Work GTD vs Home GTD

[roakleyca]

PC at work --- Mac at Home
Outlook (w/ add-on) at work --- Gmail at Home
Blackberry at work --- I take the same blackberry home

I am concerned with putting private appointements and to-dos on my work server. I am also finding that I am bringing my work laptop home with me more often so that I can process my home "in" into my outlook program which is where my GTD system is kept.

Others must have this problem. Do people use 2 separate system (i.e. lists) for this kind of thing? One for work and one for home???

Cheers,

Ryan

 

[nick_ross]

Onky one for me

I use my Tablet PC at both work and home, with Outlook and the add-in, as I have enough trouble managing one set of lists, let alone two!

Can't you block out the time on your work server where you have personal appointments - but rather than details, just mark them 'personal'. That means you don't double book yourself.

 

[Howard]

I am concerned with putting private appointements and to-dos on my work server. I am also finding that I am bringing my work laptop home with me more often so that I can process my home "in" into my outlook program which is where my GTD system is kept.

Others must have this problem. Do people use 2 separate system (i.e. lists) for this kind of thing? One for work and one for home???

Whilst I have not yet extended the full GTD process to my home life, I do bring most of the information I need home (and everywhere) with a Palm Treo 750v which is synched to Exchange (therefore my Outlook) in my business. There is less drag on the system using a handheld; booting up etc. is avoided.

You could also consider setting up a second calendar for home/personal use in your Outlook but would need to regularly check for conflicts between the two.

 

[cjazz]

Hi Ryan!

I have the same issue:

PC's @ Work and Mac @ Home
Windows Mobile Phone

I found that the best way to deal with GTD at two differing locations is to have my GTD web based. This way I can access my GTD lists at both Home and Work. (oh and when mobile on my Mobile Phone.)

There are many options various products from www.37signals.com, but I use the open source Tracks. Now I did start by downloading this and installing it on my own webspace, but I don't have the time to upgrade it with the latest version, so I use a hosted version of Tracks from www.gtdtracks.com they charge $1.49 per month so for less than £1 a month. The only issue I have with this is that for some reason my daily tasks from my tickler file only appear at 8am, instead of first thing, but I guess it's because of the time on the server, and not my local time.

In between I make do with the best method of pen and paper to capture stuff. I like to not carry too much around with me so I just use plain business cards, so I don't waste to much paper, and it means that I have to keep my note specific and concise!

take care

DB.

 

[roakleyca]

Thanks for the replys.

I do use the "private" button in outlook, but I don't think that keeps my employer from having access to the information in there.

And I wouldn't use a web based application because the bulk of my projects and tasks are work related and that information CANNOT be public. There are strict rules for stuff like that.

There is also the issue of reviewing my "Projects" list with my boss --- which contains work and private related things. I wonder if there is a way to exclude private projects/tasks via filters in outlook. Something I'll have to check......when I'm back at the office!

I've also had difficulty using my BB as GTD device. Getting to the tasks by context is way too difficult. The BB is great for contacts and the calendar though. So to make my system portable, i've been printing off my lists ---- but "letter sized" paper isn't all that handy to carry with me.

Oh, my GTD woes! hahaha...

I'll sort it all out --- it just takes time.

Thanks for posting your thoughts and helping me out.

Ryan

 

[DoingIt]

I use TiddlyWiki d3 (dcubed) available for free from http://www.dcubed.ca. I run this on a USB stick with Firefox Portable (available free from http://www.portableapps.com).

Firefox Portable does exactly what it says. It's portable and does not leave any trace on the host computer when ran from a USB stick.

This way I can have both portability and privacy for my GTD system. If I want to backup my GTD data during the day, then using GPG I encrypt the TiddlyWiki file and email it wherever I want.

 

[roakleyca]

I use TiddlyWiki d3 (dcubed) available for free from http://www.dcubed.ca. I run this on a USB stick with Firefox Portable (available free from http://www.portableapps.com).

Firefox Portable does exactly what it says. It's portable and does not leave any trace on the host computer when ran from a USB stick.

This way I can have both portability and privacy for my GTD system. If I want to backup my GTD data during the day, then using GPG I encrypt the TiddlyWiki file and email it wherever I want.

This looks very interesting. The TiddlyWiki is sweet.....Haven't seen that before.

Questions:
1. What do you use while you're on the run? Print out your lists to carry with you, or do you have a mobile phone, palm, or bb?
2. How do you use this system with your email? A large part of my to-do's at work are email related.

Thanks

Ryan

 

[hth]

I use my Palm T3 for all GTD-Stuff its synchronizeg with my Outlook at work. I think this is the only way to avoid trouble with private and business dates which may interfere. Private dates are marked privat. If there is a date which I don't like be recognized by my assistant I use shortcuts for their titles.
Two different systems would produce a mess.

