productivity
GTD Digital + Paper
Roundup of Paper-Based GTD System Resources (mostly hacking Moleskine)
Back in November I’d taken the plunge and gone as close to paper-only as I could afford with my GTD system. I did a fair amount of research and ended up with a decent collection of links, many related to Moleskine (mol-a-skeen’-a) notebooks, which I thought I’d share today.
Even though I’m not currently using a paper system, I still love the ingenuity demonstrated in these posts.
- The Monster Collection of Moleskine Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
- Kody’s Moleskine iPod Hack
- Introducing the Hipster PDA
- Hipster PDA
- Yet Another Moleskine Hack
- A Paper Based GTD System
- Create a Moleskine PDA: A Student GTD Hack
- Moleskine GTD
- Getting Things Done with a Paper Based GTD System
- Implement GTD
- Getting/Staying Organized: My Moleskine PDA
- The Moleskine Multi-Tab Hack
- Hacking a GTD Moleskine
- mGTD2: GTD for Moleskine 2
- Hack Your Pocket Moleskine into a Wallet
- My Former GTD System and Why I Abandoned It
- The Turnipville Moleskine/GTD System
- How to Manage Your Moleskine
Know of some links I’m missing? Share them in the comments! (I know I’m missing a few)
Related Posts:
1Hanami Design
Experiments and Results for Weeks 28, 29, and 30
Due to a few curveballs that life threw me recently, I’ve not had much of a chance to write. Therefore I’m summing up three week’s worth of experiments here, including those I’ve slated for this week, week #30.
- Evernote: Stacks for Areas [Success]
This was a silly little experiment that had me creating a notebook for each of my areas of focus and piling them into a stack. Wow. Deep thinking there. However seeing everything so nicely arranged like my areas in Things, I got thinking about how, with some discipline, I might be able to ween myself off of using two tools for basic task/project management and revisit using just Evernote. That led me to… - Evernote as comprehensive organization and life tool [In progress]
With my work now spanning several internet devices, I need tools that are available anywhere. All my email is online, why not my tasks? So I took the weekend to move all my projects and related actions into Evernote and I’ll soon post the results. So far, so good. - Evernote project template [In progress]
I posted a bit about this last week, but the experiment continues. I expect to tie updates about this along with my experiment on using Evernote as an all-in-one tool. - Working in more pushups and crunches into my day [Failure]
Not convenient to do push-ups just anywhere, so I’m considering this a failure. For now. - Add options for inline measurement unit switcher jQuery plugin [Success]
Things are shaping up – see for yourself! - Enhancing iTunes smart playlist like form [Pending]
Nothing new on this front. - Stealth usability feedback gathering [Abandoned]
Instead of stealth, we’ll be using surveys. Not really sure why I even included this one. - Writing my immediate next task – and only that task – on an index card [Success]
I keep this by my desk at work to remind me of what it is I’m supposed to be working on. Easy to jump away and this helps me get back in focus.
- Replace beer with white wine spritzers [Success]
I live in the Pacific Northwest where we love our beer hoppy and sometimes strong enough to make you stupid. However beer was overstaying its welcome around my mid section. While I still allow myself a pint or two when I’m out, I’ve replaced beer at home with white wine spritzers and the difference is noticeable: I’ve dropped a significant percentage of my belly fat in just a few weeks. This could be a permanent lifestyle change. - A daily battle plan [In progress]
Writing a to do list no longer seems enough. I’m now listing what I need to do in the order I feel is most optimal. Worked well over the weekend, but the real test is a work week.
Hopefully this week is more conducive to writing – we’ll see.
Related Posts:
0Results: Experiments with Using an Evernote Stack for Projects and Areas of Focus
The goal of this experiment was to see if using a stack of notebooks dedicated to my GTD Areas of Focus would work better than my hierarchy of tags. Each notebook would house my projects. My hope was that a set of notebooks would work better than tags because dragging and dropping would also mean sorting.
Admittedly not the most demanding thing I’ve ever tried productivity-wise, but I’m dedicated to weekly experiments and this was one I allotted for last week. Almost seemed too trivial to write about.
But in short, yes, this approach worked just fine – at least until I synced with the iPhone app. Stacks are not yet available there. I have read they are on the way so it might be worth sticking it out.
So I’ll keep toying with this for a while and will post an update if it the results warrant it.
