It is important to know what needs to be collected and how to collect it most effectively so you can process it appropriately. In order for your mind to let go of the lower-level task for trying to hang on to everything, you have to know that you have truly captured everything that might represent something you have to do, and that at some point in the near future you will process and review all of it.
Gathering 100 Percent of the “Incompletes”
In order to eliminate “holes in the bucket,” you need to collect and gather together placeholders for or representations of all the things you consider incomplete in your world.
Three Practical Reasons
- It’s helpful to have a sense of the volume of stuff you have to deal with.
- It lets you know where the “end of the tunnel” is.
- When you’re processing and organizing, you don’t want to be distracted psychologically by an amorphous mass of stuff that might still be “somewhere.” Once you have all the things that require your attention gathered in one place, you’ll automatically be operating from a state of enhanced focus and control.
The Collection Tools
- Physical in-basket
- Paper-based note-taking devices
- Electronic note-taking devices
- Voice-recording devices
The Collection Success Factors
- Every open loop must be in your collection system and out of your head.
- You must have as few collection buckets as you can get by with.
- You must empty them regularly.
* Source: Getting Things Done by David Allen