Lotus Agenda PIM Application File v1.0 - Description
Steve Bell    105563,223    Feb 15, 1997

Overview

The Agenda PIM application file in this library entry, "TASKMGMT.ag", has been developed over the course of six weeks of daily usage of Lotus Agenda as a "Personal Information Manager" (PIM) on an HP200LX Palmtop computer.  I expect this file will evolve and change substantially over the coming months.  I solicit input on potential improvements to this file, and will be posting updates for fellow Agenda users periodically.  

After loading the file into Agenda, pressing F8 will show that the file currently includes the following 14 views:

A 	Assignment/Delegation View
B 	Professional / Office Task View
C 	Call / Communications View
D 	Done Item View
E 	Errand View
F 	Done by Project View
H 	Home Projects View
I 	Inbox View
O 	Objectives View
R 	Recreation View
P 	Punch List View
R 	Travel Plans View
T 	Timeliness / Importance View
2 	200LX & PC Work View

Note there is an "index letter" assigned before each view name, for quick view access use F8 + the index letter.  Frequently, you'll want to toggle between whatever view you move to back to the Punch list view (the view you work from) using "Alt-F8".  

I didn't put much data into this example file - my main purpose was to provide the category structure, views, and a description of how to use it.  It gets a lot more interesting when you load a few hundred or more of your own data items into the file, do the categorization into appropriate categories as described below, and start working with it.  

The following sections describe the hierarchy of the category structure (F9 view), and the setup and usage to date for each of the 14 views.  

Category Structure (F9 view)

The F9 shows the category structure (hierarchy). This view includes the standard top-level categories such as Entry (Date), When, and Done as well as two other top-level categories: ACTIVITIES, and OTHER.  Most of the siblings of the Activity category are action-oriented "verbs".  The "Activity" category with it's siblings is suitable to display as a single column in some views.  

Besides the "Activity" related categories, every thing else falls into the hodgepodge of "Other" categories - People by name for Delegation assignments, Travel by destination city, Priorities, Urgency/Timeliness (see "Timeliness" view), Goals & Objectives, etc.

Although some thought and a bit of order has gone into identifying what to include as a category and the category structure is serving it's purpose, I haven't put a lot of thought into the organization of the category hierarchy at this point, except to follow Lauren Flast's advice to keep it "flat" - avoid a lot of unecessary and cumbersome structure. I suspect a lot more could be done with it; however the necessary categories exist, and that has proved adequate to this point.

Objectives View

This Agenda PIM application file is used for capturing, managing, reviewing, and tracking my day to day and week-to-week projects and activities, which are related to my medium and long-term goals.  I look at my Goals, Objectives, and day-to-day tasks as being related hierarchically in a four-level fashion:

1. Long-term interests
2. Goals
3. Objectives
4. Tasks

Long-term interests, and related Goals,  I keep as a text file in Symantec Grandview (v2.0), which runs in another Software Carousel session.  Although they could be stored within my Agenda file, I prefer Grandview for brainstorming projects and creating the high-level framework of goals and objectives. The format of the text in the long-term Goal file (in Grandview), for each goal, is: Goal, Timeframe, Rationale, and a paragraph of descriptive text.  Per Brian Tracy, I read this "mission statement/long-term goal" file on a bi-weekly to monthly basis, revising, refining , and date-stamping it periodically.  Typically goals are six months to two years to reach, while objectives take 1 to 6 months.

Once the Goal/Objective structure is laid out in Grandview, Agenda excels at tracking many small items (tasks) and cross-referencing them - which often makes it more useful at the daily "operational" (task) level. Of course, Grandview can be used in many ways for other things, some of them being highly "operational" (task-oriented) in nature.  

A complete set of Goals (derived from Grandview), and the related Objectives which will contribute to reaching those goals, are tracked inside Agenda. Each Goal shows up as a parent Category near the bottom of the F9 view. Most of my short-term objectives relate to my longer-term goals in a hierarchical fashion.  Under each Goal is a series of sibling categories, which are the Objectives.  All of the task-related ITEMS in my Agenda file role up into one objective or another, completing the 4-level hierarchy.

The Objectives view should display all objectives that you are working toward within the current six to ten weeks, which I find to be the most practical and useful timeframe to refer to on a day-to-day basis to keep yourself motivated and headed in the right direction.  I usually keep this view collapsed (with ALT--), to keep the items from showing - I just come here to review the objectives most of the time.


Inbox View

Any time you have a quick item to enter into Agenda, just use "F8 I <CR>" to get into the inbox view and enter it.  Category assignments into other sections/views can be done later, like with email.  I display the "MAIN" category as a column in this view, so I can see all the category assignments as I make them using ALT-M after the item is entered.  Once it's assigned to the categories I want, I delete the item from the inbox view.