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1Things to notes
in Evernote!
[Updated] Finally! Linking Things or Anything to Evernote
Thank you to David Torné for pointing me towards this holy grail moment: it is now possible to link Things (or probably any other productivity application) directly to notes in Evernote, desktop and iPhone.
In Evernote, right click over a note in the list view. Click Copy Note Link.
Open the Things Quick Entry window or go to Things and start a new task. Paste the link into the Notes area.
That’s it!
Naturally you can link just about any program to notes. Curious as to how this will work online… I suspect notes could probably have a unique URL already, which would likely make this pretty easy for programs like Toodledo, possibly Outlook.
At least now we can bring two amazing productivity tools together for the first time.
Update
Though it worked initially, later in the day copying the links only pasted text. To make sure they work, sometimes you have to paste the link into a note then copy the link you just pasted. Weird, but it works.
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0Hanami Design
Experiments for Week 28
New experiments for Week 28 (2011):
- Evernote: Stacks for Areas
Interested in creating a Stack in Evernote where each notebook is assigned to a GTD type Area of Focus/Responsibility. I’d then move all my Reference notes to an area they relate to. - Working in more pushups and crunches into my day
I often sneak in a few pushups during work, but now I’d like to ramp that up and add crunches. - Add options for inline measurement unit switcher jQuery plugin
The next evolutionary step for my budding jQuery plugin is to give it some options people can change. Which ones, I’m not yet sure about. - Enhancing iTunes smart playlist like form
Experiment duplicating a form in iTunes with CSS3 and jQuery. - Stealth usability feedback gathering
Need to find ways to get useful feedback without seeming like I’m asking. (UX)
Experiments I’m carrying over from Week 27:
- Print my lists: next actions and projects
See if I do more when tasks are on paper, not on screen - Sharper button edges
Need buttons with sharper edges. - Start my day with a coffee + meditation + brainstorming session
Head clearing, task capturing, mental fitness routine.
Have a great week, everybody!
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0Results: Experiments for Week 27
Lots of successful experiments during week 27. My focus was across the board: productivity, coding, mental fitness, etc. Here are the results:
- Announce new missions and experiments [Success]
This was pretty easy. Start the week posting what I plan to work on, work on it, then post results. Starting the second week now and it feels like something that might stick. - Start my day with a coffee + meditation + brainstorming session [Success]
Major success, actually. Thrilled with the benefits of starting my day by getting everything out, thinking through things I want to change, and drinking a little Java. My mind is clearer and I feel more relaxed and together. - Play with typography of math formulas with CSS [Success]
Created some pretty compelling solutions for displaying math in HTML without using images, but not sure yet if these solutions are as elegant as they could be.
Demo: Displaying Math/Equations with HTML and CSS. - Print my lists: next actions and projects [Success]
This worked out great. For some reason, paper lists seemed to want to be taken more seriously than digital. Perhaps because printing makes tasks tangible? - Sharper button edges [Failure]
I’m still getting fuzzy edges in Photoshop and what I want is perfection. Will turn to Illustrator next. - “Prototyping for Website Design” [Unknown]
I wasn’t able to work on this and my interest is now elsewhere.
In addition to these, I spent some time experimenting with using jQuery and CSS for inline measurement unit switching/recalculating and duplicating the look and functions of the iTunes smart playlist form.
I’ll be posting my planned experiments for Week 28 in a little while, but your suggestions and ideas are always welcome!
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0Hanami Design
Experiments for Week 27
Each week I’m going to spell out for you what I’m looking to experiment with and write about on Hanami Design. Time and inspiration might have other plans, but these are the goals. Updates will be posted.
- Announce new missions and experiments
Interested to see if announcing my goals for the week increases my emotional commitment. - Start my day with a coffee + meditation + brainstorming session
A routine where I meditate while the coffee is brewing, record all my ideas, and sip a bit till my head is clear. I’ve dabbled with this already, but I’ll update you as the week progresses. My hope is that I can reduce tension, start my day smoothly, and get all my ideas and distractions out in one convenient time frame. - Play with typography of math formulas with CSS
Never displayed math formulas before. Thought I’d take a crack at how one could best do this in CSS. - Print my lists: next actions and projects
To test the difference in productivity between all digital lists in Things and paper. - Sharper button edges
A design project. Need a solution for cleaner buttons. - “Prototyping for Website Design”
Been fiddling more and more with prototyping website layouts in actual code before touching Photoshop. Hoping to work in time to write a bit about my experiences. - Bonus: “Further Songwriting with Evernote” (if time allows).
