Could you please elaborate how? Then maybe there’s a solution.
Mowing the lawn is a routine.
You should have a project folder for repeated routines.
Waiting for a client is a “waiting on” task
Those also have a specific category that would not be confused with" next actions that have no due date"
What I meant was you have something to do for a client ASAP without a specific due date. But after some time he might call you and tell you he needs it till date X.
If it’s due ASAP then it has a due date.
If it has more than one step to finish then it is a project and not a next task anyways.
If it is a project without a due date, it is a someday maybe project.
You said it was “due” for a client. That has a due date so it is not “someday maybe”
You haven’t given me a next action or project without a due date that is not “someday”
Even a habit type routine either has a due date because you give it one or if it is not important enough to be given a due date, then it is something maybe by nature.
If it doesn’t have to be done, then it doesn’t have a due date. It’s someday maybe.
There are a lot of tasks we give virtual due dates to. When we continue to put them off, we realize that they were actually someday maybe disguised as a next action. When we remove the due date, they become so officially.
For me it’s simple, I won’t invest the effort to make up a due date for each and every action, enter it into the system just to find out there is more than I can possibly do in my life time.
That’s why ASAP works well for me.
Even if you are right and every action has a due date, it well might be that it is not possible to qualify a real due date or a due date that I might be aware of or might be able to find out.
If it works for you it’s fine.
But if you find yourself watching due dates passing by and making up new ones over and over again you might be better off accepting ASAP as a possible due date and using your intuition.
Before GTD I had a task list and calender stuffed with red over due stuff, frustrated I gave up re-planning and reassigning new due dates. That’s just not how I roll.
Ultimately I found GTD which fixed that for me.
For me ASAP is key.
Let’s agree to disagree, that’s not a discussion I want to take further from now on.
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Referring to the discussed distinction between the Later list, the Sameday list, and the Next list. There were mentioned sequential tasks which in my opinion are not the case here. In my opinion, this is the case: Next actions are tasks that you committed to do ASAP.
Someday items are the ones that you didn’t commit to do. Maybe you never do them and it is ok.
Sometimes we have a parallel project but some tasks that you commit to do depends on other tasks. You don’t want to forget them so here is the moment when the Later list comes to the game. This is the list that contains actions that you committed to do but they can’t be done right now. Of course, GTD suggests to keep those further actions in project support materials but the Later list is more convenient in my opinion.
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Did you consider this?
If I understand correctly, you suggest using Later as a list of blocked next actions.
I think a general solution to this would be to use a tag like blocked or later on next actions. This way, you will not forget these items because they are still in Next, but you can also hide them very easily hide them when viewing Next.
We only need to make assigning/removing tags easier. That would facilitate all tag-based workflows, so it needs to be done anyway.