[stormer]

Could someone please explain what Singletons are and how they are used in OF?

thanks in advance

[al_f]

Not sure how familiar you are with GTD, so....

In Getting Things Done, any task you want to accomplish is either a project (if it requires more than 1 physical action step, e.g. "replace lightbulb in hall" which requires you to check the bulb needed, buy the bulb at the shops then replace it) or a single action step if it only involves 1 physical action/can't be sensibly broken down into smaller component parts (e.g. "water plants in kitchen").

Singletons are OF's way of dealing with these single action steps by grouping them into a project that is really just a group of these actions, a bucket to put them in if you will. Debate has raged on here (and is still) about whether this is the best way to implement this or not.

[stormer]

thanks for the reply - I see I've got a long way to go to get my head around all of this.

[RiK]

Originally Posted by stormer

thanks for the reply - I see I've got a long way to go to get my head around all of this.

Try reading Getting Things Done, it will soon make sense :)

For a quick overview, check the Wikipedia entry or the David Allen website.

[dhm2006]

Originally Posted by stormer

Could someone please explain what Singletons are and how they are used in OF?

thanks in advance

I agree with al_f's description of singletons, and I use them just that way. I have one bucket for singletons, one for purchases, and one for non-grocery coupons.

However, after some reflection, I think that singletons are actually actions of undefined or undelineated projects. While "water plants in kitchen" can't usefully (or sensibly) be broken down into smaller actions, it is part of a larger project, which could be "Keep Houseplants Alive" or "Maintain a Harmonious Atmosphere in Kitchen" or broadly "Enjoy Life" (assuming that plants in the kitchen brings you joy).

As a general rule, I find it faster just to list the singletons and get them done than to reflect on the overarching projects that they might support, but sometimes organizing the singletons into projects will cause me to think of other related actions that I want to add to the mix.

[GeekLady]

Except that many of us find such projects silly :-D

Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong in maintaining a harmonious atmosphere in my kitchen. Doh.

Originally Posted by dhm2006

However, after some reflection, I think that singletons are actually actions of undefined or undelineated projects. While "water plants in kitchen" can't usefully (or sensibly) be broken down into smaller actions, it is part of a larger project, which could be "Keep Houseplants Alive" or "Maintain a Harmonious Atmosphere in Kitchen" or broadly "Enjoy Life" (assuming that plants in the kitchen brings you joy).

[dhm2006]

Originally Posted by GeekLady

Except that many of us find such projects silly :-D

I don't find them silly so much as implicit. That's why I maintain singletons instead of the larger projects.

But DA's book comments, "Your life and work are made up of outcomes and actions." Keeping plants alive is an outcome that requires an action (actually several recurring actions).

[GeekLady]

I find them silly because they are implicit. It would be like making a repeating task for brushing my teeth every morning. Setting that up in OF would be 2 minutes of my life I could never get back. Yeesh.

Originally Posted by dhm2006

I don't find them silly so much as implicit. That's why I maintain singletons instead of the larger projects.

But DA's book comments, "Your life and work are made up of outcomes and actions." Keeping plants alive is an outcome that requires an action (actually several recurring actions).

[dhm2006]

Originally Posted by GeekLady

I find them silly because they are implicit. It would be like making a repeating task for brushing my teeth every morning. Setting that up in OF would be 2 minutes of my life I could never get back. Yeesh.

Brushing your teeth is an action. I was talking about implicit projects. DA seems to promote making implicit projects explicit to determine whether to pursue them or drop them -- in any event, get them off your mind. It is really no different than asking yourself "why am I doing this? what outcome do I seek?"

But as I have said, I maintain singleton lists because it is faster. What I am suggesting is that faster is not necessarily better in all cases.

I am sorry that you find it necessary to ridicule what I said - posting ridicule also takes up "minutes of [your] life [you can] never get back."

[al_f]

Originally Posted by GeekLady

I find them silly because they are implicit. It would be like making a repeating task for brushing my teeth every morning. Setting that up in OF would be 2 minutes of my life I could never get back. Yeesh.

I think David Allen has this covered in the section of GTD where he discusses the fact that you need more control and reminders in areas of your life that have just changed, i.e. where the habits you want to be in place aren't yet. He uses the example of a change in business structure, but it's just as applicable to other areas of life. In that model you certainly wouldn't need a "personal hygiene" checklist/project as the habits are already ingrained (hopefully!).

For me it's more the intermittent single tasks (like checking my reading list of journals for new articles each month, watering plants every week or so, cleaning the filter on our pond) that I need reminding of. I have to admit that I tend to use all-day events in iCal as ticklers for a lot of this stuff, then either do the action that day or create a single action in OF for the task as appropriate. I don't really use repeating tasks in OF at all, which I suspect is a leftover habit from when I used Outlook (and then iCal on its own, shudder) for my GTD implementation.

I'd be interested to know how other people are using OF and iCal (or the calendar app of their choice) in combination in their workflow.