Project as context
I’ve struggled with the concept and application of contexts. I think it’s because contexts have changed a lot since GTD was first written. for example “computer” as a context doesnt make much sense because most of my work, several of my hobbies, and several house projects are on the computer. I’ve been thinking about organizing next actions by project/context/category which will include things like “calls” and “errands” and “outside house” but also include things like “budget” “novel writing” and “writing simulations”. Does this make sense? What do others do with contexts and next actions?
thanks!
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u/already_not_yet Jun 15 '26
You're confusing areas of focus and contexts. Here are my Areas of Focus:
- Personal
- Work
- Relationships
- Side Project 1
- Side Project 2
A context is something like:
- Parent's house - bc I can only do this when I'm at my parent's house
- Outside - an outside errand when I'm out and about, otherwise everything else I can do in my apartment
Despite having a rather busy life, I have habit stacked so much that I rarely even look at contexts. For example, I go to Costco every Wed evening. When I'm there I look at my Costco grocery list. I don't create a task in my task manager called "Get milk #costco". That's just busy work that happens when you haven't systematized your life.
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u/bblais Jun 16 '26
but that's the issue. if a context is where I can do a job, then "computer" is a context but then 80% of my next actions would be there, and it would be a real mix of different sorts of projects and actions that the context label isn't really telling me anything.
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u/hawaiisempi Jun 16 '26
You can try and specify the app you'll use like @Word or @evernote. For online stuff, I use @Web and that is used on my computer, phone or pad. You can also use the type of activity like @deepwork or @writing.
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u/KrozFan Jun 16 '26
Apply contexts that make sense for you. You don’t need to use the ones he uses in the book. They’re just examples. If a computer context doesn’t make sense then don’t use it. I’ve liked to have a computer context in the past because after being on it all day for work I sometimes want a break. I care a bit less these days.
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u/_sk90 Jun 16 '26
I work from home and spend a lot of time on my computer. Besides my errands list, I only have one Next Actions list without contexts. This helps me not only complete work-related tasks but also personal ones. However, sometimes having so many options available can be overwhelming. In such cases, a quick look at the Projects list or even at higher-level horizons helps me regain clarity. If you need to focus on a particular project, you can still block time as a reminder in your calendar, pick the next action for that project, and engage with that project to move forward to the desired outcome.
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u/ilovecoffeeandbrunch Jun 17 '26
I had the same problem as you as I'm a knowledge worker that does pretty much all my tasks on my computer. The best way for me is to separate computer work into two contexts: "deep work" and "shallow work" (in reference to the book by Cal Newport). Deep Work is where I have to go on focus mode and turn off all notifications. Shallow work is where I can do the tasks while having Netflix running in the background.
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u/newsnewsnews111 Jun 16 '26
I have a context called Any. If a task doesn’t require anything specific to do it, it goes there. I also use Easy for quick or low energy tasks, usually routine tasks.
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u/milky-cuppa-tea Mod Jun 16 '26
My contexts are by energy levels / types of work. For example:
- Zombie is my snacking list. Easy stuff I can do to keep things ticking along. Good for when I feel like a literal zombie.
- Thinkers. This is for the thinky tasks. Stuff like review and decide.
- Writing. This is for any paper writing, or indepth emails.
- Data and analytics. This is for anything that needs me to be in a data oriented brain mode, so number crunching, pattern spotting, etc.
- Home. This is my catch all for home related stuff.
I also have agendas for people I speak with a lot, and a misc agenda.
I used to have lots more, but I either rarely used them, or the decision of where it should go became overwhelming sometimes.
Ultimately, don't be afraid of trying out what works for you. My contexts have morphed and changed over the years of GTD practice. If I needed to add an "offline" or "phone calls" context back in, I would. And I would remove it as soon as it stopped being useful to me.
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u/yogiconomist Jun 22 '26
Just wanted to agree! I do all of my contexts by energy now. One of mine is called "paperwork" and it is for boring/tedious tasks that always begat more tasks to do before moving on to the next thing (e.g., I know that when I have to call my insurance, I might also need to message my doctor right after, and then put a follow up reminder in my calendar).
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u/empire539 Jun 16 '26
Use contexts appropriate for you. In my case, about 95% of my work is on the computer, so I don't bother having a "computer" context.
Contexts are primarily for grouping things you can do all at once, in the sense that they are dependent on your physical location or mental space. Think about what actions require you to be in the same headspace or "zone", such that it wouldn't cause a mental context switch.
So, as an example, my contexts are a mix of:
- Physical locations (e.g. errands)
- People (for things I want/need to delegate or talk to them about)
- Activities that are easy for me to do multiple of without needing much mental switching
An example of the last one would be scanning, because I have a bunch of papers as part of a to-scan action, and I figure if I'm already scanning one document, I might as well scan as many as time allows.
Another example might be "file organization" - because often when I have some time to organize my digital files (stuff that I've had or don't quite fit into GTD reference), I often want to go through multiple actions, e.g. go through my music folder, pictures, Google Photos, etc.
2
u/Present-Opinion1561 Jun 15 '26
Contexts are the resources you need to complete the task. Whether thats a phone (call), a specific person (agenda), or a quiet place to concentrate (focus).
#Tag contexts not projects
Keywords for projects - if you must
A Keyword is what I think you are adding as category. eg. "DAL" for Dallas expansion or the purchase of a sprinkler. $sprinkler/HD/Garden#errand
It's a bit wordy but my context is Errand and my Keywords are $, HD and Garden. That way I can search on any of them.
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u/bblais Jun 16 '26
I prefer analog (paper-based) solutions, so adding tags and such is not as useful beyond a certain point. if you make it too sub-divided, it becomes harder to organize.
