Re: Separating Home and Work?
I'm not sure this will help, but I'll share what I do at home because it's been pretty successful. Sorry it's so long, but I don't know which parts of what I do might give you an idea of what you could do.
First of all I don't use a PDA. I use paper at home and at work as well even though I'm a software engineer. So there might be some things I do differently because of the paper aspect.
One problem with home is that many of the tasks are recurrent, so writing them down can be tedious, however they are not necessarily mandatory, so using a calendar to list them can undermine the calendar. I managed this by setting up a tickler file at home. I have days 1-30, months 1-12 and also weeks 1-13 which repeat quarterly. I have tasks such as make kids' lunches, clean the kitchen, water plants, etc. written on large index cards which come out of the tickler file at the beginning of the day or the night before and are placed back in the tickler file at the appropriate day of the future, which would be tomorrow for daily tasks. I use the tickler files for the normal things as well, such as directions to events and invitations to kid birthday parties. Weeks 1-13 folders are used to manage repetitive housekeeping tasks that can be done at longer intervals. I find it helpful for managing tasks such as cleaning out the hall closet, getting rid of old clothes, etc. I just stack the cards on the counter and leaf through them when I'm in housekeeping mode, ideally once in the morning, once at night and on weekends. With this system I can put things off in a way that doesn't let them fall through the cracks. If I put off a quarterly task for too long, I put the card back in the file for the corresponding week of the next quarter. I can only do so much after all, and it's not that important if the hall closet goes to hell for example. I view the index cards as an addendum to my housework context list.
This tickler file system is in a narrow file folder holder on a counter in the kitchen. I have my project files next to it in a separate holder. These contain things like bills to pay, pending internet purchases, etc.
Another thing I did is have my home GTD lists completely separate from the ones at work. It took me 1/2 day to organize my work office. I am still working on the home situation. The major part of the work was done in about a week, about an hour at a time. I had an inbox that was so stuffed I had to cram things in sideways, plus piles of other stuff all over the place. Now almost everything is assimilated into the GTD system. I have a looseleaf notebook with all the lists--projects, someday/maybe and the context lists. My context lists are: phone calls, errands, housework, computer work, and paperwork. Bills are handled separately. I have a short list for things my husband has to do and a pending list.
There is absolutely nothing about my job in my home system, and absolutely nothing about home at work, except the little notebook in my back pocket that I use to capture ideas. I have another inbox in my sewing room because I have a huge backlog of unfinished sewing/knitting/quilting projects with attendant paperwork, magazines, etc. My craft projects are listed in the same notebook as my home projects, but in a different section. The context lists for craft projects are somewhat different as well. They are specific to the nature of the craft and are in a different section of my main notebook.
My kids have an inbox too, which I handle because they're little. My husband is a medical student so he exists in another universe. I pretty much run the whole show myself and even open his mail, which he doesn't mind. In fact I daresay he's grateful.
Don't underestimate the magnitude of the housekeeping task. It's enormous especially for people such as myself who have complete responsibility. I have to take care of all the physical housekeeping, laundry, periodic home maintenance, social calendar, finances including all the bills and taxes, children's affairs including enrolling them for school, landscaping, car maintenance, vacations, etc. I hire out some of the work but it's still me who has to hire it out. I used to think it wasn't fair which made the problem even worse. Now I realize that it's just the way the cookie crumbles, and I'm married to someone who's going to be a fine doctor, which is wonderful. The only thing I don't do is cook, so we eat junk or eat out.
The GTD system really delivers what it promises in managing all this. When I set it up in June or so, I had an enormous backlog of unfulfilled commitments. I've whittled it away substantially, but what's left is moving off the lists very slowly. For example I haven't sent in the papers to claim the dental insurance payments for a year. Part of the reason is that I leave things for the future when I can, and spend my limited free time in the present working on quilts or playing the flute or going out with my friends. But most of the important things are managed properly.
Cris
