many years to people who don't work with that structure. But I can assure you that the Ulysses combination of folders (groups), nesting (so you can see more or fewer subgroups the higher/lower up/down the hierarchy you are) and filters gives you an astonishing range of options. And I haven't even touched on the way you can 'glue' sheets together so you can see the content of multiple sheets in a single window (although that doesn't work on iPad yet; unfortunately, the sheets also have to be contiguous).
There you go, Paul! If that's totally confused you, I can try to explain it again using screenshots or something!
Paul Korm
3/22/2015 2:33 am
Bill -- the first thing is wow -- how incredibly generous for you to take the time to write up your method. I am very grateful. I'm sure others will enjoy the article, too.
I'll be spending some time good quiet qualtiy time this weekend digesting and working with this concept.
Regarding "reminders" -- one possibility, if you have OmniFocus, is to activate the "Send to Inbox" service -- which opens the OF quick entry panel focused on the selected text. From there, complete the parameters for the action.
Thank you so much, Bill
I'll be spending some time good quiet qualtiy time this weekend digesting and working with this concept.
Regarding "reminders" -- one possibility, if you have OmniFocus, is to activate the "Send to Inbox" service -- which opens the OF quick entry panel focused on the selected text. From there, complete the parameters for the action.
Thank you so much, Bill
MadaboutDana
3/23/2015 3:19 pm
You're welcome, Paul!
And thanks for the tip about OmniFocus - but in fact, as I remarked to somebody else on another thread, if you right-click a day or date (or indeed any selected text) in Ulysses and then click 'Services', you'll find you can forward the relevant data to any number of apps, including (in my case) OmniFocus, 2Do, The Hit List, Wunderlist, ToDoist and many others!
Currently I'm using Wunderlist, just because I quite like the latest version. But its sorting abilities are its major weakpoint (specifically, the lack of manual sorting capabilities in the various overview modes such as 'Today' etc.). On the other hand, it's very easy and fast to use, and doesn't take up large quantities of system resources (unlike e.g. OmniFocus!).
As I say, the issue of reminders has gradually faded into the background as I've gone on using Ulysses in this particular way (for the last week or so). That may yet change, otherwise I wouldn't be a true CRIMPer!
Cheers!
Bill
And thanks for the tip about OmniFocus - but in fact, as I remarked to somebody else on another thread, if you right-click a day or date (or indeed any selected text) in Ulysses and then click 'Services', you'll find you can forward the relevant data to any number of apps, including (in my case) OmniFocus, 2Do, The Hit List, Wunderlist, ToDoist and many others!
Currently I'm using Wunderlist, just because I quite like the latest version. But its sorting abilities are its major weakpoint (specifically, the lack of manual sorting capabilities in the various overview modes such as 'Today' etc.). On the other hand, it's very easy and fast to use, and doesn't take up large quantities of system resources (unlike e.g. OmniFocus!).
As I say, the issue of reminders has gradually faded into the background as I've gone on using Ulysses in this particular way (for the last week or so). That may yet change, otherwise I wouldn't be a true CRIMPer!
Cheers!
Bill
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