Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity pdfdrive com

Horizontal and Vertical Action Management
You need to control commitments, projects, and actions in two ways—
horizontally and vertically. “Horizontal” control maintains coherence across all
the activities in which you are involved. Imagine your psyche constantly
scanning your environment like police radar; it may land on any of a thousand
different items that invite or demand your attention during any twenty-four-hour
period: the drugstore, the housekeeper, your aunt Martha, the strategic plan,
lunch, a wilting plant in the office, an upset customer, shoes that need shining.
You have to buy stamps, deposit that check, make the hotel reservation, cancel a
staff meeting, see a movie tonight. You might be surprised at the volume of
things you actually think about and have to deal with just in one day. You need a
good system that can keep track of as many of them as possible, supply required
information about them on demand, and allow you to shift your focus from one
thing to the next quickly and easily.
“Vertical” control, in contrast, manages thinking up and down the track of
individual topics and projects. For example, your inner “police radar” lands on
your next vacation as you and your spouse talk about it over dinner—where and
when you’ll go, what you’ll do, how to prepare for the trip, and so on. Or you
and your boss need to make some decisions about the new departmental
reorganization you’re about to launch. Or you just need to get your thinking up
to date on the customer you’re about to call. This is “project planning” in the
broad sense. It’s focusing in on a single endeavor, situation, or person and
fleshing out whatever ideas, details, priorities, and sequences of events may be
required for you to handle it, at least for the moment.
The goal for managing horizontally and vertically is the same: to get things
off your mind and get things done. Appropriate action management lets you feel
comfortable and in control as you move through your broad spectrum of work
and life, while appropriate project focusing gets you clear about and on track
with the specifics needed.

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