Who's using this approach ? (with Outlook 2003)

[neils]

I'm new to GTD, but understand the importance of spending (several days) trying to creat the right structure before Processing my Collected items.

I see the flaws in David's original approach when using Outlook. The approach shown here appears to work well.

http://home.comcast.net/~whkratz/id3.htm

I even setup Reference and Someday/Maybe folders in same way as Projects

So I've added a few test projects and items, and it really does look like it might work. But the I come to Sync with my Windows Mobile 5.0 PocketPC and... I don't see any way to Sync or Access the new Folders. It only seems to wants to copy Calendar, Tasks and Notes.

So is the approach at id3.htm not feasible for pda sync ?

Someone please tell me how they've most effectively implemented GTD using Outlook 2003 !

Neil

p.s. for Reference folder I set it as Notes type. But obviously Outlook notes is fairly limited. What do other people find best, and can you sync with pda ?

 

[mcogilvie]

I'm new to GTD, but understand the importance of spending (several days) trying to creat the right structure before Processing my Collected items.

Actually, it is more important to keep moving with the process, and to give each step a serious effort in making it work. If you concentrate too hard on structure, you will never have it.

I see the flaws in David's original approach when using Outlook. The approach shown here appears to work well.

http://home.comcast.net/~whkratz/id3.htm

I even setup Reference and Someday/Maybe folders in same way as Projects

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "David's original approach," but it is not flawed. Many people have implemented his suggestions in many different ways, and have their systems working just fine.

Perhaps you mean the lack of direct connection of projects to next actions. This is one of the most discussed GTD topics, and there is no clear solution. Contacts-as-Projects is certainly viable. Probably the majority of successful GTD'ers don't worry about connecting projects to NA's, and trust the weekly review to tie it all together.

So I've added a few test projects and items, and it really does look like it might work. But the I come to Sync with my Windows Mobile 5.0 PocketPC and... I don't see any way to Sync or Access the new Folders. It only seems to wants to copy Calendar, Tasks and Notes.

So is the approach at id3.htm not feasible for pda sync ?

Someone please tell me how they've most effectively implemented GTD using Outlook 2003 !

Neil

p.s. for Reference folder I set it as Notes type. But obviously Outlook notes is fairly limited. What do other people find best, and can you sync with pda ?

What you have found is a limitation of Microsoft's PPC software. If you can live with having less information on your PPC than on your PC, it is feasible. Or you can put everything in your default folder. If you want to sync to more than one PC, there are no good options. Palm PDA's have marginally better capabilities with Outlook via 3rd party software, but not decisively so.

My advice: do what DA tells you to do for a while (4 weeks minimum), and do the weekly review faithfully. See if it works for you, then make gradual changes to customize your system.

 

[Tom Shannon]

So is the approach at id3.htm not feasible for pda sync ?

It depends. I have used the contacts as projects approach and there is third party software available for syncing multiple Outlook folders. The best is called "KeySuite":

http://www.chapura.com

The contact form had more or less the same capability to find associated items that Outlook's does and the other forms had more or less the same fields as Outlook including the ability to sync multiple categories. It was about as close to having Outlook itself on the Palm as you'll probably ever get.

The down side to this software was the price and the fact that the database format is proprietary. The program runs about $60 if I remember right. Because KeySuite doesn't use the standard Palm database and won't release its own format to other developers, the software won't interact with other programs like Bonsai and ShadowPlan, two of the more popular Palm outliners.

Good luck,

Tom S.

 

[neils]

Thanks for these detailed and helpful replies. I'm just about to experiment with actually using the Contacts folder, rather than creating a new Project folder which won't sync with pda. If all projects are enclosed in [project1] [project2] they should remain seperate from other Contacts and work fine.

Chapura products looks good, but they don;t yet have a Windows Mobile 5 version. When they do, this may be the best answer.

Neil