Let’s look forward to a productive week, shall we?
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1[Updated] Have Ideas, Suggestions, or Requests?
Updated: Looks like the “leave a comment” link was broken. After a long weekend of meditation, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve been spending too much time ranting, not enough time providing anything truly useful here on Hanami Design. So I’m making a change.
Hanami Design will now focus mostly on experimenting with new things, from design to task management, and being less winded about it. Anything that could make a better, more productive designer (or whatever) is okay.
If you have suggestions for things you’d like to read about, email me directly at weszt@hanamidesign.com or leave a comment.
Have a great 4th!
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0capturing ideas easy.
How I Use Evernote for Songwriting
Personal pride requires that I start this post by saying: yes, I have done music professionally (= for a living). I’ve done my share of writing, recording, and touring and I’ve opened for a few names you’d probably recognize. I’ve also burnt myself out.
One of my motivations for moving to this small corner of Oregon was to get away from routines that were draining my creativity and to reinvent myself musically. California is likely the next stop and as long as I’m here, I’m going to write.
That where Evernote comes in.
I record nearly all my music ideas directly to Evernote with my iPhone via the voice option. With recent changes, it’s pretty easy to save multiple ideas to the same note and that’s saved me a lot of time sorting. Adding lyric ideas and other notes is as equally easy.
Since Evernote is a cloud service, these ideas get backed up and synced with my Mac where music notes become project files. Anything digital associated with the song gets saved here: mind maps, next actions, final lyrics, whatever. I can always take pictures of anything that’s not easily made digital (think: hastily written lyrics on a napkin).
As you can see from the screenshot above, you can playback audio clips that you recorded on your iPhone right from the note on your computer. Multiple files are treated like a playlist. Nice.
My audio clips often include alternate parts – intros, bridges, melodies, etc – which I didn’t used to do so much, not till I began using the Evernote + iPhone combination. I guess the ease of saving my ideas has encouraged me to get more creative.
Pardon the expression, but I’ve kind of got my rhythm now in writing my new CD and Evernote is a big part of that. I’m aiming for September to release, but if you’re interested in hearing a bit now and don’t mind the fact that what’s posted is little more than an audio sketch, visit Weszt.com and go to the Lab. For a taste of the music that put me on tour, see the music section.
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0Evernote as a Copy-and-Paste Power Tool
Type the same things over and over? Try saving those things in Evernote to copy-and-paste later.
Among the things I keep in my copy-and-paste notebook:
- Special characters like ©, », or €
- Lorem ipsum
- Form emails
- Email subject starters ([FYI], [Action Needed], etc)
- Blog formatting snippets
- Directory locations (for Terminal)
- Web addresses of my band’s MP3s
- MySQL commands that are too long to remember
- HTML snippets
- Bonus: Old code I might need to reference later
Do you use Evernote for storing things you often copy-and-paste? Share your ideas in the comments!
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1Completely Empty Your Project List – Right Now!
Feeling overwhelmed by your project list? Then stick the whole damn thing in a bin right now!
I’m not saying literally throw them out, but instead put all your “active” projects into your Someday/Maybe list. Then after a careful scan, pick only two or three that you can work on today.
Optimism pushes our active project list beyond a manageable level till it’s a garage that needs a spring cleaning.
“Just two or three? That’s insane!”
Maybe, but try it. Let go of your fear and accept that no matter how many “active” projects you have, time will only let you get to a few. Why clutter your vision by keeping everything open?
Report to yourself.
Every morning at my job, we review what we accomplished the day before and what we’re working on today. It’s here that I noticed how insanely long my active project list was becoming. Despite how many projects we had going, each of us needed to focus on what could actually be done today. So my project list in Things for Mac/iPhone now looks like my morning report.
As long as I’ve captured everything and have securely saved them under Someday, I’ll not lose track. (note: regular reviewing of this list is necessary)
Batch processing does not equal finishing.
With enough careful planning, you can create some pretty hefty next action lists that batch processing can whittle down. However all that time and energy could be spent finishing something. Remember that next action lists aren’t an end to themselves and they can get out of hand like anything else.
Limit your active project list to three for today. Tomorrow another three.
