Office 365 Implementation

rodxmas

rodxmas

0
I have a corporate and personal office 365 subscription. I use ToDo as my next action list, OneNote for reference|notes|deeper project planning, outlook for calendar. I am interested in if anyone has seen a setup guide or reference that details how to optimally use this combination of tools. I really like ToDo and is my favorite tool for GTD after 20 years of practice but I feel like there must be a way to optimize all of the tools in office 365. I use both a pc, android phone, and android tablet. If there isnt anything out there would anybody out there be interesting in joining a small mastermind type group to look into optimization possibilities? Thanks,Rod
 
I too am seeking solutions for streamlining all of these tools for gtd. And I'd be interested in such a group.
I'm just climbing back on the wagon now and discovered that my offline, stand alone outlook2010 is no longer supported and office365 being so different has broken some of my most habitualized and favorite functionalities.
 
I have a similar system and have been working to integrate them better. I also have thrown Planner into the mix.
I utilize both the desktop version and the web version of most of the app, depending on whats open or need (i like to move my tasks to my calendar on the online version).

I'd be happy to join the group.
 
I recently discovered "Boards" in the web version of Outlook. It allows you to pull in Calendar, ToDo and various other items.
I have pulled in multiple context lists from ToDo. The best thing about using ToDo in the browser is the link to OneNote pages is not ugly as in the app. The links are meaningful names.
That being said, I flip back and forth between my board and the desktop apps.
Since this only works in a browser at this point, there is no mobile specific solution.
 
kelstarrising said:
Just to confirm—are you using the web or desktop versions of all of these apps? Is it just the integration of Outlook, To Do, and OneNote you’re interested in from a GTD perspective?

I write the GTD Setup Guides is why I’m asking.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Hi Kelly your setup guides are the foundation of my setup. I predominantly use the desktop and android version of the apps and it is the integration that I am interested in the most. I use todo for my list but find that sometimes it works better to look at them in outlook tasks. I use onenote for reference and project planning for bigger projects and create tasks from there for viewing in my context list on outlook and todo. It works well for me but sometimes I wonder does it make more sense to have my project lists in onenote and only keep action items in todo and what about higher horizons? It has also crossed my mind that maybe I should just pick one of them an use it for everything.
 
Not clear to me the value of buying set up guides. I could use outline tasks/to do, OneNote, lists, planner etc. It seems to me to be about the optimum integration, and what this would achieve, not individual software with GTD?
 
In the past I tried to use Outlook as the core of my system. I found that for GTD style task management it is insufficient.

Currently,

iCloud calendar is my master calendar
Computer
  • Outlook for mail
  • Outlook for calendar with sync to icloud.
  • OneNote for almost all reference and planning materials.
    • I send to OneNote from email, print to OneNote from web sites, etc. to capture almost everything in one easily searchable place. OneNote provides search inside of embedded PDF files, OCR and generally makes everything accessible. I stopped using email as a filing system and instead send reference material, receipts and other messages that need saving straight to OneNote.
    • I have a someday/maybe section in onenote with ideas that have significant information
    • I have a projects notebook in OneNote for project planning and support materials
  • Nirvana for managing GTD lists
iphone
  • iCloud calendar for all alerts,
  • OneNote to allow access to reference materials
  • Office Lens to allow easily capturing documents, whiteboards and such to OneNote
  • Nirvana for management of GTD lists

You will notice, that except for a few physical files in a file box and some digital files in the file system on my computer (which can be shared on dropbox if necessary), I can access everything from my phone if needed. However, I use my computer for all of the heavy lifting (reviews, planning, etc.). At this point Outlook is a simple part of my system that could be easily replaced by a different mail reader.
 
kelstarrising said:
Just to confirm—are you using the web or desktop versions of all of these apps? Is it just the integration of Outlook, To Do, and OneNote you’re interested in from a GTD perspective?

I write the GTD Setup Guides is why I’m asking.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Kelly, I would like to help you write a guide for my solution if you are interested. I have already been writing a guide for my family and friends to help them get setup and learn to work with GTD.
 
rodxmas said:
I have a corporate and personal office 365 subscription. I use ToDo as my next action list, OneNote for reference|notes|deeper project planning, outlook for calendar. I am interested in if anyone has seen a setup guide or reference that details how to optimally use this combination of tools. I really like ToDo and is my favorite tool for GTD after 20 years of practice but I feel like there must be a way to optimize all of the tools in office 365. I use both a pc, android phone, and android tablet. If there isnt anything out there would anybody out there be interesting in joining a small mastermind type group to look into optimization possibilities? Thanks,Rod
Click to expand...
Count me in. Where to do we start?
 
Little late to the party, but I have just implemented essentially the same set-up and would be interested in this group!
 
I run two parallel GTD systems. One in Office365 for work and my private is currently implemented in Outlook / Todoist. However I intend to migrate that to my private Office365 as well, to align the toolset.

I'm reasonably adept in tech, so implementing a few Power Automate solutions shouldn't be an issue. I've got some workflows for converting e-mails into todo's (such as pick-up parcels).

I just recently discovered that it's possible to use tags in To Do, which increases that tools functionality tremendously.

