Word on the GTD street: 'Trusted Systems'

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gtdstudente

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Word on the GTD street: 'Trusted System(s)'

Fellow GTDers'

Have you been through different 'Trusted Systems' iterations ?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly GTD iterations . . . title of a you know who movie ?

Please post your experience(s) so we can all mature in our GTD development, thank you

Thank you very much . . . we all increasingly benefit through our GTD engagement with other GTDers ?

As you see GTD fit
 
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gtdstudente said:
Word on the GTD street: 'Trusted System(s)'

Fellow GTDers'

Have you been through different 'Trusted Systems' iterations ?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly GTD iterations . . . title of a you know who movie ?

Please post your experience(s) so we can all mature in our GTD development, thank you

Thank you very much . . . we all increasingly benefit through our GTD engagement with other GTDers ?

As you see GTD fit
Click to expand...
Like many GTDers, especially those with a passion for technology, I’ve experimented with just about every app out there over the last 10-15 years. It was exciting at first, but after a while, I realized I was constantly switching tools more for fun than for productivity. The process of exporting and importing my structures into the latest app became tedious, so I eventually settled into something that truly worked for me.

My turning point came when I found a GTD setup that worked well within OneNote. There was a helpful webpage at the time (it may still exist) that laid it out perfectly. OneNote became my go-to for almost everything—except for managing next actions and contexts effectively. For that, I turned to Todoist and became one of its early adopters.

My system then became centered around Outlook PC (desktop version), with all reference materials and personal project support in OneNote. My higher horizons of focus are documented there too, while my action levels and projects are tracked in Todoist.

Over time, I realized OneNote wasn’t ideal for my professional support materials, especially when I needed a more visual approach like mind mapping. That’s where TheBrain came in, and I moved all my professional materials there, creating a clear division between personal and professional support systems.

Eventually, I added recurring daily affirmations into Todoist as tasks, and my setup has been stable for years. When working with teams or clients, I adjust and integrate tools like OneDrive, Google Docs, and Trello…as needed for collaboration.

For large reference files that don’t fit well in OneNote, I keep them in a folder structure on OneDrive, with an “A-Z” organization for quick access.

About a year ago, I started challenging myself with the GTD app blueprint shared by David Allen during the Amsterdam GTD Summit. I’ve been gradually connecting systems using Visual Basic coding for Outlook and Python scripts, automating tasks like setting up a 2-minute timer in Outlook or creating a delegation flow between Outlook and Todoist via API calls.

So, that’s where I’m at. It’s been a long journey, but my system is stable, flexible, and continues to evolve based on needs.
 
Y_Lherieau said:
About a year ago, I started challenging myself with the GTD app blueprint shared by David Allen during the Amsterdam GTD Summit. I’ve been gradually connecting systems using Visual Basic coding for Outlook and Python scripts, automating tasks like setting up a 2-minute timer in Outlook or creating a delegation flow between Outlook and Todoist via API calls.

So, that’s where I’m at. It’s been a long journey, but my system is stable, flexible, and continues to evolve based on needs.
Click to expand...

I will simply say, as someone who has built the ultimate GTD application, I wish you nothing but good luck and may you deity(ies) bless you (trust me, you will need it). Oh, and Microsoft WILL eventually make you go insane ... just saying.

In all seriousness, I do wish you the very best in your quest. I did lots of VBA programming back in the day, I don't miss it and am glad I moved onto much better programming languages.
 
At present, Outlook VBA is my only option unless I choose to develop an add-on for Outlook. However, Python is much better suited for handling more complex tasks, especially when it comes to integrating with Microsoft Graph. I agree that, given the path I’ve chosen, I am reliant on Microsoft continuing to support Outlook desktop. If they were to shift entirely to OWA, it would eliminate VBA development capabilities.
 
Matt_M said:
I will simply say, as someone who has built the ultimate GTD application, I wish you nothing but good luck and may you deity(ies) bless you (trust me, you will need it). Oh, and Microsoft WILL eventually make you go insane ... just saying.