Granted you might be working on two or three for your job, two or three for personal life – but the idea is to keep the list focused on today. Tomorrow you can pick something else out of the pile.
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0Three Easy Ways to Reduce Stress and Increase Productivity at Computer Jobs
Spend most of your workday on a computer? Me, too, and it can get stressful. However the following simple changes have made a world of difference in my day-to-day:
#1 Turn off the clock
Seriously. Hide the time on your operating systems desktop toolbar. You can live without it. Instead add reminders for important time critical tasks to your computer’s calendar – that’s what it’s there for and if you use it right, you won’t miss a thing. You are probably checking the clock too much and causing yourself a lot of unnecessary stress. You might not be in a pressure cooker after all.
Still want a clock you can refer to occasionally? Use your cellphone, but make sure it goes into sleep mode or you’ll just trade one clock for another.
#2. Hide the unread email count and notifications
You probably don’t need to be reminded constantly that emails are coming in. That’s just part of your day. Very few actually need immediate attention (despite what the sender might think) and if you’re already in the habit of checking regularly, why let your inbox nag you?
Don’t stop there. Hide the unread email account (like the red badges on a Mac), it’s just as much of a distraction. Stick to what you’re working on and read emails only when you can focus on them.
Anyone who really needs immediate attention could call you or just walk over to your desk (if they’re in the same office). Many of these same people would be fine once conditioned to schedule email reply times (if you chose to do that) given a bit of notice and time.
#3. Dump the second monitor
You have one set of eyes. You can only focus on one thing at a time (if you still believe you can “multitask”, you’re lying to yourself). So why give yourself a reason to switch your attention on and off all day? One screen equals one focus and you can switch using ALT + TAB if you really need to. Your neck and eyes will appreciate the change.
Also that “fact” about a second monitor making you more productive? Looks like a monitor company made have been behind that.
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0Highlights
- How to change a habit
- With habits, you don't need willpower
- The first principle is a conditioning period
Solved: How to Fix Bad Habits
Over the last two years, I’ve been experimenting with ways to break habits and to set new, healthier routines. I’ve had many failures and some successes. What I discovered is that change requires conditioning and I’d hope to write about this. But Scott Young via 99 Percent beat me to it in his post Fix Bad Habits: Insights from a 7 Year Obsession and likely did a better job than I could.
The first principle is a conditioning period. This is a period of time when you put in effort to make the habit automatic.
I believe this to be absolutely true – I’ve experienced it. Getting your mind and body just used to having the idea around is a start. After that determine when you will move on the habit (i.e. timing).
But my experience actually taught me the opposite – knowing how to change your habits gives you freedom. Like the discipline of the pianist frees him to play any song, the initial ability gives new flexibility.
As my wife can probably tell you, I’m a creature of habit. I do things are certain times everyday without fail, but I’m not particularly obsessive: I just like getting the most out of my time and I want to do a lot. I wasn’t always like this, but slowly conditioned myself to do more and more automatically.
For instance, I exercise at 6:30 every morning. This didn’t happen right way. I tried working out at night, but the work day often interfered or left me too tired. I tried first thing in the morning (I’m usually up by 4:45 AM), but that was just crazy. Eventually I found that somewhere between 6 and 7 worked great and after making just a few minutes of exercise a requirement, I eventually created an anchor – a healthy automatic and scheduled routine – that I could build other routines around. Now I get in at least 45 minutes every workday plus at least 30 minutes of meditation and an hour of writing/study.
Scott’s article breaks down fixing habits into four bullet points:
- Set a conditioning period
- Make the habit everyday
- Strategically replace your biggest lost needs
- Begin with the start in mind
Take some time and read through Fix Bad Habits: Insights from a 7 Year Obsession if you’re looking to change your ways a bit. I’m sure it will help.
Read article
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0systems have
in common.
The Hidden Secret in All Productivity Systems
You’re trying to do too much.
That’s it.
That’s what’s so appealing about Zen to Done and the Four Hour Work Week. That’s what Getting Things Done helps you manage and what Covey helps you try and rise above. You’ve got too much going on but you can do something about it.
Ever fallen in love with minimalism? Yeah, that’s a sign. 100 Things Challenge? Me, too. Seems so fresh, so new – but it’s not, not really. Pareto’s 80/20 principle? Most important tasks? Eat that frog? Delegate? Yes, indeed, but you’ve heard this all before, right?
