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Next Actions 101 – Rephrase Dormant Tasks to Spur Action

This is Part 3 in the “Next Actions 101” series (read Part 1 and Part 2).

We’ve already covered next action basics and breaking down big projects. For this final installment, we’ll look at those pesky next actions that become dormant.

Do you have tasks on your list that have been there for weeks or even months? Have you started ignoring their existence? Here’s a couple things to help spur you into action.

Make them actionable

If you have a dormant next action, there is a quick question to ask yourself: Is it immediately actionable?. If it’s not, it’s not a next action. What might it be instead?

Maybe it’s really something where you are waiting for someone / something to happen. You can do the action, but only after “pigs fly” or “Bob finishes X.” If this is the case, boot that next action off to another list. In GTD-land, we call this your “waiting for” list. You keep track of these things, but don’t let them clutter your mind.

Perhaps your dormant next action is really too big to tackle. If this is the case, you need to break it down. Go back to Part 2 of this series and think about it some more. You’ve got the forrest in sight, but now you need to see what tree you can tackle first.

Rephrase the action

If all else fails, look at the actual wording of your next action. If it’s been on your list for weeks, you’re probably just ignoring it by now. A trick I use is to rephrase it. This doesn’t need to be dramatic, just something different.

One great example is a letter I was needing to write. My next action was “write letter to Bob.” It sat on my list for weeks. Finally, I reworded it to “draft letter to Bob.” I got it done the next day!

I tricked my brain into thinking that “draft” was simpler and quicker than “write.” I turned my old, crusty next action into a new, shiny one.

You can do this same trick with next actions on your list. Change a word here and there or re-think the desired outcome. You’ll be amazed at how a tiny change will prompt real action.

Here’s the rest of this series:

• Part 1 – Put it on Your List
• Part 2 – Break Down the Project to Get it Done

Thanks for reading “Next Actions 101.” Be sure to subscribe to get future productivity tips.

[tags]legal andrew, next action, gtd[/tags]

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