Need help!

M

mindy66

0
I am brand spankin new to the whole GTD concept and am very excited about it.

I've listened to the audio book in my car and have the book as well.

I have been looking online in different forums, etc. for some sort of visual on how the heck to work this system and actually put it into real practice. Do I use a binder and if so, what does it look like???

Because I am such a visual learner, it has been very difficult for me to wrap my head around all these written out steps that I've found.

Not sure if this visual need is more of a woman thing or not, but another thing I have a hard time imagining is doing all of this electronically which seems to be what almost all are doing. I much prefer paper.

My personal primary learning style is probably Tactile/Kinesthetic with the close second being visual which is probably why the whole paper system appeals to me so much more.

I guess what I am really hoping for is pictures of an entire system.
Might anyone have something like that?
Sorry for my slowness!

Thanks Sooo much in advance for any help y'all might have to offer!

Mindy
 
A lot of people have documented their GTD systems in Flickr. See for example:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=gtd

Another good source for specific tips on implementation is http://43folders.com/

Primarily, what I like about GTD is that it's almost infinitely malleable in terms of implementation. Experiment with the tools and setup until you find something that works for you, and stick with it.

Have fun!
 
mindy66, there's actually a free article directly from davidco about how to set up a paper planner. This is a super-simple, cheap DIY version of what they then later marketed as the GTD Coordinator (with instructions and fancy printing and paper and whatnot).

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.davidco.com/store/catalog/Paper-Organizer-how-to-set-one-up-p-16162.php

If you click on "Products" here on the site you'll find that one and many others on things like setting up a filing system, tickler file, etc. There's even a .zip file with all the articles that's available for download.

There are many of us who use a paper or hybrid system, so don't feel like you have to go electronic if that's not what makes you happy! I for one like the feel of a pen on nice high-quality paper--my newest incarnation of my system is in a pocket Moleskine.

Also, I've bumped one of the better paper-system threads for your perusal. Hope it helps!
 
First, here's a video I made, walking through my GTD system:

http://www.vimeo.com/1063956

As to "how to put it together"...there is no single "right answer." GTD is more of a process for creating and maintaining a productivity system. You can do it with a binder, PDA, index cards, computer files, etc.

I have an electronic GTD system on my laptop. I have a folder called "Getting Things Done", in which I have the following text files:

  • Actions @Home
  • Actions @Laptop
  • Projects
  • Someday/Maybe
  • Waiting For

I keep my appointments in Google Calendar, which is my homepage.

I have a physical tickler system consisting of 43 folders, in a filing cabinet in my studio.

I have a physical inbox on my desk, into which I drop physical mail, notes to myself that I write while out of the house, and each day's tickler papers.

I keep a small deck of index cards and a pencil in my left-hand pocket at all times, to write notes to myself. Every night when I undress, I check to see if I have any notes to myself, and if so I drop the card(s) into my physical inbox.

Here's a rough idea of the system:

Continually:

  • Review Actions @Home and Actions @Laptop lists for work to be done
  • Check calendar for appointments

Daily:

  • Add today's tickler items to inbox
  • Add notes to self to inbox
  • Process inbox (read each item and add Actions/create tickler(s)/trash/whatever)

Weekly:

  • Perform the Weekly Review (reconcile all lists, etc.; there's a great one-sheet step-by-step list of this process in David Allen's Making It All Work)

Does that make sense?
 
mindy66;64199 said:
I am brand spankin new to the whole GTD concept and am very excited about it.

Because I am such a visual learner, it has been very difficult for me to wrap my head around all these written out steps that I've found.

Not sure if this visual need is more of a woman thing or not, but another thing I have a hard time imagining is doing all of this electronically which seems to be what almost all are doing. I much prefer paper.

My personal primary learning style is probably Tactile/Kinesthetic with the close second being visual which is probably why the whole paper system appeals to me so much more.
Click to expand...

A visual learning style isn't not a man/woman thing. I'm a man and a visual learner myself. I don't think that I would have run with GTD the way that I did if I tried to learn it from the book. Luckily, my company gave me access to videotapes of D.A.'s live seminar "Mastering Workflow".

I don't know of anyone who has a strictly electronic or paper GTD system. Some prefer to keep their action lists and calendars in paper format, some prefer electronic. I prefer electronic lists & calendars for several reasons. First, paper doesn't "beep" at you when an appointment is drawing near. Second, I hate lugging a paper binder around everywhere I go. Third, if I lose the binder, I'm up the creek without a paddle. I can back up electronic data with little to no effort. At the same time, I love my paper tickler file, filing system, and "Read & Review" tray because they've helped me to manage the paper medium well.

If you want some visual aids for getting started, I strongly suggest downloading the free articles from this site, particularly the Workflow Diagram or the Advanced Workflow Diagram. These really are the "Rosetta Stone" of GTD. The other articles help a great deal to fill in the blanks for other areas of GTD. Some I recommend to you are:

Weekly Review Checklist
Organizing Your Workspace
Organizing a Paper Organizer
Getting E-mail Under Control

Best of luck!

- Luke
 
I use paper too

I have a presentation folder with tabs that I keep all of my lists in. I have to have my lists with me at all times and I like being able to see everything on an 81/5x11 sheet of paper and to flip from one to another.

I've also had a bad experience with deleting a task by accident and not being able to retrieve it (using my old PDA) so I prefer paper for my lists.

My calendar is in my smart phone so it's electronic.

It's a matter of preference. Do what works for you.
 
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