In all seriousness, I do wish you the very best in your quest. I did lots of VBA programming back in the day, I don't miss it and am glad I moved onto much better programming languages.
Click to expand...
For as long as there have been personal computers, 1st-party scripting languages have been a source of pain and suffering.
 
Y_Lherieau said:
Like many GTDers, especially those with a passion for technology, I’ve experimented with just about every app out there over the last 10-15 years. It was exciting at first, but after a while, I realized I was constantly switching tools more for fun than for productivity. The process of exporting and importing my structures into the latest app became tedious, so I eventually settled into something that truly worked for me.

My turning point came when I found a GTD setup that worked well within OneNote. There was a helpful webpage at the time (it may still exist) that laid it out perfectly. OneNote became my go-to for almost everything—except for managing next actions and contexts effectively. For that, I turned to Todoist and became one of its early adopters.

My system then became centered around Outlook PC (desktop version), with all reference materials and personal project support in OneNote. My higher horizons of focus are documented there too, while my action levels and projects are tracked in Todoist.

Over time, I realized OneNote wasn’t ideal for my professional support materials, especially when I needed a more visual approach like mind mapping. That’s where TheBrain came in, and I moved all my professional materials there, creating a clear division between personal and professional support systems.

Eventually, I added recurring daily affirmations into Todoist as tasks, and my setup has been stable for years. When working with teams or clients, I adjust and integrate tools like OneDrive, Google Docs, and Trello…as needed for collaboration.

For large reference files that don’t fit well in OneNote, I keep them in a folder structure on OneDrive, with an “A-Z” organization for quick access.

About a year ago, I started challenging myself with the GTD app blueprint shared by David Allen during the Amsterdam GTD Summit. I’ve been gradually connecting systems using Visual Basic coding for Outlook and Python scripts, automating tasks like setting up a 2-minute timer in Outlook or creating a delegation flow between Outlook and Todoist via API calls.

So, that’s where I’m at. It’s been a long journey, but my system is stable, flexible, and continues to evolve based on needs.
Click to expand...
@Y_Lherieau

Very helpful GTD post . . . thank you very much
 
gtdstudente said:
Have you been through different 'Trusted Systems' iterations ?
Click to expand...
Not that many, I had spent a lot of time in previous jobs being trained in Franklin Covey systems.

I combined Covey with some stuff from Sidetracked Home Executives and used a paper planner for years. Initially a DayTimer planner then one of my own design. As long as I was working that seemed to work well.

I moved to a Palm based system in 1996 and I still miss some of the wonderful scheduling stuff for repeating tasks that no one has duplicated. I used the original Palm Pilot and also had a Treo.
I know I'd heard a bit about GTD off and on for a while but didn't get serious until 2008. I'd been reading a lot of articles/blog posts about GTD and finally I got the book Getting Things Done on my kindle back in June 2008. I was motivated because the massive numbers of things I wanted to do or finish on the farm was getting overwhelming. I'd been using text files of potential projects and management of those was not easy. I was also lacking the "next action" mindset that it was going to take to really get them done.

I joined GTD Connect at about the same time and really started to understand what I was missing. First post on the Connect Forum was 5 June 2008.

My first GTD implementation was on paper. That lasted maybe a week or less. Was just too much hassle to edit, update and use.

Second was in LifeBalance because I liked the idea of keeping a balance between my various roles. Plus they had a Palm version which was critical at that time. I first implemented it just after I'd finished the book.

I got the book Ready for Anything on kindle in July 2008 and really liked it as well.

Got Making it all Work January 2009

My LifeBalance implementation fell apart sometime early in March 2009. At that point I again went to paper while I reviewed possible choices. Palm was being killed and I looked very seriously at the iPhone but ATT service in our area was so poor that I could not switch. However I decided that being Mac based I'd go ahead and go with Omnifocus. I was syncing Omnifocus with Apple Calendar & ToDo's and then syncing that with my Palm via Missing Sync. Kludgey but it did work. It was very hard to update on the Palm though so I did all my update and review on the Mac and only used the Palm for doing. Missing Sync was increasingly causing me problems, buggy, crashes and generally making me spend a huge amount of time making sure I was properly backed up.

