using palm for gtd

[Anonymous]

two real quick questions:

1. does anyone know of a very simple palm app that will let me assign multiple categories to one to do entry? for example, one to do may fit into 2 contexts-- buying a present for my nephew may be done on the computer (one context) or as an errand (different context).

2. has anyone who is paper based successfully become a palm user? can you tel me about it? was it difficult to give up a paper planner? did it take some time? just looking for inspiration. i think the palm will serve me better long term but having some separation from paper anxiety...

3. where do palm users capture little notes for processing later? special memo area? datebook?

thanks in advance

 

[Jason Womack]

Using palm as a NEXT ACTION manager

Hi,

I'll just share some observations based on using this material...

1) I only give myself one "next action" on each moving part at a time. In the gift case, I might step back one step and ask, "what's the next action in finding out what my nephew would like for his birthday?" THEN, once I decide what to buy, decide: In a store? Online?

2) I used paper from 97-99. In '99 I went to the palm and found that as a reviewable tool, the Palm works for me.

3) I don't "capture" anything in my Palm. It takes too long! I write something down on a piece of paper, which gets processed, whic is then decided on, which is THEN organized into the Palm reminding system.

http://www.davidco.com/jason.php

 

[ScottL]

1. There is no simple palm ap (that I know of) which will let you do what you wish.

2. I used time design, a paper system I learned from David in the early 1990s and used it till I migrated to the palm last year. It did take some getting used to as I am a visual person, but it was well worth the effort given the advantages of the palm. The key in the beginning is making sure that you do not forget something because it is in your palm in a place that you didn't check. So keep the system on your palm simple. Remind yourself in whatever way you need of the places in your palm that you need to review e.g. have a memo of all the areas in your palm and look at it first thing every day and then review those areas.

One thing that I found difficult adjusting to on my PDA was seeing things a month at a glance which worked really well on my old paper calendar, but which was very different on a PDA. There is an improved calendar called dtbk3/5 depending on which version you get which lets you improve on the native palm ap. It is a great and very complicated program, but you can just use the improved views and ignore the rest of the program. OR you can get icons so that when you are looking at a month at a glance on the PDA you can have little sympbols to remind you what items on the calendar mean.

3. I used to capture things on post its which a. never got processed and b. frequently got lost. Now I capture right into the palm which is a vast improvement since I always have it with me, and the notes never get lost. I am proficient enough with graffiti that this does not slow me down. I wonder if my to dos are simpler i.e. fewer words then Jason's and thus our difference of opinion.

If you are capturing simple to dos, then you might want to check out SLAP or actioneer which lets you enter to dos and the program routes them to where they need to go. Otherwise, I simply enter things into a memo and process them when appropriate. If I have not got around to processing an item, I can still find the note using the palm find function.

 

[mondo]

Re: using palm for gtd

1. does anyone know of a very simple palm app that will let me assign multiple categories to one to do entry? for example, one to do may fit into 2 contexts-- buying a present for my nephew may be done on the computer (one context) or as an errand (different context).

Sorry, can't help you with that.

2. has anyone who is paper based successfully become a palm user? can you tel me about it? was it difficult to give up a paper planner? did it take some time? just looking for inspiration. i think the palm will serve me better long term but having some separation from paper anxiety...

I became a Palm user in about 1996, but before that used Covey and Priority Manager systems.

I can certainly say I am a PDA power user, and a time management power user.

At first, my "organisation" dropped off, largely because I didn't have the discipline and simplified views that good paper systems provide. I was also trying to use the PDA as a capture device, rather than an organisation one.

Getting a good db application helps a lot - I like Datebk5 on Palm, and Agenda Fusion on PPC (I use both). With Palm, I also used Bonsai for a longtime, but now am using ListPro on both devices, with a lot of success.

3. where do palm users capture little notes for processing later? special memo area? datebook?

Firstly, I do very little capture on the PDA - I do most of my capture low tech - I carry a good folio with legal pad around with me. As David says, its the fastest way of capturing and brainstorming. I carry a highlighter, and immediately highlight items which have an action (or waiting for) associated with them.

After a meeting, the page gets torn out and goes into in. I later process and transfer all actions and waiting fors to the organisation system, and cross them out in the process. When everything is crossed out, the paper goes into a file on the subject, or into the bin if not necessary.

If I am @computer, I type the stuff into Outlook and sync to the PDA. Its faster, no matter how good your grafitti skills are. As I said, I am a power user of PDA, but I have to be honest and say that keyboard is always quicker.

HTH

Best

Des

 

[Anonymous]

Multiple Categories

I believe you can add multiple categories to a ToDo task with either of the two suites that do a full sync with Outlook. That would be either KeySuite (www.chapura.com) or Beyond Contacts (www.dataviz.com). Both apps use a ToDo list that is very similar to the stock version, although I think KeySuite would be "purer" in that regard.

HTH,
Gordon
.....in C-C-Canada

 

[Cikub]

Re: using palm for gtd

two real quick questions:

1. does anyone know of a very simple palm app that will let me assign multiple categories to one to do entry? for example, one to do may fit into 2 contexts-- buying a present for my nephew may be done on the computer (one context) or as an errand (different context).

I don't know that it counts as "simple", but Chapura's KeySuite applications allow multiple categories for the specific purpose of sync-ing to Outlook.

Colin

 

[PamG]

Re multiple cats >>> I find ShadowPlan (codejedi.com) helpful in that regard. It can be somewhat daunting to figure out initially, but worth it thereafter, as you can easily arrange to have ToDo's mirrored in the core database as desired, etc

Cheat sheet: use the list pref area to show "tags" and "links". Link = the entry is copied over to the core ToDo database. Tag = the ShadowPlan method of avoiding category limitations. Set up your desired categories as "tags". Insert your entries per usual within the list. As you do so, click the tag indicator (same screen/line), and assign as many (tags) as you want. When you later want to confine views to whichever context, the same-screen "F"(ilter) indicator atop the page will yield what you want. That separate screen will ask you which tag(s) you want to see. Set it up once, and you'll have simple selectable views thereafter.

The main deal with SP is exploring it enough at the onset, to get over the discomfort factor. It's powerful, so there is a learning curve.

 

[andmor]

Simple Setup

For simple, don't overlook Palm Native Apps. They have a lot of useful features. Cutting and Pasting to put items in different places gives you reminders in different ways. It's less sophisticated but faster than using fancy apps with extra fields, more coding and filtered views that need to be set up and called up. Many Datebook Replacements / Agendas don't handle ToDo's as well as specific ToDo apps. The Palm ToDo app. may not be fancy, but it resolves on the screen quickly and is easy to manipulate.

Unless you grafitti your meeting notes, you will probably use paper for lengthy notes. The important thing for short notes is to get in and out of your system quickly and then take your time later to Process them. Palm ToDo is as convenient for input as anything - no setup, just start writing - and it deafults to Unfiled so what you write doesn't get mixed up with your already-Organized lists. Shortcut date/ time stamp on your notes may be helpful.

Andrew