Organize IT

David Allen of GTD fame says that one of the key reasons we get bogged down with a project is because we don’t have our next actions worked out properly. In GTD a next action is literally the next step you need to take to move a project forward. Because next actions are so critical (I personally find them to be the top bit of advice I’ve gathered from GTD) and can be used in all aspects of your life, regardless of what systems you use, I thought I would collate the four key rules you should follow to make defining next actions a breeze.

The next action must:

• Begin with a verb to emphasize what the action is.
• Clearly and precisely describe what you need to do.
• Specify what the end result should be.
• Include times, dates and deadlines as appropriate.

Begin with a verb
Verbs typically express action, whether it to read a paper, write a review, phone a friend, meet a colleague and so on. So naturally, a big clue as to whether you have defined something actionable is if it begins with any of the following words (there are obviously many others, but this gives you a good idea):

• Call
• Email
• Draft
• Wait on
• Gather
• Research
• Meet
• Get
• Practise
• Give

Without a verb you just end up with something ambiguous like “meeting on Tuesday”. But what are you doing with this meeting? Does this next action just involve you turning up or do you have to write notes for it? Do you have to make travel arrangements to get to this meeting? If there is no verb attached it’s not a next action, but a project (a collection of individual tasks).

Be clear and precise
A next action is exactly that. There is no room for lack of clarity or fuzzy thinking. The next action needs to be clear and precise so that when you read it you know what is expected. For example, “Ring up your friends to arrange seeing each other” is not specific enough (though note it does begin with a verb). What are you planning on doing with them other than hanging out? Are you just going to turn up and hope for the best? “Ring friends to discuss meeting in town outside Starbucks” is much more specific but it can go even further. Which friends are you ringing? Are you just ringing up a random number and hoping for the best?

Specify the end result
Quantify the next action so you know exactly when you have achieved it. Providing you have followed the previous two rules this should be much easier to define. If it doesn’t have a clear end result how will you know when to stop and declare it as done? Using the friends example again, the target could be to ring three particular people, get a yes or no answer from them as to whether they can see you and finalize where you’re going to meet up. This action now becomes “Ring Simon/Emma/Sarah to discuss meeting in town… agree concrete arrangements for time and venue”. This way the next action is not complete until you have rang each person and you have all agreed when and where you are meeting.

Add times, dates and deadlines
While it’s not always possible to stress that action A be done at this time and action B be done at that time, where practical it is important to have an idea of when you will be doing something and the sort of time-scales you will be dealing with. Taking the previous example, it could be altered to “Ring Simon/Emma/Sarah to discuss meeting in town, ideally outside Starbucks on Saturday at 12.30PM. Concrete arrangements must be agreed by Friday at 6PM” This next action now has a focus because you have to do it before Friday and rather than contacting all your friends blind you have all the (preliminary) information you need.

By following these four rules when defining each next action and having this sort of information attached to them, you will have clearly detailed activities where it’s immediately obvious what you need to do, how, when and where you need to do it.

Related reading

• GTD Dictionary: Next Actions
• Best Of Organize IT: June 2007
• I’ve Been Interviewed!
• The Organize IT Habits: Everything Is A Next Action
• The GTD Habits: Part 1