Implementation

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LandOfGreenGinger

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Hello all, this is my first post;
I've been using GTD in various implementations for the past few months, but I've having real trouble settling with a system.
I've used OneNote, Evernote and various task list apps and services but nothing seems to stick. I've been edging towards a paper based system but Im not sure if it will suit my needs.
I have a few areas of focus including:
  • Open Uni student I work from paper based text books and make notes on paper, yet my assignments are done on MS Word.
  • An employee I don't use GTD for this as its a pretty menial job but I have rota which I access online and my payslips are also online.
  • Father, home owner so I get stuff through the post, newsletters, and other general appointments and commitments
  • Junior programmer Im currently building a portfolio of software to compliment my studies, so I have source code files and relevant documents
My head says that a digital system would suit my needs better as it can easily address all the 'stuff' I handle yet I get little satisfaction from it. I don't really care that my digital inbox is at zero, and filing is boring as hell as its just dragging notes into a notebook in evernote.
Yet a paper based system would be slower as I'd be printing a lot more stuff, and I'd find it hard capturing stuff from the web and the other digital sources of information I use. Yet physically filing and getting your inbox to zero gives you a great sense of achievement
If anyone could give me a kick in the right direction I'd be most grateful
 
LandOfGreenGinger said:
If anyone could give me a kick in the right direction I'd be most grateful
Click to expand...

OK, here's a little kick ;-)

Don't confuse reference material (including support material) with your actual "do" lists (next actions etc).

You will always have reference material of many kinds in lots of places and will need to have some kind of grip or order for this such that you can find what you need when you need it. But this aggregated "virtual bucket" (called "reference") will never be one uniform place or system.

Nothing says that you need to have any degree of linkage at all (electronic or otherwise) between reference and your "do" lists.

On your "do" lists (next actions etc), write only what you need to remind yourself to actually get done. Don't use it as a reference library.

How's that for starters?
 
Thanks for the reply, So it would be wise to have a reference system for physical items such as documents and study notes, and a reference system for digital items such as emails and web clippings? A problem I've identified is that I struggle to give value to a PDF document compared to a physical document. Ive used a digital filing system before and the items I filed just didn't seem 'real' . I think I'd feel more importance to the item if I took the time to print it and physically file it, but I don't think this is viable given the areas I want to use GTD for.
 
Well, yes your total "virtual reference bucket" will perhaps contain, among many other things:

- bookshelves and filing cabinets
- digital documents such as .doc .pdf etc etc
- brochures: contracts; letters from others etc etc
- notes etc that you always carry in your wallet or pocket or briefcase
- web bookmarks, lists of literature etc etc

But besides all this - no matter how much or how little, how uniform or how diverse all the above is - you also want to keep lists of the things you need to actually do, e.g. "Answer Brian's letter", "Buy a hammer" etc etc. Sometimes these "do" items (actions) can be associated with reference material and sometimes not - e.g. you may or may not have a relevant brochure about hammers available in your bookshelf.

But the list of actions is very separate in its nature from the reference material as such. Although GTD does give some guidlines for how you can organize your reference material, it is first and foremost about of how you organize and manage your action reminders.

These action reminders can (if you like) be organized by "area of responsibility" etc as you described in your first post. If you like to do this you should look at a medium or high caliber list app. If you use paper or a simple list app you can keep areas of responsibility as a separate checklist. The more basic action reminder functionality you need is a next action list (separated by context), waiting for list, someday/maybe list, and a tickler. You probably already have a calendar.
 
LandOfGreenGinger said:
Hello all, this is my first post;
I've been using GTD in various implementations for the past few months, but I've having real trouble settling with a system.
I've used OneNote, Evernote and various task list apps and services but nothing seems to stick. I've been edging towards a paper based system but Im not sure if it will suit my needs.
I have a few areas of focus including:
  • Open Uni student I work from paper based text books and make notes on paper, yet my assignments are done on MS Word.
  • An employee I don't use GTD for this as its a pretty menial job but I have rota which I access online and my payslips are also online.
  • Father, home owner so I get stuff through the post, newsletters, and other general appointments and commitments
  • Junior programmer Im currently building a portfolio of software to compliment my studies, so I have source code files and relevant documents
My head says that a digital system would suit my needs better as it can easily address all the 'stuff' I handle yet I get little satisfaction from it. I don't really care that my digital inbox is at zero, and filing is boring as hell as its just dragging notes into a notebook in evernote.
Yet a paper based system would be slower as I'd be printing a lot more stuff, and I'd find it hard capturing stuff from the web and the other digital sources of information I use. Yet physically filing and getting your inbox to zero gives you a great sense of achievement
If anyone could give me a kick in the right direction I'd be most grateful
Click to expand...

You seem to be most concerned with files and filing rather than projects and actions. You need to get your inboxes, both digital and electronic, to zero so that you know what you need and/or want to do. That's it. It's nice if you derive some extra sense of pleasure from filing and getting your inbox to zero but not important. I like being done with these things because it means I can ignore these inputs for a while and get stuff done. You want the fastest system you can have for processing stuff compatible with a) extracting projects and next actions; b) being able to find reference material when you need it. If you have to use paper, use it. I use digital a s much as I can: I file in Dropbox by areas of focus. Mail generally ends up in one searchable folder for each year. If some email is crucial, I will print a pdf into Dropbox. I do multiple backups at multiple locations, of course. That you find paper documents more real than digital ones suggests that you may be using reference material as a reminder of what you want to do rather than as reference. It's also possible that you are over-collecting and need to cut back. Generally, I save email if in doubt and purge paper.
 
Thanks for the help and advice.
I've really simplified my system and focused on the next actions above anything else, its really helping me.
Also I'm using a paper based system apart from my action lists and calendar which I use outlook for. It seems a lot more easier for me because I'm spending less time trying to get a service to do 'something' and more time doing the stuff I need to do.
 
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