My newly implemented GTD system in Toodledo (web and iPhone)

[jakenava]

I’ve been reading up on GTD for a while now and tried several different systems. I’ve been using Evernote for about a month and tried using it as a “to do” system but find it too difficult to view things quickly. So I’ve gone back to Toodledo and after trying to use it within my iPhone calendar app (Pocket Informant) but I just don’t find it mirrors Toodledo enough so I’ve redownloaded Toodledo iPhone app and so far its working like a dream. And I’ve been reading up a lot – both online generally and in the forum here – to see what other people do to see if it could help my system run more smoothly.

Fields I Use

• Context
• Folder
• Due Date
• (Due Time)
• Repeat
• Length
• Location
• Star

Context
This is my main category and the theory is that if there is no context the item hasn’t been processed yet.

My contexts are:
• .Inbox (this is set as the default context so that any new tasks go here if I’ve just quickly added them and then I can sort them later.
• Home (I am thinking of getting rid of this as I am also using locations and I have one set up for Home – but I’m not sure what to replace it with yet).
• Housework
• Information (this is mainly for birthdays/anniversaries that I have imported into Toodledo via another iPhone app)
• Out
• Shopping (for my shopping lists)
• t-Home PC
• t-Laptop
• t-Phone
• Work

Folder
I’m really only using these as a way to a) have somewhere to focus on specific projects and b) as a way to differentiate between the items in my contexts.

So my folders are:
• Anniversaries (all given the Context “Information)
• Ben (my husband – I was hoping to use this folder to share items with him. I’ve not delved into sharing much other than to send him a notification which he’s ignored! Lol)
• Birthdays (all given the Context “Information)
• Shopping-me
• Shopping-Clothes
• Shopping-Food/House
• Shopping-Kids
• Housework-Bedroom
• Housework-Kitchen
• Housework-Laundry
• Housework-Sitting Room

So far that’s as far as I’ve got.

Due Date
Self-explanatory

Due Time
I’m not sure if I’m actually going to use this or not. I’ve been debating taking it out, as it seems like the more fields you have when you add a to-do, the longer it takes and therefore the less your thoughts can flow. There will be occasions when I need to set things up to happen at specific times but then I tend to set these up as Alarms on my iPhone in a separate Alarms app. Anything else will only be done as and when I have time or am in the right location.

Repeat
I love the idea of repeating alarms. And I’m trying to use it more. I have started using it for my Housework items although I’m such a rubbish housewife that I tend to just do things as and when they desperately need doing and no amount of listmaking seems to be able to make me keep on top of it!!!!

Length
I also like the idea of this. And I like the fact that Toodledo has a Scheduler and if you tell it how much time you have it will tell you which items you can do. I haven’t really played with this that much yet as I haven’t given all my items lengths.

Location
This is pretty self explanatory. But basically I have:
• .Home (with the dot in front to keep it at the top).
• Anywhere
• (names of shops that I regularly go to – with the exact location too)
• (Name of my local town – and random centre of town location added)
• Work

Star
I wasn’t really using this before, but after reading a thread on here where the author said they were using it to flag up urgent items, I’ve decided to give it a go. This is why I’ve decided to give up Priority field because I don’t actually have that many tasks to deal with (in my current system – probably cos I’ve not been doing it for that long) so I don’t feel like I need to organise my tasks by priority as that would just end up being more work than its worth.

Gonna finish now as its Friday night and I’ve got Chilli con Carne coming and wine to drink!!!

 

[cwoodgold]

I have started using it for my Housework items although I’m such a rubbish housewife that I tend to just do things as and when they desperately need doing and no amount of listmaking seems to be able to make me keep on top of it!!!!

Here are some suggestions to help with that:

• Don't put yourself down. Don't use words like "rubbish" to describe yourself, either when talking to others or in your own head.
• Don't use present tense or the verb "to be" when describing behaviours you want to change. Instead of "I'm", which sounds like something that will extend into the future, recognize that the future has open possibilities by using wording like "Up until now, I've tended to just do things as and when..." The way you talk about yourself affects your beliefs about yourself, which can affect your behaviour.
• Read books such as "Eat That Frog!" by Brian Tracy, "Willpower" by Baumeister and Tierney, "Confessions of a Happily Organized Family" by Deniece Schofield, "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg, etc.
• Start small. Maybe start with 5 minutes a day. Choose some things to do that will take about 5 minutes a day and which, if you do them, will make a significant difference to at least some part of your housekeeping. The rest of the day, for now, just continue as you've been doing. Don't choose the most difficult things if that will make it too hard to keep doing them; be realistic; but choose things that you've been (notice the verb tense) feeling frustrated about and that will give you a feeling of satisfaction and progress if you stick to your plan. For example, you might decide that each day, you'll fold and put away at least 3 items of laundry; wash at least 1 dish; and dust or sweep at least one part of one piece of furniture or one small section of floor, all 3 tasks within about 5 minutes. Or some other plan that makes sense to you. I think it was the book "The Power of Habit" that made the following suggestion: aim to do your new habit for 30 days. Not necessarily 30 consecutive days. You aim to do it every day, but if you miss a day, you just keep counting, e.g. Monday - day 1; Tuesday - day 2; Thursday - day 3. When you get to 30 days, give yourself a reward. By then, it's probably an established habit, easier to continue, and you can then add a next level of difficulty. Don't try to do too much too soon.
• When you do housework, always take a couple of seconds to reward yourself by admiring what you've just done, smiling and feeling good about it, and maybe other rewards too.
• Maybe the housework is too much for one person. Figure out what types of housework your husband doesn't mind too much doing (or that you hate most) and delegate some to him. You need some time for your education and job search; you're not a full-time housewife.
• You might like www.flylady.net