GTD and Evernote: Notebook or Tag approach

[cdelft]

I am fairly new to GTD, but am already convinced that it will help me. I want to use Evernote and Outlook to implement the system. I have seen some videos on different websites and I bought and read the manual on GTD and Evernote from the GTD site. Most of the people out there seem to recommend using tags with only 2-3 notebooks (in, processed, archive) whereas the GTD manual uses a notebook approach with several notebook--for each type of action/context.

Can any of you give me feedback about the pro and cons of a notebook vs. tag approach?

 

[mcogilvie]

Tags tend to proliferate in Evernote, and your contexts may get lost among other metadata. Some of the Evernote GTD implementations fail under stress tests, e.g., when you have the flu. Notebooks are a clean way to maintain your lists.

 

[cdelft]

Thank you for input! At what level do you recommend using tags, or do you not use them at all? I can definately see for example that separating projects from contexts is good, but would you have a notebook for each project in a stack called Projects or would you have a notebook called projects and each project in a separate note. Likewise with contexts: one notebook for contexts and notes for each context with tags for the context, or a notebook stack called contexts and separate notebooks for each context? It seems like one could end up drowning in notebooks also, and that to see all projects or SNAs I would have to open a lot of notebooks? Maybe there are more tricks to evernote than I have learned yet--not yet very experienced with Evernote either, but have been using it because I work across all kinds of platforms.

 

[emmalazarus]

I know I wasn't the original person you asked, but I use the notebook approach. I have a notebook for each project in a stack called projects. In the notebooks I add support materials, my waiting fors, my next actions, and a main project page that explains what it is and has room for brainstorming.

I name them like this:
-PROJECT: main project note
*Next Action
@Waiting for
#Support Material

so that they stayed sorted into their categories within the individual notebook view, and the Project page stays at the top (usually). I tag them *Project (main note), @projectaction (for the next actions--to distinguish between my miscellaneous @action items), @waiting for, and #project support material. This way I can search the *Project tag and see a list of my projects with a link to the post that explains what they are. I also have a saved search for @action and @projectaction combined so I can see all my next actions at once if I want to. I tag ONLY next actions (miscellaneous or project related) with contexts.

If any of this isn't clear I could clarify. This is what I started from: http://www.mysimplecuriosity.com/tags/gtd/ I just made some changes. I didn't like how they seemed to make their main project note a next action because it seemed like that limits you to only one next action at once, and it didn't make sense to me with the title. I might have just misunderstood how they did it.

 

[bcmyers2112]

I use Evernote for GTD and my setup is based on the one suggest in the David Allen Co.'s Evernote For GTD guide. It's only $10 and I feel it's well worth it.

Basically I have a separate notebook for every context or list category (Calls, Projects, Someday Maybe, etc.) and a separate note for each item in those lists.

As for project support, the answer is: it depends. I do what's simplest and easiest. Sometimes I input or attach the project support to the note for the project. Sometimes I create a separate notebook; I have a stack called Project Support with three notebooks for personal, work, and the nonprofit where I serve as board president.

I used to advocate liberal use of tags but have been cured of that. They're a burden and whatever benefit they provide is by far outweighed by the amount of time they waste. I one tag labeled "!Hotlist" to tag next actions I want to focus on at a given time. I use tags for due dates as well (I also use reminders but not as due dates -- I like having reminders to ping me about something that will need my attention at a given time).

Were I you I wouldn't stress too much about the mechanics of GTD. That kind of misses the point. In the book DA points out that everything he suggests is "easy to do" and that "you already know how to write things down and focus on outcomes." He's simply suggesting you apply skills you already have more consistently and thoroughly. So don't stress about the mechanics of GTD or your "implementation." Your systems should be as simple as you can possibly make them.

Good luck.

 

[devon.marie]

I use tags for the very simple reason that it's simplest and easiest to then find what I'm looking for. Each project I'm working on has its own tag, so I can easily find everything related to it. But then, I can also tag things "receipt", "joey", "tax-deductible", etc. when needed. You can't stick a note in two notebooks (unless you're okay with having multiple copies of notes floating around). It's easy to set up, easy to sort, and easy to find. It doesn't take an intense explanation of how it works, like the notebook approach tends to.

"I used to advocate liberal use of tags but have been cured of that. They're a burden and whatever benefit they provide is by far outweighed by the amount of time they waste." I can't disagree with this enough. You have to be smart about tags, of course - just like you have to be smart about not overdividing content into notebooks. When I started out using Evernote years ago, I tried the notebook approach, as it's what my brain was used to. But, I CONSTANTLY hit walls of, "Wait, does this go in my project support, or in my Receipts notebook? Or in my Tax Documents notebook? Well, shoot! Where do I stick it??" When you use tags, you can tag it with all of these things and can get to it however you're thinking about finding it at the time. I find that sometimes when I'm looking for stuff in Evernote, it's not always due to the same factors. So while one day I might look for it a certain way, the next day I might think about it differently and do a different search. If you don't tag it with all possibilities, you run the risk of losing it to the data monster.

In the end, it's about being able to find what you're looking for, and knowing you can find it. If that means sticking it in one place, where you can only find it one way, then I'm glad that works for you. But my brain's too scattered for that, and I like being able to pull up my notes in a variety of combinations that you just cannot do with the notebook approach (notes tagged "receipts" and "work", if I want to pull up all work expenses; "giftidea" and "dad" and "funny" if I want to get my dad a gag gift, etc.). I've got over 3,500 notes sorted this way and I've never been unable to quickly find what I'm looking for.