I keep switching apps (I think I have a real problem and I might seek professional help)

OCDMike82

Registered
I keep switching systems because nothing is perfect but also nothing is broken.

There's my modified 43 folders e-mail system, M-F, and then each of the 12 months.
+ super simple and streamlined and a great tickler system
-It's not good for sorting lists and a birds-eye view of the week

Todoist:
+ Great for lists, tasks, and sorting by contexts
-not great at a birds-eye view of the week and quick capture is rough

Trello
+Great for visual people like myself, supporting documentation
-lists are meh, as well as context switching is meh, and mobile isn't great

Google calendar
+Everything in one place
-supporting documentation is awful, tickler reminders have to be given an exact date

At least once a week, I switch from one of these to something else then back again. I'm literally driving myself crazy.

Please help me!!!!
 

thomasbk

Registered
Nothing is perfect because a) nothing is perfect, and b) it sounds like you're focusing on the tools and not the system.

I say this as basically a no paper person. Stop using all tools except for paper and pencil. Give yourself a month or six with your paper system only. By then, you'll have a better handle on the system and know what you need to implement in whichever tool you pick. An app could have 100 features, but your system may need only five. I know I can change tools every week with my system intact and functioning. How I go about executing certain actions will vary by tool, but the fundamentals of my system are always consistent regardless of the tool. Good luck!
 

John Forrister

GTD Connect
Staff member
. . . for visual people like myself . . .
Thanks for your post, and your sense of humor.

Because you mentioned that you are visual, I would definitely recommend choosing an app (or paper) that you like to look at. If the user interface doesn't look good to you, that will create psychological resistance to using the tool.

On the plus side, you are probably getting very familiar with the import/export capabilities of various apps.
 

Jay McConnell

Registered
Thank you for your honesty. I deal with this, too. I use one app that is simple and visually inviting. I use a 2nd app that is more complex and daunting, but it can capture and organize more. I've given myself permission to use both.
 

Sarahsuccess

Registered
I keep switching systems because nothing is perfect but also nothing is broken.

There's my modified 43 folders e-mail system, M-F, and then each of the 12 months.
+ super simple and streamlined and a great tickler system
-It's not good for sorting lists and a birds-eye view of the week

Todoist:
+ Great for lists, tasks, and sorting by contexts
-not great at a birds-eye view of the week and quick capture is rough

Trello
+Great for visual people like myself, supporting documentation
-lists are meh, as well as context switching is meh, and mobile isn't great

Google calendar
+Everything in one place
-supporting documentation is awful, tickler reminders have to be given an exact date

At least once a week, I switch from one of these to something else then back again. I'm literally driving myself crazy.

Please help me!!!!

David Allen says the following about the second stage of GTD, the Processing/Clarifying stage:

"Once you really integrate this clarification process into your life-and work style, you will find yourself comfortable with a wide range of tools that can genuinely work for you. If you haven't applied this process, nothing will seem to serve you very well." (Making It All Work page 111)

I like that quote and have found it helpful, so I thought I would add it to this discussion.

I have posted the above in other threads and thought it would be useful and relevant here.

Edited to add:

-Calendar
-Action Lists
-Reference
Should be kept as three discrete, separate systems with clear delineation between them.

Sarah
 
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toby_bowman

Registered
I keep switching systems because nothing is perfect but also nothing is broken.

There's my modified 43 folders e-mail system, M-F, and then each of the 12 months.
+ super simple and streamlined and a great tickler system
-It's not good for sorting lists and a birds-eye view of the week

Todoist:
+ Great for lists, tasks, and sorting by contexts
-not great at a birds-eye view of the week and quick capture is rough

Trello
+Great for visual people like myself, supporting documentation
-lists are meh, as well as context switching is meh, and mobile isn't great

Google calendar
+Everything in one place
-supporting documentation is awful, tickler reminders have to be given an exact date

At least once a week, I switch from one of these to something else then back again. I'm literally driving myself crazy.

Please help me!!!!
I am with you on this, I too need to focus on one app. I am currently using Evernote, but with my new position the work environment is so fast paced, I do not have time to use EN like I have done in the past. I am looking at going back to paper for my task list.
 

rmjb

Registered
I want to put in a plug for the application guides available on the GTD Shop. They apply the fundamentals of GTD very well to a variety of apps. Prior to using a guide I over complicated my app set up and was rethinking a lot of my work.

Maybe you need to set up an app to work better for you.
 

mattlappinGTD

Registered
I keep switching systems because nothing is perfect but also nothing is broken.

