5+ Years Attempting to Implement GTD Using Asana. Help please!

[eddyrm91]

I have been trying to implement GTD for more than 5 years using Asana but I have struggled immensely, constantly falling off the wagon and trying to get back on it. After finding GTD connect and reading through the different forums and resources, I am getting that I am not the only one who has experienced this. I've believed the internal resistance I have experienced over the years has come from not implementing the GTD methodology correctly (among other character flaws I've been dedicated to correcting), so I have re-read/listened to the book many times to attempt to figure out what's been incorrect about my implementation (each time finding something new I missed). I feel I am now very close, but still missing a few key things.

Are there any experienced GTDers willing to briefly review my GTD system and help me debug it?

 

[mcogilvie]

I’m not so familiar with Asana, but I’m sure others are. Hit us with your best shot. And GTD is not so much about getting to “correct” as it is finding “better.”

 

[René Lie]

Hi!

I stumbled upon Asana prior to implementing GTD, when I was searching for a general to-do manager.
When I decided to go all-in on GTD at the beginning of 2020, I bought the setup guide for Asana and have used it ever since. Works wonder for me!
I also did my own tweaks - the one I'm particularly happy with is that I use tasks instead of sections for my projects and set up subtasks as my next actions, which I in turn assign to the different contexts. This gives the added bonus of clearly pointing out whether or not a next action is tied to a project or not. Note that this approach requires the use of a hotkey in order to assign a subtask to a context (Tab+P), as this is not visible on a subtask...

The calendar sync is terrible, at least with Google, so I don't use that for anything but recurring monthly tasks and the odd long term due date.

I see no reason to jetizon Asana!

 

[kelstarrising]

Do you have the GTD & Asana setup guide?

And possibly, your mind doesn’t think like Asana. Meaning—you might need/want a more linear and sequential list manager. Asana is more associative and less linear, in my experience. Great tool—just not for everyone. Much like the more linear tools might not be a fit at all for others.

Just some thoughts.

 

[René Lie]

One of the big selling point for me was that Asana allows for attaching a task to multiple contexts. I needed that at the time, but not anymore. But when I decided to implement GTD, it was crucial to pick a system that DAC had a setup guide for. Luckily, there was one for Asana - best $10 I ever spent!

 

[René Lie]

Do you have the GTD & Asana setup guide?

And possibly, your mind doesn’t think like Asana. Meaning—you might need/want a more linear and sequential list manager. Asana is more associative and less linear, in my experience. Great tool—just not for everyone. Much like the more linear tools might not be a fit at all for others.

Just some thoughts.

Interesting - I've never thought of that... But then again, I am an associative person...

 

[eddyrm91]

I’m not so familiar with Asana, but I’m sure others are. Hit us with your best shot. And GTD is not so much about getting to “correct” as it is finding “better.”

Hi!

I stumbled upon Asana prior to implementing GTD, when I was searching for a general to-do manager.
When I decided to go all-in on GTD at the beginning of 2020, I bought the setup guide for Asana and have used it ever since. Works wonder for me!
I also did my own tweaks - the one I'm particularly happy with is that I use tasks instead of sections for my projects and set up subtasks as my next actions, which I in turn assign to the different contexts. This gives the added bonus of clearly pointing out whether or not a next action is tied to a project or not. Note that this approach requires the use of a hotkey in order to assign a subtask to a context (Tab+P), as this is not visible on a subtask...

The calendar sync is terrible, at least with Google, so I don't use that for anything but recurring monthly tasks and the odd long term due date.

I see no reason to jetizon Asana!

I’m not so familiar with Asana, but I’m sure others are. Hit us with your best shot. And GTD is not so much about getting to “correct” as it is finding “better.”

Thank you! I'm learning to let go of having everything be perfect and instead having things be good enough for now and continue to improve on them over time.

 

[eddyrm91]

Hi!

I stumbled upon Asana prior to implementing GTD, when I was searching for a general to-do manager.
When I decided to go all-in on GTD at the beginning of 2020, I bought the setup guide for Asana and have used it ever since. Works wonder for me!
I also did my own tweaks - the one I'm particularly happy with is that I use tasks instead of sections for my projects and set up subtasks as my next actions, which I in turn assign to the different contexts. This gives the added bonus of clearly pointing out whether or not a next action is tied to a project or not. Note that this approach requires the use of a hotkey in order to assign a subtask to a context (Tab+P), as this is not visible on a subtask...