Late 2009 I started looking at a replacement for my Palm phone. Reviewed iPhone again with same results, poor ATT service made it impossible. I also considered android phones but the SW for GTD was lacking and in particular since I loved Omnifocus I didn't want to change that system at all. Finally decided that I could switch most everything over to an iPod Touch and so I did that in January 2010. I still used the standard Mac calendar and e-mail apps. Other than a major glitch when I made the mistake of upgrading to iOS 4.0 and had to jailbreak my iPod back down a level to get stuff working again worked very well. I did have to carry 2 devices, iPod touch and my Sprint dumb flip phone but it all worked.

I finally got an iPhone 4S in October 2011 when iPhone’s finally came out on Sprint. I consolidated all my iPod apps onto my phone and got down to a single device to carry which was great.

I upgraded to an iPhone 5s in December 2013 and also upgraded the iOS devices to Omnifocus 2.

For quite a while I still ran rev 1 OF and 2 in parallel on my main desktop Mac. The Mac version of 2 was a downgrade as far as I’m concerned and I was faster at editing and updating my projects on the older version. I finally made the switch over to completely in OF2 in late 2016.

I won some coaching via the GTD Connect weekly review challenges in February 2016. I used that in 2 parts to make a bunch of changes to my GTD system. I worked with Meg Edwards and she really helped me streamline several processes and start a project to clean up my whole electronic filing system.

Spent about 6 months working on a major reconfiguration of all my electronic files and devices. I got most of the current stuff reorganized but still had a lot of backlog. Every time I get more done on that project the maintenance becomes easier and I’m finding stuff faster with less friction. I started with a backlog of around 35,000 files. In 6 months I managed to clean up and sort through about 22,000 of them. The remaining backlog is taking forever to really sort.

I need to keep track of stuff to feel like I am making progress, especially since farm projects can take decades or even longer to complete so I tend to keep a lot of data about how I am doing. Omnifocus makes that easy. It’s also powerful enough that as my needs change I can still adapt it to work my system and that means I don’t have to waste time learning a totally new tool.

In January 2017 I looked at getting more coaching because my backlog clearing projects had stalled but the cost was beyond what I could budget for that project. Instead I spent more time in the GTD Connect archives and tried to pull out coaching from previous forum postings and other David Co. Resources.

Late 2017 I got an iPhone 8.

I spent most of 2018 getting things running smoothly with a lot more automation of routine tasks and filing. I also moved to a more paperless system for reference while still avoiding any cloud services.

In late 2018 I began doing a major review. Lots of things changed in my life. We needed to reduce the sheep flock considerably. Since that had been a focus of my entire life for over 20 years it's very hard to scale back and give up some of the dreams/plans that I had originally thought I could do.

In 2018 I restructured Omnifocus into folders for current active projects, recurring project that happened weekly, ones that happen monthly and then a folder for projects that happen or start in each quarter. My contexts expanded to be more granular and I kept all someday/maybe and project support material in DEVONThink.

In 2019 I added a MacBook Air laptop as an additional development machine. I kept all my real data on my main 2013 iMac.

In 2021 I upgraded to an iPhone 13 Pro 512GB.
I've tried and used several different structures. For most of the time I had my system in a combination of Omnifocus and DEVONThink. Omnifocus projects were organized by Area of Focus and I used DEVONThink for project support and also my someday/maybe projects.

That worked ok but many of my projects cover multiple AOF's so I changed to a structure in Omnifocus with folders for current active projects, recurring projects that happened weekly, ones that happen monthly and then 4 folders for projects that happen or start in each quarter. My contexts expanded to be more granular. I still kept all someday/maybe and project support material in DEVONThink.
 