There's my modified 43 folders e-mail system, M-F, and then each of the 12 months.
+ super simple and streamlined and a great tickler system
-It's not good for sorting lists and a birds-eye view of the week

Todoist:
+ Great for lists, tasks, and sorting by contexts
-not great at a birds-eye view of the week and quick capture is rough

Trello
+Great for visual people like myself, supporting documentation
-lists are meh, as well as context switching is meh, and mobile isn't great

Google calendar
+Everything in one place
-supporting documentation is awful, tickler reminders have to be given an exact date

At least once a week, I switch from one of these to something else then back again. I'm literally driving myself crazy.

Please help me!!!!
What comes to mind for me reading this is that: I have never found a one stop shop solution to GTD implementation in the box.

Currently I use Todoist, Evernote (For Reference), Dropbox (For Shared Company Reference), and Google Cal, Google Sheets (for quick logging of whatever - I use to keep on top of my cat's health, finances, etc). I can do everything I need to do from my phone in this system.

I use Todoist for my lists, my schedule, my work schedule (syncs to GCAL for company wide transparency), tickler, reminders and RECURRING PERSONAL/WORK TODOS. The recurring scheduling feature from Todoist rocks for me because the more freer I get the more forgetful I get as well. I used to keep reference in Todoist but I got tired of how cumbersome it was to upload that stuff. I use the tags for my lists (waitingto, computer, calls, on site) - the tagging feature in Todoist is really helpful because you can also link people in your tasks via a tag. That way if you hop on a call with so and so and you can easily search their name, click the tag, and then all your active to-dos that include them are there. I use the upcoming tab to look at my week outlook - I will check my project lists often as well and I have them sub categorized by high pro, low pro, personal. Helps me from getting dizzy looking at all projects at once

Evernote is wonderful at all types of capturing/ storing reference and it goes through and searches your pdfs and you can find in keyword searches. Dump personal reference stuff here use tags, go easy on the notebooks. Everything that I need to save in writing from legal business correspondence I park in here tagged "back pocket" I will screenshot texts and stuff too so I keep my Ins tidy.. I also have a paper file at my desk with a labeler etc.. mostly used for work record filing.

For my emails I work from inbox 0 in the GMAIL app. I have a general project support folder, if an email needs to park somewhere and wait while a task is being complete, I will just throw it in there and make a note on my Todoist task that the information is in the project support folder.

Any box storage is great because now you can pull it up from Files on your I-phone and basically have your whole computer of files with you as well.

There was someone in a reply who suggested parring back your system. That may also help as well. It is better to start with less and expand as needed. I have spent a lot of frustrated time building a system that was too big to upkeep. There is a great saying I learned in business school and I don't remember who to attribute it to but "make a hole, not a drill".

Best of luck!
 
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PeterW

Registered
I keep switching systems because nothing is perfect but also nothing is broken.

At least once a week, I switch from one of these to something else then back again. I'm literally driving myself crazy.

Please help me!!!!

In my experience, switching frequently between solutions is usually because the content of your system is repelling you. That is, you look at the tasks and projects and you just don't know what to do or where to start.

This may be because of poorly specified tasks or projects, e.g. a name or an object with no verbs about what you have to do or what the desired outcome is. It may be because you haven't broken something down into discrete steps.

I agree that the tool you use needs to be attractive, and it needs to be powerful enough to handle the way you work without looking complex.

Take a look at Microsoft To Do. It's surprisingly powerful yet has a clean interface and looks simple. And there is a GTD guide available for it.
 

rodxmas

Registered
In my experience, switching frequently between solutions is usually because the content of your system is repelling you. That is, you look at the tasks and projects and you just don't know what to do or where to start.

This may be because of poorly specified tasks or projects, e.g. a name or an object with no verbs about what you have to do or what the desired outcome is. It may be because you haven't broken something down into discrete steps.

I agree that the tool you use needs to be attractive, and it needs to be powerful enough to handle the way you work without looking complex.

Take a look at Microsoft To Do. It's surprisingly powerful yet has a clean interface and looks simple. And there is a GTD guide available for it.
I agree with PeterW. I have been practicing GTD for almost 20 years and was a chronic app switcher. I got coaching GTD coaching which was fantastic and helped me really learn the content at a different level. I was still an app switcher and in general a system complicator. Microsoft ToDo is so simple and the setup guide is awesome. I highly recommend giving it a shot especially if you are in the MS ecosystem. Whatever you pick I think you have to essentially make the no new tool pledge for 6 months or so. If to do is not your preference as mentioned previously I think paper would be a good next choice.
 
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