Google Keep

Anyone else using Google Keep for GTD?

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hamlett

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I have been a very long time user of Evernote, and have searched for various task manager front-ends that provide more utility than EN's reminder function. I've tried several, and have been pleased with both Todoist and IQTELL (which integrates very well with EN). I been retired for a few years now and find that both programs -- esp. IQTELL-- have functions and operations a good deal more complex than I require now. Looking for something simpler, I've developed a combination of Evernote and Google Keep (and Google Calendar) that, while simpler, seems quite adequate to my current needs.

I use EN to create and maintain Master Project notes (collecting all the relevant information connected to a specific project) and Keep for managing all of the tasks those projects, and life in general, generate. Keep's efficient Notes and Reminders functions allow me to manage one-off tasks as well as project tasks and recurring tasks -- paying bills, watering the gardens, heartworming the dog, etc.

28 projects are managed in Keep by using labels and sub-labels, e.g., generic project "HOME," sub-projects "HOME: Gardens," Home: Maintenance & Repair," etc. All relevant tasks are labeled with both the generic and sub-project labels, so all relevant tasks can be seen on the same screen. Within Keep, and labelled "!PROJECTS," I create a Keep note that contains a "copy note link" to the relevant Master Project notes for each project in EN, so that I can open those EN notes from within Keep.

Keep tasks that do not have specific date reminders are collected under the label "!Next Actions," and I use a Keep widget to display Next Actions on my Android phone. Another use of the widget displays Keep reminders on my phone in their by-date-due order, while yet a third widget shows the open projects containing the copy note link to the appropriate EN Master Project note.

All Keep reminders are automatically loaded into Google calendar, too. Because I don't want my calendar cluttered with tasks, I set the hours for all reminders to 11:30pm (unless there's a necessary alternative time required). This creates a viewable list of tasks set for a specific day, but keeps it out of the way. I can check off each task as I complete it, the now completed tasks going to a consolidated list that stays at the top of each calendar day and disappearing from the Keep reminders list. That way, I can look back in the calendar to see what day a specific task was completed.

All in all, the system seems more than adequate for my admittedly simpler schedule of projects and tasks, as well as allowing me to forego paying for a-for-my-needs overly complex task manager.
 
hamlett said:
Because I don't want my calendar cluttered with tasks, I set the hours for all reminders to 11:30pm (unless there's a necessary alternative time required). This creates a viewable list of tasks set for a specific day, but keeps it out of the way. I can check off each task as I complete it, the now completed tasks going to a consolidated list that stays at the top of each calendar day and disappearing from the Keep reminders list. That way, I can look back in the calendar to see what day a specific task was completed.
Click to expand...

I like the idea of putting them late in the day - I use 'All day', so my reminders appear at the top of my calendar day and bloat the morning. Thanks for the tip!
 
I'm happy with Todoist + Evernote, particularly now that Todoist offers full 2-way integration with Google Calendar (and therefore the Calendars5 app I use) :)
 
I used to host my GTD system in Outlook, but I've moved it to the Google ecosystem (which makes sense since I have an Android phone). My calendar resides on Google Calendar, action lists on Google Tasks, and my reference lists (and more) on Google Keep.

I use Google Keep primarily for Reference Lists (e.g. Might Buy, Might Read, Checklists, etc). Unlike Outlook Notes, in Google Keep you can add line-item check boxes to a note. I use those for things like the Weekly Review Checklist but I still use individual Note objects for my "Might Read" because information about a book usually takes up more than one line.

I also use it to track recurring reminders with notifications (e.g. time to take vitamins or medications). I create a Note for each such reminder and apply a label called Reminders. These reminders actually appear on my Google Calendar, too. This is much easier than creating an appointment with the same start and end time and a duplicate notification time.

I even use it as an capture tool. For each item I need to capture I create a Note and apply a label called .Inbox (the period causes the label to sort to the top of the label list). An item in Google Keep can be plain text, a voice recording, a web URL, or even a photograph. Very handy.
 
[QUOTE="

I even use it as an capture tool. For each item I need to capture I create a Note and apply a label called .Inbox (the period causes the label to sort to the top of the label list). An item in Google Keep can be plain text, a voice recording, a web URL, or even a photograph. Very handy.[/QUOTE]

I am a GTD newbie, but have been using Keep for my managing as well, and also have an “inbox” label.

