Need advice

[Zemaitisguitar]

My Current Systems:

• Evernote - currently store long term documents but don’t have a great system to actively add things to add. I feel like once or twice a year I have to think through all the things that I need to add to it. Also moved back to free plan when they increased cost; although I could upgrade

• Apple Note - probably my go to…to add thoughts, daily to do list things (usually pulled from NirvanaHQ) that I’m going to action immediately. Began to organize longer term things in the cloud and creating folders and sub-folders but probably need to decided between this and Evernote.

• NirvanaHQ - this is my go to “to do” app easy to add thing to sub-folders and high-light which ones I want to focus on during the course of a day.

• Work Emails - I tend to operate on in-box zero in the sense that if it’s something I still need to action or a to-do I keep in my inbox and do not create separate to do for them in NirvanaHQ.

My objectives are:

Need better reminders for things I need to save; I do a lot of email searching for documents. How do I simplify my approach to ensure I’m saving the important things to Apple Notes or Evernote?

I work at a company that has applications locked down so my calendar doesn’t easily integrated with other tools. I tend to have daily to-do list separate from my work calendar, sometimes I block time on calendar to get items done (but not always since my to-do’s are often personal and don’t want to add to visible work calendar)

Would like a tool like a bullet journal where I could intentionally plan out my day; but will lack of calendar integration it feels like I would have to pull from work calendar, home calendar (not too many things on there), and nirvana and I don’t like my handwriting and do doing all of this electronic feels like a whole another system I’m adding…



Any advice / thoughts?

 

[mcogilvie]

It seems to me you may be making more work for yourself than necessary. The separation of work and personal stuff is an issue many have to deal with, but it is a manageable issue. Aside from that, I think your objectives seem very tactical when you may benefit from a more strategic approach. There are a lot of resources available for GTD on the GTD website, and from international affiliates. The GTD book is still very good, and there are setup guides available for purchase here too. The quality of information from other sources can be quite good, but sometimes it’s pretty bad.

I don’t think there should be any need to copy a daily list of next actions from Nirvana to Apple Notes. While not mandated for GTD, many people use them. Nirvana has a perfectly decent Focus list which serves that purpose. There is a Nirvana setup guide available. Figuring out a smooth workflow for reference and project support material can be challenging at first, so I would recommend starting from the GTD book for fundamentals. I personally keep most of both kinds of material in the cloud, with documents typically in Dropbox.

 

[René Lie]

I notice that you are new here - welcome!

My best advice is to make sure that you've got the methodology down before going too deep into tools.

Then, approach all your materials using the methodology, which will make it clear to you what goes where.

Personally, I have set up a system that embraces my total life (personal and professional), so I needed to create something outside of the system at work. This means a lot of double entry and manual processes, but I find this necessary in order to feel good about my commitments and to retain relaxed focus and control!

 

[Lucas W.]

I’m highlighting the above suggestions adding some tips:

• GTD workflow is rather about avoiding daily to-do lists.
• It might be easier to start with GTD setup guide before the book.
• GTD accountability partner or trainer may significantly speed-up the system implementation.

 

[gtdstudente]

My Current Systems:

• Evernote - currently store long term documents but don’t have a great system to actively add things to add. I feel like once or twice a year I have to think through all the things that I need to add to it. Also moved back to free plan when they increased cost; although I could upgrade
• Apple Note - probably my go to…to add thoughts, daily to do list things (usually pulled from NirvanaHQ) that I’m going to action immediately. Began to organize longer term things in the cloud and creating folders and sub-folders but probably need to decided between this and Evernote.
• NirvanaHQ - this is my go to “to do” app easy to add thing to sub-folders and high-light which ones I want to focus on during the course of a day.
• Work Emails - I tend to operate on in-box zero in the sense that if it’s something I still need to action or a to-do I keep in my inbox and do not create separate to do for them in NirvanaHQ.

My objectives are:

Need better reminders for things I need to save; I do a lot of email searching for documents. How do I simplify my approach to ensure I’m saving the important things to Apple Notes or Evernote?

