Ubiquitous Capture Tool

terminalwriter

Registered
I've known about GTD for months and am starting to feel like I'm really getting the ball rolling.

When David mentions in the book, getting a tool you enjoy using helps a great deal, I can totally agree. My system really started when I got my iPhone, because I wanted a reason to play with it.

However, I worry about that becoming my primary capture tool. Right now, it seems to be working ok; however, there are times that I want to sit and brainstorm at a random place and the interface just isn't conductive for that. Usually my capture, right now, consist of short notes that I e-mail myself.

I'm beginning to think I need a paper-based tool as well, but I'm trying to figure out something that will fit my lifestyle. I work a day job in an office and wait tables at night and on weekends. I have a 45 minute commute to the day job and about the same amount home, whether or not I work the second job that day. Add in, during my free nights, I usually spend several hours over at my mom's for some quality time with my kids. (I'm a single dad of two little girls and with two jobs and 12 credit hours of school online, it's not fair to them for them to stay with me right now.) And several nights a week after either the second job or spending time with the kids, I will go crash over at my girlfriend's place as well.

So I'm looking for something that is fairly portable, but rugged enough to have in my back pocket while I wait tables, so I can jot stuff down/brainstorm during slow periods in the restaurant. I tried the HipsterPDA at one point, but all the cards got pretty mangled in the process.

The other thing I really need with it, is a way to make sure I keep it with me. (That's why the iPhone has become so valuable, I once, years ago, had a PDA that I would always forget. I always have my phone on me, so this has become ubiquitous for me.) So maybe it could be my wallet as well? I tried to find some sort of iPhone case with a notebook without much luck.

I've got all of my lists in Google Docs, so although I can't edit them, I do always have access to my lists through my phone. I just need an easier way to capture I guess...
 

apinaud

Registered
Check the DavidCo wallet, I really like them, I had many like those before, but was not until the NoteTakerWallet that I made them really ubiquitous.

Best,
 
C

craigm

Guest
Moleskine

I've started carrying a Moleskine (which I've nicknamed the "Smalleskine" instead of a Palm device for Ubiquitous Capture. I've also picked up several Zebra retracting pens from Office Max. I love both of them, and would recommend them highly. They're quite portable, and I carry them both in my front pocket, so they're always with me to jot an idea.

Hope this helps!
 

hth

Registered
notmuch;53087 said:
I'm using the Buxton knockoff of the Levenger Shirt Pocket Briefcase. I got it at Staples for $10. I carry 6-10 index cards... just enough for quick capture and some brainstorming on the fly, and refills are cheap and ubiquitous.

Thanks for this hint, it seems to be a nice tool which would fit my needs. I hope I get it or something equivalent here.

Yours
Alexander
 

AdamMiller81

Registered
I was going to suggest the same thing. I use a pocket Moleskine myself, but thought the reporter style might be best for a back pocket type of use.

Adam
 

TesTeq

Registered
GTD NoteTaker Wallet!

GTD NoteTaker Wallet or GTD Trifold NoteTaker Wallet depending on the size of the personal documents you have to carry with yourself. In Poland car documents are to wide to fit in the standard GTD NoteTaker Wallet so I've purchased GTD Trifold NoteTaker Wallet recently. It has enough room for car documents, ID document, driving license, credit cards, some cash and is equipped with small reporter-style perforated notepad and expandable pen. Recommended!
 

jsturtridge

Registered
Mobile phone voice memo?

Terminalwriter,

Don't forget that a lot of mobile phones have a "voice memo" function - I use this facility a lot - just take a voice memo and drop the phone into my in-basket when I get to home/office.

*Edit* - I see that you're using an iPhone which currently doesn't have a memo taking facility - apologies. However I note that Apple is producing a third-party dev kit which should help people create a voice memo app - but this isn't coming along until Feb.

Also you can take notes in this situation when you're walking along with only one hand free ...

HTH - J.
 

TesTeq

Registered
Problem with voice recorder / mobile phone's voice memo function.

jsturtridge;53110 said:
Don't forget that a lot of mobile phones have a "voice memo" function - I use this facility a lot - just take a voice memo and drop the phone into my in-basket when I get to home/office.

I have a problem with voice recorder / mobile phone's voice memo function - I hate to retrieve the voice information. So a voice recorder becomes the UBH - Ubiquitous Black Hole. :)
 

hth

Registered
TesTeq;53121 said:
I have a problem with voice recorder / mobile phone's voice memo function - I hate to retrieve the voice information. So a voice recorder becomes the UBH - Ubiquitous Black Hole. :)

I as well don't love it, especially because I commute by bycicle with some little hills. You might imagine how the recording sounds ii it was taken while I was cycling uphill.
But nevertheless if I drive by car the recorder is the best UCT for me.