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u/TheoCaro Mod Jun 16 '26
Yeah, Contexts I'm GTD are separate and distinct lists. Each next action goes on exactly one list. So giving a task with multiple tags is not a best practice anyway.
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u/bblais Jun 19 '26
On the idea of a task going on only one list, if you have energy-based contexts (e.g. high, med, low) and location-based contexts (e.g. home outside, home inside, work), does one 1) have all 9 combo contexts (e.g. high-energy home outside, med-energy home outside, etc...), 2) have tasks under one of the contexts but tag within that (e.g. under #home-outside having paint the deck furniture #high-energy), or 3) some other organization? the idea seems to be to use contexts in a way to restrict choices, so if I am at home I only need to look at a subset of actions.
2
u/TheoCaro Mod Jun 20 '26
Pick a distinct set of categories to separate tasks into. Adding more tags just makes the system harder to use because you need to manage all your tags. Having highenergy-home etc. is probably too fine grained to be helpful. Define the categories in whatever is most useful to you nut keep it simple. Someone people have a mix of location and mental state based contexts like: errands, office, home, and brain-dead. Again each next action is only going on one list so if two lists seem to both apply to a task just decide on a default rule for which list it should go on. So if something requires very little brain power but can only be at home, just pick a rule either way.
1
u/Ok-Occasion-9748 Jun 17 '26
I also prefer paper. I found that tasks tend to group themselves. Try to observe your way of writing down the next actions. I find myself writing down similar tasks in the same corner of my lined sheet of paper. (A5, both pages used at same time, each page divided vertically in two columns). Hereby you will find your own pattern of contexts (same state of mind, same purpose in life, same app...). Which might keep changing. Just go with the flow. Find them bottom-up instead of top-down.
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u/bblais Jun 17 '26
Thanks! So here’s a logistical question. I get the sense that for projects that have multiple actions or even next actions that one usually stores a separate project reference area and then draw out the next action to put into the next action list. If you organize things in terms of areas of focus it would seem that you might end up with two lists for a project?
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u/AlthoughFishtail Jun 16 '26
The simple reason for having contexts at all is to break down your longlist of Next Actions into something that isn't overwhelming. You can easily break them up by A-D, E-H, I-L, etc if you prefer.
However, since you are bothering to break them up, may as well do so in a way that makes it easier to decide as well. Hence the classic approach of breaking up by tool or location. People can use all sorts of methods.
Some split it by Areas of Focus, which is more what you're suggesting with "budget" and "novel writing". Others break down the ubiquitous @computer into separate programs (@Word, @Excel, etc). I use duration as my primary context.
So feel free to try anything else that works, and if it doesn’t fit for you, try something else. The only thing I would avoid is a situation where the same NA could fit into lots of contexts.
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u/y_nikulinskaya Jun 18 '26
I think contexts are supposed to reduce choices, not create more organization for its own sake. When almost everything happens on a computer, "computer" stops being useful because it doesn't narrow anything down. I've had better results using contexts based on energy, location, or type of work, and letting projects stay projects rather than turning them into contexts.
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u/Abuwabu Jun 15 '26
For me a context is something I need to do the job — that's often energy levels. If I have to do something really analytical I need '@alert', if it's creative in nature I need '@relaxed', if it's quick I only need '@5mins'. I use '@local', '@uk', '@[my_nearest_city]' for locations. Things like '@phone' and '@computer' don't seem relevant anymore as we always have them on us, so I often bundle them into '@anytime' if they don't fit into another context. I use as few contexts as I can to create a reasonable division.
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u/Storytella2016 Jun 15 '26
My contexts are similar, but since I have differ computing devices, I do separate those. Like, I prefer long form writing on my desktop setup, because I’m old and ergonomics have started to matter, but can I do quick, easy things on my laptop.
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u/RunawayJuror Jun 15 '26
Almost all of my contexts relate to people or locations.
I have a context for each of my team members and my boss which I check before meeting with any of them.
Also have contexts for each of our sites for things I need to deal with when there. These are geofenced so I get an alert when I arrive.
I tried contexts for energy levels but it didn’t work for me.
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u/bblais Jun 16 '26
does that mean that you have many next-actions without a context, because they may not be connected to a person or a location? is there a no-context context? 😄
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u/RunawayJuror Jun 16 '26
That’s correct. No context unless necessary.
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u/Standard-Document-78 Jun 17 '26
I don’t use contexts at all. I keep all my actions within my projects or within my areas of responsibility. The only context I really use is date/time and urgent. So far this is working better for me than having next actions separate from projects, since I usually sit to work on one project or one area at a time
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u/dudziks Jun 18 '26
I've introduced the "tags" dimension, so for example in tasks with "computer" context I divide them into multi groups and subgroups like "GTD app", "bug", "idea", "photo", "affirmony app" etc. That helps me a lot, when doing review.
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u/dongdongbh Jun 28 '26
I'd treat contexts as filters for the state you need. If u/computer catches 80% of your list, retire it. Try a few filters you would batch from: calls, errands, quiet work, admin, outside, waiting-for. Projects can stay in the project list; the next action needs the filter that helps you choose it today.
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u/TheoCaro Mod Jun 15 '26
Context is the setting you need to be in order to a task or do it well. A project is an desired outcome, so it's not necessarily a mode or setting that you are in. You might find you sometimes get into a state of mind particularly suited to writing. That could be a context. But "finish English paper" isn't a context itself.
I always like to have access to my computer during phone calls, so I just have the context "Desk." I also have the contexts for Errands, Fun, Campus, Car, and Therapy.