Software for GTD--complicated!

L

ladyinblack1964

0
Hi there,
Here's my situation:
1. I have a Palm M500 running 4.0, with some apps like Agendus and To-Do List; my cradle is at home on my PC

2. I like having a calendar printed out in a notebook (I like Day Timers) so I stopped using the Palm a couple years ago.

3. I make a lot of small notes pertaining to various categories (such as hobbies, art, work, family etc.) and the notes end up everywhere.

4. I'm intrigued by the idea of something like Life Balance or hi-task that can be synched with iCal;

5. I have a Mac at work;

6. I don't have a lot of patience for a learning curve.

7. I am buying an iPod and just learning now that you can use features of it as a calendar. Completely confused on this part! Is there an iPods for Dummies site?

SO...:D Can anyone recommend a software program for me? I've been trying out Remember the Milk (didn't like), LB (lots of reading in the manual) and Hi-Task (maybe not as full featured as I'd like). I like the idea that LB can help set priorities for me but it also seems costly.

Can anyone help? Opinions, please? Thank you!!!

Sandra
 
Your system sounds too complicated

Hi Sandra,

From your post I get the idea that you are running in the trap that the system is all about software and gear. But it starts in your head. Therefore I tend to keep my system as simple as possible.

I have been where you are now. Frustrated by the sheer multitude of options. In your post I read that you are balancing between digital and paper, is that so? If so, I think you first have to decide on what steps of the GTD process will be digital and what steps are on paper.

My wild guess would be that you will choose one paper device for your calendar and notes and one digital device for task and project management.

Later on you can always decide to try out new software or new ways. For now the best thing you can do is make sure you trust your system.

Hope this helps, if not reply and I will try to help you out.

Fokke
Productivity 101
http://www.fokkekooistra.nl/blog/
 
I agree with Fokke ... you want your system to be as simple as possible.

Your organizational system should give you FREEDOM, not restriction. The more complicated the system, the more restrictive it gets.

I am an efficiency consultant and have tried every software system out there to recommend different solutions to my clients. With no disrespect to any of the developers of these systems, I have never found one I would recommend. Many are 90% of the way there, but since I can't trust them with the remaining 10%, they defeat the purpose.

I really enjoy a variety of Google products combined with a paper-based system. I keep my ticker file in Google Calendar and have it set to SMS or email me reminders for things like trash night, people's birthdays, etc. I also put any time-sensitive events like meetings in Google Calendar, with an alert to SMS me an appropriate time before. (For phone meetings, I get a 10 minute alert; for physical meetings, the alert gives me enough time to prepare and drive there if I somehow totally forgot about it.)

Every Sunday I print seven Action Cards for the following seven days of the week, and review my calendar online and write down any pertinent events/tasks on the corresponding day's card. You might want to just print your Google Calendar pages on a regular basis, if you like the tactile feeling.

You want to be able to set and forget as much as possible. I don't need to see that Thursday is trash night 30 times, I just need a text message at 8pm on Thursdays that reminds me to take out the last of the trash bags, if there are any.

I use GMail to keep track of ALL my email accounts in one place, with starred items being unprocessed items and labels used for support/reference material.

As for your iPod, you can sync it with iCal through iTunes. I set my iPod to beep at me when it's time for my run :)

Marina
 
re: Simple GTD Software for Mac

You are uniquely suited to try the two programs I designed:

Ready-Set-Do! - a file-system approach to GTD on the mac

Speak It On My iPod - a program that automatically converts text from documents and files into audio so you can listen to them on your iPod.

The Speak It On My iPod program also integrates with the GTD one allowing you to choose whether you want to read something on your computer or listen to it on your iPod.

Hope that helps.

Todd V
 
ladyinblack1964;54659 said:
LB (lots of reading in the manual) and Hi-Task (maybe not as full featured as I'd like). I like the idea that LB can help set priorities for me but it also seems costly.
Click to expand...

I use LB for the PC and palm, and I find it worth every penny. It does seem daunting to use but one you "get it" it's quite intuitive. I use it to track tasks, and don't actually use the "balancing" feature all that much.

- Don
 
Does it support Polish language?

Todd V;54673 said:
Speak It On My iPod - a program that automatically converts text from documents and files into audio so you can listen to them on your iPod.
Click to expand...

Does it support Polish language?
 
You may be right...

I am thinking my system is too complicated after all. I'm wondering if I should just stick with pen and paper, with iCal as a back-up.

One odd thing I find about icCal is that sometimes I can't find the various "calendars"--one day they're there, the next I can't see 'em! Grrr...

Thanks for your help/input with this. I'll check back and let you know how I'm making out. :cool:
 
re: Languages

Speak it on My iPod only supports English with a basic configuration of OS X, but if you find custom made voices for OS X -- as with a company like Cepstral -- you can change the voice to that setting and the program will speak in your language of choice.

Hope that helps.
 
I"m baaaaaack

Well, it's a full year later, and I am just checking in to see if anyone knows of anything new I should try out.

I completely abandoned the Palm.

Update on me: I was using ThinkingRock for a while, and liked it very much. However, when my Mac G4 crashed in September, I lost all my data and was not able to reload the program for some odd reason. I got disgusted and went back to paper.

Now, I'm considering buying a BlackBerry Storm OR a Palm Tungsten. I am hoping to find something out there that works on dual platforms, with either a Palm or BB, does not have a steep learning curve, allows for outlining.

Sigh.

I'm open to (more) suggestions.
 
THINGS

THINGS

and once more -- THINGS

(btw -- it's no longer alpha). I have both the iPhone and the desktop version. Could not be happier. I am just now moving into the ZEN of GTD with it -- after 7 years. (Finally).
 
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