The Zen-Journal Productivity and Mindfulness Blog

Bad task karma (BTK) is when one task affects the next and the next and so on. For instance, a meeting runs long and impacts the rest of your appointments and tasks. Before you know it you’re rushing to reschedule, and you’re overscheduled yet again!

BTK will kill your productivity, but it’s not your fault

That’s because most analog planning systems tell you to schedule tasks according to their urgency. Unfortunately, that leads to unrealistic expectations and lots of bad task karma.

One task gets delayed, then another, then they begin the queue and then stack up and soon you’re overscheduled once again.”

Lucky for you, Zen-Journal eliminates bad task karma altogether

This is because of two primary features that set Zen-Journal apart:

1. Where most analog planning systems offer you a monthly spread or a traditional calendar layout and chide you to choose a date or it won’t get done, Zen-Journal utilizes a 3-month Quarterly Look-Ahead doesn’t force you to choose a day for the sake of choosing a day; instead, you choose a quarter for scheduling tasks and when it’s relevant, you can make it an action item on any given day.
2. Zen-Journal uses a ‘relevancy filter‘ that creates a mindful process for reviewing tasks on you QLA and allowing them to ripen (if you will) to their fullest relevance.

Here’s how the Relevancy Filter (RF) works

Task relevance means that the time is appropriate to work on a task. Because the present moment is all we truly have, it doesn’t make any sense to attach some sort of relevance to a future date in a calendar. It’s really just making a mark on a piece of paper and has nothing to do with carrying out the task.

You and I have done this a thousand times, right? We schedule a task on a specific date in a calendar and then when that date arrives, we either don’t get to the task because of other pressing commitments, or it doesn’t need doing any longer and it’s become irrelevant.

So, why did we choose that date in the first place?”

What if we didn’t schedule the task on a calendar and still got it done? When you think about it, calendars only are effective for tracking appointments or due-dates and nothing more. Because Zen-Journal relies on digital devices to track appointments, reminders, and lists, task relevance drives ow you use your Day-At-a-Time Work Area to accomplish your relevant tasks.

By placing the task on the QLA and then reviewing the QLA each day during either your morning or evening Zen-Journal review, you will know when it’s appropriate to work on a task. You’ll experience what it’s like when a task demands attention and expresses its relevance.

That’s when becomes an actionable task.

This isn’t procrastination

Before you say this is just another form of procrastination, let’s review what procrastination really is.

Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished. 

Procrastination would be not scheduling the task on the QLA nor ever acting on it at all. Instead, Zen-Journal’s relevancy filter is a change in paradigm when it comes to prioritizing tasks.

Scheduling into a calendar or monthly spread creates the opportunity to procrastinate wherein the Zen-Journal QLA holds the tasks until its inherent relevance is revealed.

Embracing the power of task relevancy will create a less crowded schedule that feels lighter.  Your daily commitments will be fewer and you’ll get more accomplished.