I'd be most interested in joining this group as well, if it's not too late:-)
 
Fedder said:
I run two parallel GTD systems. One in Office365 for work and my private is currently implemented in Outlook / Todoist. However I intend to migrate that to my private Office365 as well, to align the toolset.

I'm reasonably adept in tech, so implementing a few Power Automate solutions shouldn't be an issue. I've got some workflows for converting e-mails into todo's (such as pick-up parcels).

I just recently discovered that it's possible to use tags in To Do, which increases that tools functionality tremendously.

I'd be most interested in joining this group as well, if it's not too late:)
Click to expand...
This group is really quiet Fedder. I'm keen to learn how you use 365 for GTD? I am starting out and using parallel folders in OneNote. I am concerned categories might not be easy if we make too many projects. Next action is recommended for all projects but how can we do that if there is a sub list of tasks within a category, or do we do that elsewhere in say a List and duplicate the next task in Tasks and link to another 365 tool to see the rest of it? Thanks.
 
I want to say I'm new to GTD (around a year), but I'm finally using office 365 to manage everything for my life and seems they are working well. Just watched the video about the omnifocus, it has some features, but I would not use it as I have to use many other tools to do support and reference.
However, in office365, with OneNote, Onedrive (and a little MS ToDo, not really needed). I can execute all GTD very well and Onenote is a super reference/support docs. Actually one notebook is sufficient (but for different working environment, I may use multiple notebooks for reference/support).
I'm really interested to connect with any people who are using office365 for GTD. Please connect and share. Thanks!
 
rodxmas said:
I have a corporate and personal office 365 subscription. I use ToDo as my next action list, OneNote for reference|notes|deeper project planning, outlook for calendar. I am interested in if anyone has seen a setup guide or reference that details how to optimally use this combination of tools. I really like ToDo and is my favorite tool for GTD after 20 years of practice but I feel like there must be a way to optimize all of the tools in office 365. I use both a pc, android phone, and android tablet. If there isnt anything out there would anybody out there be interesting in joining a small mastermind type group to look into optimization possibilities? Thanks,Rod
Click to expand...
I love the idea of a mastermind group to discuss issues with implementing this stuff. I think I have a similar setup, ToDo to manage Actions, OneNote to manage project planning. Struggling on how to structure data flow between the different systems without duplicating steps. For example, how to bring info from Outlook into OneNote projects file, while also tracking NA in ToDos. I feel like I'm bouncing back and forth a lot given that I'm theoretically working within one "Ecosystem" of tools. I suspect my systems could be simplified or made more efficient.
 
Wow. 'quiet' is an understatement. @Fedder, can you say more about your power automate scripts? That might be an easier route to smoothing the O365 rough edges than going through the API.
 
I have embarked on a transformative journey to refine and streamline my productivity ecosystem, centered around O365 and built with the power of VBA for Outlook. This initiative is grounded in integrating and automating the core principles of GTD within Outlook, minimizing the manual interventions that once made my GTD practice prone to lapses—such as forgetting to ask the critical questions: "What is it?" and "Is it actionable?" These essential GTD steps are now seamlessly embedded within Outlook.

A significant addition to my setup is a floating, movable 2-minute timer within Outlook, enabled through API calls to Windows. This feature enhances my focus and time management directly within my workflow. Another critical element of this overhaul was standardizing the delegation process, which I found particularly interesting to code given my reliance on Todoist for managing all my horizons of focus.

One of the key features I’ve implemented is an interactive delegation task creation process within Outlook. Every time I send an email, a popup window prompts me to decide if I want to create a delegation task in Todoist. If I choose yes, a user form appears with two text fields: one for specifying what I am waiting for from the delegation, and the other for defining the desired outcome. Additionally, I can select the appropriate project for the Todoist task from a dropdown menu. My VBA code then utilizes the Todoist API to create a "Waiting For" task directly in the designated project’s section (I use the board view in Todoist).

You might wonder why I didn’t simply use the native Todoist Outlook add-in instead of developing my own solution in VBA. The reason is that the native add-in lacks the capability to assign tasks to specific sections within Todoist projects and only retrieves the source email through the Outlook web environment. My custom add-in goes a step further by embedding two separate hyperlinks in the task name: one to retrieve the source email from the Outlook desktop client and another from the web version. This dual-link functionality ensures I can access the original email regardless of whether I’m working within the Todoist Windows app or on a mobile device.

Looking ahead, my next objective is to enhance the interaction between Outlook and OneNote. While the native integration between these two apps is robust, I believe there is potential for further optimization, particularly from a GTD perspective. My ultimate goal is to continually refine this setup, pushing it closer to the ideal GTD application blueprint presented by David Allen at the last GTD Summit in Amsterdam.

Current Setup:
  • Windows 10
  • O365 Outlook Desktop Client
  • OneNote 2016, configured for GTD Reference System
  • O365 OneDrive
  • Todoist for Windows 10 and Mobile
  • Numerous VBA modules within Outlook (accessible via Alt+F11)
  • Required setup in Microsoft Graph to grant authentication and authorization to manipulate email information
  • Python installation + libraries and a script to retrieve email hyperlink from within Outlook web
  • Various txt log files to trace VBA and python execution (required for trouble shooting to error trapping)
 
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