best practice for desktop icons?

[tedpenner]

I see lot's of suggestions for cleaning up the desktop. Probably the best approach I have seen so far is one called the Kinkless Desktop. It recommends a different system. Basically it says to use:
1. Inbox - dumping ground, cleaned out daily
2. Outbox - stuff going out and will be deleted
3. Pending - stuff working on now
4. Archives (shortcut) - link to file library
These steps are followed by using a program to automate sorting and colorization in those folders by whether the file has been modified and the modification date.

Since the desktop stuff is so dynamic and always seen regardless of system, It seems there would be an 'official' GTD recommendation here?

What is the best practice for this?

 

[clango]

Simplify

What is the best practice for this?

I would say: It depends by you!

I would say when you have a well implemented GTD system you don't need to re-start-up a new GTD on the desktop. If you have projects, you might have a folder for each project - may be with the same name - so it could be enough - referring to your calendarized tasks, open the folder and ....work!

The benefit for you: only one file, no problem of synchronization

Then a program like Google desktop search would connect all together! If you need it

 

[Todd V]

Ready-Set-Do! Desktop

You can try Ready-Set-Do!. It is an entire GTD-system designed to work through the file-system of the Mac OS. It provides all of the icons and GTD folders on your desktop for you.

 

[tedpenner]

Thanks Todd and Clango

Both suggestions are fantastic. I now agree with not starting another GTD system on the desktop. I have studied the Kinkless Desktop approach to this problem. It is well written. Now that GTD is somewhat in place, I found that the Kinkless Desktop is needed but not to the extent he mentions.

I use Evernote that I have configured slightly differently than that of the default. It works very well for me and is where my reference material goes. I find that I still need to work with files and folders and have develped good habits for that reference material as well. David Allen breaks reference down further into 'support material' as a slight deviation from std reference material. In short, my reference material handled both with files and folders, and with Evernote. Nozbe (at least for now) handles my action items at $7.00 per month. Pocket Informant for iPhone (once web support is enabled), may change this.

That is to say that for me; The Desktop simply represents a way to 'interact with' GTD in the moment. I wish that David would talk about it some because it represents a large part of what he refers to as psychic barriers to GTD.

The GTD desktop for me, currently represents a minor subset of action supporting reference material that I am currently working on. This even leaves out items that I intend to 'get to' quickly. Items are consistenly rotated out after they are used. The desktop represents the content of extremely short-term project supporting reference material, and houses shortcuts only with respect to longer term reference material.

Here is my "mashup" between the exceptional David Allen GTD methodology and the excellent write-up on the Kinkless Desktop by another author.

My GTD NOW Desktop:
1. Inbox (daily inbox - all downloads, etc - emptied semi-daily, and consistently, just like other GTD inboxes)
2. Outbox (outgoing items - consistently removed) It was hard for me to understand the validity of the Outbox until I began using it. It makes sense now.
3. Pending (stuff you are working on right NOW - often 'moved' to here from reference until finished, then moved back)
3. Shortcut to ReferenceA (files and folders location, my docs not used, see Kinkless Desktop system)
4. Shortcut to ReferenceB (shortcut to Evernote)
5. Shortcut to a Daily Log for weekly status reporting of daily work.
6. Other periodic (temporary) shortcuts.
7. Shortcut to Nozbe (my system for tracking Projects and Next Actions)
*I love the kinkless desktop suggestion about choosing a graphic for each icon that is both visually inviting, and representative of it's function. I am a PC user instead of a MAC user but this makes 'sense'. I pay particular attention to what 'behavior' I am trying to bring about when clicking the icon. Making the icons 'fun' to click on is a big deal and I think David Allen would almost certainly agree.