How to choose a GTD system
January 19th, 2010 Kelly Forrister - Staff ContributorCategories | Best Practices of GTD | Features | GTD Toolbox | Getting Started | Getting Things Done | Implementation
The mistake I see many new GTD’ers make is expecting to find a tool to “do” GTD. A tool doesn’t do the thinking for you, it stores the thinking for you. So, then does it even matter what tools you use when it comes to organizing your projects & actions? Sure. Here are some questions to ask yourself when choosing what your GTD system will be:
- Are there any tools already in place that you plan/need to still use? Like a corporate calendar?
- Where is your email? Not required, but certainly helps to have your email and lists near each other.
- Who else needs to see your data? Does it need to be on a shared server or would local be fine if you go digital?
- What do you tend to be drawn to–paper or digital?
- Is security a concern?
- How would you back it up, if needed?
- What are you willing to carry around?
- What tools are you already familiar with?
- Would you trust putting almost anything into it?
- Is it scale-able?
- Can you easily learn how to use it?
- What are you willing to pay for it?
- What does it need to sync to?
Is there a perfect GTD system out there? Sure, it’s the one you trust and use so your mind is free.
Kelly
I have just been through this process and looked at the end-to- end activities, from PC/Email to my Smartphone choice.
In the end the “trusted system” was key to me.
My musings are on:
http://blog.thejenkinspartnership.com.au/2010/01/18/new-notebook-mac-or-windows-7/
Leighton
I’ve been going through a similar process lately. I have a very specific list of things I want in a system, but I can’t find one that quite handles them all. I found 32 different systems that were close, but I’m still a bit disappointed.
http://www.mickmel.com/blog/201001/what-i-want-in-a-task-management-system/
If anyone knows of another system that might fit my needs, please let me know. Thanks!
I’ve tried many digital GTD applications. Going to give a paper system a try. I assumed there would be a perfect application to use, but I was wrong.
I’ve set up a pretty nice GTD workflow where all you really need is an iPhone and a laptop. I like to be able to update something at my work computer or laptop, and have it sync seamlessly with my iPhone.
Email: Gmail
Calendar: Google Calendar
Task Manager: RememberTheMilk.com
Reference: Evernote, Dropbox, Google Docs
And good old fashion paper is great for brainstorming.
I’d add, don’t look for one single “thing” to house all your information. I’m drawn to both paper and digital. I found a digital solution before I found GTD. I tried to make the system do EVERYTHING. I tried twice and found I was doing things that didn’t seem intuitive because that’s the way they fit into the software. I gave up twice.
I started back with just paper. I [i]did[/i] miss the digital, so I started adding back parts to the software as seemed appropriate. I found that somethings were better served in other software (Someday/Maybe lists for example).
I think the fear is to keep everything in one spot so things don’t slip through the cracks. But once you get the idea and habit (still working on it) of reviewing regularly, you can just as easily pop open another window to do another phase of your review, or even pull out a binder or paper folder.
My system is still a work in progress, but it’s getting closer to feeling like MY system, therefore, I trust it more.
OmniFocus is my choice! Using it since more than a year now and feel very comfortable with it! Especialy with its iPhone sync!
And a trusted GTD system is not really one thing but a collection of things working together.
David Allen shares his list management system during seminars but his system is more than just Lotus Notes with eProductivity.
His system is also the in trays, the Notetaker wallet, the travel folders, Mind Manager, Personal Brain, etc.
I strive to keep my own list of system components as small as I can but I do use a lot of components. For example I’ll use Omni Focus and my iPhone but will also use Amazon and iTunes Wish Lists.
Mark
This may have been said many times.
The GTD System is IN THE BOOK!!
Every thing else are just tools that you use to implement in a trusted manner you GTD system.
Yeah! There are a lot of good and not so good tools and I am very thankful for all the comments you have left on how each one uses their tools. I have learned a lot from them. But I find discussions about the definition of contexts and areas of responsibility more useful as they help me to upgrade my own GTD system.
The real challenge is to follow what is said in the book and being disciplined enough to keep your track.
GTD has made a great change in my life and I still consider my self at 30% of what I can achieve.
So, if you want to choose the perfect GTD system, read the book at least three times and read again. The right tool for you will reveal itself as you progress on your GTD knowledge.
After rejecting an all-paper system and struggling for a year to make Remember the Milk work for me, I found Toodledo ( http://www.toodledo.com ) about two weeks ago. It has everything I need in a tool, all the things that RTM is missing.
If you are looking for a todo list tool for Android, have a look at my summary: http://suderei.supersized.org/archives/130-GTD-Task-management-with-Android-software-apps.html
Besides that: I am still using my PalmOS T3 with DateBk6 and JPilot on the desktop. Could not find anything more advanced although I’d like to see additional features in the future as I described on the link above.
I use just Omnifocus and iCal (synced on MobileMe)
Collection: Three Inboxes – Physical, Bookmark inbox and Omnifocus
Sort: all omnifocus
Implement: omnifocus
Calendar: iCal
* My calendar is available on local computer and Mobileme (any browser)
* My Omnifocus is available on local computers and iPhone
NOTE: One could use JUST Google Calendar and Google Docs – but, omnifocus syncs beautifully with the iPhone for me
I think that Palm Pilot & its old OS was an excellent solution. Of course at that time you have to had the PDA + phone.
I learned GTD with Palm and was great. Now that Pal is facing out that system I feel lost, and in 2010 I am pondering my solution.
I feel that I cannot have evrything in a single place :0( … (sigh)
Kelly Forrister:
Thanks for pointing out how to pick a GTD system. It has been interesting to read all the comments. I recently came across “personal kanban” via Stephen P. Smith’s blog on productivity workflow. It resonates very well with my background as a purchaser working with supply chain management.
I will use index cards for my tasks and then put them on the white / bulletin board in three categories (backlog, work in process, done) in order to get a good overview.
I will continue to use the following tools:
GTDinbox for email.
GTDagenda for projects.
GoalEnforcer for mindmaps and the visualization of my “keywords”.
Livescribe journal with dotted paper and digital pen for “notes to self” and weekly review and brainstorming sessions.
Hi,
i’ve tested many different GTD apps and came to
the conclusion that none of the existing apps
fit my needs. So i decided to write my own App.
It is not yet finished, but i use it now for several months, adding features whenever i need them. You can find it at: http://game-designer.net/wieldy
I would love to hear how you like it.
Regards
Kevin
Support folks at OmniFocus have been responsive, but thought you might want to note there’s a few iTunes app store customer reviews of problems with the new version (just released 2 wks ago).
To sum up: Until this new update — OmniFocus for iTouch/iPhone was a really very good App.
Background on the problem: The App on my iTouch went into database optimization and then crashed (I have iTouch generation I running latest 1.6 OmniFocus software update and latest iTunes software).
This crash happened after using the new bookmarking feature on the latest version — and it locked up on database optimization (even waiting 15 mins for optimization).
They’re a very responsive company — and I sense they will take to heart the criticism that if it crashes, we GTDers cannot count on this as a Trusted System.
Lesson: even backup doesn’t save you. Maybe David Allen’s notecards are really the best system. I really want OmniFocus to succeed with this app — maybe in their next software update.
I believe every GTD practitioner goes through a set of tools before settling on some thing that fits him be it wiki, pen and paper or something else.
For me it has been a journey with freemind, mgtd,text files+grep being the waypoints before I decided to merge what I liked in each of the system and build a system more suited to me. Task tiger(http://dyumnin.com/products/taskTiger ) turned out to be a my GTD system which was and is still being used in its own development.