The Concrete Goals Tracker consists of both the bubble tracker and a weighted task list. Creating that task list is pretty important if you want good direction on your day-to-day progress. Post yours here, or ask about a specific application and we might be able to collectively figure something out.

Hi all! I'm Rod from Italy (so sorry for my english :P)

This topic has been created after my comment on "Concrete Goals Tracker 2008 Updates" post

My comment in few words: some days ago I created my own list of points for CGT and now that I'm using it, I wonder if I have been too generic in choosing these points, in particular in the +1 points.

One of them, for example, is "Physical and mental health" as to do exercises, to eat good food... I don't need so much effort to do these things, so it is a +1 point. But, in one day I saw that I do a lot of that things: good food at lunch and dinner (at least I think that ^_^), I walk 20+min to go to work and to come back home and I consider this as a health exercise (I walk to reach almost every place in my city), I use to do some exercise when I wake up

It happens that in one day I sign 7 point of "Physical and mental health" kind, without counting the other points. By seeing David's examples it seems too much.

Maybe "Physical and mental health" is too generic, or I should sign only one +1 for the day, even if I walk, exercise and eat good, or just eat good for that day. Maybe I am doing these kind of things so many times that I don't need to keep track

What do you think? Do you have any trouble or any particular criteria to manage with the CGT?

Thanks and bye!

Rod

Hi Rod!

That's an excellent question. When I first made my own tracker, I allowed myself to rack up as many points as possible. For example, I like to talk to people during the day, and so long as I did mention something about work or work-related, I gave myself the point or so. But in the back of my mind, I know what the really important things are to achieve on the list: booking work, etc.

My advice: try it out for a couple week first, and award yourself as many points as possible. What I think you'll find, as you look over the historical data of what you did, that some patterns will jump out. As you look at some days and remember them being good, you might ascribe it to the food you ate (keeping notes on what happened in the bottom of the form is good for helping remember the day). Also, you will see what an average day looks like. At that point, you can reassess, and then adjust your CGT again.

Hi again!

Now it is almost 1 month since I started to use my list of CGT points. It has been a very good experienced! :)

I didn't know what to expect really, in this month my points changed a little bit, but I think it is normal and I feel better about the way to assign them; I've found very useful to write one or two examples to clarify the meaning and describe the situation where some points of my list should fit; what do you think about the use of examples? I written them in the note space, while I took my day's notes in a little notebook that in the evening I checked with the CGT's points

I don't know if I have explained well the point. The idea is: I write what I do in the day (not too detailed however), then I check it with GTD to see if I followed one of my points, so I could see if there are patterns I miss in my GTD list

Result of all that? I built 3 new (little) habits! I know I know... it's better to build one habit at time, but CGT helped me a lot, at least for small habits

Thanks and bye!

Rod

Hi Rod,

Wow, over a year has passed since you posted this, and I am just now seeing it! I am deeply sorry.

I think the use of examples is excellent. As you write in them more, you gain a clearer understanding. Also, you probably are finding what is really worthwhile to yourself.

What were the new habits?

Dave

Wow! What a coincidence!

I've just visited your site after a lot of time and in the same time you wrote to me :) and the 13th July is my birthday :D So thank you!

I have to admit that I stopped to use the CGT since some months, but in this period I'm thinking again about it, about why I dropped it out, about organization and ideas for new instruments.

So I come back to your site (I always think about you when I think about design and organization) and I have the idea to write you again, but you preceded me :)

I've scheduled a review about myself the next weekend, probably I'll answer your question and I'll have something to write here about CGT and other things, so keep in alert :)

Bye and thanks again! ^_^

Rod

Heh, I guess it was meant to be! :-) I'm curious why you stopped using it (I haven't been using it myself for some time, though I'm thinking about it again myself).

Hi again, I'm here again. Sorry, I'm late but my Internet line had the great idea "to go on holiday" for two weeks :P

Going back to the topic, here are some ideas to explain why I leaved the CGT:

• my points were too vague about the directions (goals) they was aiming

• I didn't have a clear and sure reward system (what to do with these points?)

• the use of the CGT is an habit that have to be cultivated, so there are the risks of habit creation

• I'm not yet a freelancer, so my needs are a bit different

I wish to be more balanced; so, few time ago, I defined few areas and rules to have an uniform progression in my life. But I still had some trouble: I tryed to cover any kind of action, so these areas was too generic. :( I can't say yes to everything!

Now I restarted from zero and I read again your posts about the PCEO series. I'll retry with the CGT, but inspired by your Menu of the Day I'll use three groups of points:

1) PCEO PTS: about change, progression and goals. Here there will be the points with highest value.

2) AREA PTS: about areas of life that need maintenance, they remind me your category in your colored grid boxes in the DGB. It's something like the "horizontal action management" of David Allen. Do you agree?

3) HABIT PTS: about steps to create a habit.

With your points system, tasks and days get value, so I'm wondering if there could be a sort of "economical management" of the days.

However I have some questions about your PCEO:

1) The DGB is a way to balance activities, right?

2) The colored grid boxes suggest your ideal distribution of time between categories, they don't say how much time you must spend neither when spend it, right?

3) Do you sign a box in a category when you complete a task in that category, or when you spend an hour in it? After an hour in a category, what do you do if there isn't any result for one reason or another? Do you sign or not?

4) Why the happy category have 2 boxes with no room for overflow like other categories?

5) Could you explain the process points? Could you give an example? The bill payment or regular exercise to maintain health, could they be considered in the process points?

6) Could you give some example on what you do when you have collected points in the CGT? Any reward?

I've a lot of things to say, but I written too much and I don't want to disturb, so I close here for now.

Bye and thanks! :)

Rod