Part B, I hit some sort of limit on characters in a post:

I experienced a significant failure in DEVONThink with lost data in spite of a backup string over a year long. I started searching for a replacement for DT and started playing with Obsidian in late 2020.

By early 2021 I had decided that Obsidian would work for me to replace DEVONThink for all project support and someday maybe material and started the process to convert. Instead of lots of folders like I had used in DT, in Obsidian I have a few folders and then use MOC or TOC type notes to organize my notes into logical groupings. I also can much more easily cross reference notes in multiple places. Projects and tasks still stayed in Omnifocus.

That has changed and since November 2022 I have moved all my task management and project management into Obsidian as well. I find it much more convenient to have it all in one place.

My Obsidian structure is that I have a folder for Active Projects. I am using templates and each project has a note. I use the tasks plugin to handle sorting actions by context and have a working GTD dashboard. I use the DataView plugin to create a dashboard of all my projects.

I do not use mind mapping much at all. I do not think that way. I have tried many times and I always come back to plain text. What limited graphical things I need to do I have been able to do in Obsidian Canvas. So far my only real use of it has been to map out a very complex sheep pedigree as a preliminary to testing a new way to calculate inbreeding coefficients using paths and nodes that takes advantage of the power of multiple GPUs in modern computers.

Now my structure consists of a set of top level folders in Obsidian. The very top folder has my MOC notes and my dashboard notes. I have an inbox folder where all new notes go initially. Then an active projects folder that is organized like Omnifocus was, current one off active projects, recurring projects in folders for weekly, monthly and then a set of 4 folders for seasonal recurring projects. There is a folder that contains pretty much everything not associated with a specific project. One for correspondence that may go away as I found I tend to keep notes like that in with their subject note as a link or in the project they relate to, one for my daily journals, one for on-hold projects (ones I started but have stopped but not finished yet) one for archived completed projects, one for notes on people and companies (my Farley File) one for places one that has notes related to references and books I've read including all my annotation on those scientific papers and books, one for general picture attachments and then the templates folder.


I also had a single folder that contains the documentation for my AnimalTrakker program that I use Obsidian Publish to keep updated but that has moved to a shared Obsidian vault since I have more folks working on the project now.

One of my projects in Obsidian is AnimalTrakker development. It has a bunch of subfolders for each piece of the system, desktop app, mobile app, web app, database structure, queries and so on. I only keep my personal task and notes in my personal vault.

The main data structure and project management is now in a shared Obsidian vault that I work in with my collaborators. That folder tree is version controlled using Git to a GitLab repository and shared among all the people working on the system.

Tags used for the tasks contexts, AOF's and project status are a limited curated set of tags. I use dashboard type notes to collect data so I can see and slice my projects and tasks and ideas in many ways.

I've found it much faster and simpler to manage with everything in one tool even though I gave up some features in Omnifocus I thought were critical.

So whatever you choose plan on it evolving over time as your needs change.

In August of 2023 I moved my last project completely out of Omnifocus and deleted the icon from my system dock. End of an Era for me.

My Obsidian system has grown and expanded but also gotten more streamlined so it's working out much better for me.
 
René Lie said:
Would Power Automate be an alternative in this case?
Click to expand...
I have thought about it, and here’s what I’ve built:
  • The flow: “What is it? Is it actionable (Yes/No)” is triggered from the GTD map as an embedded object inside Outlook.
  • A floating 2-minute timer.
  • An airtight, automated delegation workflow that creates a new Todoist task with two embedded hyperlinks in its task name (one to retrieve the email within Outlook Desktop and another for OWA). This Todoist task is dropped into a project section called WF (I use the Todoist Board view).
Technically, this meant that I had to build a listener inside “ThisOutlookSession” (special VBA module), which detects when any email gets sent and prompts me with a popup asking if I want to delegate the task Yes/No.

