Selecting a tool for GTD - Need tips/inspiration/help

[Julie Jones]

Good choice too ! Nirvana is great. It is 100% GTD, simple and clear. The only problem is about saving and import, it safe in .csv and dont accept import from other tools. Any way I found it helped me focusing on stuff. My actual tool Omnifocus is most powerfull but also more complicated on daily basis...

Actually it can save in csv, json, and xml. The csv export is incomplete as much information is missing. I am currently using the json output and writing a conversion program to convert to and from nirvana.json to other formats. I want to make it easy to review other tools with a complete data set.

 

[dtj]

On another forum, someone was lamenting that Scrivener was too complicated, and that she was only a quarter of the way through the training. My response was, "Training? There's training? No! Ignore the training until you need the features!"

Scrivener is indeed too complicated, right up until those complications become imperative, which doesn't happen for everyone. It's like seatbelts, in that they are annoying and inconvenient, over months and 1000's of miles driven, right up until the 25 milliseconds that they are imperative for your well-being.

It's easy enough to write tons of prose with a notepad equivalent, and everything is happy as can be. But then you start writing more complex stuff, and go through iterations of editing, and moving stuff around. Only then do the complexities become, in reality, simplicities.

 

[Gardener]

Scrivener is indeed too complicated, right up until those complications become imperative,

I still say that the simplest Scrivener setup is utterly simple.

List where you can create files.
One file.
Type.

 

[misspsalms]

I found this template extremely useful for implementing GTD in Notion: Best GTD Notion template 2021 by Kely Kachimareck

 

[OF user]

I use paper because I get tired of jumping from app to app. I can jump to a different binder, planner, or notebook with writing and maintain the same tool.

 

[Gardener]

I need to make lots of perspectives for anything (21 for the moment)

I've mostly abandoned perspectives--I have two, plus the built in Projects, Contexts, Flagged, and Review. Instead, I keep my lists really, really short, and keep most things in Someday/Maybe.

 

[FocusGuy]

I've mostly abandoned perspectives--I have two, plus the built in Projects, Contexts, Flagged, and Review. Instead, I keep my lists really, really short, and keep most things in Someday/Maybe.

This may be what I may do with Omnifocus.

 

[Gardener]

I've mostly abandoned perspectives--I have two, plus the built in Projects, Contexts, Flagged, and Review. Instead, I keep my lists really, really short, and keep most things in Someday/Maybe.

To expand some more, my two Perspectives are all Available actions grouped by context, and all Available actions grouped by project.

Occasionally I’ll go up to the View button and change from Available to First Available or to Remaining, but not often enough to clutter up the space and my brain with four extra Perspectives.

Occasionally I’ll narrow the view to certain projects or certain contexts, but also not enough to clutter up the space and my brain with extra Perspectives, and add the maintenance of having to keep those Perspectives showing the right things as I add and remove projects and contexts.

It occurs to me that when I shorten my lists by moving things to Someday/Maybe, or deferring them, and so on, I’m shortening them by interacting with my tasks, instead of interacting with Perspectives. I think that interacting with my tasks is better.

For example, earlier today I saw that my lists were TOO DARN LONG! but since I was interacting with the tasks, I realized that was because I was seeing several tasks that, while technically actionable, were highly unlikely to be done before the tasks earlier in their projects, so they would be better treated as not actionable. So I set the projects to Sequential. If I'd been using Perspectives to shorten my lists, I suspect I wouldn't have realized that.

 

[FocusGuy]

To expand some more, my two Perspectives are all Available actions grouped by context, and all Available actions grouped by project.

Would you show what's the setting please ? Thanks

 

[FocusGuy]

I have to confess something

I like omnifocus because of it's database and professionalisme. My main difficulties about Omnifocus is that I never forget my system.. My spirit is never in peace.I alway feel it uncomfortable. when it come to act I am reluctant and often I procrastinate... The way projects are set is not as good as Nirvana. I know it is fully operational and well organized. I spent so many time for setting it that it is close to what I think is the best for me... I also spent a lot of time for tricking the system... On another hand I am confident with OF. I know that it works well, I know that it is able to deal with anything, lot of coach use Omnifocus, I can fix anything and at last developpers works on the system... They will soon release OF4...

About things I find it beautifull, but it is less easy for me than Nirvana. For acting It is also more complicated to use (no selection tools only tags). About my spirit it is not in peace. The way projects are set is not as good as Nirvana. From my opinion the design is great, It is nice and pleasant and great for planning. But less for GTD... Lot of people like it, but the software is not as good as nirvana is. Developpers are also working on Things regularly; but it is less easy to know what will be and how it will evoluate.

It doesn't do that to me with Nirvana. There is nothing to trick. I stay focus. My spirit is in peace. When comes acting I feel more comfortable with Nirvana I like the way project are organized, I can plan easely, I can select stuff by areas, by time, energy, I can also star every things witch matter today. I feel quiet with Nirvana. The only thing witch bother me is that I have no real safe of the database I can export and import in case the computer server crashes... And I don't know how much time it will last... Imagin if the software end what do I do ? Impossible to know what are developpers plan... Do they develop or not ? I am worry because It's a professional use...

So at last, for the moment, I stick with Omnifocus and try to make it work the best, I can...

Anyway If I would try to make a rational choice I would wonder how many people use Nirvana ? How many for Omnifocus ? How many with things ? What is the best according security, safe, organizing, easy doing and planning, easy organization ? Can't find any answer about this...

 

[Gardener]

Would you show what's the setting please ? Thanks

I'm still using OmniFocus 2.1, so this may no longer be at all relevant. I doubt that they removed these capabilities(?) but they certainly might look different.

My "Project Available" perspective is:

Use Project Hierarchy.
Filter by availability: Available
Filter projects: Remaining

Everything else is defaults.

My "Context Available" perspective is:

Don't Use Project Hierarchy
Group actions by Context
Sort actions by Project
Filter by availability: Available
Filter contexts: Remaining

Again, everything else is defaults.

 

[davidpuplava]

For what it's worth, I'm a professional software developer who fell in love with GTD and built my own app to use as my GTD system. Even with the full power to change my own app exactly how I want it to work, I find myself struggling to use it sometimes.

I think the GTD tool you choose is less important than grooving the GTD behaviors as habits.

Like @dtj mentioned, you may switch tools a couple of times so pick one you think works well and give it a few weeks trial period. You'll know right away if there is too much friction with that tool and you can then decide to switch.