New GTD'er! Critique my Implementation Before It's In Full Swing!

[Day Owl]

It can be a really good idea to try GTD - or any system - with basic tools / materials first. That way you know for sure whether you love the system or just the cool stuff you bought.

Well said, acedia!

 

[Jon Walthour]

The size and style looks perfect! I don't need the fancy various kinds of pages, just consistent, lined paper, with plenty of reasonably priced refills. Also, don't need to spend $50 at this point.

Ah, I see now. Thank you for the clarification. Slender, gender neutral, functional, etc. I use the GTD Jr. Coordinator. I, too, wanted something low profile. Thus, I wanted to go 5 1/2 x 8 1/2. This was very important to me, to be able to slip out my system sitting in a car or a bus. Full-size pages were too big for this and didn't offer anything for me to counterbalance the size issue. I also wanted EVERYTHING in one place--not a calendar and address book on a PDA or computer, lists on paper, project notes elsewhere, etc. So, when I went to Staples and put together a Franklin-Covey calendar (the work to put together a DIY calendar in 5.5x8.5 size for the entire year wasn't worth it to me), a binder of sufficient size (5.5x8.5 with at least 1/2 inch depth), lined pages (also Franklin-Covey), I topped $50 easily. And that didn't include that I couldn't find tab sheet that were in an 5.5x8.5 size. So, I took the plunge and bought the $50 GTD Jr. Coordinator. I figured in my electronic day, I would spend at least this much on a piece of good software to do this (OmniFocus was $80 + $20 for the iPhone app). Additionally, I would have spent at least that much at a Franklin-Covey store just for a yearly refill and other sheets for a given year. So, it didn't seem out of proportion for me. Now, your mileage may vary, but those were my criteria and that made the GTD Jr. Coordinator a good buy for me from my perspective. I wanted to do paper right if I was going to dive in and do a paper-based approach. The purchase made sense and I've not once regretted my decision now about 2 months in. You need to do what works best for you, but I would highly recommend the Coordinator if you're going to go paper. It'll help guide you in doing GTD right the first time.

 

[kelstarrising]

Other options

Hey, of course we'd love for you to buy the Coordinator, and, there's a free article in the DAC store on setting up a paper planner:

https://secure.davidco.com/store/catalog/Paper-Organizer-how-to-set-one-up-p-16162.php

Use that to give you an idea of the suggested sections. Most companies have a supply closet that also serves as a graveyard for 3-ring binders. Grab one of those. Then use Word or whatever you want to create the filler pages you'll need. There's a zero dollar system.

Hope that helps!

 

[Oogiem]

I use a clipboard. One page per context. Makes me feel like a NASA scientist.

If I ever get back into a job where carrying paper around as my system works for me I think I'll get one of the contractor clipboards. YOu know, the aluminum kind with a clipboard on the front and opens up with a small space to store stuff. I always thought those looked really cool. ;-)

 

[Brent]

This is functional, but not an option for me given my environments. I need something very professional looking.

Please help me to understand: How is a clipboard not professional? I use one at work for my system, and to be honest I think it makes me look more professional than many of my colleagues. To me, there's something very professional about striding around the halls, carrying a clipboard in one hand. But maybe that's just me!