ForumsGetting Things Done®Some qs on GTD and Proximos GTD setup


Some qs on GTD and Proximos GTD setup
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c.barber78

Posted: Apr 16, 2010
Score: 0 Reference
A few GTD questions, I have. (Master Yoda)
Where do actions go that must be completed on a certain day and can only be completed on a certain day? e.g. talking to a person you will be in the vicinity of on Wednesday, etc. (Ticklers, Next, Calendar, Waiting for?)

What about actions that are waiting for the inevitable - ebay promotions, exchange rate fluctuations? Someday/Maybe or Waiting for?

And again, what about actions like listen to podcasts in my idle time, or actions like a daily jog?

Lastly, do you use a separate GTD application from your calendar application, and if so, do things like call jim at 9 am go on the cal or GTD app?

And specifically to Toodledo: how do you implement a focus list (i was thinking, focus: star. due today. priority high), how do you implement sub-subtasks and how do you format waiting for tasks (I currently do /Persons name: task)

Would love to hear some input.


This message was edited Apr 16, 2010.
PeterW 

Posted: Apr 17, 2010
Score: 0 Reference
Here is what I do...

1. Actions that must be completed on a certain day
These are in Toodledo along with all the rest. I generally do not put them on my calendar. The calendar is almost exclusively used for meetings and appointments that I must attend. The only exception is a small number of recurring weekly tasks (e.g. prepare reports for management meeting) which are both in Toodledo (recurring) AND on the Outlook calendar, just so that I get popup reminders on my work PC (which I am usually staring at in the office). If Toodledo could popup a reminder for these tasks I would not put them in Outlook either.

2. Actions that are waiting for something/someone
These are always in my 'Waiting for' list. I prepend the task name with initials if it's a person I am waiting on.

3. Actions for 'nice to do' stuff (e.g. listen to podcasts)
I don't put anything like this on my lists at present. If I did, I might create a new folder in Toodledo just for this type of stuff and then add contexts that might help, e.g. @car, @jogging, could be useful times for listening to podcasts, etc.

4. Separate GTD & Calendar systems?
Yes - I have Toodledo synced with Appigo Todo for my GTD system, and I have three Outlook calendars going. One is my work Outlook calendar (synced with my company's Exchange server) and two personal calendars synced with Outlook on my home PC (via Apple's MobileMe service). One of these home cals is my personal calendar and the other is to for my wife's schedule.

Regarding the latter, I just manually add stuff that I need to know (like when she is scheduled to be out somewhere and I need to be home with the kids). The beauty of the iPhone is that all 3 calendars can be overlaid using different colours so I can see what's going on at a glance.

Items like 'call Jim @ 9am' usually go on both the calendar and on Toodledo, for the reason mentioned above... i.e. I want a popup reminder on my work PC screen (Outlook does this and lets me snooze if needed). Sometimes my iPhone is put on silent and is face down on my desk so I might not see the reminder. I want to ensure I get it done in case I miss all reminders at the time so it's always on Toodledo as a task.
sknipfing

Posted: Apr 18, 2010
Score: 0 Reference
Here is what I do:

I created folders to represent the major buckets:
[Current Client]
[business partner]
[Home]
[My Company]
[Agendas]
[Projects]
[Job Search]
[Birthdays]
[Vacation Ideas]
[Someday Projects]

All Actions and reminders go on my to do list. If it has a dead line, I enter it. I estimate the amount of time for the task if I know it. If a task repeats, it to is captured.

Most tasks get tags and Contexts (Home/Work). This way I can filter things that make sense. For example, if I am out and about, I can filter on the "Errands" tag. If I have time to make phone calls, I filter on the "Calls" tag.

If a meeting may be required while traveling, it will go in my to-do list since I may not have Outlook in front of me. Though I have only a couple of those. Most of the time my meetings are within the context of "work" so they go on my Calendar.

But GTD is more than managing your to-do list. It's about all the other pieces of information in your life. Creating a folder system and having an in-box is equally important.

I hope that helps,

Scott


This message was edited Apr 18, 2010.
c.barber78

Posted: Apr 21, 2010
Score: 0 Reference
Thanks guys, appreciate the responses and they will definitely help me improve my system.

I asked this question at a few other sites as well, and have compiled the results here: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AWQsCliUjhCHZGZtd3NwZDZfN2hybXp3bmM0&hl=en


This message was edited Apr 21, 2010.
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