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Autofocus: How to Decide on Which Task to Work on Next

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The Autofocus directions state that you must not try to prioritize items mentally. "Instead," Mark Forster writes, "wait for a feeling of release about an item. It’s hard to describe but easy to recognize. You just feel that the item is ready to be done. If you go on down the page, you may find that you feel drawn back to that item. Once you get that feeling about a task all resistance to doing the task vanishes, and it becomes easy to do."

So, how do you train yourself to know when an item is ready to be done?

I like David Allen's criteria in his Getting Things Done methodology:

  • Context: Are you in a location where you can actually work on the item?
  • Time available: If you only have five minutes, can you make reasonable progress on this item during that time?
  • Energy available: If the item involves physical action, how strong are you right now? If the item involves creative action, how rested are you right now?
  • Payoff: Which item could lead to the highest results and benefits or get you closer to your goals?