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Anonymous
Guest
With under 10 categories allowed in the Task List of My Tungsten E Palm software, I'm wondering what people use for their categories and/or how do you negotiate this problem? :?:
tbf
tbf
TesTeq
Registered
Palm categories as contexts.
I do not know what you mean by
In GTD categories (in Tasks or Memo or Contacts) are usually used for contexts for Next Actions and I could not imagine that anybody needs more than 16 contexts.
TesTeq
I do not know what you mean by
Palm has 16 categories (you can edit the default ones).
In GTD categories (in Tasks or Memo or Contacts) are usually used for contexts for Next Actions and I could not imagine that anybody needs more than 16 contexts.
TesTeq
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Anonymous
Guest
Agendus can solve your issue
Agendus (by Iambic) is a replacement calendar/todo/contacts manager that allows you to attach an icon to any task or appointment. I use the icons to sub-divide catagoryies (e.g., an agenda catagory that is subdivided by assigning an icon to my direct reports, thereby creating an infinite number of subcatagories). More icons can be purchased or, if you are artistic, you can create more on the fly. The nice thing is that Agendus allows you to filter your icons so you can show only the tasks or appointments that are assigned that icon.
Agendus (by Iambic) is a replacement calendar/todo/contacts manager that allows you to attach an icon to any task or appointment. I use the icons to sub-divide catagoryies (e.g., an agenda catagory that is subdivided by assigning an icon to my direct reports, thereby creating an infinite number of subcatagories). More icons can be purchased or, if you are artistic, you can create more on the fly. The nice thing is that Agendus allows you to filter your icons so you can show only the tasks or appointments that are assigned that icon.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Agendus can solve your issue
Agendus (by Iambic) is a replacement calendar/todo/contacts manager for the Palm that allows you to attach an icon to any task or appointment. I use the icons to sub-divide catagoryies (e.g., an agenda catagory that is subdivided by assigning an icon to my direct reports, thereby creating an infinite number of subcatagories). More icons can be purchased or, if you are artistic, you can create more on the fly. The nice thing is that Agendus allows you to filter your icons so you can show only the tasks or appointments that are assigned that icon.
Agendus (by Iambic) is a replacement calendar/todo/contacts manager for the Palm that allows you to attach an icon to any task or appointment. I use the icons to sub-divide catagoryies (e.g., an agenda catagory that is subdivided by assigning an icon to my direct reports, thereby creating an infinite number of subcatagories). More icons can be purchased or, if you are artistic, you can create more on the fly. The nice thing is that Agendus allows you to filter your icons so you can show only the tasks or appointments that are assigned that icon.
J
JonathanAquino
Guest
Re: Palm categories as contexts.
I'm wishing I had more categories; here are mine: @Agendas, @Anywhere, @Computer, @Errands, @Home, @Church, @Office, In, Projects, Someday/Maybe, Someday/Maybe Buy, Someday/Maybe Learn, Someday/Maybe Read, Waiting For.
I guess I'll combine the Someday/Maybe's (sigh).
TesTeq said:
I'm wishing I had more categories; here are mine: @Agendas, @Anywhere, @Computer, @Errands, @Home, @Church, @Office, In, Projects, Someday/Maybe, Someday/Maybe Buy, Someday/Maybe Learn, Someday/Maybe Read, Waiting For.
I guess I'll combine the Someday/Maybe's (sigh).
J
JonathanAquino
Guest
Actually I'm starting to really like HandyShopper - a Palm app that gives me as many labels as I want, and it's free! And actions can have multiple labels, so I can label an action with the context and the project. I'm pretty excited about using it. Can't beat the price too.
J
jmarkey
Guest
JonathanAquino said:
I use HandyShopper for my GTD checklists, including morning and evening routines, weekend chores, weekly review, etc.
carrdwight
Registered
FWIW, I quit with categories because 16 isn't enough, and if you ever decide to quit with one application/program to switch to another, you will have a lot of reconfiguring to do. Instead, I use Pop! for the palm and TypeItIn for my desktop and begin each NA/task with the context/contexts. I use Bonsai to set up projects and link NAs to the palm task list. I use CanDo for the palm to sort/filter by keyword/context.
Hope this is useful.
Dwight...
Hope this is useful.
Dwight...
P
plundjr
Guest
Try moving someday/maybe lists to Palm Memos
I only use the Palm To Do/Tasks for next action items. I review them multiple times a day when I have incremental time available and focus on the categories based on the context I'm in. My categories include; Calls, Errands, Gail (my wife), Home, Home Computer, Robert (my direct supervisor), Waiting For..., Work, Work Computer, Unfiled and a few more for regularly scheduled meetings that I put topics of discussion. Unfiled is a great place for mind sweeps. Just collect everything in there then go back and organize it later. In my Memos I have the following categories; Inspiration, Projects/Pers (personal, but not enough characters to spell it out), Projects/Work, Reference/Pers, Reference/Work, Someday/Pers, Someday/Work. I then create a memo under those categories and can brainstorm within the memo. In the Someday/Pers, I have memos of Things to buy, Dream house ideas, Movies to Watch, Things to do with Family, Places to Visit, etc. Once I determine a next action for a project, I copy the action into To Do/Tasks under the correct context. Once a project is fully completed, it either gets trashed of moved to reference depending if it will be useful later. I then like to use the Private function to be able to store data that I may not view for a very long time and don’t want it in they way. This is a good way to alleviate stress if you are not sure whether to trash something or not. You won’t have to trash it unless your memory gets too full. In that case you could always copy it to your PC or save on backup data. For Someday/Maybe, once I decide the item is no longer a someday, I'm going to do it soon; I cut that item out of the memo and put it in To Do/Task under the correct context.
