Signs of a Weak Capture System

Signs of a Weak Capture System

By Steve Pavlina

A common sign that you have a weak or under-utilized(ˈyo͞odlˌīz) system for capturing and organizing your tasks and projects is that you’re trying to use some non-system as a substitute(ˈsəbstəˌt(y)o͞ot).

This includes bad habits such as these:

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Leaving emails sitting in your inbox after you’ve read them the first time

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Using any messaging app to remember some to-do items

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Using multiple apps to capture tasks

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Not being sure which inbox to send your tasks to

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Worrying about tasks falling through the cracks(krak)
Relying on your human memory to keep reminding yourself about tasks you need to attend to

A good system has at most two inboxes: one digital inbox and one paper inbox.

A good system has one calendar(ˈkaləndər) for keeping track of your time-based commitments. You can also set it to proactively(prōˈaktivlē) remind you of appointments when necessary, so you don’t have to rely on your memory or constantly looking at the clock for that.

Your email inbox isn’t a calendar or a project management system. Nor is your web browser.

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A good system doesn’t show you reminders of your to-dos except(ikˈsept) when you need to see them. It doesn’t distract you by showing you the same unprocessed emails every time you check your inbox.

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Not having a good capture system is a problem worth solving. Consider that if you don’t solve it soon, you’re punting(pənt) the problem to the future, cursing(kərs) your future self with more distraction and degraded(diˈɡrādid) focus year after year. That will absolutely drag down the results you’re able to create and the quality of life you’re able to enjoy. You can solve this problem permanently(ˈpərmənəntlē). You can leave it in the past so that it never plagues(plāɡ) you again.

https://stevepavlina.com/blog/2020/12/signs-of-a-weak-capture-system/