The "Punch List" View -  Your Intra-Day Task/Time Management Desktop

This is the view that I work from intra-day.  During the day, I mark items "DONE" in this view as I complete them, and I occasionally use ALT-F10 to move items over the "Queue to Punch list" section  - like shoving them aside across the desk.  In the evening, or early in the morning, I "mine" the other views for items I may want to shift in or out of the "Punch list" view for the next day.

A friend and  I have developed this "Punch list" approach to day-management through daily usage of Agenda on the 200LX.  It's an alternative to using a TODO list; although similar there are some key differences which can be important.  

Appointments (versus TODO's) are kept in the 200LX's built-in Calendar, to take advantage of the alarms, which go off whether the machine is on or off (unlike Agenda's).  

Use of the "Punch list" approach has increased the usefulness of my Agenda file enough for me to (often, but not always) work out of Agenda right down to the "Task" level, in 5 to 30 minute increments, depending upon the nature of the task.  I find this mode of working very effective when I have a lot of unrelated tasks to accomplish during the time period of interest (usually the day, or portion of the day).  It's not as useful (or necessary) when you're doing highly concentrated, "flow-time" work where things come more naturally.  

Traditional TODO lists haven't really worked out for me; I usually end up with less than half of it done at the end of the day.  My todo items tend to accumulate and grow like amoebas; and the list becomes unmanageable.  Agenda's robustness in assigning and de-assigning items to categories across views/ sections  led me to the slightly different concept which I call a "Punch List", which is created from scratch every day, and zeroed out at the end of the day (done or not), at which time the new list is created.  The punch list has solved the "todo" list management problems for me.

'F8-P' will take you to the "Punch List" view, which is very much like a TODO list for the day, except it's the things you _absolutely_ intend to do that day (not a "wish list" of todos). Automatic numbering is turned on for the items, and there is a "SORT" numeric field to left of the items which is used to set the order the items appear.
  
In the evening, or at the start of the day, go "mine" your other views and ALT-M items into the "Punch List" view for that day.  You can think of the Agenda file as your "data warehouse" of potential TODO items, waiting to be mined onto the Punch list whenever you are ready.

During the day, work through the items in the Punch list as time allows. F4 them out of the Punch list as you complete the items.  If you are getting behind or feeling overwhelmed, give yourself a break and ALT-F10 a few items out of the Punch list, into the "Queue to Punch List" area, for possible re-entry into the Punch list later in the day or tomorrow. 

I've found it useful to divide the day into four quadrants - MORN(ing), MID(day), AFT(ernoon), and EVEN(ing).  These quandrant names are categories whose parent category, TIME, is displayed as a column and is the primary sort field.  The secondary sort field is the ORDER column.  Using the two together makes it very easy to keep even a very long punch list organized into the proper sequence during the day (as opposed to just using an "order" field).  I experimented with sorting on the "Time" field within the "When" column, but didn't find that very helpful.  I keep appointments in PBK in order to get reliable alarms and for other reasons, but often enter them into the Punch list as well.

Notice each task also has a DURATION number, assigned in minutes estimated to complete the task.  By leaving the TOTAL displayed, you can get a much better feel for how over/under scheduled your day is going to be in advance, and plan a reasonable load.  This really helped me out - the tendency is usually to way over-schedule, then feel disappointed you can't get it all done.

Normally, when you are in another view and you "alt-M" it into the punch list, when it is completed, you just mark it DONE with F4 and it's gone (off to the DONE view, which you can review at the end of the day).  There's another type of item, too, which is useful.  If you apply a DATE filter to the view, and display the WHEN column to the right of the items, then you can assign recurring properties like "EVERY TUESDAY" to the item in the  when field, and when you mark the item DONE with F4, it will automatically disappear, then re-appear the following week (or day, or hour, depending on how you assign the recurrence pattern).  As mentioned previously, I don't use Agenda in appointment book / Calendar mode - the built-in app is better for that - but this I find to be a very appropriate place for using some of Agenda's powerful date capabilities.

Much better than with a traditional TODO list managers... you have the whole of your Agenda database, neatly organized by section and view, to "prospect" for the day's punch list.  I've found this mode of use very effective at (e.g.) producing complex client deliverables on short notice, or setting up for a trip/packing, and other times when you want to get super-efficient on a lot of tasks without missing anything.

I've also found it useful to display two additional sections in this view: "QUEUE for PUNCHLIST", and "PUNCHLIST BY PRIORITY (IMPORTANCE)".  The queue list is used for moving items out of (or into) the punch list you couldn't get to that day, but want to keep nearby - like sliding them across your desk, without refiling them.  You can quickly "slide" an item up or down between the punch list and the queue, using ALT-F10 (move).  Or, just "alt-M" it into oblivion (into some obscure category), to wait until you're ready to come back to it.

The "Punchlist by Priority" section has a Section sort applied with the sortfield being your numeric Priority Field - so you're looking at the same list, but in order of importance, not the order in which you intend to do the tasks in (always good to keep that perspective in mind).

