Super cheap and leakproof GTD system--paper-based
Here is a system that can work great for someone who is on the go. It is a light and fast but simple system that is effective and drop-dead reliable. It is almost entirely paper-based, though I use the computer to type up my lists (optional, depending on your handwriting).
Here is my system, made up of Best Practices, that can work under any circumstances:
UBIQUITOUS CAPTURE TOOL: buy a Note Jotter (M by Staples: $10)--
http://www.mbystaples.com/journals-and-notebooks/note-jotters/leather-note-jotters/78/
To use it, fill it with index cards (dirt cheap), grab a pen (I use the Uni-Ball 207) and carry those everywhere. You'll be hooked once you know what it's like to have NO LEAKS.
Best practice: date each card. Best practice: use a binder clip to hold all filled cards together. If you carry it in your pants, best practice is pen in your right pocket (if right-handed), Note Jotter in the other side--you can be writing in less than one second if you need to. Best practice: toss the bound index cards into your Inbox whenever you return to it. Best practice: put a package of 100 cards in your cubicle, somewhere in your car, or in your EDC (everyday carry) bag..
INBOX:
Get a collapsible, expanding file folder ($6 at office supply store) or a plastic folder, depending on how much you carry around. A single plastic portfolio can carry LOTS of paperwork. Carry your Inbox with you from site to site (cubicle-->hotel-->home). All bills, receipts, documents, etc., go in there for later processing.
ORGANIZING--General Reference & Active Projects
I chose my favorite workspace and put in a file cabinet. One drawer is labeled Reference A-Z (I'm not much of a packrat once I realized what all was in there). The second drawer is Active Projects. Both drawers are organized alphabetically--one is for support material for current projects on my list and the other is for reference (including past projects--no moving parts).
Best practice: get a Brother P-Touch labeler ($25-50)--you'll never regret it. Best practice: label the file with whatever keywords come to mind when you stick the document in the folder (e.g. I have "Birth Certificate", "Passport", "Exercise records", "Lawnmower manual", etc.).
ORGANIZER:
Back at Staples, by yourself a set of 8 (or 12 if you have lots of contexts) heavy plastic dividers for a 3-ring binder. With your labeler, label both sides of the tabs as follows: Calendar, Next Actions: (context), (repeat for each context--I have 3), Projects, Waiting For, Someday/Maybe, Lists.
Note: my contexts are simple. I use Next Actions: Home/Office (including all non-communication computer stuff), Next Actions: Calls & Emails (all communication), and Next Actions: Errands (anything that involves leaving my property). I don't need the @Anywhere or @Computer-but-not-Internet. I would rather have a few broad categories that are well-defined.
For your CALENDAR tab, use whatever you like.
For me, the Best Practice is a one-page Calendar that I invented. Create a new document in your word processor. The top half or so of the page will be filled with a table: 3 rows by 7 columns, representing the next three weeks. Each cell of the table will have the date in 14 pt. bold font. In each cell, I type (in 6 pt font) the items for that day. Note: I rarely have more than 8 entries or so per day, so this is plenty for me.
On the bottom half of the page, create 2 columns, like a newspaper. Left column contains a list of the days in the future, for the rest of the year, that already have something planned. Example: May 15 - Softball Tournament 7 pm, Cascades park. Another example: June (any) - Yearly purge of General reference (1x/yr).
The right column contains a miniature yearly calendar, just big enough tor read the days/dates for the rest of the year.
During your Weekly Review, you will erase the top line of your 3-week calendar, and cut and paste the bottom two rows.
Voila. On one page, I can have my entire year's events written out and can see a mini-calendar to be able to plan things months in advance. That Calendar page goes under your Calendar tabbed section, of course.
NEXT ACTION LISTS:
I use a simple word processing document and type in the items that are new. If I am not near a computer when I am processing, I write (by hand) onto the list. If the item is not done by the next time I'm processing near a computer, I will update the electronic version (removing crossed-out items) and print out a fresh copy at least every several days--in the meantime I don't need anything that takes electricity in order to have my list totally up to date. Cost: 5 cents.
Best practice for Calls/Emails: Make an Address Book. Create a document in a WORD PROCESSOR consisting of a table with two columns. Format the page so it is in columns and so a cell on the left column needn't line up with the one on the right. In small font (6 pt), enter in the contact information you need for everyone you call that you may ever want to call again. I have hundreds of entries, including all family, friends, and work contacts, on 3.5 pages.
Best practice: tuck this Address Book behind your Calls & Emails list. Every time you get a new phone number, process it into your Address Book by hand or on the computer. You can always purge stuff later. Don't bother using a program specifically for Contact Information--too cumbersome, and the directories they print are way too big.
Best practice: store business cards in your files, but copy the information you need from them into your Address Book.
WAITING FOR, SOMEDAY/MAYBE, PROJECTS, LISTS:
Each of these is just a printout from a simple electronic document, updated by hand or electronically when I process. I use 12 or 14 pt font for the title and 8 pt font for the body of the list.
Best practice: have all lists (NA, SDMB, WF, Calendar, etc.) automatically insert the date of the last time you opened it so you know how recent a given printout is.
Best practice: if you create those documents electronically, put a single folder on your Desktop called DAY PLANNER. In it, put the file for your Address Book and for the list for each of the other tabs. When it's time to update, open the folder, select All and then Open them, all at once.
Best practice: on your desktop, also create a folder called Projects, containing all of the digital Projects information. Do the same for Reference. In it, put one folder per Reference item or Project. Those can later be subdivided if you need to, but you want to get in the right ballpark with as flew clicks as possible.
Note: I use an email program and use Print to PDF (aka Print to File) directly into the appropriate folder.
PLANNER:
To carry your tabs around, you can use a clipboard, plastic folder, or binder. I have used them all, and they all work. Clipboards are good because you can get to your lists QUICK and have a good writing surface. My total planner is 1/4" (1-2 pages per tab except Lists and the Address Book). If you use a portfolio/folder, put a medium binder clip on the top left of your tabbed packet. If you want a nicer binder, look at copy places for a slim Presentation Binder--I got a simulated leather one for $8 at Kinko's and it looks sharp. Currently I use a portfolio.
PROJECT PLANS:
I either mind map these OR I will use a blank document, put the name of the project at the top (with an inserted date, as discussed before).
PROJECT SUPPORT:
Filed in Projects drawer of physical or electronic system.
Hope this helps... it's lengthy but I"m tired.
JohnV474
