Noisy Deadlines

After experimenting with Microsoft To Do this week I switched back to Nirvana. Some things were working well, but overall it was not that smooth.

I was going to write about my Microsoft To Do setup but it’s pretty much the same setup I had before: Testing Microsoft To Do and saying goodbye. And it’s so weird to see that all the reasons I listed before for not sticking with Microsoft To Do are still the same, for the most part.

Reasons why I switched back to Nirvana

1. The clarity of seeing all my actions organized by project, neat and tidy, is priceless!

2. I just REALLY like the projects / next actions connections in Nirvana.

3. And the unified inbox.

4. And that I can schedule actions (tickle them) to show up only at a certain time in the future.

5. And that the recurring tasks create a copy of the task, so I don't lose sight of the recurring task after the deadline (it keeps showing up on my Focus list).

6. And that I can scale the fonts size on my screen (desktop app).

7. And that I can add something to the inbox by just pressing the “I” key, no need to worry about which Inbox I'm adding things too.

8. It's so good to see my list of projects with the actions! It's easy to go back and forth between the two. So nice!

So, nothing has changed.

I’m still using Nirvana for my projects and next actions. The setup is still like this: How I setup Nirvana for GTD (June, 2024).

Other things I’ve changed: Digital Time Blocking

This short experiment made me realize some things:

• I want to keep my Calendar visible to me while I’m working. So now I have the Outlook app on my work computer to start-up with Windows every morning, and I keep it in a “One Day” view on a vertical screen I have on my left.
• Having the Outlook Calendar visible to me makes me use time blocking directly on the digital calendar, instead of using a paper time blocking planner.
• I still Plan My Day in the morning the same way. But instead of using Cal Newport’s Time block Planner, I’m using my paper notebook in conjunction with Outlook calendar.
• I start with writing the day/month/year/temperature on my notebook. Then I look at my calendar to jot down an “Agenda List” for the day to get a sense of how many meetings I have.
• Then I think about my Focus for the day. I look at Nirvana to see what’s already in my Focus list/next actions and decide which projects/actions are going to be priority. I write them down on my notebook just give my brain some clarity. I them update the Focus list on Nirvana based on these notes.
• Then I look at my Outlook Calendar and schedule some focus blocks, snack times, commuting times (if needed), check email blocks, processing/organizing blocks.

So, I’m still using the same techniques and routines, but I’m streamlining the number of places I have information on. Some days my meetings will get moved around, canceled, or re-scheduled and I think that having to update everything in a paper time block planner was double work. My calender really dictates my day, so it’s better to have it in one place.

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Post 52/100 of 100DaysToOffload challenge (Round 2)!

#100DaysToOffload #100Days #GTD #productivity #Nirvana #apps #MSTodo

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By Noisy Deadlines
Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.