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Ana Maria González
Having a Complete Inventory of Your Projects
One of the principles of the David Allen methodology is to have a "complete inventory" of your projects. Why is this important?
A project as defined by David Allen is a collection of NEXT ACTIONS that are needed to achieve a desired end result, or successful outcome.
In that light, anything that takes more than one step to complete, is a PROJECT, as simple, or as complicated as it may be.
Since we work so much with the power of focus, and we strive to achieve "mind like water", having a complete project list (that is all the successful outcomes or end results that you have committed to for a period typically of at least 9 months) is more than halfway to success. Every time you review that list, you are actually focusing on the end result and having time to decide what the next action is that can be acted upon. Reviewing the project list at least once a week, will keep it alive and on track. It will also ensure that your mind experiences the relaxation and sense of completion and success every time one step towards the outcome is decided and placed in the appropriate list (the next phone call, the next email to send, the next conversation to have, the next article to read.)
The "secret" for this experience we want the mind to have is to make sure that there is always a next action somewhere in the next actions list that will be the next step towards the completion of the project. In that simple way, every time we look at that heading in the project list, we will experience the advancement. Sooner than we think, we will be working more productively and our strategic decisions will be sounder and more efficient.
This sounds simple, and it is. And for a lot of the clients I have worked with, it presents the challenge of changing beliefs and work habits--not an easy task.
Usually, the client completes the list but does not review it weekly. The effect of not looking at this list weekly will be that almost imperceptibly, the mind will start to take on the task of keeping track of the project and will "bother" you with parts of the project at the most inappropriate moments. Soon the client decides that the approach is not working. Another way some of my clients decide this does not work is when new projects show up, they do not break them up in next actions, so they get stuck on chunks of work that apparently do not fit in the system. Then they don't keep the project list updated and the sense of relaxation and control are not there.
There is no quick fix for this other than being patient, getting back on track and keeping the list alive by reviewing it at least once a week and keeping it updated. The Building Consistency program consists of a series of follow-up calls that can help tremendously as well as making the Weekly Review a priority, no matter what is going on. The more the Weekly Review becomes an integrated habit, the more you will start to realize how vital, efficient and productive that Project list is for you. Again: patience is the best quality you can cultivate while climbing towards "black belt".
Lao-Tzu observed: "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."
You need the inventory for all your journeys ...
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