Yours
Alexander

 

[DoingIt]

Questions:
1. What do you use while you're on the run? Print out your lists to carry with you, or do you have a mobile phone, palm, or bb?
2. How do you use this system with your email? A large part of my to-do's at work are email related.

I'm rather old fashioned when it comes to being away from my computer: I just print the TiddlyWiki and use that as reference. Actually, the Summary Review is quite comprehensive, as it shows Next Actions per context as well as pending actions for every project.

Regarding the integration of email with this system, I normally maintain a folder structure in my email application that mirrors the Projects list, the Waiting For and Single Next Actions, as appropriate, and I store incoming emails accordingly.

 

[Kris S]

Work GTD vs Home GTD

PC at work --- Mac at Home
Outlook (w/ add-on) at work --- Gmail at Home
Blackberry at work --- I take the same blackberry home

I am concerned with putting private appointements and to-dos on my work server. I am also finding that I am bringing my work laptop home with me more often so that I can process my home "in" into my outlook program which is where my GTD system is kept.

Others must have this problem. Do people use 2 separate system (i.e. lists) for this kind of thing? One for work and one for home???

Cheers,

Ryan

I have these issues as well.

I don't seem to have the same resistance to seperate lists for work and home as many people (including DA). I use seperate tools for my work setup (Outlook, desktop computer) and my home setup (Vitalist, ListPro and laptop) my smartphone is the only carryover between the two.

When I do want some integration, such as being reminded of a personal action I need to take during work hours, I have Vitalist (a web-based application) send me the reminder at the appropriate time and it will show up in my Smartphone as a SMS text message or email. If I want to add an action to my "home" system, I use Jott to record a voice message on my Smartphone that is sent as a transcribed message into my Vitalist inbox.

When I wish to deal with my work lists during off hours from home, I'm able to connect remotely to my work computer. Not ideal, perhaps, to have extra steps to work with both simultaneously, but the confidentiality/privacy issues require some kind of workaround, and so far it has been working out well for me.

Kris S

 

[webhak]

I also have similar issues and slightly compounded by the fact that my boss is a volunteer from another company. We use Lotus Notes (talk about using a hammer to drive in a tack) at work and his company uses Outlook.

I have to be tied into both...plus whatever I use at home.

His company assigned me a Blackberry that talks to Outlook so I can keep track of his schedule and e-mails when I'm on the road with him. It's my electronic leash to his office.

The rest of the employees use Notes for calendar and e-mail. I only use the e-mail and keep my calendar on the other company's Outlook exchange server and simply mark personal appointments as private. I'm sure this does not give me 100% privacy, so I don't put anything too personal anyway. Just a coded reminder will suffice to jog my memory.

I also manage my to-do's and projects with Outlook tasks and my lists with Outlook notes. There's personal info here and I should do something about it, but having everything in Outlook is very convenient for me because it synchs with my Motorola Q and I can have that data with me on the road and at home.

I use a hipster/Amish PDA as my capture device while on the road. After staring at screens all day, I like tactile things to give my eyes and brain a break!

I tried to keep two separate systems (one for work and one for home) and it was just a nightmare. It's my life and my life has work and home components to it so I just resigned myself to the fact that they are integrated...whether my employer likes it or not.

I just have to be more mindful of the personal information I do store in Outlook so it does not come back to bite me in the ass later...or some less-than-stellar citizen IT employee doesn't access my info for nefarious purposes.

hak

 

[roakleyca]

I also have similar issues and slightly compounded by the fact that my boss is a volunteer from another company. We use Lotus Notes (talk about using a hammer to drive in a tack) at work and his company uses Outlook.

I have to be tied into both...plus whatever I use at home.

His company assigned me a Blackberry that talks to Outlook so I can keep track of his schedule and e-mails when I'm on the road with him. It's my electronic leash to his office.

The rest of the employees use Notes for calendar and e-mail. I only use the e-mail and keep my calendar on the other company's Outlook exchange server and simply mark personal appointments as private. I'm sure this does not give me 100% privacy, so I don't put anything too personal anyway. Just a coded reminder will suffice to jog my memory.

I also manage my to-do's and projects with Outlook tasks and my lists with Outlook notes. There's personal info here and I should do something about it, but having everything in Outlook is very convenient for me because it synchs with my Motorola Q and I can have that data with me on the road and at home.

I use a hipster/Amish PDA as my capture device while on the road. After staring at screens all day, I like tactile things to give my eyes and brain a break!

I tried to keep two separate systems (one for work and one for home) and it was just a nightmare. It's my life and my life has work and home components to it so I just resigned myself to the fact that they are integrated...whether my employer likes it or not.

I just have to be more mindful of the personal information I do store in Outlook so it does not come back to bite me in the ass later...or some less-than-stellar citizen IT employee doesn't access my info for nefarious purposes.

hak

Yeah - how do you put "action: draft resume for new job" in your companies outlook!?!?!

haha...