While Power Automate can trigger actions based on sending an email, it would probably struggle with the API calls I’m making to Todoist and Microsoft Windows to:
  1. Fetch a complete project list (so I can have a list box to decide where the delegated Todoist task should land).
  2. Make API calls to Windows to create a floating, sizable window for the 2-minute timer, which appears when I click on the GTD map’s “Less than 2 minutes, do it now” action.
Additionally, I had to:
  • Execute a couple of cURL commands within VBA before activating Python.
  • Track the execution flow into two .txt log files, which proved helpful for troubleshooting errors during the process.

Given all these critical-to-quality (CTQ) requirements, I opted for a coding route instead of using a “low-code/no-code” solution like Power-Automate

I've still got a long way to go to get as close as possible to the ideal GTD app that David Allen proposed back in 1994. But I have to admit, I've learned a lot about the mechanics of GTD by focusing on eliminating all possible manual steps so far.
 
On my first pass through the book, I installed the following habits:
  • Capturing on paper
  • The workflow process.
  • Weekly Review
  • I set up the appropriate lists (first on paper, then toodeldo shortly after) and reference folders.
  • Refined my use of the calendar I was already using.
  • Use of the natural planning model.
At this point, I tried adding in some automations and extra things:
  • Repeating tasks
  • Scheduling tasks (using start and end dates)
  • Linking actions to projects
  • Dashboards to show what I had to do today, based on start and end dates.

Universally, I have abandoned these approaches. They all added a lot of admin work for no real gain.

I now think of repeating tasks in three categories:
  • Bin Day Tasks (on the calendar. If I miss bin day, there is no point taking them out a day later)
  • House Cleaning tasks (in a checklist. I have to do them regularly but not on a schedule)
  • Toothbrushing tasks (habits I remember to follow without tracking)

On a later pass through the book, I realised the following three things:
  • Project names would better serve me if they expressed the desired outcome as if it already happened.
  • The Threefold nature of work was really useful for feeling better about what I was actually doing in the moment.
I started designing my own list manager. The design was a human-readable, semi-tabular, plain text format. I would start with just the file format and manual editing and write the software to manipulate it later. Needless to say, I found the file format so intrinsically good that I never wrote the software. I used it for years without any additional software.

This taught me that the tools are far less important than the habits.

Another pass through the book highlighted the 4 criteria model for choosing work in the moment, so I started applying this strictly for a while. It really helped me get the most important things done. It also taught me that my lists were too long so I started making more use of the Someday/Maybe list, incorporating an intentional to and fro between S/M and my active projects in my weekly review.

Over the years the biggest change in tools has been my list manager:
  • started with paper
  • toodledo shortly after
  • then my plain text file format (see above)
  • a work colleague introduced me to todoist
  • I experimented with index cards for about a year
  • Back to paper
I have a definite preference for something tactile for my list manager.
 
Hello,

Just some reflection about where I am in my life with GTD.

I discovered GTD about 20 years ago. I was beginning my activities as creating an investment Brokerage company specialized in office in Paris (France). Naturally I made GTD with paper and soon began my quest of the graal : The perfect software...

Since I tried many software. I spent a lot of time and energy with that. The most important were Things and Omnifocus. I also worked with nirvana Hq and TODOIST most recently.

I always stick to GTD. Finally after all that years I also stick to Omnifocus + Apple note(1) + Onedrive files. At this point I don't really need any investments in the way of setting OF. I understand that the power of GTD is more in its principle (5 steps) and the way I reflect to my projects and Horizons. I don't care about new functionalities. I just want Omnifocus working like I need it.

GTD is for me a part of my life. My main discovery was since I solved my organization is about getting a bird eyes of my engagement. I understand that when I put apart my obligations such as taxes and so on, GTD is like a compass for choosing and managing my projects.
When it comes the time to a Daily review or a weekly review my map is more about my Highest Horizons (H3>H5) and Someday stuff. My Guideline is alway the GTD Checklist weekly review.

