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Originally Posted by Cypher
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I used Curt's Templates script for a number of years, but I've recently switched to this:
http://cmsauve.com/projects/templates/
It picks up where Curt left off and takes things even further. I highly suggest checking it out.
I have a lot of situations like the one you describe (drafting and reviewing documents with similar steps each time). For those situations, it really helps to build these templates. Then you can also easily include the name of the document, name of client, etc in the action items you create. Really reduces friction and increases the odds that I will get stuff captured in OF.
Atul Gawande's "Checklist Manifesto" was also an inspiration for building certain templates. The more I can break repetitive tasks down into a checklist, the easier it is to get them entered in OF. It also improves the odds that I don't forget anything important. I also find that this process can make certain kinds of projects easier to complete. Often, when I am avoiding something, it's because I have not yet broken the task down into small enough bites. So I can't grab hold of a tangible action step. Or it may be a sign that I've lost track of where I am in a longer process. If there's already a road map of tasks in OF that was entered as a part of the template, then it's easier to remind yourself where you are.
You don't have to be slavish about templates. And I routinely tweak templates once I've created something based on them. But they are great stating points.