![]() ”Contexts add value to your tasks so that you can connect with them better. That’s why I often say the following when I try to explain contexts, which is something I couldn’t convey in 140 characters or less: Even the word “information” seems cold to some. There are numerous ways to add context to your tasks and, as Schechter pointed out in his tweet, they are all forms of data.īut not everyone resonates with the word data. ![]() “-5min” and “+30min”) in order to manage both their tasks and their time better. Some people use time intervals as contexts (i.e. Sven Fechner has talked about energy levels as contexts, and I’ve followed suit. Other people are using “modes” to define what tasks they should work on, with contexts such as “Work Mode” and “Fun Mode” to chunk down their tasks to a more “doable” state. Most of these people are either still trying to adopt GTD or are GTD purists, so this makes sense. Through my experience in social interactions and through Productivityist Coaching, I’ve observed that some people are really into using the traditional contexts as laid out by David Allen. The point is that as long as you’re capturing consistently then you’re on track to get more of the right stuff done, which frees your mind to help you with processing your tasks instead of simply holding them. The point is that neither way is wrong or right. I use paper (with The Strikethrough System as a means to process my captured stuff) and digital tools almost equally, with Drafts receiving more usage the more familiar I get with Drafts 4. I’m sure both of them use other methods, but in that episode they highlight those method as important ones for them. David Allen uses his trusted GTD Notetaker Wallet while David Sparks uses Drafts 4. Much like the ways you can capture, the ways you can define context can differ significantly. Take a listen to Mac Power Users 219 where David Sparks and Katie Floyd talk with David Allen about GTD and technology. This definition is much harder to pinpoint, as noted at the beginning of this piece, because there are more variables to consider.įirstly, technology plays a much more prevalent role today than it did when the book was released. In fact, as contexts evolved they seemed to merge with the other elements of The Four-Criteria Model for Choosing Action in the Moment: Time Available, Energy Available, and Priority. ”Context lists can be defined by the set of tools available or by the presence of individuals or groups for whom one has items to discuss or present.” – – via WikipediaĪs more people adaopted GTD, and luminaries such as Merlin Mann added perspective, contexts began to change in order to accommodate more effective and efficient workflows. But energy levels don’t appear to be factored in when looking at the basic definition of contexts offered in David Allen’s seminal work, Getting Things Done. I’ve written about contexts before, explaining how I use energy levels as my main ones. The question mark at the end was telling: There are so many different ideas of what contexts are that I think it is worth examining them not only from the vantage point of what they were initially defined as in David Allen’s book Getting Things Done, but how they have evolved in the years since the book was released. Several people had their own thoughts on what contexts were (and weren’t) and Schechter joined the fray with his own definition later on in the thread: That was quite the challenge, but I took it.Īfter that exchange, I saw a flurry of follow-up activity that was great to see. My podcasting partner-in-crime Michael Schechter posed this challenge to me on Twitter:
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