Life management is easy when life is simple, so simplify. That’s what these and other systems are trying to tell and sometimes sell you, but they do offer plenty of great ideas.
Keep it simple stupid and stop trying to do so much, that’s the big secret. The rest is routine.
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0Email Inboxes Make Poor Task Lists
One of the biggest organizational mistakes I see even the most experienced business people make is treating their email inboxes like a task lists. Why is this bad? Because email subject lines don’t equal tasks.
Processing emails works better (see Inbox Zero). You touch each one, break them up into tasks, archive those you need to keep, and toss the rest. When your inbox is empty, you know there is nothing you haven’t moved forward on.
And marking emails for “follow up”? Still requires you to think about what each email really means every time you look at it. Doesn’t dealing with email a single time make more sense?
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1We do.
Is It the Tool? or Is It You?
Before giving up on what might be perfectly good tool, consider whether you were using it right and to it’s fullest potential.
This morning I came to realize a recording issue I’d been having could easily be solved with the same DAW I’d been blaming. I was the classic fool, the problems weren’t really problems at all, and I’m in love again.
Whether it’s a GTD solution, Microsoft Word, or a hammer, make sure the inadequacies are truly with the tools and not with how you’re using them.
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0enough to show
progress
Task Sprints: Five Minutes to Zero
My schedule is particularly crunched these days but I refuse to allow important, yet arguably non-essential projects go neglected. My solution is to set aside a half hour first thing in the morning for “task sprints”.
Each sprint lasts five minutes, but it can be any division, as long as it resolves in the time allotted. I use a stopwatch (or a timer if I’m not worried about bugging anyone) and usually focus on writing, music, or design side projects. I’ve found that sprints can be done any time of day, but early morning helps get my day started right.
Five minutes may not seem like much, but it’s five minutes closer to zero tasks!
Hope this helps!
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0not "rather-do"lists
Avoid Cherry Picking: Limit Your Today List to Tasks that are “Due Today”
This idea comes from a discussion on the Getting Things Done® – Network of GTD® Enthusiasts group on LinkedIn. Avoid making your today list a collection of what you want to do by limiting it to what is truly due today. Calling this your “Due Today” list helps tremendously (thanks Terry!) and you can still give other tasks proper attention when working through your context lists.
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0waiting for?
Mine Your Sent Box and Recent Calls for “Waiting For” Lists
Two great resources for assembling a GTD “waiting for” list are your mail app’s sent box and the recent calls list on your smartphone. These shouldn’t necessarily be your only sources (as mentioned on GTD Times), but give them a quick scan whenever you’re reviewing and you’ll likely find something you may have missed capturing.
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0of how I GTD
My Complete GTD System for March 2011: Things, Evernote, BusyCal, iPhone, and More!
Originally I wanted to write about how I use Things for Mac with Evernote for Getting Things Done. Those were simpler times, possibly better times. Then I realized that since I don’t really use those alone, it might be more useful to see the complete system, from soup to nuts. So as of March 2011, here is what I use to stay organized in all its lengthy glory:
Sections of this Article
topComponents of the System
Things
Things is a task management app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad by Cultured Code. Elegant and deceptively powerful, this app has proven to be a great tool again and again. Though Things does not have cloud syncing (yet), syncing with the iPhone and regular backups makes it versatile enough.
Evernote
Evernote is a platform independent note taking app that was my replacement for Microsoft OneNote when I first switched to Mac (I believe OneNote is available for Mac now and has a cloud syncing option). It’s hard not to praise Evernote for it’s reliability and versatility and I use the premium version daily on my computer and iPhone.
BusyCal + Google Calendar (gCal)
BusyMac promotes BusyCal by saying “Think of it as iCal Pro” and that sums it up for me. Besides being generally more pleasurable to use than iCal, it also syncs well with Google Calendar (my online calendar backup). With a little research, you may also discover some clever ways that BusyCal and Things for Mac can work together.
Though I’ve experimented with other email applications (Thunderbird, Entourage), Mail does the job just fine. Simple, clean, and free, I’ve never needed much else. This is my work-only email program.
gMail
All my personal contacts and emails are managed through Google Mail. With a few tweaks, I’ve also been able to sync other email accounts on Yahoo and Hotmail (now that is really going back). I’ve found it works best to keep personal and work correspondence separate.