Hope this helps with your category problem.
Sincerely,
Paul
I only use the Palm To Do/Tasks for next action items. I review them multiple times a day when I have incremental time available and focus on the categories based on the context I'm in. My categories include; Calls, Errands, Gail (my wife), Home, Home Computer, Robert (my direct supervisor), Waiting For..., Work, Work Computer, Unfiled and a few more for regularly scheduled meetings that I put topics of discussion. Unfiled is a great place for mind sweeps. Just collect everything in there then go back and organize it later. In my Memos I have the following categories; Inspiration, Projects/Pers (personal, but not enough characters to spell it out), Projects/Work, Reference/Pers, Reference/Work, Someday/Pers, Someday/Work. I then create a memo under those categories and can brainstorm within the memo. In the Someday/Pers, I have memos of Things to buy, Dream house ideas, Movies to Watch, Things to do with Family, Places to Visit, etc. Once I determine a next action for a project, I copy the action into To Do/Tasks under the correct context. Once a project is fully completed, it either gets trashed of moved to reference depending if it will be useful later. I then like to use the Private function to be able to store data that I may not view for a very long time and don’t want it in they way. This is a good way to alleviate stress if you are not sure whether to trash something or not. You won’t have to trash it unless your memory gets too full. In that case you could always copy it to your PC or save on backup data. For Someday/Maybe, once I decide the item is no longer a someday, I'm going to do it soon; I cut that item out of the memo and put it in To Do/Task under the correct context.
Hope this helps with your category problem.
Sincerely,
Paul
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Anonymous
Guest
Why not? Categorizing is a fundamentally important way to organize information so that it's useful. "Organize" is a fundamental part of GTD.
The more items in a category/folder/directory/etc., the more the need to subdivide. If I have 100 items under Someday/Maybe Read, what's to be gained by combining them with 25 items under Someday/Maybe Travel and the 50 items under Someday/Maybe Buy?
If I walk into a bookstore, a Someday/Maybe Read list is going to be more useful if Travel items are not all mixed in.
If I have a vacation coming up, a dedicated Someday/Maybe Travel list is going to come in handy.
There's no "rule" that you can have only one Someday/Maybe list; but even if there were, why not break it if you want to?
-andersons
TesTeq
Registered
By suggesting to combine Someday/Maybe list I tried to say that we should not spend too much time organizing and categorizing this list.
andersons wrote:
I do not think it is very GTD-like to use Someday/Maybe list in the @Errands contexts. I would rather move Someday/Maybe Read item to @Errands context as Next Action during Weekly Review.
I do not like the idea to use the Someday/Maybe list for "ad hoc" actions. Someday/Maybe does not mean Now.
TesTeq
andersons wrote:
I do not think it is very GTD-like to use Someday/Maybe list in the @Errands contexts. I would rather move Someday/Maybe Read item to @Errands context as Next Action during Weekly Review.
I do not like the idea to use the Someday/Maybe list for "ad hoc" actions. Someday/Maybe does not mean Now.
TesTeq
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Anonymous
Guest
But we should spend enough time organizing so that lists are useful to us. For some people, subcategories of Someday/Maybe might be useful, especially if they have a lot of them. If I have a single list of 100 unsorted things, I'm going to resist looking at it and miss out on its potential usefulness.
Maybe I'm talking about a different type of situation. When I walk into a bookstore, it's not because it's on my @Errands list. It's because I have some leisure time, and that's what I picked to do. I have a big list of books that sound interesting, so I pull out that list. "Someday/Maybe Read" list is perfect for my situation. Before I maintained this list, I would happen to stop in a bookstore, and then think, what are some of those books I wanted to browse? But the titles would be scribbled on a piece of paper at home.
I could call the list "Books to Read" and consider it a checklist, but what's the real difference? The point of GTD is to have context lists available when they're useful to you.
There is a point -- an instant in time -- at which Someday does becomes Now, or Maybe might become Now. Otherwise why have the list at all? If Someday is never Now, the list is a completely unnecessary fantasy. Whether that moment when Someday becomes Now happens during a Weekly Review or at an unplanned opportunity, that's what the list is for.
It sounds like you are saying that no one should do anything unless they have previously put it on a list during a Weekly Review. I am not the most spontaneous person in the world, but I don't want to live such a restrictive life. I don't plan all my leisure activities in advance. I don't think I should have to decide previously, in a Weekly Review, to move "get book X" to @Errands list before I'm allowed to take advantage of an unplanned opportunity to get a book.
GTD has some useful principles. Principles are better than rules; rules cannot be ideal for every case. One of GTD principles is to be "Ready for Anything." paraphrase: How quickly can you respond to a change? A Someday/Maybe Read list is just what I need to be ready when reading opportunities come.
I enjoy hearing different points of view and debating them. I find it interesting, and I always learn something.
-andersons
TesTeq
Registered
Ready for Anything really?
andersons wrote:
By implementing GTD you have already restricted yourself.
Of course everybody must find his own balance between freedom and restrictions.
TesTeq
andersons wrote:
Too many people are "Ready for Anything" except for the work that must be done. They are ready for aimless web surfing, TV watching, endless computer gaming and reading books that are not worth reading. Life is too short so we must restrict ourselves to the most fruitful areas of activity.
By implementing GTD you have already restricted yourself.
Of course everybody must find his own balance between freedom and restrictions.
TesTeq
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Anonymous
Guest
Re: Ready for Anything really?
Why is it that posts like this make me want to toss my Palm out the window, open a beer, and watch some really bad TV?
Let's lighten up a bit!
Why is it that posts like this make me want to toss my Palm out the window, open a beer, and watch some really bad TV?
Let's lighten up a bit!