I work at a company that has applications locked down so my calendar doesn’t easily integrated with other tools. I tend to have daily to-do list separate from my work calendar, sometimes I block time on calendar to get items done (but not always since my to-do’s are often personal and don’t want to add to visible work calendar)

Would like a tool like a bullet journal where I could intentionally plan out my day; but will lack of calendar integration it feels like I would have to pull from work calendar, home calendar (not too many things on there), and nirvana and I don’t like my handwriting and do doing all of this electronic feels like a whole another system I’m adding…



Any advice / thoughts?

@Zemaitisguiter,

For anyone starting out with GTD . . . if this would be you . . . my humble recommendation, in addition to one's calendar, is 'Two' List Paper simplicity as understood and mentioned to some degree by David Allen himself:

1. Projects . . . one's "what does Done look like" list (Other Side of Page: Someday/Maybe)

2. Contexts . . . one's "what does Doing look like?" list with Other Side of Page: Agendas and Errands

In my humble GTD opinion for love of simplicity and prompt Weekly Reviews, the 'only' for breaking-out Contexts or Projects into further List multiplication would be to alleviate any List that is causing overwhelm, aka, numbness/repulsion

It might also be worth nothing that the above can be a very good GTD skill to develop in the 'unfortunate' event that one's current GTD system has become unruly and self-sabotaging through overcomplication as an expression of the human condition?

Thank you . . . blessed Merry Christmas and a GTD happy New Year to you and your beloved

As you see GTD fit

 

[devon.marie]

[...] Any advice / thoughts?

First: if you need to use free Evernote to use Evernote, I would dump it altogether. The 50 note limit is a non-starter.

Second: Sit down and plan what you need out of the system. Grab a sheet of copy paper and use a pen or pencil to reduce distractions and input friction.

• What are the tools you HAVE to use? For example:
  • Work calendar (Outlook or whatever your platform)
  • Personal calendar (iCloud or whatever your platform)
  • Task list (location TBD)
• Do you sit at your desk all day, or are you mobile?
• Is your work time entirely separate from your personal time, or do they blend (such as working from home)?
• Do you work with few deadlines or a lot of deadlines?
• Anything else you can think of that's specific to your situation

When it comes to saving files, here's what I would do if I could go back in time and tell my past self the lessons I've learned now. And that is: keep things in your email until you need it. As soon as you have to pull something out of your email to use it, or if it's part of an active project or relevant to an active task, put it in a new home. You will get sent *so* many more files than you ever realistically actually need. Don't waste time filing every little thing when a vast majority are things you'll never need to look at again.

When it comes to Bullet Journaling... I am an avid Bullet Journaler. I am just now starting notebook #14 and this year celebrates 10 years of bujo for me. Bullet Journaling is absolutely more work. But for me, Bullet Journaling gives me clarity at the start of each day. My job has me on my feet all the time. I'm going to meetings, covering desks (I work at a public library), hosting programs, and a slew of other things. For me, I need to sit down and plan my day each morning because I can't always open my todo list when I have time to tackle a task, and there are hard rules about pulling out your phone when you're working at a shared computer station. So this factor of my work defined how part of my process works. If I sat at my desk all day and could always open an app to see my next task, things might look very different in my setup. So you need to figure out what your day(s) looks like because that will impact how you use or prioritize tools.

Bullet Journaling also helps me keep my priorities straight. When I used digital task lists, I found it easy to plug in whatever folks brought my way, and soon my priorities and goals were lost at sea, drowning in the deep ocean of the meaningless everyday requests. When you write your lists by hand, adding a bunch of piddly crap gets old, fast. So it helps me curb input, a lot. You might need this, you might not. But you need to think about whether you do before you choose.

