Software

New GTD Setup Guide for Outlook 2010

For those of you on Outlook 2010, we just released a new Setup Guide to assist you in creating a rock-solid GTD system in Outlook.  Since  the 2010 version changed some ways things are done in Outlook, we created a new Guide specific to this version.  A few of the updates in this new 45-page Guide include:

  • Updated instructions and screenshots for setting up Tasks
  • A new way to track Waiting For items when you send email
  • Suggestions for using ‘Quick Steps’ to process email

Read a free sample from the email section

Buy now from the DAC Store

Free version of eProductivity plus other updates

The eProductivity team has just launched a flurry of new products and improvements. In addition to a brand-new website, they released a free version, a new standalone product, and price reductions on all new subscriptions.

You may know that David Allen uses eProductivity.  It’s also the GTD app of choice for his staff at the David Allen Company. If you use Lotus Notes, eProductivity is well worth a look. It’s the only app for IBM Lotus software to receive the GTD Enabled designation.

What version of Outlook do you use?

Thanks to those of you who responded to our poll about Outlook for Mac.  Now for those of you who use Outlook on a PC – please cast your vote about which version of Outlook you are currently using.

This is helpful for us in our long-term planning for GTD Setup Guides.

We appreciate your help!

David Allen Company Education Team

Setting up for GTD success with Outlook

If you’re an Outlook user, have a look at these Setting Up for Success videos. They describe the best practices for using the Getting Things Done® Outlook® Add-In. Meg Edwards, the Director of Coaching Services at David Allen Company, created the videos with Dean Hering, Chief Innovator at NetCentrics, the developer of the Add-In. There are seven videos, which cover the best practices for using the Outlook Add-In with your calendar, tasks, emails, and notes. There are also detailed video tours that show how the Add-In works with different versions of Outlook.

If you’d rather use Outlook just as it is out of the box, you’ll get value from our downloadable GTD and Outlook Setup Guides, written by David Allen and the Coaches. There are guides for Outlook 2003 and 2007. A guide for Outlook 2010 is on the way this year. GTD Times readers will be among the first to know when the release date is announced.

Any Outlook for Mac users out there?

We’d love to know how many of you are using or plan to use Outlook for Mac.  Please vote:

This is helpful for us in our long-term planning for GTD Setup Guides.

Thanks!

David Allen Company Education Team

Webinar on using Outlook for GTD

For those of you who use Microsoft Outlook® for your GTD system, we hope you’ll tune in to our next webinar on GTD Connect.  Senior Coach Kelly Forrister will walk you through the essentials of optimizing your productivity with Outlook.  You’ll see examples of how to set up the Task lists for projects and actions, best practices for the calendar, email, and much more.  Outlook 2007 will be shown, but most of what will be demonstrated will be universal to all Outlook versions, and applicable to all Outlook users.

Join us on Thursday, January 27th from 10am-11am Pacific Time.

Free for all GTD Connect guest pass, monthly and annual members. To register for the webinar, log in to GTD Connect and follow the link on the home page.

Eric Mack’s Productivity Presentation in Washington, DC

Eric Mack will discuss productivity with the DC Lotus User Group next Wednesday, November 17th. Eric supplements his deep background in Lotus Notes with a broad understanding of knowledge management.  His eProductivity application expands the organizational capabilities of Lotus Notes to make it a powerful tool for personal productivity. eProductivity is the only Lotus Notes application to earn the “GTD-Enabled” designation from David Allen. If you’ve been implementing GTD in Notes already, you’ll be amazed how much more streamlined it is with eProductivity.

Highly recommended if you will be in the DC area next week.

Click here for all the details!

David Allen’s 5 Productivity Tips in PC World

PC World asked David Allen to name five tips for productivity.  The focus is on productivity within the Windows environment, but several tips apply to Mac as well.

  1. eProductivity for Lotus Notes
  2. Blackberry synchronization with Lotus Notes
  3. MindManager from Mindjet
  4. ActiveWords
  5. Pamela Professional for Skype

Read more . . .

What are the best tools for GTD?

GTD is an approach that is not tool-specific.  So while it’s important to land on gear (paper or digital) that will stand up to the complexity of your work and personal life, it’s more important that it clearly serves the purpose of reflecting the reminders and information in the most appropriate way for you. The tool won’t decide what something means—you have to do that, and the GTD process is the key.

If anyone is telling you a specific piece of software is required for GTD–good chance they don’t understand GTD.

We do have a few key tools that we personally use and recommend that have gone through David Allen’s extensive vetting process. You can find a link to those in our online store.  If you don’t see your software listed here, it means we do not have a recommendation at this time, but a search on GTD Times and our public Forums should give you quite a few helpful suggestions about what other GTDers are using.

Will you get a BlackBerry PlayBook for GTD?

RIM announced the BlackBerry PlayBook this week. Anyone planning on using it as your GTD system?  If so, what appeals to you about it? If not, how come?