MindNode
MindNode is a straightforward, no frills mind mapping application for Mac. I often use MindNode for planning and working through difficult problems. Mind maps worth keeping are exported to PDF and imported into Evernote.
iPhone
Though it’s bordering on unbearably slow with the newest iOS, I’m currently using an iPhone 3G. My home page is arranged strategically with Things and Evernote in the top left followed by my calendar. Bottom row is only for communications.
Mac
Nothing particularly special about this aging Powerbook (obviously not an actual photo), but it’s still fairly fast and gets the job done.
Notepad
For the most part, my notepad setup is what remained after I abandoned my paper/digital hybrid system of a few months back. Basically everything is the same, minus the note pad with context dividers. See Going Hybrid: GTD Digital + Paper.
Sketchbook
I began using sketchbooks a few months ago for on-the-go next actions, storyboards, mind mapping, and meeting notes. Often I branch out from an initial next action in Things to little pieces so work seems less daunting.
Yoropen
I discovered the Yoropen a year ago while in Japan and I love it. It’s comfortable and fun, though refills I’ve had to order from abroad because I’ve been unable to find them or even the pen here in the States. Worth it, in my opinion. I use the Yoropen for all my writing.
Colored pencils
What fun would mind mapping on paper be without colored pencils? I don’t yet have a favorite brand, but I do use them on a weekly basis and you can usually find them in my backpack wherever I go.
topNext Actions and Inboxes
Things
All next actions find their way to Things, though they aren’t necessarily created there (see below). When on the Mac, I typically use Quick Entry to connect tasks with emails and other items; when on the go, I create Next Actions in the mobile app inbox. All next action titles must begin with a verb with the exception of Reminders, a special type of repeating task which begins with “Reminder:”. Repeating tasks do not have to be within a project.
MindNode
I use mind maps for so much these days: brainstorming, problem solving, planning, meeting notes, and more. Each ultimately leads me to something to do, so naturally mind maps have become a big next action generator.
Sketchbook/Notepad
This is where my Yoropen, colored pencils, and paper meet – usually for mind maps and meeting notes. Often, too, my sketchbook and notepad are used for for quick task breakdowns whenever one as written seems too daunting. I save a lot of time by marking next actions, ideas, questions, and other details as I go. Next actions are marked with an arrow, ideas with an exclamation point, questions with a question mark. Items relating to people are marked with their initials followed by a colon (A: for Agenda). I process all my notes daily whenever possible.
topSomeday/Maybe and Other Lists
Evernote
I’ve got all kinds of lists, too many to name here, and those that fall outside of to-dos are managed in Evernote. My lists include daily/weekly/monthly checklists; shortcuts for blog and emails, things I regularly type (for copying and pasting), filler text for designs, etc; idea for nearly anything; things I’ve borrowed or lent; work holidays; words to learn; and so much more. Someday/Maybe projects? I put those in Reference.
Things
Things has a Focus dedicated to Someday (therefore also Maybe) which I use quite frequently. Anything that isn’t truly active at the moment will go here – projects and tasks. I’ve found that if I’m strict and only keep those projects with immediate needs active, I stay better focused on what’s really important now. As a result, I am thorough by having greater incentive to check the Someday/Maybe lists.
topContexts and Tags
Grouping tasks into context lists makes batch processing a breeze and the fewer lists the better. Stay true to the location and environment. Don’t let the limitlessness of tags lead your to over organize with too many contexts.
Things for Mac
Tags in Things are used primarily for contexts and I keep the list as short as possible at all times. My contexts are in alphabetical order and must begin with @. As mentioned elsewhere in this post, I do have some additional tags for sorting people related tasks (See Agendas, Waiting For, Follow, Delegate). I try to tag things as I go.
Things for iPhone
The small screen of a mobile phone is an excellent test for whether you have too many contexts or not. If I can’t find a context within half a swipe, I have too many. With my teammate workaround (again see Agendas, Waiting For, Follow, Delegate), my list includes tags that extend the list beyond a comfort size, but that’s unfortunately a necessary evil (or will Cultured Code save me soon?).
