# Sequential vs. parallel projects

> When a project should show only its next step and when it should show every task at once. A simple rule, real examples, and the common mistakes that make a Next actions list useless.
>
> Page: https://www.altofocus.app/en/blog/sequential-vs-parallel-projects · Operator: Štichauer s.r.o. · Overview for AI: https://www.altofocus.app/llms.txt

*Petr Štichauer · 6 October 2026*


In GTD, the Next actions list is the most important thing you look at during the day. It should contain only things you can **do right now**. As soon as it fills up with tasks that can't be done yet — because they're waiting for a previous step — it stops working. You start skipping it and go back to remembering things in your head.

Telling sequential from parallel projects is a simple tool for preventing that.

## The difference in one sentence

- **A sequential project** shows only its first open task. The next one appears once you tick off the previous one.
- **A parallel project** shows every task at once, because order doesn't matter.

## When to go sequential

When each step depends on the one before. Typical examples:

- **Hiring**: write the job ad → publish it → review CVs → invite to interviews.
- **Workshop renovation**: clear it out → electrician → floor → paint → move in the workbench.
- **Publishing an article**: draft → feedback → edits → proofreading → publish.

If a project like that were parallel, you'd see "invite to interviews" in Next actions while the job ad doesn't exist yet. That's noise.

## When to go parallel

When it's a list of independent things you can do in any order:

- **Getting ready for a holiday**: buy sunscreen, pick up the passport, arrange a cat sitter.
- **Wrapping up a project**: invoice, archive files, send thank-you notes.
- **Small client requests**: three unrelated website tweaks.

A sequential order here would only slow you down — you don't need to wait for the sunscreen to pick up your passport.

## Common mistakes

### Everything parallel

The default in most apps. Result: Next actions has 200 items and half of them can't be done. If your list feels overloaded, first check which projects should be sequential.

### Everything sequential

The opposite extreme. A "Holiday" project as a sequence means you can't see the passport until you've bought sunscreen. Then you tick things off out of order and the system no longer fits you.

### Mixed projects without splitting

Big projects have phases: within each phase a few things run in parallel, but the phases follow one another. The fix: split the project into smaller ones (each with a clear outcome), or use sections and keep sequential order only where it really matters.

## Combining with defer dates

A sequence handles dependence on *another task*. A defer date handles dependence on *time*: "order winter tyres" makes no sense before October. A task with a defer date disappears from Next actions until that day. Together, these two tools give you a list that shows only what's actually doable.

## How it works in AltoFocus

Each project has a **Sequential / Parallel** switch, one tap away. A sequential project shows only its first open task in Next actions; the rest are visible in the project but dimmed. When you complete a task, the next one appears in the list automatically. The same applies in perspectives and in Focus mode.

During the weekly review, the guide flags projects with no next action — often a sign that a sequence is stuck on a task that's waiting on someone else. That task belongs in Waiting for.

## One last rule

For each project, ask: **"Can I do the second task before the first?"** If not, it's a sequence. If yes, it's parallel. Nothing more complicated is needed.