Again, I think I'll have to play with the filters when I get back into work to see if I can sort the "private" projects/tasks from the "non-private" projects/tasks

I'll let you know how it goes.

Ryan

 

[jpm]

Two systems

is too much to manage. I use my work system on outlook and sync with my palm.

Non-work related next actions, projects, and appointments are marked as private. This means that most people at work can't see them, but if my boss really wanted to he could. We should just resign ourselves to the fact that there is no expectation of privacy at work. It's simple enough to change
"Draft Resume to Look for New Job" as a personal next action to something like "Draft Note I promised my wife."

Filtering the information to show the boss a project list is trivial in outlook.

 

[Barry]

I have the same issue and I think it is OK to have two separate systems as long as your business and personal lives are essentially separate anyway, as is the case for many people. I can't really do any work from home and really shouldn't be doing much personal stuff at work, so this works out OK for me. On those occasions when I need to handle personal stuff during the workday, my portable personal system is always close at hand (Palm PDA).

Some people have very little division between their personal lives and professional lives, so for them, two systems would be a nightmare. Not so for me.

The only exception to having two separate systems is the calendar problem. If you have multiple calendars, there is always the risk of conflicting appointments and you also may have to check two calendars before making an appointment. So I keep everything on my personal Palm calendar which is synched only with my home PC. This works out well for me primarily because I have relatively few work related appointments to track and I do not need to rely on my work Outlook system for this. The only problem with not using my Outlook calendar is that if someone tries to schedule an appointment with me in Outlook, I appear available at all times. But this has not realy caused any major difficulties yet.

You could also attempt two separate calendars, but I guess you would have to strictly define your work hours and everything that happens during normal work hours (whether personal or professional) would need to be on the work calendar and vice-versa. Certain things would need to be on both, such as planned vacation days.

I keep my work lists on my work PC. Reference material is easily divided. All personal reference meterial is kept in my home office. Overall, the division between the two systems seems very natural and seemless and I think it would be much more of a hassle to have it merged into one system. This method is really just an expansion of the idea of contexts. For me, work is a context and I just happen to keep my work context lists and information physically in my work context location.

An added benefit is that if/when I change my professional position or employer, there is no change at all to my personal system.

 

[jknecht]

I keep one system, and I do not sync it at work.

I have the same mild paranoia that a lot of the previous posters seem to have, so the simple solution is to keep all of my lists private and off of the work machines. I use Outlook, a PocketPC when I'm away from my computer, 3x5 cards and/or a pocket moleskine for capture.

There are some items that the split between work and personal is not so clear-cut (for example, the project "Enroll in company benefits" -- there are next actions that are certainly work-related or at least in the @office context, and then there are things that are strictly personal or in the @home context). Plus, it's nice to have everything in one place, so when my boss needs me to work late, or when I feel like scheduling a vacation day, I know whether to say yes or no.

 

[steeef]

I use separate systems for work and home simply because I started with Outlook, but don't have it installed at home, and I don't like to bring my PDA with me.

At work I use Outlook setup as described in David Allen's PDF, with a PocketPC to carry around with me while I'm out of the office. At home, I've setup Google Notebook with a notebook for each context.

The only downside of this approach is that I don't have a way of accessing Google Notebook without a computer in front of me. I'm still pondering on how to come up with a portable solution (hipster PDA?), but until then I simply check my list before I head out.

 

[w_i_t_n_a]

D'oh

I wish I had read this thread before starting my own...

*does circles with big toe in dirt on floor before slinking away*

 

[unstuffed]

I wish I had read this thread before starting my own...

*does circles with big toe in dirt on floor before slinking away*

Never mind, we've all done it. And it helps to solicit suggestions in your own words. Never forget, too, that some folks might not have seen that older thread, and some folks might have contributed to this one that didn't contribute to the last.

So no need to slink, we're all friends here.

Apropos of the question, I'd generally advise against two completely separate systems: separate context lists is probably a good idea, and separate reference material, but the review should cover both/all, so your projects list should be in one place.

I'm lazy/procrastinatory/whatever, so I like minimal overhead. And since everything that happens in my life happens to me, I'd like to manage my life all in one. Calendars I think have to be one copy only, because of that issue. There's nothing quite like the feeling of having to be somewhere that you don't remember, because the information is in your other calendar.

Just my $0.02.

 

[w_i_t_n_a]

Hey unstuffed
completey off topic but I was born in Adelaide
Lived in Croydon and then Morphetville.

Cheers

 

[unstuffed]

Witna, you're kidding: I grew up in Glengowrie, went to Morphettville Park Primary School. Which has since been demolished, like my high school. Lucky I went to Adelaide University, otherwise my whole educational career would have been rubbed from the pages of history.