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The truth behind the Someday/Maybe list

05 01 07 - 00:08 - Bookmark this post

The last couple of weeks I have not been working on my gtd setup but actually been doing stuff. Really getting things done. From buying a new outfit to cleaning up a part of the attic and reading up on my stack of magazines. But also, as ever, just some casual browsing and checing out other websites and blogs. I love browsing through Flickr, Del.icio.us and other social sites where you can find some true pearls.

This is were I found out how my mind works and how the Weekly Review and your Someday/Maybe list actually work. First up, I am not a scientist. This is not scientifically proven by any empirical investigation. It's just my own thoughts and some common sense. With that disclaimer, here it is...

I have a mindmap with my running projects, Inbox (thanks to GyroQ) and also my Someday/Maybe list. This is just a big pile of creative thoughts, "ought-tos", "wannas", "maybe-one-day"-kind of blurbs and thoughts. Whenever I think of something which isn't part of a project but might be something good to do in the future, it goes on the S/M list. Once a week I check out my big Inbox, my projectlist and the S/M list. And for every item I think to myself: "Do I want to do this right now or not?" Most of the time, the stuff on this list are really just "fun" things to do. Like doing more with photography, improving my handwriting or checking out some more statistics about my Pearl Jam record collection (yeah, one thing you didn't know about me...). So to most items I say to myself "Not right now" and I go on. This way, I know that I am doing the things I need to do and I know what I don't do. Which is just as important.

But a couple of days ago, between Christmas and Newyear, I found out how powerful your mind can work. I was just browsing some websites and I came across a blogpost on "getting better handwriting". I read it and clicked through to some excercises and tips on how you can improve your handwriting. I checked it out for a couple of minutes and decided to make a note of the site in my Mindmap for later investigation. A day later I was browsing Flickr.com and I came across this fun thing called Project365. It is a project you do for yourself in which you make a picture each day of the year. Doesn't matter what it is or how good it is. But it gives you, after a year, an archive of the past year. What a fun way to document 2007! So I started taking my first picture on January 1st in my Project365-photoset on Flickr.

Both these items were on my S/M-list. Truth is, if I haven't checked my S/M-list at least once a week, I wouldn't have made a connection between actually seeing these links and acting upon it. You could say that the S/M-list is your "Dream"-list. When you make sure you look at your dreams hared enough and think about them on the right moments, they will come true (he says in a Disney-way...) when you least expect it.

I think the S/M-list in combination with your regular list give your brains enough freedom to actually see the opportunities in front of you and act upon it. Because your mind is free of thinking about your daily to-do's and errands, you are free to think happy things and be creative.

There you have it, the truth behind the S/M-list. It's more than meets the eye. It's a very creative and powerful list which you should give just as much attention as your @computer list.

What are your thoughts? What are your experiences with the Someday/Maybe list?

Like this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed! Used tags: delicious, dream, flickr, gtd, gyroq, mindmap, productivity, someday_maybe

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This works, the Someday/Maybe list.

It’s the same thing as buying a new car. As soon as you do, you notice all the other exact same car you just bought on the road. It’s about reviewing the list and having the perception in your head so when you run across something on your Someday/Maybe list, you are naturally drawn to it.

Then later, reviewing your list, you see it was there all the time.

It is so interesting how the mind works…

Thanks for sharing this.

Scot
Scot Herrick - 05 01 07 - 07:21

I actually have one someday and one maybe list. On the someday list I put things that I know I want/need to do but not right now. On the maybe list goes the other stuff that is as it says ‘maybe’ items. The distinction between the two works for me…
Jonas - 26 01 07 - 14:06

Jonas, I love that idea. I have just changed my list to match. I found I was getting bogged down in the “you’ll probably never really want to do this” maybe items when reviewing that list.

I too have found that things on my S/M list end up happening just because they’re there. It’s neat!
Heather - 27 01 07 - 15:09

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