Evernote
I use tags in Evernote for the hierarchy of my Areas of Responsibility and that’s about it. Everything I save falls into an Area, directly relating to some higher goal (see Horizons), and is tagged accordingly. Search has replaced my need for anything more – provided, of course, that I have given my notes a title or content that is easily found with search. I do, however, break the rules a bit if it helps to sort (such as with Songs), but they still must have a place in the chain.
topAgendas, Waiting For, Follow, and Delegate
Remembering who we need to speak to, follow-up with, and are waiting for is an important part of Getting Things Done. Since I’ve become conditioned to look regularly through these lists, I miss few opportunities to coordinate with coworkers, family, friends, and so forth.
Things
I break the rules of Things a bit here by using the “teammates” People list as buckets for @agendas (things I need to initiate a conversation about), @delegated (tasks others are meant to do that I need to be informed about), @follow (something to watch), and @waiting for (tasks others are doing whose incompletion is preventing me from moving forward with something). This is done by creating fake people in my address book and creating teammates based on those. I’ve also created a tag called “People” (no @ sign) with sub-tags of actual people names. This allows me to still associate tasks with specific people and to get around a lack of teammates on the iPhone.
Evernote
I keep all current meeting notes and agenda-specific lists in a notebook in Evernote called “Agendas”. Typically the meeting notes are for those that will happen, while expired meeting notes – if there is reason to keep them – go in Reference. People related notes may appear in notes here if those people can or should be contacted within a particular happening-now situation.
topTicklers
Evernote
My ticklers are primarily managed in Evernote. I have 13 notes: 12 for months and one for things not related to any date but I want to remember.
BusyCal and gCal
To remind myself of what’s most important today, I use the all-day area of my calendars. I also use recurring items as reminders for many things, including habit breaking (a reliable way to nag oneself).
topCalendars
BusyCal and gCal
Without calendar based alerts, I would undoubtedly get much less done, so that’s my number one use for getting things done with calendars. Many of my calendar applications I’ve written about elsewhere in this post, so I’ll not repeat myself, but one thing yet mentioned is that I block out and schedule time for projects, especially creative tasks. Helps avoid distraction when I have dedicated time to something particular.
topProjects
Things for Mac
Projects, placed in their appropriate Areas of Responsibility, are managed in Things. If a project can’t fit into an Area, I don’t do it (which helps ensure that everything I do is inline with a higher purpose). Each project title must begin with a verb and the list must be in alphabetical order (for easy scanning). Note options in Things are pretty weak so I don’t typically use them.
Evernote (Mac)
I use Evernote to keep track of materials related to projects, help generate next actions, and for flexibility of note space. Projects must match those in Things in title and Area of Responsibility. I try only to create project notes where needed so there is less to maintain. See Example project note
topAreas of Responsibility
These are the “hats you wear” and I take this quite literally. My areas are named after the roles I play in life and who I aspire to be so that every pass through my list is reminder of self and purpose. Anyone should be able to tell who I am with a quick scan.
Things for Mac
The order of placement in Things, from highest level to lowest, is Area > Project > Tasks. Projects must fall into an Areas of Responsibility or they don’t make sense for me to do. Tasks, however, don’t necessarily fall into a project, so they sometimes (though not often) go straight into an Area. I name my Areas starting with one my three super groups (Career, Personal, Work) and followed by something more specific.
Things for iPhone
The Area at the top of my list is technically a rule breaker: “**shopping”. I created this it’s easier to find things I need to buy when I’m running errands. Using the asterisks keeps this Area at the top (less scrolling when mobile).
Evernote
Everything I put into Evernote needs to fall into an Area of Responsibility. I use a tag hierarchy to keep them ordered.
BusyCal and gCal
The three super groups of my Areas are reflected in my calendars. This assures that my goals/purposes are reflected in how I organize my time. Most of my items are scheduled recurring tasks, so they have a calendar of their own so I can turn them off when I need to scan my schedule. I keep track of holidays, too.
topHorizons of Focus
Evernote
Everything related to my Horizons of Focus is kept in Evernote. I’ve dedicated one note to each horizon and have additional notes for things I want to do in my life (places to visit, things to try or learn). My horizons are all reflected in my Areas of Responsibility which guide my project choices and therefore keep my day to day activities in line with long term objectives. My Horizons of Focus outline what I want out of life and how and when I will achieve my goals, objectives, vision, and purpose.
topComments and Questions
Hopefully this breakdown of my GTD system will help you and I welcome your feedback. What do you think about this system? Have better ideas? How do you use Things? Evernote? Calendars?
Leave a comment and thanks!