Getting Things Done by David Allen Page B

systems to handle the items that require no action as well as the ones that do. No-action systems fall into three categories: trash, incubation, and reference .
Trash
    Trash should be self-evident. Throw away anything that has no potential future action or reference value. If you leave this stuff mixed in with other categories, it will seriously undermine the system.
Incubation
    There are two other groups of things besides trash that require no immediate action, but this stuff you will want to keep . Here again, it’s critical that you separate nonactionable from actionable items; otherwise you will tend to go numb to your piles, stacks, and lists and not know where to start or what needs to be done.
    Say you pick up something from a memo, or read an e-mail, that gives you an idea for a project you might want to do someday, but not now. You’ll want to be reminded of it again later so you can reassess the option of doing something about it in the future. For example, a brochure arrives in the mail for the upcoming season of your local symphony. On a quick browse, you see that the program that really interests you is still four months away—too distant for you to move on it yet (you’re not sure what your travel schedule will be that far out), but if you are in town, you’d like to go. What should you do about that?
    There are two kinds of “incubate” systems that could work for this kind of thing: “Someday/Maybe” lists and a “tickler” file.
     
    “Someday/Maybe” It can be useful and inspiring to maintain an ongoing list of things you might want to do at some point but not now. This is the “parking lot” for projects that would be impossible to move on at present but that you don’t want to forget about entirely. You’d like to be reminded of the possibility at regular intervals.
Typical Partial “Someday/Maybe” List
    Get a bass-fishing boat
    Learn Spanish
    Take a watercolor class
    Get a sideboard for the kitchen
    Build a lap pool
    Get Kathryn a scooter
    Take a balloon ride
    Build a wine cellar
    Take a trip through Montana
    Learn Photoshop software capabilities
    Set up a not-for-profit foundation
    Create promotional videos of staff
    Find Stafford Lyons
    Get a digital video camera
    Northern Italy trip
    Apprentice with my carpenter
    Spotlight our artwork
    Build a koi pond
    Digitize old photos and videos
    Have a neighborhood party
    Set up remote-server access at home
     
     
     
    You’ll probably have some subcategories in your master “Someday/Maybe” list, such as
    • CDs I might want
    • Videos to rent
    • Books to read
    • Wine to taste
    • Weekend trips to take
    • Things to do with the kids
    • Seminars to take
    You must review this list periodically if you’re going to get the most value from it. I suggest you include a scan of the contents in your Weekly Review (see page 46).
     
    “Tickler” File The most elegant version of holding for review is the “tickler” file, sometimes also referred to as a “suspended” or “follow-on” file. This is a system that allows you to almost literally mail something to yourself, for receipt on some designated day in the future.
    Your calendar can serve the same function. You might remind yourself on your calendar for March 15, for example, that your taxes are due in a month; or for September 12, that Swan Lake will be presented by the Bolshoi at the Civic Auditorium in six weeks.
    For further details, refer to chapter 7.
Reference Material
    Many things that come your way require no action but have intrinsic value as information. You will want to keep and be able to retrieve these as needed. They can be stored in paper-based or digital form.
    Paper-based material—anything from the menu for a local take-out deli to the plans, drawings, and vendor information for a landscape project—is best stored in efficient physical-retrieval systems. These can range from pages in a loose-leaf planner or notebook, for a list of favorite restaurants or