Waiting For vs. Follow Up
One of the common tags people use in their to do list app is the “waiting for” tag. It’s one of the example contexts that David Allen shares in his seminal work, Getting Things Done.
But I think waiting for something is too passive.
It means you won’t take action — you expect someone else to do that instead. It means that you’re trusting on somebody else to get back to you when you have no idea what they already have on their plate to begin with.
I prefer the term “follow up” as a tag instead.
That puts the action squarely in your corner. You keep on top of things better than if you’re waiting on something. You become proactive rather than reactive… and proactivity is closer to productivity than the alternative.
It’s time to stop waiting and start following up. That way you have a better chance of following through instead of expecting others to do so for you.