Yours
Alexander
 

BrianK

Registered
Jott

TesTeq;53121 said:
I have a problem with voice recorder / mobile phone's voice memo function - I hate to retrieve the voice information. So a voice recorder becomes the UBH - Ubiquitous Black Hole. :)

This is where Jott could come in handy. Rather than record something on your mobile phone's voice memo function, dial Jott, say what's on your mind, and let it show up as a transcribed email in your email inbox a few minutes later for processing.

Not affiliated, just a user.
 

BrianK

Registered
And to the original poster, don't forget the function of the ubiquitous capture tool: capture. A capture tool doesn't have to be the same tool / place used to store your lists.
 

hth

Registered
BrianK;53125 said:
This is where Jott could come in handy. Rather than record something on your mobile phone's voice memo function, dial Jott, say what's on your mind, and let it show up as a transcribed email in your email inbox a few minutes later for processing.

This sounds great, but has just the little problem that I don't know of such a service in Germany. ;-)
If anyone knows of such a service here please tell me!

Yours
Alexander
 

TesTeq

Registered
Jott doesn't understand Polish or any language...

BrianK;53125 said:
This is where Jott could come in handy. Rather than record something on your mobile phone's voice memo function, dial Jott, say what's on your mind, and let it show up as a transcribed email in your email inbox a few minutes later for processing.

I tried but Jott doesn't understand Polish or any language except for English which is used in some countries only. :)
 

Borisoff

Registered
I tried different UCTs like stickers, notes, different notebooks. And sometimes I found myself without any of them except for my Palm Treo. It's always with me anywhere and I accommodated myself to it. I use Notes for any thoughts and sometimes in the car VoiceRecorder feature of the Notes. I process then all the Notes along with other Inboxes. Works great for me!
 

Paddlerpb

Registered
Capture mechanism -- The Flash Notebook

I've watched these capture threads for a while now as I've enmeshed my life in GTD, and I'm amazed at the variety of options people have chosen. For more than 35 years as a writer and editor I've carried a 3x5 top bound spiral notebook purchased in bulk from wherever I am when I know I'm about to need a new one. I'm never without a pen or pencil except when I'm swimming, so that's easy. I've always called this my "Flash" notebook, and reviewed it frequently to excerpt information, tasks, accomplishments, lists and brilliant (or not so) thoughts. Everything gets transferred to one of my computer-based implementation tools. Simply crossing out what's been transferred keeps things in line.

I don't need Levenger pocket briefcase or an astronaut pen. I tried the 3x5 Levenger pocket briefcase over the past two years and finally realized that because I was so sure I'd misplace/lose (more of) those loose cards that I gave up on it. I've tried a Palm for capture (too slow), although I live by my Palm from daybreak's alarm until my 9:50 reminder to head for bed and for calendaring and Life Balance while on the road (a lot). I like the notebook because it files itself in chronological order and easily holds together the three or four weeks (at most) it takes to fill it. I've found that the hundredbuck Z22 is perfectly adequate for my needs.

So, for me, a pencil and pen that works, a top bound spiral 3x5 notebook, Jott and, for interviews and more complex input, an Olympus WS300 digital voice recorder constitute a complete capture system.

I have opened a Jott account and am finding it wonderfully useful. For the rest of my system I've been using Life Balance (Llamagraphics) for a couple years on my home, office and palm machines with very good success. It took me a couple months, but I think I've come up with an excellent Life Balance structure for my profession and needs. I'm using Outlook for calendar, contacts and e-mail. For brainstorming I'm currently using Writer's Blocks and Freemind (my Mind Manager has versioned itself into antiquity and I really can't justify its current upgrade cost), although I've been experimenting with Word (in outline view) and Powerpoint, too.

I've loaded Thinking Rock and am impressed by it, but my Life Balance outline is huge and I'm not so very disciplined in the routine work involved in moving everything to a new package.

I received a new Toshiba tablet PC last week and, having just returned from my first trip with it, I believe it's going to be a boon. Onenote, anyone?

Please forgive the length of this post. It's my first and I've been building up to it for a long time.
 
C

Cluby1

Guest
GTD Wallet

I bought the wallet off the website and I'm pretty happy with it. The pen is 'ok' as I find it doesn't really lock in the open positiontoo well and it's quaility in general is decent I guess.

What I like about it most though is the wallet itself. The fact that it has a writing pad in it and fits in my pants, or breast pocket nicely even when filled to it's limit with credit cards, ID etc., it still discreet.

Overall, I'm really glad I bought it. Oh, and the leather is really nice too.
 
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