Another Context Example

I thought it might be fun to explore another example of using contexts for those of you who’ve never used them or seen a benefit from them.

This is from my example of my “Fixing the bathroom” project in my previous post.

One of the tasks was to “restock the bathroom with supplies”.

So in the course of processing that list, I figure it’s a good idea to make a list of all the supplies I might possibly need. Let’s just mind-sweep this and get everything out.

• toilet paper
• soap
• soap dish
• extra toothpaste
• deodorant
• bath balls
• kids soap
• towels
• plunger
• kids toys
• candles
• shaver
• shaving cream
• face wash
• contact lens solution
• tooth brushes

There’s probably a bunch more, but this is enough for now.  So, I’ve made my mind sweep of all the things I might need for the bathroom.  However, we’re about 4 weeks out from having the bathroom ready to be stocked and used because we still need to clean it out, paint it, etc etc.  So should I wait to purchase these things?   Maybe, maybe not.  It all depends on my schedule, how busy I am, where I’m shopping, what my travel schedule looks like, etc.  It could be that I’m going to be heading to a shop where it might be really convenient to get this stuff while purchasing paint (for example) to paint the bathroom.  If I’m already there, I should pick up stuff that’s convenient, right?

But how do I know what’s convenient?  Should I keep this list with me at all times?  Probably not.  If I keep the list this way, every time I go to the store I’ll read through the entire list and re-process everything to see if there’s anything there that I need to buy.  What a waste of time!  Instead, let’s process this list by adding contexts!

• toilet paper @supermarket
• soap @supermarket
• soap dish @Bed Bath and Beyond
• extra toothpaste @supermarket
• deodorant @supermarket
• bath balls @Bed Bath and Beyond
• kids soap @Babies R Us
• towels @Wash
• plunger @Home Depot
• kids toys @Babies R Us
• candles @Scent-amental
• shaver @supermarket
• shaving cream @supermarket
• face wash @drug store
• contact lens solution @drug store
• tooth brushes @supermarket

The cool thing about this is that if I’m going to the supermarket, I can bring up a list of all my items that are tagged with @supermarket and pick them up right away.  Then I just store them until I’m ready to use them!   When I’m getting painting supplies at Home Depot, I see that I’ve got a plunger I need to buy.  So I get it then.  It simplifies my life because I’m able to create lists that are totally dependent on context.

It’s also possible to tag all these things with a context like @errand, so you can run over them quickly if you’re going to head out on some errands.  Then you can say “oh, I’ve got a bunch of things to pick up at Babies R Us and it’s on the way home.  I’ll head on past!”.  While you’re in the store, you check your @babies r us and grab everything you may need for any project you may be working on.

So friggin’ cool!