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What are your contexts?
kenzi | Apr 18 2006
I have been rereading some of Merlin's posts now that I have started GTD implementation and his post about contexts was really helpful because I am unsure about the contexts that I have set up. I found it interesting to read his list of contexts, and thought it would be helpful to hear what others have in their lists of contexts. Please post your contexts, maybe with a little explanation about the logic behind your system. Thanks. Here is my list (feel free to critique it): home: computer My logic: I have a home business that involves selling stuff online, meeting clients outside my home and also having clients to my house, plus I have a night job (for rent money and benefits) where, if I have downtime, I can do whatever I want (within reason) including phone calls, research, errands etc. I split out errands to "out" and "work" because there are some errands I can do near work, but actually those can be done at anytime, like on my way to work, so I will probably eliminate "work: errands". "Home: do" is a catch-all for chores and non-work stuff around the house that doesn't fit the other categories; I am thinking of breaking that out a little more. "Think, create" is another catchall for brainstorming, sketching, mulling in a controlled situation...not just daydreaming, but working out ideas for a specific project. 79 Comments
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 This is what I'm working...Submitted by mdl on October 4, 2006 - 7:33am.
DStaub11;6192 wrote:
This is what I'm working towards with "financial," "art marketing," "art production," etc. And for exactly the same reasons. How long have you used these contexts? Are you actually managing to put down the mosquito tasks and get chunks of concentrated work done? I just introduced these contexts a couple of weeks ago. They're working pretty well right now, though sometimes I find myself spending too much time deliberating whether something should go in the writing context or the office context. I know that as a rule it's probably best not to introduce too much redundancy into a system. And to be honest, it sometimes frustrates me that these work-mode contexts are not as clearcut as the location contexts. What I'm trying to do is to block off chunks of time for writing, research, etc. For instance, I might schedule 2-3 hours in the morning for writing. (Whether I'm actually that disciplined is another story!) Afterwards, I can return to email and other mosquito tasks. This works well for me because I'm on an academic schedule. As a PhD student/TA who is currently on the job market, I have a lot of time intensive research and writing tasks, but also a lot of mosquito tasks (printing, mailing, filling out forms, researching jobs online, etc.). The reason I've kept these contexts so far is that it is immensely helpful to see at a glance what I need to write, read, and research (rather than having these time-consuming academic tasks scattered among other contexts). This helps me develop a realistic picture of the "serious" work that's actually in front of me. It also ensures that I don't forget to prepare for a class! » POSTED IN:
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