I am curious on how you structure your labels in Keep and what you used for reference material?
 
This is my current list of labels in my Google Keep account and the purpose for each.
  • .Inbox, captured stuff that needs to be processed.
  • .Reminders, recurring and non-recurring time or location specific reminders that flash a notification on my mobile device (e.g. take vitamins daily at 6:00 am, put xyz back in my desk when I get to work, etc.). Each note has a reminder assigned to it.
  • Checklists, for things like weekly review checklist, travel checklist (things to pack and do before leaving), daily processing checklist that includes all of the "inboxes" that I have to process (my Sony voice recorder, voicemail accounts, e-mail accounts, Samsung Reminder app, etc).
  • Focus Areas, reminders of my higher horizons of focus
  • Coupons, digital coupon codes with reminders to use them as expiration nears
  • Gift Ideas, usually URLs to items that I "share" to Keep from my phone from my mobile web browser.
  • Lists, ad-hoc lists like my favorite wines, favorite vacation spots, etc.
  • Next Time In ... , reminders of what to do the next time I'm in a particular city or location
  • Might Buy, items I'm potentially interested in buying
  • Might Read, books I'm potentially interested in reading
  • Reference, random nuggets of information that I want to persist (purged yearly)
  • Travel, notes with reference information about prior travel destinations (the name of that restaurant or hotel in Everytown, USA)
I keep my @Action, Project and Someday/Maybe lists in Google Tasks and use the paid version of GTasks app to view them on my mobile devices. I hope this helps.
 
Google is not your friend, and "free" always costs something.
I find their UI/UX design to be generally poor, but I’ve not tried Google Keep.
 
I agree that google monetizes on my data, but as long as they help me monetize on increased productivity with free service I do not see it as a trade off.

Thx- It helps a lot. I would love to see and example of a checklist of reoccurring tasks, as that is one of my key headaches to get working for me, and I have heard i mentioned a lot of time?

I am also yet to figure out how to use project lists in a good way and to get them to play together with action list - but making progress everytime I find a few hours to go deep on it.

I am notoriously unstructured with a lot of bad habits like being able to have my stuff in 5 different places within 2 minutes after I entered a space. I use GTD to try to turn the boat. I could not handle multiple programs the way you do, as I struggle both emotionally and workflow wise with committing to GTD, though I work hard to get on track with the system in a busy day. I am funny enough great at structuring the work of others and structure complex project - just not my own workflow and ruitines

I want to have one go-to program across platforms and I have chose Google Keep for my GTD Main Frame for everything and use Google Drive for reference material. I have a seperate system for mail though: For email I use this system to achieve and maintain inbox zero: https://lifehacker.com/this-gtd-workflow-is-how-i-finally-got-my-email-inbox-u-1505884967 - I have made a copy of the system using labels in my Exchange account at a project leader job, I have this next year.

I do struggle with a lot of labels a little bit with my @Action lists - as I have sorted them in where to I am, but still want a master Action list as well..

This is how I structure my labels so fare. It's fair to say it is early GTD adoption stage still in it adolescence
  • 0. Inbox
  • 1.A Project - Master
  • 1.B Action list - Master
  • 1.C Actions with Reminder
  • 2.A Waiting for
  • 2.B Waiting for with reminder
  • 3.A1 (Action lists) Home - Joy and Family
  • 3.B1 (Action lists) Out - erinds
  • 3.C1 (Action lists) Phone
  • 3.D1 (Action lists) Computer
  • 3.E1 (Action lists) Office - DR
  • 3.E2 (Action lists) Office - Khora
  • 3.F Bills
  • 4.A- Agenda
  • 5. Someday - maybe
  • 6. 5 Horizons - haven't sorted this properly yet - but it is on the roadmap, once I get.
  • 7.01 (Projects) DR - I Sandhedens Tjeneste
  • 7.02 etc.
I then use the Keep widget for my Samsung S8: Both for a constant full-screen view of my
1.B Action List master, and one on the front page connected to the inbox label for on the fly capture of everything.

I Pin important tasks so occur in the top of my action list.

I try to structure so I can move single notes around and attatch multiple labels, instead of having lists.

I have tried to structering the number system, so I can theme to do's as my work changes.
 
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