Everything is not perfect. I still learn every day, read again and again GTD book, summaries like the paper organizer I red last week end. GTD is a life quest. The more I dig the more I discover new practice and experiences (own or others) witch makes me progressing little by little. What is most important is that GTD give me a kind of quietness. I won't say "mind like water" as a sailor I know that the sea can be very turbulent sometime.

I am indeed faithful to GTD. I realize sometime I do what I must. Sometime I don't. I don't know if it is the perfect system but it is the one I use.

Now I decided not to dive into all these video on YT about personnel developpement. I am fed up of all that. I try to make little by little GTD for me. Sometime I discover new practice. Sometime new experiences leads me to new progress somewhere with Omnifocus or new habits and process but always GTD Friendly.

NB : I am fed up of Evernote with becomes expensive and not at all apple Friendly. So I moved to Apple note as references much easier with Omnifocus. I also use One drive for all my files relative to my company.
 
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I keep mine really simple. All lists and reference in Apple Notes. All agendas in contact notes. All tickler and appointments in calendar. I do have day specific items in all day events. I have tried more complicated systems, but found I was working more on the system than actually... you know... getting things done.
 
Y_Lherieau said:
I have thought about it, and here’s what I’ve built:
  • The flow: “What is it? Is it actionable (Yes/No)” is triggered from the GTD map as an embedded object inside Outlook.
  • A floating 2-minute timer.
  • An airtight, automated delegation workflow that creates a new Todoist task with two embedded hyperlinks in its task name (one to retrieve the email within Outlook Desktop and another for OWA). This Todoist task is dropped into a project section called WF (I use the Todoist Board view).
Technically, this meant that I had to build a listener inside “ThisOutlookSession” (special VBA module), which detects when any email gets sent and prompts me with a popup asking if I want to delegate the task Yes/No.

While Power Automate can trigger actions based on sending an email, it would probably struggle with the API calls I’m making to Todoist and Microsoft Windows to:
  1. Fetch a complete project list (so I can have a list box to decide where the delegated Todoist task should land).
  2. Make API calls to Windows to create a floating, sizable window for the 2-minute timer, which appears when I click on the GTD map’s “Less than 2 minutes, do it now” action.
Additionally, I had to:
  • Execute a couple of cURL commands within VBA before activating Python.
  • Track the execution flow into two .txt log files, which proved helpful for troubleshooting errors during the process.

Given all these critical-to-quality (CTQ) requirements, I opted for a coding route instead of using a “low-code/no-code” solution like Power-Automate

I've still got a long way to go to get as close as possible to the ideal GTD app that David Allen proposed back in 1994. But I have to admit, I've learned a lot about the mechanics of GTD by focusing on eliminating all possible manual steps so far.
Click to expand...
@René, thanks for sparking my interest in Power Automate. I spent some time exploring its capabilities yesterday, and it confirmed a lot of my assumptions. While I’d lose some depth at the OS level, I’d gain a lot by making it a cloud-based solution, which would mean scalability and the ability to work across multiple platforms (mobile, web, and desktop).


I've only scratched the surface with little R&D compared to what I’ve built so far, but it seems like combining Power Automate with Power Apps would be the way forward. VBA user forms (for questions and decision tree branching) could be replaced with forms or surveys. Power Automate’s built-in Todoist connector, along with the option to use REST APIs for deeper customization, seems promising.

The 2-minute timer would need to be built outside of Outlook, which might actually be a good idea. It looks like this would involve using PowerShell and Python. Even the GTD map, which is central to my current setup as an image with buttons, could be recreated with Power Automate.


Thanks again for the push—I’m definitely going to give this a shot!"
 
Y_Lherieau said:
@René, thanks for sparking my interest in Power Automate. I spent some time exploring its capabilities yesterday, and it confirmed a lot of my assumptions. While I’d lose some depth at the OS level, I’d gain a lot by making it a cloud-based solution, which would mean scalability and the ability to work across multiple platforms (mobile, web, and desktop).


