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GTD Cafe: Using GTD Radar to Spot Open Loops
August 27th, 2008 by thedailysaintPosted in GTD |
Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: StephenPSmith.com
Today’s post is from Mike St. Pierre of The Daily Saint
Open loops drive me crazy. There, I said it.
It often goes like this: I’m in a meeting and someone, not writing anything down, will say something like, “we should really think about doing that” or “I’ll take care of that”. MyGTD radar kicks in and I start placing mental bets on whether Person X will really do what he said. Or, I wonder why we don’t just decide then and there what the absolute next action is on the project in question. Ah, the frustrated life of a GTD practitioner…
As a refresher, an open loop is some aspect of a project that is left undecided, un-taken-care-of or just neglected. Sadly, these open loops can wreak havoc on productivity. They are the reason why the office building down the street is not quite finished. Open loops are the cause of the ABD (all but dissertation) professor. An open loop is a fancy expression for “unfinished business”. We put up with them all the time, but why?
I suspect that our too-often habit of not looking for next actions may have something to do with it. Or, it might be due to the frenetic pace of work. A third option might be due to a lack of a weekly review to see what details were missed in the course of a week. Whatever the cause, the open loops hang around and like a boomerang, come back again and again.
Here are some simple steps towards banishing these little buggers so that your productivity can soar:
- Keep a capture tool with you at all times. A PDA, small notebook (my favorite- a $.99 notebook from Staples!) or pad of paper will do the trick. If you need to remember it, write it down. Don’t trust your memory- write it down.
- When around those who have a habit of putting up with open loops, move them towards next action steps. Ask, “What’s the next action on that?” You could also ask, “What can we do today to keep that project moving forward?”
- Set a good example. You don’t have to be perfect but consistency is a must. Practice your weekly review. Get things out of your head and be a person of action.
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/68qdwp. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen
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August 28th, 2008 at 12:41 am
I can only say that everything in your post resonates with me. Next actions are crucial. Having a way to capture next actions (roughly To Dos) at all times is the only way to stay sane functioning in an information society. I was just reading in Getting Things Done today, and David Allen essentially says that simply getting in the habit of identifying next actions can change not only individuals lives, but entire workplace cultures.
In my work as a therapist and coach nudging clients toward next actions increases how much they get out of our work. It has even helped clients that would normally be treated for anxiety and depression. Not getting things done is a huge stressor. Nice post that captures the essentials to get folks started, keep them going, or get them restarted.
August 28th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Ahh the wonders of the much under-rated and yet highly effective productivity tool, a note book and pencil!
September 4th, 2008 at 4:42 am
[…] eliminate the panicky feeling of “what am I forgetting?” Mike St. Pierre has a good article on Open Loops. Some of his suggestions (you should read the whole […]