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fmgmartins	Posted Apr 04, 2010 in: Problem with long/recurring tasks Score: 0 fmgmartins Posted: Apr 04, 2010 Score: 0 Hello! I've been using ToodleDo for several months and I'm trying to follow some GTD ideas. I am only using GTD in a very broad sense: I love the idea of just dumping everything into a todo list (it was really messing my mind to have all those tasks going around my head, not anymore!), but I couldn't care less with some distinctions in the "context", as about 90% of my work is done in front of a computer, and I surely will not put tasks like "putting garbage out" or "get groceries" in a todo list... if I did that, I think I could as well put "breath in, breath out" in there! But I digress! :-) It surely improved my peace of mind and some nuisance/boring tasks are surely (slowly) getting done, and they were dragging along in my life for eons! But I am having a problem with long repeating tasks. You see, I always have to improve my skills by studying, learning new programs etc. So: - acquiring new skills takes a long time and I can't just stop working in order to dedicate myself to study (the money has to come from somewhere!) - Also, since I am always buried in work, I don't have much time to study new stuff (and most of the time not enough energy) In order to force myself to find the time to study in between all other jobs, I decided to put a task that reminded me of studying a different discipline everyday, dedicating about 1 or 2 hours per day to studying that technique or program. So I added a couple study-related tasks that repeat every couple days, another that repeats every 3rd day. With this method, I looked at my "hotlist" and I could see that I should find sometime to study one of those techniques/disciplines. And so I did, and this worked for some time. But it didn't last long, and stopped working completely! You see: - I studied something... - I checked the task as "done" - but, since it's set to "repeat", it would appear the next day in the hotlist! This gave no sence of achievement.. it was like "no matter what I do and no matter how much I study" the tasks would never go away! Always in the damn list! Worse! I got so used to see it there, that i just stopped seeing it at all! It's like if it's part of the "decoration", part of the interface! In short.. it worked a few weeks... back in October! And I didn't study anything at all related with those tasks since then... I always tried, but since it's harder and harder to find the time and the tasks is always there, I just stopped caring about it! Days passed, then weeks, and now months have passed and still have no idea of what to do with those tasks! Can anyone shed some insight into this? Anyone in the same boat (or maybe a bigger boat, as this one here.. is sinking!) Thanks a lot! -- Fernando Martins __ /_ /\|/\| / / \| 3D Animation and Special Effects This message was edited Apr 05, 2010.

Author

Message

Posted Apr 04, 2010 in: Problem with long/recurring tasks

Score: 0

fmgmartins
Posted: Apr 04, 2010
Score: 0

Hello!

I've been using ToodleDo for several months and I'm trying to follow some GTD ideas. I am only using GTD in a very broad sense: I love the idea of just dumping everything into a todo list (it was really messing my mind to have all those tasks going around my head, not anymore!), but I couldn't care less with some distinctions in the "context", as about 90% of my work is done in front of a computer, and I surely will not put tasks like "putting garbage out" or "get groceries" in a todo list... if I did that, I think I could as well put "breath in, breath out" in there!

But I digress! :-) It surely improved my peace of mind and some nuisance/boring tasks are surely (slowly) getting done, and they were dragging along in my life for eons!

But I am having a problem with long repeating tasks.

You see, I always have to improve my skills by studying, learning new programs etc. So:

- acquiring new skills takes a long time and I can't just stop working in order to dedicate myself to study (the money has to come from somewhere!)
- Also, since I am always buried in work, I don't have much time to study new stuff (and most of the time not enough energy)

In order to force myself to find the time to study in between all other jobs, I decided to put a task that reminded me of studying a different discipline everyday, dedicating about 1 or 2 hours per day to studying that technique or program. So I added a couple study-related tasks that repeat every couple days, another that repeats every 3rd day.

With this method, I looked at my "hotlist" and I could see that I should find sometime to study one of those techniques/disciplines. And so I did, and this worked for some time.

But it didn't last long, and stopped working completely! You see:
- I studied something...
- I checked the task as "done"
- but, since it's set to "repeat", it would appear the next day in the hotlist!

This gave no sence of achievement.. it was like "no matter what I do and no matter how much I study" the tasks would never go away! Always in the damn list! Worse! I got so used to see it there, that i just stopped seeing it at all! It's like if it's part of the "decoration", part of the interface!

In short.. it worked a few weeks... back in October! And I didn't study anything at all related with those tasks since then... I always tried, but since it's harder and harder to find the time and the tasks is always there, I just stopped caring about it! Days passed, then weeks, and now months have passed and still have no idea of what to do with those tasks!

Can anyone shed some insight into this? Anyone in the same boat (or maybe a bigger boat, as this one here.. is sinking!)

Thanks a lot!
--
Fernando Martins
__
/_ /|/|
/ / | 3D Animation and Special Effects

This message was edited Apr 05, 2010.