I've only scratched the surface with little R&D compared to what I’ve built so far, but it seems like combining Power Automate with Power Apps would be the way forward. VBA user forms (for questions and decision tree branching) could be replaced with forms or surveys. Power Automate’s built-in Todoist connector, along with the option to use REST APIs for deeper customization, seems promising.

The 2-minute timer would need to be built outside of Outlook, which might actually be a good idea. It looks like this would involve using PowerShell and Python. Even the GTD map, which is central to my current setup as an image with buttons, could be recreated with Power Automate.


Thanks again for the push—I’m definitely going to give this a shot!"
Click to expand...
My pleasure! This sounds very interesting in a highly geeky way - love it!
 
Y_Lherieau said:
@René, thanks for sparking my interest in Power Automate. I spent some time exploring its capabilities yesterday, and it confirmed a lot of my assumptions. While I’d lose some depth at the OS level, I’d gain a lot by making it a cloud-based solution, which would mean scalability and the ability to work across multiple platforms (mobile, web, and desktop).


I've only scratched the surface with little R&D compared to what I’ve built so far, but it seems like combining Power Automate with Power Apps would be the way forward. VBA user forms (for questions and decision tree branching) could be replaced with forms or surveys. Power Automate’s built-in Todoist connector, along with the option to use REST APIs for deeper customization, seems promising.

The 2-minute timer would need to be built outside of Outlook, which might actually be a good idea. It looks like this would involve using PowerShell and Python. Even the GTD map, which is central to my current setup as an image with buttons, could be recreated with Power Automate.


Thanks again for the push—I’m definitely going to give this a shot!"
Click to expand...
@René, I've been diving much deeper into this lately. To get closer to the blueprint of an ideal GTD app, I actually sat down and converted the DA 19-page PDF into proper specs. I highly recommend this exercise to anyone looking to benchmark their current system. Analyzing every detail of those drawings was incredibly eye-opening.

With my current setup, I'm still miles away from a finished product. To really crack it, I believe it will require multiple technology stacks: a front-end UI, a backend to handle all API calls to external tools (email, task management, calendar, reference systems…), and a solid SQL database to manage the complex relationships between elements. For portability, a packaging solution will also be key to deploy the app across different operating systems.

To start somewhere, I’ve begun with a simple web-based approach using Node.js. So far, the 'IN' module is taking shape (top left of pdf page 2) - adding, editing, and deleting elements in a digital in-basket works smoothly. The next step is flushing my email inbox in there. As well, it would be ideal to have multiple input connections for example to WhatsApp, SMS…
 
Y_Lherieau said:
@René, I've been diving much deeper into this lately. To get closer to the blueprint of an ideal GTD app, I actually sat down and converted the DA 19-page PDF into proper specs. I highly recommend this exercise to anyone looking to benchmark their current system. Analyzing every detail of those drawings was incredibly eye-opening.

With my current setup, I'm still miles away from a finished product. To really crack it, I believe it will require multiple technology stacks: a front-end UI, a backend to handle all API calls to external tools (email, task management, calendar, reference systems…), and a solid SQL database to manage the complex relationships between elements. For portability, a packaging solution will also be key to deploy the app across different operating systems.

To start somewhere, I’ve begun with a simple web-based approach using Node.js. So far, the 'IN' module is taking shape (top left of pdf page 2) - adding, editing, and deleting elements in a digital in-basket works smoothly. The next step is flushing my email inbox in there. As well, it would be ideal to have multiple input connections for example to WhatsApp, SMS…
Click to expand...
Wow, I'm very impressed! Thanks for the tip, I'll revisit the blueprint!
 
mcogilvie said:
I do believe that it would be easier for me to use an off-the-shelf solution like Todoist, Omnifocus or Things. I admire your fortitude.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's not for all of us. Not me for sure, but I have set up a list manager in Notion now which gives me a lot of flexibility without the need for coding skills (but solid Excel experience helps a lot).
 
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