Why all GTD Software is broken (for me at least!)

[ScottL]

Every moment you spend on GTD software

is less time you spend getting things done.

Listen to TesTeq

" think that the better you are at GTD the less the tool matters.

It's because the goal is not to do GTD better but to do the most important things in your life better. And GTD is not the most important thing in my life."

and mcogilvie.

Pick any software (or Time design which is still pretty good if you like paper), learn how to deal with the limitations, and get stuff done.

And do yourself a favor and get the simplest software you can live with.

 

[supergtdman]

@ScottL
I'd rather say listen to everyone and think for yourself

Gtd System is very personal for everyone.

 

[tomstubbs]

Collaboration Issue

@ScottL
I'd rather say listen to everyone and think for yourself

Gtd System is very personal for everyone.

I would have to agree that the personal picadillos (sp?) each of us brings to the software choice probably silently dominates the decision. I've tried at least 5 of the Windows-based programs, and looked at Omnifocus on my son's Mac. Two things seem to influence my choice most powerfully. First, as David Allen notes in "Making It Work," most of the GTD software misses the mark because it is too complicated. I like Toodledo and tried it for a while, but it seems to be less intuitive than I want my GTD software to be. Second, I work in a team. Delegating actions is important. Toodledo has you click on the button in the corner to look at those actions delegated to someone else. I prefer to look at a project and see all actions together. If I want to see all the actions delegated to a team member, I want to have that option, as well. For review purposes, however, seeing the united view is critical for me. Whatever its flaws, Nozbe implements that feature wonderfully. I can easily invite team members to a project and (once they accept the invitation) review all of the actions associated with the project, no matter who is assigned to the task. For group reviews, that is really helpful. I can also look at the lists of actions assigned to any person when I need to just meet with them. FWIW, I also find Nozbe's interface simpler, which makes it easier to get buy in from others working with me. Unfortunately, I have a Windows-based system at work. So, Omnifocus is not an option. I do have an iPad, however, which some have described as a "gateway drug" to migrating to an Apple-based office. For now, though, Nozbe works very well, with its shortcomings posing no serious problems.

 

[jrdouce]

Why all GTD Software is broken?

Because of our unrealistic expectations.

You really need an easy to use list manager. Nothing more and nothing less.

You are correct about "unrealistic expectations". The tool is just a tool, GTD is our organization. I think the heart of the issue, though, is not people wanting software that thinks for them, but wanting software that doesn't force them to think like the developer. I was never more successful with GTD than back in the old days on Time Design, then on the simple Palm Pilot 3. Paper and Palm 3 didn't do anything other than hold my lists labeled by my contexts. Simple.

There are too many inboxes these days for me to rely on a paper system, and I couldn't live without cloud, of-line and mobile access. I've been through a dozen apps and programs over the last few years. I stuck with Google Tasks and Simple Note the longest, because they were the simplest, but the interfaces are weak, and I was never happy with the Android apps. Also, it required two programs to hold notes and task lists.

I'm back on Evernote again, and so far loving it. The first time around I found it too complex to be reliable. This time I realized the complexity wasn't Evernote, it was me! Evernote has amazing capabilities, but also amazing potential to implement a simple system. All the interfaces, Client, Web and Android are stable and reliable and as simple as I want them to be.

I have 3 notebooks:
Inbox (the default to which I email content or add new notes on the fly to be sorted later)
Lists (ordered lists)
Notes (for bulk items)
I'm in the process of combining the Lists and Notes, since tagging enforces order

I have about 20 various tags, but the @GTD tag has all my @context tags (@Contact, @Errands, @Someday etc.)
The rest of the tags are personal subject areas. Evernote allows multiple tags,so I might have the GTD context "@Errands" and "Build Shed" on a note "File for building permit - town hall" and "@Contact" with "Build Shed" on a note to "Call Rich for help leveling shed site." This method allows me to sort by next actions GTD context and to look at all the tasks I have for my Build Shed project.

I'm more hopeful with tis system than I have been in a while.

Good luck

 

[Mark Jantzen]

The Software?

I attended a seminar where David showed us his actual system ... when it was on the Palm desktop!

Two reactions at the time - wow is that simple & wow is that complete.

It's not the software!

 

[jrdouce]

I attended a seminar where David showed us his actual system ... when it was on the Palm desktop!
Two reactions at the time - wow is that simple & wow is that complete.
It's not the software!

Exactly! I've been to the seminar twice. Once on Time Design, before it was even called GTD, and once on the Palm 3. All David had was a calendar and collection of text lists, either paper or electronic. Sure there were tickler files and folder and other hard copy support documents, but his system was just a simple collection of lists.

 

[North]

I find it impossible to use GTD with the wrong tools (if they are sufficiently wrong anyway, such as paper and pen...). It's not that I don't know how to do it, it's the same basic process after all, but I just can't find the motivation. And lack of motivation is as real an obstacle as a brick wall. Fiddling with paper? No thank you.

I basically need a smartphone for GTD. Maybe I would have felt differently if they didn't exist, but they do and my motivation is adapted to actual circumstances.

Steve Jobs refused to use things if he didn't like the design, including an oxygen mask he needed for his health, possibly his survival (they tricked him into using it). People are different, some are very easy going and would use anything, and others are not.

That said, of course perpetually seeking better tools COULD be a symptom that the problem lies elsewhere, like some internal obstacle to using GTD that's unrelated to the tool (but is expressed as perpetual tool-searching), but I think it's better to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they want what they say they do, and help them with that, rather than try to psycho-analyze them to discover what you think they REALLY need.

 

[PeterW]

...in the meantime trucking along with a somewhat simplified version of my ToodleDo setup -- all that investigation was useful in helping me realize how I had overcomplicated ToodleDo by turning on too many options.

@Jeff - I posted this over at Toodledo in the thread you started there but thought it worth mentioning here also:

1. NirvanaHQ are about to start beta testing of their iOS app, so it won't be long before they have something available that might challenge the incumbents;

2. I simplified my Toodledo setup a few times too, but was still struggling with issues such as how to handle projects and the cumbersome/quirky interface.

The fact that some issues will probably never be addressed because the developer only ever works on what "interests" him at the time left me looking around again. I've been using Appigo Todo on my iPhone for a few years and really like it. I tried out the latest version of their Todo Online cloud system and really liked it. Like the iPhone app, it has a nice balance of simplicity and elegance yet enough features to handle what I need.

So far so good!