hPDA and Notebook for GTD

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JJSOmaha

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Ok all...how many collection methods do you have?

Can you help me...I carry a hPDA, notecards and pen, with me throughout the day as well as a notebook with dividers. At times I feel I have too many collection methods and not transferring or making sure all my information is in one place, too many Inboxes...

Any suggestions or ideas to simplify and make sure I have "one" spot to collect?

Thanks in advance...
 
I have a notebook for work stuff, a notebook for personal stuff, then I have notepads and index cards all over my house, in my purse, and in my car in case I need to capture something and the notebook isn't at hand. Most of the time I just use the two notebooks. The one for work stays in my office and I process it once a day. The one for home travels with me from home to work and sits on my desk at home. I process it once a day too.

So far having this many collection places hasn't been a problem. If I happen to write something on an index card or notepad, I just throw the card or page in my work bag and or home in box and process it when I get around to it.

Maybe you have a processing problem rather than a collection problem? i.e. not dealing with your inputs?
 
Collection Methods

Through my workday I use a legal pad to capture all meeting notes and notes at my desk from phone calls, drop-ins, etc. Junior legal pads are positioned by the phones in my house, as well as the table next to my TV/reading chair. For all other times I use the David Co. wallet. It all gets into "IN" (either at home or the office), and is processed accordingly.
 
Every inbox MUST have a corresponding process for emptying it.

It follows that you can have as many inboxes as you can comfortably empty.

I have the following inboxes:

Hipster PDA
Work email
Work voicemail
Work interoffice mail inbox
Home email
Home voicemail
Home physical inbox
Facebook
Twitter

Where do you keep your Projects/Next Actions lists? Perhaps they're not easy to get to?
 
Collection Points/Next Actions

I have a hPDA with the following sections:

@Work
@Errands
@Calls
@Home

and a notebook w/ tabs for:

Work To-Do
Personal To-Do
and Calls

I got things under the appropriate columns and go forth...should I be doing something different?

I don't have a Projects/Next Actions list...

Thanks in advance
 
Contexts without Next Actions?

JJSOmaha;55010 said:
I have a hPDA with the following sections:

@Work
@Errands
@Calls
@Home

and a notebook w/ tabs for:

Work To-Do
Personal To-Do
and Calls

I got things under the appropriate columns and go forth...should I be doing something different?

I don't have a Projects/Next Actions list...

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

What are you hPDA sections for (@Work, @Errands, @Calls, @Home) if you don't have Next Action lists?

According to David Allen To-Do lists are just containers with unprocessed stuff so they are not compatible with GTD.
 
Next Step...

Can you tell me the next steps I need to do or what that would look like then?

Thanks
 
Maybe I'm confused. You say you don't have any projects or next actions? Congratulations! You're blessed with a very clean life, if there's nothing you have to do.

So, what do you want to do? What can you comfortably get to in the next week or three? Write down specific goals ("Finish short story"); those are your Projects. Then write down the very next physical action you'd have to do to move forward on each Project ("Create document file for short story"); those are your Next Actions. Each Next Action goes in its appropriate context.

Does that make sense?
 
A minimal number of collection points is important, as you suggest. Most people have email, voicemail, and a paper inbox. To capture issues that come up during the day, carry a small single pad. At the desk, I have a legal pad and pen that are always ready to go, should I get a phone call I choose to answer, for example. Of course all paper, regardless of source (including meeting notes) goes into your paper inbox for processing.

> Can you help me...I carry a hPDA, notecards and pen, with me throughout the day as well as a notebook with dividers.

This sounds like too much stuff. Why do you carry each one? You need to carry your action management system (e.g., PDA, hPDA, paper planner, smart phone) and a capture tool. If you're using a paper-based system, you'll have free-form capture built in. (In my planner - a DayTimer, but brand doesn't matter, I have a tabbed section called "Capture" - works great!)

So I'd like to hear why you carry the notecards and notebook with dividers as well. If they're for a particular project, great. But then they belong in the project's folder.

Hope that helps.
 
I have "next actions..."

I just haven't wrote them down---just used the hPDA and notebook to collect---my question was where, somewhere else?, do I write down the actions sections?

Thanks
 
OK, I think you're asking how to structure a paper-based GTD system. No problem. Like any system, it's four things: A Calendar, and three lists: Actions, Projects, and Waiting For. (This comes from the "Yes" branch of Allen's workflow diagram.) When starting, I don't recommend breaking actions into separate contexts - save that for if and when your actions get too complicated and need categorization.

I carry a DayTimer planner with a calendar section and a tabbed section. Tabs: Capture, Actions, Waiting For, and Projects. That's it, and it's all in one place. The address section is a bonus. Of course the same set-up works for a digital tool...

Hope that helps.
 
Write the Actions wherever it makes sense to you. A few examples:

On a whiteboard at your desk
In a computer file
On 3x5 cards that you carry with you
In a notebook that you carry with you
In a notebook at your desk
On a PDA
On a phone
 
Seems like your hPDA and notebook serve the same function

JJSOmaha;55010 said:
I have a hPDA with the following sections:

@Work
@Errands
@Calls
@Home

and a notebook w/ tabs for:

Work To-Do
Personal To-Do
and Calls

I got things under the appropriate columns and go forth...should I be doing something different?

I don't have a Projects/Next Actions list...

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

JJSOmaha,
Why do you have both a hPDA and a notebook? Your sections are the same in both. I assume within your "To-Do Work" tab, you have Work Next Actions similar to your @Work in your hPDA?

If you need to separate your work and personal Next Actions, you can modify your @Calls to @Calls-wk and @Calls-pers etc... I find it easier to lump all @Calls together. But your situation may be different.

If you need to have both the hPDA (for portability) and the notebook with tabs, change the labels so they both reflect the same thing.

You can still keep your notebook tabs except drop the "To-Do" as it confuses people :)
So you have TWO main sections: WORK and PERSONAL
Within those two sections, you have your context tabs: @Calls (again, you can add -wk or -pers if needed), @Errands ... etc.

You would then note your Next Actions in the appropriate section/tab.

As for your hPDA, have the same context as the above. At the end of the day or as time permits, transfer your Next Action from the index cards to the appropriate are of the notebook. Or you can hole-punch the cards and add it directly to the notebook (maybe a Circa sysem is to your liking?)

Have a section in the front of your notebook and hPDA for collection, where you jot down anything and everything that comes to you during the day. You can review and add them to the appropriate sections later (process).

There's also Project List and other things you can add but seems like you just need to start with straightening your hPDA and notebook first.

I don't know how familiar you are with GTD, so ask if questions.
 
I like to have one thing, with everything in it. So I would go to either the hPDA or the notebook and use blanks, ie notecards or notepads for capture tools. I try to keep it simple. So I would either use the hPDA and keep blamk notecards for capture, or the notebook which I assume has some blank paper for capture.
 
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