Help beating a dead horse.

[kuten26]

Hello,

I am currently trying to implement a gtd paper system for myself. I am on the sales floor for 90 percent of my time.

Getting to the question

If I have a 3 ring binder that is at my desk divided into the subjects( calendar, agendas, etc) can I be successful with just a notepad on the floor if I review daily and update the three ring binder. If I am reviewing daily am I going about the system incorrectly?

Lots of questions looking for help

Thanks!!!

 

[kuten26]

please

anyone got any feedback????

 

[TesTeq]

Yes, you can.

...can I be successful with just a notepad on the floor if I review daily and update the three ring binder.

Yes, you can.

If I am reviewing daily am I going about the system incorrectly?

No, if it works for you.

 

[Barb]

Sure!

Paper has a lot of pros to it--portable, etc. Just don't lose it! Might be a good idea to make a copy of it and store it somewhere else once a week.

I've been doing GTD for MANY years and sometimes switch to paper just because it gives me a new perspective. There is something about the physical act of putting pen to paper that is different than using a keyboard.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[kuten26]

Thanks

Thanks for your feedback. Ill keep you posted on my first couple of weeks.

 

[Duckienz]

my 2c worth

I would suggest having a spiral bound notebook and pen in your pocket. Every time you have a thought, an action comes up etc then write it on this pad. At the end of the day rip of those pages and put into your GTD system. Then process if you can.

I am assuming you have your own desk? Perhaps if you can work on your GTD system 2x per day it would be more beneficial? Once before work to check what you are doing for the day. Write those jobs on the first page on your notebook. Then at the end of the day processing the items you wrote in your notebook.

Can you still do a weekly review?
Allie

 

[kuten26]

day one

So here is a issue Im having.

I have the small notepad. I broke everything down that needs to be completed into my gtd system. Now I have a list for desk/cp and sales floor. Now I have to rewrite the sales floor items onto my pad for tomorrow. Is there a way around this without wasting more paper and time. There is a definite clarification about what I need to be doing so the new action items for floor are verbally different. What happens when there are 20-50 items.

Am I over-thinking???????????????????????

 

[Suelin23]

Why rewrite?

I don't understand why you would rewrite? You should have one list for the floor. If it makes sense to have that list in your pad, then that should be ok, keep it there. When you are doing a review, you'll need both your pad and your folder, but I wouldn't setup a system with lots of rewriting. If you really wanted to also keep a copy of the list in your folder, photocopy the pad pages and stick them in your folder. But try to set it up so you write once.

I guess that's why I like lists on my iPhone, so they are with me wherever I am, and only write once, and also sort really easily. Another option would be to look at a smaller folder if that would help you have it on the floor with you.

 

[Duckienz]

I don't understand why you would rewrite?

Suelin- Question for my own system then. If you don't rewrite how do you get the next action? For example if our author was on the floor and wrote down 'plants need replacing' then went to do it and realised that he'd have to speak to so and so to see where plants are ordered from, then put in an order etc etc etc. If you had all that guff with you, how do you focus???
Allie

 

[JohnV474]

One way to avoid rewriting

There are ways to avoid rewriting while using paper, but none of them is perfect. Having to rewrite is one of the issues with using paper.

However, what about the idea of not using a notepad and instead keeping a pad of Post-its in your pocket?

Write a task or idea, then pull the sheet off and stick it to the back of the pad. When you get to your planner, put them in your Inbox area and then process/sort as needed.

It's not perfect, I admit. I got the idea from a mock trial I witnessed where the law student speaker had arranged her thoughts on Post-Its inside an (otherwise empty) manila folder.

 

[Suelin23]

Suelin- Question for my own system then. If you don't rewrite how do you get the next action? For example if our author was on the floor and wrote down 'plants need replacing' then went to do it and realised that he'd have to speak to so and so to see where plants are ordered from, then put in an order etc etc etc. If you had all that guff with you, how do you focus???
Allie

Plants need replacing is a captured thought. You would write it in your notebook, but then realise this is not a next action, it is really a multi step action, ie a project. If you are going to use a notebook for both capturing ideas and storing next actions for the floor, you need a way to separate them. Eg, put next actions for the floor starting at the back page, capturing ideas from the front page. So if the next action for replacing plants was something you can do on the floor, you can straight away write this on the list at the back of the notebook. If not, then wait till the end of the day when you have the full folder, and write the next actions into the lists in the folder.

An idea from another post is that you keep a list on paper, and when you've completed a task you rub it out with an eraser and just write in the same spot when you have a new next action. Works ok if you use good quality paper, and stops your list getting cluttered with completed actions.

 

[Duckienz]

Thanks

I am a newbie too although I have listened to many, many hours of podcasts and read/listened to the book many times. Thanks so much for your perspective.

 

[kelstarrising]

Every time I see this forum subject I think, "that poor horse."

One tip that will help on the paper rewrite (an inevitable reality with paper lists when it's full) is to use one sheet per list. I've seen lots of people try to jam their paper lists on to fewer sheets. I'd actually go the other direction with it, so that you have more space to write, hence less frequent rewrite of new lists when you get to the end.