Here would be my suggestion, based on the things you've included:

1. Use whatever platforms your employer provides. Odds are you'll have to collaborate through these tools as your coworkers definitely won't bother looking at new options, so it's best to just adopt them now.
2. If your employer locks down apps, then I would not use one file storage for work and personal. That's just asking for trouble. Set up file storage at work using approved tools, and use Apple Notes for your personal. Dump Evernote. Mirror your file structure across both so you can use the same behavioral patterns for finding things, but *keep work and personal separate*.
3. Likewise, I would not keep my work and personal task lists in the same tool, or use the same calendar for both. Some jobs are just better kept separate from your personal life, both for your safety and your employer's.
4. I would start by keeping a bullet journal. It's up to you if you want to use one for your personal life, but I would encourage it for work. Every morning, create a daily entry. Open your calendar and note your events for the day. Go through your task lists and pick the things you want to tackle today (I choose 6, usually, a la the Eisenhauer Matrix). Write them down. Then work from the notebook all day, and at the end of the day go back through the entry and note anything you jotted down in its proper place (notes you took in the Notes app if needed, tasks added to your todo list, etc.).
5. As you pull documents out of your email, file them away where they need to go. Don't file every little thing as most are simply not important.

 

[bcmyers2112]

First, I'm wondering where you learned GTD. I don't mean that in a snide way. Back in 2007 I tried to find shortcuts to learning it but found a lot of incomplete and/or inaccurate information. I'd recommend starting with the book by David Allen.

If you have read the book, you may need to refine your understanding of the material. There's no shame in that. It took me a few tries before it made sense to me. Most forum users are happy to help.

David Allen recommends not using your email inbox as a to-do list. So if your intention is to learn GTD, that would be a practice worth changing. A simple way around that is to create an @Action Support folder in your email system, so that when you have an actionable email you can record the next action (and project, if need be) in Nirvana and put the email in that folder in case you need it.

As @mcogilvie suggested, you might want to simplify what you're doing. There's no need to copy a "daily to-do" list from Nirvana into a different tool. Nirvana has a "focus" feature that handles this nicely. Click on the star to the left of the action description, and that action will automatically appear in your Focus list. If you decide later you need to focus on a different action or actions, you can easily un-check the star and that action disappears from the Focus list.

If you're having trouble finding documents in your email, can you tell us how you're storing reference emails? If you're putting them all into a single "Archive" folder, that might be an issue. I found that didn't work for me. I create email folders named for particular people, companies, themes or topics. Or maybe you'd be better off saving the documents into folders on your PC, named the same way.

As for tools, I am hesitant to suggest someone use or avoid something based on my preferences. For instance, I use Evernote and I am very happy with it. When you say you need to think through all the things you need to add to it, though, I wonder if you're comfortable with it. If you don't like Evernote, that's a really good reason not to use it. Maybe Apple Notes is the right tool for you. Or maybe something else is. The good news is that there are enough options out there that everyone should be able to find the one that's in their comfort zone.

As for whether to use a bullet journal, there are people in this forum who swear by them. It couldn't hurt to try one. But if you don't get value out it, don't feel like you've failed. It might not be the tool for you.

 

[fooddude]

I find people make it more complicated than it is. I use Apple notes for all GTD. Moved everything from Evernote. Get the process down first. My number one recommendation is Projects is a list of what done looks like. Don't clutter it up with the next actions. Use, surprisingly, Next action contexts for those. And just use the next action not a whole list of them.

 

[René Lie]

I find people make it more complicated than it is. I use Apple notes for all GTD. Moved everything from Evernote. Get the process down first. My number one recommendation is Projects is a list of what done looks like. Don't clutter it up with the next actions. Use, surprisingly, Next action contexts for those. And just use the next action not a whole list of them.

As i agree to most of this, I'd like to point out that as people's mileage will vary, the need for context lists as opposed to just one list of next actions may be applicable...

But I highly agree with your point about getting the methodology down!

 

[fooddude]

As i agree to most of this, I'd like to point out that as people's mileage will vary, the need for context lists as opposed to just one list of next actions may be applicable...

But I highly agree with your point about getting the methodology down!

I apologize. I have several context lists for next actions. I just have one list for projects though. And it is worded as what done would look like. IE: Replace faucet on the kitchen sink.

 

[René Lie]

I apologize. I have several context lists for next actions. I just have one list for projects though. And it is worded as what done would look like. IE: Replace faucet on the kitchen sink.

It seems appropriate that I apologize, too... I realize that you may have meant one and only one next action per project, where as I may have interpreted it as only one list of next actions...