Assignment/Delegation View

Keeps track of all delegated tasks; by person's name (the names are setup in the F9 view).  Generally, items are assigned into this view by using "ALT-M" from a project-oriented view, the inbox view, or the Punch list.  The sections in this view can be very handy to review before you meet with subcontractors, an assistant, staff members, or colleagues - or, in accumulating "tasks" for your spouse <g>!

Professional / Office Project View

This is my primary work-related view.  In my job, I use it for keeping track of client-related activity.  I run a small consulting firm, so our projects are classified into two categories: Revenue projects (by clients), and Non-Revenue (overhead, infrastructure, Bus Development, etc.) projects.  The category names for Revenue projects are just the client company name, and for Non-Revenue projects the category names are the project names, e.g. Newsletter, Direct Mail, Tax Return, etc.

At the top of the view, I'm displaying all work tasks by priority - using the priority categories as sections, with a filter to display only work project-related items.  Each task (item) is assigned an estimated duration in the left column, and I display the "People", "Activity", and "When" columns on the right for making and tracking assignments there.

Call / Communications View

Note I do not try to use the LX's built-in Phonebook as an Address/Telephone database; although I tried "Beyond 2.0" (great add-on; useful for many things), I haven't found Agenda very suitable as an address/phone database, and the built-in 200LX database does such a good job of it.  I do keep a list of CALLS pending in Agenda however - it's quicker than flicking over to PBK all the time, although I still do that frequently.  I use the numeric "ORDER" column on the left, as an aid in sequencing the calls.  In the morning, I'll often work this view before leaving bed, to get some low-priority calls out of the way.  During the day, I'm mainly zipping items into here as I think of them while working on other tasks, via CTL-M.

Done Item View

This view accumulates DONE items, sorted in reverse chronological order.  For many including me, it's a good practice to periodically review what you've accomplished over the past day, week and month and to compare that with your objectives.  Review this for significant accomplishments at the end of the week and you will probably surprise yourself that you've accomplished more than you thought.

Done by Project View

In this view I am able to look at what I've accomplished, sorted by Project (category).  I find this very useful in assessing whether my time is really being spent on the right mixture of projects.

Errand View

This view is very useful in that whenever I think of an item I need to purchase - whether it be office supplies, a household item, clothing, etc. - I can merely enter it by type of store, e.g. "Office Supply".  I also like to assign these items to a Shopping area/City, so I can look at the errands in terms of a sequence of stops or visit to a particular Mall or Downtown shopping area.

Home Projects View

This is where I track all personal projects, such as home maintenance and improvement.  It's pretty straightforward.  As in a few other views, I keep the "Queue to Punch List" section displayed in the top of this view... allowing convenient use of the ALT-F9 command to stage an item in anticipation of moving it into the punch list.

Recreation View
Used to track recreation and leisure activities.  I use this more as an idea database - my day-to-day fun tends to be more spontaneous!  But when I think of something I want to do to unwind, like 'Rent a Jet Ski this summer and try out jet-fishing' <g> it goes into this view for later reference.

Travel Plans View

Logistical details for all pending Business trips are tracked in this view.  As soon as I decide to go on a trip, the name of the city (and date) becomes a section name in this view.  I then track all details for airline reservations, hotels, rental cars, etc. as items in this view.  When you check into a Hotel in West Lake Woebegone at 1 in the morning and they ask for your confirmation number - Boom!  There it is.

In this view I keep a section displayed called "Road Punch List (Todo while traveling)".  Any item in any view, which might be appropriate for working on during a flight, or in a Hotel, will get flagged into this section in the days preceding my trip. 
 
Timeliness / Importance View

This view is "the Covey View" - it allows you to see all items sorted by IMPORTANCE (Priority), and separately, by URGENCY (Time-criticalness).  I subscribe to Steven Covey's philosophy ("The Seven Secrets of Highly Effective People") that it's always important to keep in mind the difference between Importance (Priority) and Urgency (Time-criticalness).  Therefore, I assign each a parameter.  Even in my micro-day-management "Punch List" view, I have a section that shows TODO items for the day, sorted in order of importance, at the bottom of the view.

200LX & PC Work View

I have enough Palmtop and PC software projects going (I own about 15 Pentium machines but use my Palmtop more) that I keep my projects sorted out in a separate view.  I rationalize all the time on new apps, system software, and experimation by classifying it a Hobby <G>.

Your ideas and feedback for improving this Agenda file are solicited

This Agenda application file is a prototype - work in process.  Please provide your feedback and suggestions!  I'll integrate any improvements that prove useful, write them up in this README file, and update the posting perioidically.  

-Steve Bell   105563,223   sbell@bellc.com  
I'm on Compuserve every day or two or three, but usually I'm on the internet "all the time"



	Lotus Agenda PIM Application File v1.0 - Description 	6


