I use my Someday/Maybe list as inspiration. I don't have a long list but the items on my Someday/Maybe list are projects that I really would love to do but don't have the time to dedicate to them.

This usually means it's something I want to do for my self such as build that website I always wanted or learn Italian.

I put them on the list not because I don't think I will ever get to it. I put them on the list because it's a Someday/Maybe list. I think the Someday part of it is what keeps me happy. I want to someday do it and this is why it belongs there.

Sure you will have things that fall on the Maybe list, but I think these items are some things you may not be as excited about.

Just remember that the list really contains two level of items you will like to do.

Someday = You really want to do this and hope to get to it Someday.

Maybe = it would be nice but it's OK if it never happens.

proximo

Your Someday/Maybe list should not be purged. "Maybe" means you might never get to it. That's okay. The list can be 10 pages long if that's how long it gets.

You should only take something off that list if you truly have no more interest in doing it. Ever.

GTD is about getting everything off your mind and into a trusted system. If you start taking things off your Someday/Maybe list, you're going to think about them more. Bad idea.

Marina @ Sufficient Thrust

wow. i don't even make lists to keep organized, let alone organize my lists! i think some people tend to make life more a lot complicated than it actually is. what happened to 'eat, sleep, reproduce'?

not that i lack ambition. i make plans. in fact, i've got myself a nice family, a doctorate, a strong career... but at the end of the day i'm a hedonist. i'm out for pleasure. i'm not going to waste my time worrying about whether my todo list is too long or too lofty.

i just do it, then go buy some more beer.

garbanzo-bean

I tend to use my Someday/Maybe list for things I really would like to do, but I know there is a chance I'll never get too. But it's nice to have a place to store these types of items. I also put things like books I may buy, but I'm not too sure about yet. I probably don't check it enough, so some of Andre's ideas will come in handy.

-Regards,
Scott
Smart Productivity Blog

scokar

Good trick. This is quite the same as asking "What is the next action?" when running through your IN box.
But I find myself often looking at each item in the Someday/Maybe list going: "Ok, yeah, that's still there. That too, ok. Mhmm, yup, still on the list..." and then return to my beer...

chaos0815

I almost never review my Someday/Maybe list because my active list keeps me fully occupied and then some. But I still find the Someday/Maybe list really useful as a place to boot items from my active list without feeling that I am completely abandoning them. Plus, since my list is searchable, when I have a 'new' idea I can quickly see if its already buried on my list somewhere.

For me, one of the main purposes of keeping lists is to break the habit of mentally reminding myself that I need to remember to do X, Y, and Z, and I find putting things on my Someday/Maybe list really does work to prevent me from mentally reminding myself about them.

AndyFromTucson

I don't use such a list. It's either something to be done, or not, even if it is "Run in a marathon." That project takes time, and needs a first step, even if you schedule that first step six months from now. It seems such a list actually encourages procrastination, makes things more complicated, and puts off the things in life that are meaningful.

swaddict

The problems addressed in the list appear to come from not understanding this list's purpose.

For me it presents an opportunity to assess and prioritize my big-picture dreams.

@garbanzo-bean: I admire your free-spirit attitude, and used to tell myself the same thing, but anyone who adopts GTD has come to the realization that staying organized is actually less work than carrying everything in your head. Floating through life is fine for some, but as soon as you create a couple goals, you have to prioritize them.

The article pegs the problem very succinctly: "Anyone in the 21st Century will be exposed to more compelling opportunities than he or she could possibly fulfill in three lifetimes."

SamburgerHandwich

The Someday/Maybe list also serves me as a "brain-dump." I can get it off my mind, on a list in a trusted system and get back to it - maybe someday. In other words, it's not important enough and/or feasible enough to schedule now but I don't want to just forget about it. Once it's on my list, I can better focus on the task at hand. Some people don't need that but I do.

computermom

@SamburgerHandwich: floating is not incompatible with productivity! that's a big misconception. i'm very lazy and laid back, but i've accomplished more in my short lifetime than most people even dream of. i'm as good with a hammer or chainsaw as i am with a computer. i've visited more countries than my colleagues have years. i've earned three degrees across two continents. i've spent months living alone in the desert, i've watched a bear raise her cubs in the mountains, and i've partied with the rest of them in London, Paris, and elsewhere.

yet the only list i ever make is the one that helps me remember what to buy at the market on saturday mornings.

now, who wants to talk about getting things done? the only people that need this are the ones who would rather buy a latte and talk about interest rates than go for a 20 mile hike over the continental divide. can you guess which kind of person i am?

garbanzo-bean

@garbanzo-bean: To each their own. It sounds like whatever you are doing is working for you, so keep at it.

SamburgerHandwich

@Kevin: Thanks for the link to my post!

@SamburgerHandwich: One of the critical distinctions I make between getting stuff out of your head and keeping a paper trail of it indefinitely. An unedited list lends itself to superficial scanning, not contemplative prioritization.

Some future considerations are persistent. If we continue to think about something repeatedly, then by all means, the Someday/Maybe list is the best home for it.

Then there are other considerations that are either momentary or insufficiently motivating. To use the "Visit Paraguay" example from my post -- would I like to visit Paraguay in my lifetime? Sure. Do I actually think about going? Not really. There's a difference between recognizing that an experience or project has intrinsic value, and having a sense that I ever plan to follow through on it.

In general, I try to reserve the Someday/Maybe list for genuine aspirations, not experiences that have value in the abstract.

Andre Kibbe

I don't like the idea of a someday/maybe list. I just have my stuff grouped into projects and other smartlists. Some stuff doesn't have due dates but it is all a bit more organized than just having one big list of things I will never get to.

jkrell

The items on Someday/Maybe that stay too long there, should be moved to an Archive section. This combines the benefits of having everything written down to clear your head, with the benefits of having a Someday/Maybe list small enough so you can actually manage it and choose something from there to do.

An application that uses this approach is [www.gtdagenda.com]

dannielo

Someday I'd like to organise my life, maybe one day I'll get around to doing it :)

Martee