The calendar sync is terrible, at least with Google, so I don't use that for anything but recurring monthly tasks and the odd long term due date.

I see no reason to jetizon Asana!

Wow! I had not realized there was an Asana Setup Guide for GTD! Jesus! I wish I had realized that years ago, feeling a bit like a fool but very grateful! Thank you so much, I will go through it with my team and see what we are missing/can learn from the guide and then reach out to you guys for additional support if needed. Thank you again!

 

[eddyrm91]

Do you have the GTD & Asana setup guide?

And possibly, your mind doesn’t think like Asana. Meaning—you might need/want a more linear and sequential list manager. Asana is more associative and less linear, in my experience. Great tool—just not for everyone. Much like the more linear tools might not be a fit at all for others.

Just some thoughts.

Thank you Kelly. I didn't know there was a setup guide, I've downloaded it and will go through it tomorrow with my team. I'm not sure about the my compatibility or lack thereof. How would you assess that?

 

[dtj]

I have literally never used Asana, so this opinions/comments are unfettered by knowledge. Is the heft of Asana something that you need? Would a lighter weight tool perhaps reduce the friction that is inhibiting sticking with GTD? Maybe just a modest todo app, even a platform default one.

 

[eddyrm91]

A

I have literally never used Asana, so this opinions/comments are unfettered by knowledge. Is the heft of Asana something that you need? Would a lighter weight tool perhaps reduce the friction that is inhibiting sticking with GTD? Maybe just a modest todo app, even a platform default one.

Thank you for your inquiry I own and operate an appraisal firm, and have a few other start ups and consulting practices, all with numerous projects, processes and collaborating parties already trained and operating on Asana. I would say Asana definitely offers functionalities that serve our needs well, but I've failed to appropriately implement and adjust GTD to my ecosystems & responsibilities. Overall, we do have quite a bit of functionality, but I'm still missing the ease, flow and productivity I think GTD is meant to provide.

 

[kelstarrising]

Thank you Kelly. I didn't know there was a setup guide, I've downloaded it and will go through it tomorrow with my team. I'm not sure about the my compatibility or lack thereof. How would you assess that?

You’ll know if a tool fits if you are more attracted or repelled by it.

Try the Asana Guide and see if that closes some gaps. Good luck!

 

[eddyrm91]

You’ll know if a tool fits if you are more attracted or repelled by it.

Try the Asana Guide and see if that closes some gaps. Good luck!

Thank you Kelly. I'm trying my best.

The main challenges I'm currently trying to resolve are:

1. Deciding how to structure my days (I'm not sure if scheduling time to work on particular tasks or creating a daily schedule for myself was against GTD)
2. Redesigning my Next Action Lists to serve my work context better (I have a very high degree of flexibility, work on my labtop from home for 4+ years and have almost all things I need at arms-length or within a couple of blocks from my apartment)
3. Understanding, defining & creating periodic reviews for the higher level horizons in my life (I have as a next action to look into intention journals, among other tasks associated to this topic)

But first I'm tackling the Asana setup guide.

Thank you again for your suggestion.

 

[dtj]

A

Thank you for your inquiry I own and operate an appraisal firm, and have a few other start ups and consulting practices, all with numerous projects, processes and collaborating parties already trained and operating on Asana. I would say Asana definitely offers functionalities that serve our needs well, but I've failed to appropriately implement and adjust GTD to my ecosystems & responsibilities. Overall, we do have quite a bit of functionality, but I'm still missing the ease, flow and productivity I think GTD is meant to provide.

With that background info, I totally understand why you chose Asana. When you start collaborating and have the added complexities, it makes absolute sense.

 

[Sarahsuccess]

I use tasks instead of sections for my projects

Hi. I realize I'm picking up on a fairly old thread, but I hope you can answer my questions. Rene Lie I have seen many of your posts on this forum and I would value your reply. I have recently become aware of Asana and am thinking about how to use it as a GTD tool. I have watched several of the Asana.com tutorials so I am familiar with Asana's projects, tasks, sections, and subtasks.

