ForumsGetting Things Done®GTD setup with toodledo and Ultimate To-Do List for Android


GTD setup with toodledo and Ultimate To-Do List for Android
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Pablo_1301263924

Posted: Mar 27, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Hi,

I want to share my GTD setup. I´m new in the GTD methodology,
and this is the setup that let me search with good control and to have a good weekly review. I need some feedback to improve my setup.

My takts are organized in folders, where the folder is the "target". The target will be reached once the tasks are completed. In other words, the folders are my projects, and my projects will be fulfilled once the tasks are completed.

Here can you see an image of my setup:

http://screencast.com/t/PvgAxx69wdoQ

These are the folders I have:

-Innbox: (new task default) Most of my new tasks go first to the innbox folder.
-Dailig-Personal
-Dailig-work
-Project1
-Project2
-Project3
-Project_etc.
-Someday

I will apreciated any improvement, thanks!


This message was edited Mar 28, 2011.
ccoleman

Posted: Mar 28, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I'll be curious to hear how this works for you after a few months. If you aren't using subtasks then you almost have to create a new folder for each project. But I can see two potential problems with this down the line:

First, it may become extremely awkward once the number of open projects starts to expand. If you are really planning to track everything in your life and are faithful to defining any outcome that requires more than one task as a project, you may find (as I have) that the number of projects grows to several dozen. That seems like a lot of folders to deal with.

Second, relatedly, will this system give you a way to scan a list of your projects? I'm not sure -- it may depend upon exactly how you've set up your system. But that would be a potential concern for me.

All that said, though, these may not be obstacles for your particular set up.

The main alternative, I think, is to sign up for the Pro account, which gives you subtasks, and then make each project a separate item in one or more folders, with the actual tasks for each project listed as subtasks under the project. Unfortunately, subtasks management with Toodledo isn't all that it could be, either, so this system also has some limitations.
Pablo_1301263924

Posted: Mar 28, 2011
Score: -1 Reference
Thanks ccoleman.

I read the David Allen book, and I think this setup is very similar that I read in the book.

You are right, I signed up a pro account. The sub-tasks are necessary because I break the project down into tasks and sub-tasks instead of tackling it all.

When I fulfill the project(the folder), then can I archive it instead of delete. I like the archive possibility in toodledo.

I´ll be back with eventually changes and improvements in my setup after some weeks.
dan.dearaujo

Posted: Sep 01, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Any news on how this is working out for you?

Cheers,
Dan
mrsjonz

Posted: Sep 01, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I have been using Proximo's system. It works really well for me. Oh, And I have a pro account. It would be a mess without subtasks. http://www.toodledo.com/forums/5/2660/0/proximos-gtd-setup.html

This message was edited Sep 01, 2011.
Folke X

Posted: Sep 02, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Pablo,

There are so many ways to organize things that I really do not dare to say for sure what will work for you, but here are a couple of my thoughts:

Projects:

I am aware that "project" is a key concept in many people's setup. I use projects too, but more as an occasional "add-on" than a fundamental organizing principle. I perceive my life and work more as a big bunch of miscellaneous (half-independent) tasks that I need to "herd" forward. Very often, each individual task can serve many purposes (goals, projects etc) - a precondition or platform for all kinds of of further development. But I do use a project approach whenever there is a large number of tasks that I often want to look at as a whole. In those cases I use the Goal field to keep them together. (The Folder field I use more as a fall-back or last-resort structure, if I get totally lost or something - I have a dozen or so permanent "areas" such as Family-admin, work-marketing etc. by which I can locate things if all else fails.)

Key fields, sorting and display:

Either way, regardless of how you do with projects, you also need to think through how you want to set up all the rest. You did not describe this in your post. It all really needs to be worked out and seen as a "system" of fields and display options - not just Folder/project. The single most important thing is to implement some mechanism or other for ordering your tasks with respect to time. This can be done in lots of different ways, but it needs to be there in one form or another, and whatever mechanism you choose will have consequences for how you set up all the rest.

Personally, I rely on Status (for timing) and a Work/Private tag as my main (mandatory) fields (along with Folder, my "backup" field). I also use due date and context for some tasks, whenever relevant. I also use priority as a pure "gain" indicator (benefit/effort - totally unrelated to timing aspects) to speed up my reviews a bit. I also make extensive use of the task notes and the wording of the task name to speed up my reviews, i.e. my recurring reassessments of what to go ahead with next. I rely almost completely on customized views (aka saved searches) for anything I do frequently, which makes my lists shorter and saves me time.


This message was edited Sep 02, 2011.
clango

Posted: Sep 03, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I use in Toodledo and UTL in the Contexts :
.Projects
@Agenda
@Home
@Call
@Errand
@Computer
@Waiting for
@Read
@Potential customer...I'm a salesman
@Routine
@Office
@Personal Interest
@Someday

with this mode in .Projects I have the list of my projects I can check every weekly review. This "scan" will produce the Next actions I'll organize in the appropriate context
gulmue

Posted: Sep 05, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
For me it work this way

I use folder for the In basket, next action, some day or maybe.

The Goal System I used it as a project, because each project help to get to my goal, so when I work in a specific project I use the goal system to see all the task of the project that will help me with my goal.

So in one goal I have tasks for one or more project, but the Idea, for me, is to complete the goal.

And that it, I don´t have to create and delete all the time the folders.
clango

Posted: Jan 06, 2012
Score: 0 Reference
Now I met Linenberger and I changed my settings as he suggested in his blog especially for Toodledo and Ultimate. Here you can find the links:
http://michaellinenberger.com/ToodleDo.html
http://masteryourworkday.com/ultimate-to-do-list-configuration-instructions

With the good fundamentals I achieved with GTD, I found now these more efficient set-up.

Posted by clango:
I use in Toodledo and UTL in the Contexts :
.Projects
@Agenda
@Home
@Call
@Errand
@Computer
@Waiting for
@Read
@Potential customer...I'm a salesman
@Routine
@Office
@Personal Interest
@Someday

with this mode in .Projects I have the list of my projects I can check every weekly review. This "scan" will produce the Next actions I'll organize in the appropriate context


This message was edited Jan 06, 2012.
scottwild.co

Posted: Jan 16, 2012
Score: 0 Reference
Pablo
Thanks for the diagram. I now know contexts can really be used as tags
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