The Hidden Cost of Unmanaged Intentions

In this session, Ana Maria Gonzalez and John Forrester examine the relationship between projects and Someday/Maybe lists. The core idea is that cognitive friction stems not from the amount of work you have, but from unanchored outcomes--commitments that live in your head without a reliable external place to track them. By categorizing these as either active projects or Someday/Maybe items, you can offload the mental weight of keeping track of them. The implication is that Someday/Maybe lists are not just wish lists; they are pressure valves that keep your project lists from becoming cluttered and ineffective. Mastering this distinction allows you to maintain high speed on active work while keeping long-term possibilities in view.

The Systemic Mechanics of Focus

Why the Project Definition Must Be Broad

The GTD framework defines a project as any outcome requiring more than one step that you can complete within a year. While this may seem broad, Gonzalez argues it is a necessary constraint. If an outcome needs more than one step and lacks an external anchor, it will distract you. Your mind responds to these floating outcomes by constantly pulling at your attention, which creates ambient stress.

"If you don't have a placeholder or a bookmark, right? A place where you're actually tracking that outcome then what's going to happen is that whether you like it or not, you're gonna get distracted by it."

-- Ana Maria Gonzalez

By forcing these items onto a project list, you move them from your working memory into a stable, reviewable system. The one-year threshold is not about how important the work is; it is a tool to determine if an item needs a weekly review to stay on your radar.

The Someday/Maybe List as a Competitive Moat

Many people treat Someday/Maybe lists as a place for abandoned ideas. Systems thinking shows the opposite: it is an inventory management tool. When a project list grows too long, it stops being useful for your weekly review. Moving items you are not currently committed to into a Someday/Maybe category creates a cleaner, more focused active list.

"The Someday/Maybe category honestly is one of the best categories to relieve unneeded pressure."

-- Ana Maria Gonzalez

This creates a clear line between what you could do and what you must do. Over time, this discipline prevents the guilt-driven project management that affects many teams, where outdated projects sit on active lists, creating noise and diluting your focus.

Mining for Hidden Complexity

Projects often hide in plain sight, disguised as problems or issues. Gonzalez identifies three areas where these hidden projects live: current activities, higher horizons like areas of focus, and the others category, which includes unresolved issues, creative opportunities, or process improvements.

The insight here is that identifying these problems is the first step toward fixing them. Even if you do not have a solution yet, capturing the problem as a project like "Look into X" or "Research Y" turns a source of stress into a manageable commitment. This requires the patience to define the outcome rather than just reacting to the friction.

Key Action Items

• Audit Your Project List (Immediate): Scan your current list and move anything that does not require action this week, or that you are not truly committed to moving on, to a Someday/Maybe list. This reduces the mental load of your weekly review.
• Implement Look Into Projects (Over the next week): Identify 2-3 persistent issues or clunky processes that cause recurring frustration. Create a project titled "Look into [Issue]" to move these from subconscious annoyances to active, trackable outcomes.
• Customize Your Review Structure (Over the next month): If your project list feels unmanageable, group projects by area of focus, professional versus personal, or client categories to improve the clarity of your weekly review.
• Adopt Projects on Hold (12-18 months): If Someday/Maybe feels too distant, create a Projects on Hold subcategory. This acts as a middle ground for projects you are committed to but cannot execute right now, keeping them visible for your review without cluttering your active list.
• Close the Loop (Ongoing): For every new project you identify, define at least one next action. A project without a defined next action is just a wish; grounding it in an action is what turns it into a reality.