The Peripherals
The Calendar, the Upkeep List and the Project List are at the core of the system. But they are not alone, a complete life operating system is supported by a number of peripherals or tools that enable proper functioning of the main system. The peripherals can be different from one user to another, but they are all defined by the same qualities and must fulfil the same roles.
Qualities
While building your system and choosing your tools, consider the following qualities:
- Accessibility: How easy is it to get to what you need?
- Usability: How easy is it to use and update?
- Resiliency: How easy it is to recover from a loss?
- Security: How much protection does it provide?
- Footprint: How much resources does it require?
- Shareability: How easy is it to share information with other?
Each tool you choose can't have all quality. There will be tradeoffs. Example: Having a physical inbox to deal with material inputs will have a bigger footprint. Increasing security may decrease usability. More resilience may require more security and a bigger footprint. Choose the tradeoffs that best fit your needs, resources and skill.
Roles
The peripherals are mostly concerned with storage and help manage inputs and outputs. The following section describes specific roles that should be covered in any system. For each role, we consider which of the previously mentioned qualities are essential.
Inputs Collection
Quality: Accessibility
Ideas and tasks will pop up at any time. Trying to keep mental notes will just not do it. An easily accessible collection tool to capture all input is required. Bear in mind that all inputs are not immaterial and may require some physical space.
Current Information (References)
Qualities: Usability, Accessibility, Security
All the information that is currently relevant should be kept organized and ready for consultation. It does not need to be as accessible as the inputs collection tools, but it should not require to go down to the cellar to consult it.
Examples of current information to keep organized and available are
- Banking details
- Contacts
- Contractors: electrician, plumber, etc.
- Cookbook
- Current taxes documents
- Dependents information
- Emergency numbers
- Insurances contract
- Medical information
- Password
- Permits and license
- Utilities provider account details: electricity, phone,
Bear in mind that some of this information may be sensitive and should be secured.
Secured Storage (Vault)
Qualities: Security, Resiliency
Some information like passwords and banking details require higher security. It may also be necessary to secure physical documents like wills, property deeds, power of attorney, etc.
Bear in mind that theft is not the only threat. Fire and flood can occur and to properly protect all documents, offsite storage may be required.
Long-Term Storage (Archives)
Qualities: Footprint, Resiliency, Security
Even if a piece of information is not currently relevant, it may need to be kept for future references (e.g.: photos, previous income taxes report). In case of an archives accessibility is not important has much as the footprint. A lot of space (physical and virtual) may be required in order to fulfil the retention policy of each piece of information.
Journal (Log)
Qualities: Usability, Accessibility
Having a record of what happened when; can become handy. Not everybody wants or like to take the time to update a journal; it really depends on your habits. You do not need to record everything at all times. You can use a journal to record important events and information for a single project.
Bear in mind that many tools you already use may have a built-in history.
Checklists
Qualities: Accessibility, Usability
Checklists are very powerful tools for any system. They can be used to support any task, from the simplest to the most important. Simply put, a checklist is a list of steps needed to complete a task. Every task comes with a checklist whether it is written down or not; the checklist defines how to do the task effectively and efficiently.
Recurring tasks will benefit the most from using checklists. They can be refined each time a task is performed. Similarly, one-off projects and other long-term initiatives also benefit from an evolving checklist that reflects newly discovered requirements. They can also double back as a log of what was done.
Targeted Todo List
Qualities: Accessibility, Usability
A targeted todo list serve a single and very specific purpose. It is contextualized and contains tasks that are related in some way. It is not the projects or upkeep list.
Examples of targeted lists:
- Grocery to by on the fridge.
- Thing you are waiting for.
- Xmas gifts to buy.
Work In Progress Storage (Buffers)
Qualities: Accessibility, Usability, Footprint
While a task is being done, you may need to store some document (virtual or physical) and objects related to that task. Having a well-defined and organized place for the WIP is required to handle the inevitable context switches and delays.
Incubator
Quality: Accessibility
This is the place to hold reminders about ideas and things you want to do. This is not a list of things you have to do, there are no commitments attached to those items they are not tasks, they are options. It is not a targeted todo list because those things are not to do. However, they can be split in more specific categories like books to read or movies to see; it just makes it easier to use later. In David Allen's GTD it is called Someday/Maybe List and the book contains many examples.
Operations Center
Finally, you should have your own personal place when you can access all your tools, coordinate and do all your work. It does not need to be a proper office or desk, you do with what you have, but the most important is that it should be personal and if it absolutely needs to be shared, the rules must be clear.