This post is Part 2 of 6 of The Power of Repetition Series.
Staying with a System
Repetition helps us stay with useful systems. Some may call this “discipline”, which usually conjures ideas of being harsh with one’s self. While the discipline to stay with any system, such as Getting Things Done (GTD) or otherwise, does seem similar to any exercise, I do not believe there is needs to be any negativity involved (just as there doesn’t need to be with exercise).
Including a visit to a task manager as part of the daily routine makes it easier to continue and even enjoy. A draw to continue develops not just from habit. The desire to continue also stems from the fitness and health felt by a good functioning system once in place. Experiencing a clear mind and an ease of flow is an excellent motivator for a task management system.
Orchestrating Habits
Once a system is in place, we can orchestrate any number of repeating places to show up.
For example, in OmniFocus, I can set a task to repeat:
In the Inspector, I’ve set the repeat function as:
My major sessions of the day all carry an @Current tag:
In this way, I don’t have to remember my habits. Instead, I only have a single habit of showing up to the task system. That single habit branches off to remind me where I can regularly show up to the things I want to, in order to keep them moving along, and ultimately getting them done.
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The Power of Repetition Series will post weekly. Links will become available as they are published:
- Part 1 – Introduction
- Part 2 – Build and Keep Habits
- Part 3 – Tackle Problem Habits
- Part 4 – Clear Clutter
- Part 5 – Create Flow
- Part 6 – Avoid Deadline Pressures
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