What do you mean by using "tasks instead of sections"?

I in turn assign to the different contexts

How do you assign contexts? Can you please explain whether you use sections, tags, custom fields or anything else.


Kelly Forrister, I became a member so that I could get your Asana setup guide (and have access to member only webinars). My understanding is that you suggest creating an Asana "Project" for the GTD Project list and for each of the contexts such as Agendas, @calls, @computer, @waiting for etc.
I have thought of another way of setting it up and I would value and appreciate your opinion. I have thought of creating three Asana "projects" called Sarah's Projects, Next Actions, and Inbox. In the Next Action list (Asana project) I would have "sections" for the GTD contexts such as @calls, @computer, @waiting for etc. When I clarify the Inbox, I could either assign the "task" (inbox item) as a project to Sarah's Projects or I could assign the task to the Next Action "project" (GTD list) and choose the appropriate "section" (context). When I assign an item to the Next Action list, I could also multihome it as a subtask to the GTD project (Asana "task") in Sarah's Projects. This way I would have the option of viewing tasks sorted by context as well as by project. I hope this is clear. I have used quotations to indicate Asana's terminology. Can you please give me your opinion of this setup?

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who uses Asana on how they set it up for GTD. I am a solo user; I do not use it collaboratively for work.

Edited to add: I am using the free version of Asana, so I am unable to add custom fields and tags are not easily searchable.

Sarah

 

[René Lie]

Hi @Sarahsuccess - thanks for your kind words and interest in this! Sorry about the response time; I felt that I needed to set aside some time to try and give a proper answer…

In the GTD setup guide for Asana (which I think is brilliant), the suggestion is to set up each project as a «section» in your project list. After doing this I wanted to be able to park idle projects in a «projects on hold» list, but found that moving a section from one list (called a «project» in Asana) is not possible. Therefore, I had to copy the project name over to another list and delete the original one. This was a barrier for me.

Then, I tried to create every project in my projects list as a task instead of a section. When I identified the next action for every project, I would then create this as a subtask to the project name (which was technically created as a task). In the process, I found that there was no field for assigning this next task to a chosen context list (again, techically called a «project» in Asana), and my wish is to have the next action in my projects listed under the project title so that I can very easily see that all projects have a next action - and I also want these next actions to appear on the proper context lists.
After a bit of experimenting and reasearch I found that is in fact possible - if you know the proper keyboard shortcut! When you are editing the subtask (the next action for your project), holding down the Tab key while pressing «P» (for «project», which again - according to our setup - is used for context lists), a «project» field will appear like magic, and you will be able to assign the task in question to the context list of your choice.
As an added bonus, when you look at this task in the context list you’ve assigned it to, you will also see what project this task belongs to. I really like this feature, and this actually helped me move up to Horizon 1 from the ground level, because it removed the «friction» I felt when dealing with «sections». I tried to explain this in a «GTD slice of life» interview which was released, but I don’t feel that I did a very good job at that (and I partially blame being quite a bit nervous…). Hope my attempt was more succesful this time!

I think I answered both of your questions, but please let me know if I was unclear or if you have further questions!

(I may also point out that I too use Asana solely for my GTD system and nothing else)

Best,
René

 

[René Lie]

I have thought of another way of setting it up and I would value and appreciate your opinion. I have thought of creating three Asana "projects" called Sarah's Projects, Next Actions, and Inbox. In the Next Action list (Asana project) I would have "sections" for the GTD contexts such as @calls, @computer, @waiting for etc. When I clarify the Inbox, I could either assign the "task" (inbox item) as a project to Sarah's Projects or I could assign the task to the Next Action "project" (GTD list) and choose the appropriate "section" (context). When I assign an item to the Next Action list, I could also multihome it as a subtask to the GTD project (Asana "task") in Sarah's Projects. This way I would have the option of viewing tasks sorted by context as well as by project. I hope this is clear. I have used quotations to indicate Asana's terminology. Can you please give me your opinion of this setup?

Just a quick comment om this as well (even if you reached out to @kelstarrising):

It sounds to me like this adds a level of abstraction - or at least brings everything «one level down» in the structure, meaning you would have to use subtasks - at least if tags are limited in the free version. I use the free version myself, but I have not done any experimenting with tags…