ForumsGetting Things Done®My GTD setup - Toodledo, Evernote, Todo, notability, iThoughts


My GTD setup - Toodledo, Evernote, Todo, notability, iThoughts
Author Message
petejak

Posted: Jan 21, 2013
Score: 1 Reference
I've been dipping in and out of GTD for a few years now. When I started I used Toodledo primarily because of the flexibility and the ability to email tasks into the system (which was relatively rare back then). I then moved to eProductivity because my employer was a Notes shop and the Notes integration made for a seamless experience. Last year I went out on my own and so everything changed - including my email client, and hence I revisited my GTD setup. Initially I tried ActiveInbox because I was using Gmail - but it didn't work for me, primarily because there wasn't an elegant mobile soliution. I also dabbled in IQTell for a few weeks, but found it unworkable when there wasn't a network connection available. So I returned to Toodledo (admittedly with Appigo Todo as the mobile client because I find it a better UI and handles projects better).

I've just posted a slideshare on my setup, along with the other tools I use (eg Notabiility and iThoughts for note taking, Evernote for my reference). You can get to it via my blog post at http://b2bnurture.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/surviving-2013-part-2-tools.html?m=1.

I hope you find this useful - it has taken me a while to get to this stage, and this forum has been instrumental in getting me there, so it seems only reasonable to share...
Kthomas001_1357950...

Posted: Jan 30, 2013
Score: 0 Reference
Thank you for this detail. I'm still experimenting with my setup and think many of your suggestions will work for me also.
-GTD newbie
ZhaoYan

Posted: Feb 11, 2013
Score: 0 Reference
I would like to know what app are you using in your android phone? I would like to choose one but there are so many options for a new commer like me to choose.
The url or your post was blocked in China for unknown reason. Would you like to post your article here?
Thank you!
markewallace

Posted: Feb 25, 2013
Score: 2 Reference
I think the leading contenders for ToodleDo-compatible Android client are probably DGT GTD and Ultimate To-Do List. I have both on my phone and am kinda jumping between them to see which I like the most. So far, Ultimate has my vote, but I have barely started with either one of them.
rfmanning

Posted: Jun 22, 2013
Score: 0 Reference
Thanks for posting the guide. As a newby to Toodledo, I'm just setting things up. This is a tremendous help. I will use your techniques a lot.

Bob
mhmcgrath

Posted: Oct 30, 2013
Score: 1 Reference
Hi friends,

Here's the system I've put together to implement GTD using Evernote, Toodledo, Gmail and several add-ons that provide for automated functionality. There are many other potential variants using the same tools. This is but one approach. My review is somewhat detailed but I wanted to give you enough to get going.

It all starts with Gmail. This is where most things “start” in my business and personal life. In comes an email and something has to be done (task) or scheduled (event). First thing is to get it into Evernote. Once there I need to “convert” that Evernote “note” into a Toodledo “task” or create an “event” in Google Calendar.

To get the email into Evernote I use a Google script from HarryOnline.net called “gm2en” This script has some configuration choices. I keep it simple. Any email with the “label” “Evernote” will get processed (this label is configurable in gm2en). Generally, when I check my inbox I either (1) delete the email; (2) archive it; (3) answer and process in some way; or (4) label it “Evernote” if I want to process it to Evernote. Gm2en script periodically (15 minutes or some value which the user configures) sweeps through my Gmail account and creates a “note” in my Evernote account. (variation: some strict constructionists of GTD may want to also create a filter in their Gmail accounts that labels ALL INCOMING emails with “Evernote” label. In my case that puts way too many things into Evernote and really, I think, causes extra work). In addition gm2en puts a user-selected “tag” onto the Evernote “note” which was created. In my case the “note” is now in my “Actions Pending” notebook with the tag “Gmail.” Now that the email of interest is in Evernote we can process it further.

Back in Evernote all my emails of interest are now in my default notebook and tagged with “Gmail.” I take a look at all the notes tagged with “Gmail.” Some go into my notebook for saving info and ideas - “Cabinet” and otherwise tagged as needed, then I delete the “Gmail” tag. Now, a service called TaskClone takes over. If the “note” requires action then I edit the “note” and insert a checkbox at the beginning of any text defining something to be done. Alternatively, I can type in some text defining the action to be taken with a checkbox in front of that string of text. Then I can add any tags that are needed, and then add a final tag, “Toodledo” from my tag list. What you use as this “trigger” tag is up to the user – I chose “Toodledo.” Then TaskClone periodically sweeps my Evernote account, looks for the “tag” “Toodledo” , and creates tasks in Toodledo wherever it finds a checkbox. Sweet! A nice plus is that I can add any of the “email to Toodledo operators” such as “*”, “^”, !!! etc. and thereby automatically add other information to the “task” in Toodledo as it's created, such as Priority, Start Time, etc. When finished TaskClone adds a marker to the “note” indicating it has been synced to Toodledo, thereby avoiding repetitive logging.

Finally, if the “note” created in Evernote from the email requires a calendar entry (event), then TaskClone handles that, too. To create an “event” I add a checkbox at the beginning of the event text (or type it in) with “Schedule:” directly after the checkbox. The “event” text can be followed with plain English time text like “tomorrow” or “tomorrow at 2 PM” or articulated dates like “10/1/2013 2:32 AM”

Evernote Premium, Toodledo subscription and TaskClone all cost money. Some users object to the cost. For me, once they are all put into a fast and reliable system for handling all my data, information, task and appointment needs that is both digital and mobile, then the cost is well worth it. If I can add one half a billable hour per year with this system, I've more than paid for it!


This message was edited Oct 31, 2013.
dougrenz

Posted: Nov 19, 2013
Score: -1 Reference
I tried this method above and nothing happens and no messages are forwarded from my Gmail account to Evernote and from Evernote to Toodledo. Not sure what the problem, but it looks really great if it worked, but I have spent too much time trying to get this to work and nothing happens. Frustrating...
DSM_2

Posted: Nov 25, 2013
Score: 0 Reference
If your primary entry into task management is Gmail, you might consider ActiveInbox (http://www.activeinboxhq.com) as an add-on to Firefox. It's a very useable GTD system that makes use of Gmail's tagging capability. I don't use it enough because I find myself in other systems a lot which it doesn't support. However, since Gmail tags are shown as IMAP folders, you can mostly make use of ActiveInbox without ActiveInbox by simply setting up your tags according to the ActiveInbox style and then using the standard Gmail tools (including Gmail apps on iPhone/Android). Since I moved back and forth between home (where I often use Gmail) and work (where I use Outlook), ActiveInbox wasn't everywhere I needed, so I haven't used it all that much.
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