iGTD

Latte Other Software & Development
21

I’ve been using this program for quite some weeks now, found it really useful - and said goodbye to.

It great to see how quickly it evolves and how the features are refined. But I remembered that Douglas Adams said something like: I’m a person who spends hours trying to find a way that my computer does something automatically for which I would need five minutes if I did it myself. But five minutes saved is a lot of time! :smiley:

Same for me. I spent WAY too much time wondering if this task should be a task or a project, in which context it belongs, what its priority is and how much effort I will be putting into it… So not very “getting things done”, more “looking at things” (iLAT, if you will).

I also said goodby to my Palm, because the same thing applies here.

What now? Kepp it simple. I’m back with iCal where I input my appointments and keep a very basic task list. Export to iPod, that’s enough for the road.

22

The same holds true for me. I like iGTD very much, I still download the updates, but … I don’t use it. Every (Scrivener-)project I’m working on has a “Done” and a “To Do” document; and that’s enough for me to stay on schedule, to look back to what I’ve done, to keep things organized. And for my appointments with my dentist there is indeed always iCal, with its unvaluable alarms!

23

i’m not an adherent - for many reasons - of the method/system/philosophy/sinister cult/ whatever you want to call it, that is Dave Allen’s GTD. (i can’t read that name without thinking of a half-drunk Irish comedian sitting on a stool with a glass of whisky in his hand telling jokes about the Pope, which definitely dates me. You may not get the reference, but it doesn’t help me to take the guy seriously) But i do have an irrational terror of being disorganised, and i’m also a sucker for new software. i’ve been trying out the omnifocus beta - and i have to say it has the edge over iGTD - far more intuitive, allthough IGTD integrates with other programs more effectively at present - particularly with Apple Mail and MailTags - in my view.

i’m currently in the process of moving house - a big project - and neither of these programs have been any help at all to me in organising things: i HAVE TO Get Things Done, and i’m finding when it comes down to real, urgent stuff, a handwritten list stuck to the fridge door has been far more effective.

When OmniFocus does finally go public it will be a wonderful device for endless procrastination. Perhaps all software like this should be called iDon’tGetThingsDone (but I do like to worry about them) :confused:

24

I subscribe to that. With a notebook and a ball-pen, you beat every Palm or whatever.

A friend of mine switched to one of these “manager tamagotchis” about two years ago, mostly because they were introduced by the company he works for. Interconnectivity, automatic search for conference dates ( :slight_smile: if you think about that in depth: the devil must have invented that, or at least a saboteur), all that bla-blah. He was very happy with his toy… for several weeks. Today he would return to the paper-based timer he used before at any time, but his company insists on the electronic gadget. So, the only truly reliable organization tool in his life is the kitchen calendar his wife maintains… :smiley:

The idea of using a computer to organize oneself is seductive and compelling at first glance, and years ago, I tried this route several times. But every time I arrived at the same conclusion: Nothing beats paper, as far as self-organization is concerned. (It may be otherwise if organization of huge projects with a lot of people is concerned.)

Why? First, because the time between a thought coming up (“I have to call Maria/buy milk/whatever”) and the moment it is conserved for further use is by far shorter if all you have to do is to open up a notebook , grab a pen and jot it down in an appropriate list, compared to get access to a computer, call up a piece of software, click here and there and start to type. Factor four, at least.

Second, because writing something on paper is not the same as typing something into an input field. On could think a lot about the psychology involved here, but I guess it boils down to: For most people, something handwritten is a stronger committment. Thus the magic of the signature. What you write on paper lasts. What you write into a computer can be deleted any time and traceless. And committment is important if you want to get things done.

Third, because the great advantage a computer provides in, let’s say, writing a text - that you don’t have to write it again and again every time something changes -, is in fact rather a disadvantage if to-do-lists are concerned. Yes, an item you enter into a databased system can effortless appear in a lot of reports, lists, popup windows, whatever - but does this help to get it done? That is, to get it off that databased system? In my experience it helps a lot more if I have to write this damned task “prepare tax forms” again and again on new lists to nourish my decisiveness to get rid of it ASAP and despite all uncomfort.

Fourth: Thou shalt not maintain more than one calendar. To use more than one calendar/time system/filofax/Palm/whatever will create more trouble in your life that using none, because you will spend endless time with keeping them all in sync (and you will endlessly worry about whether they are in sync). 15 years ago this was a killing argument for computerbased self organization, because you could not carry your computer with younterall the time. Today you can, but in addition to arguments 1-3, I would worry about dropping it accidentially. I use dedicated, leather-bound calendar/ringbooks since 23 years, and as I counted, I dropped these at least one time per year in a way that would have killed a electronic device. (It leaves it’s marks on the leather as well.)

I downloaded iGTD out of curiosity. Awesome application. This guy really has it.

But after some playing around I let it down, opened my notebook and striked out “have a look on this iGTD thing” on the list… :wink:

25

manager tamagotchis

:smiley:

26

… but I wouldn’t want to go back to handwritten address books. Nothing is more useful to search the whole list for city names or job titles, when you don’t remember the exact name of the person.

And nothing beats having phone numbers on your phone. :wink:

But to organise things to do, yes, after 5 years of heavy Palm OS use and these few weeks with iGTD - I couldn’t agree more. Just bought my first Moleskine. Hooray!

27

I discovered iGTD today, and came here to tell my enthusiasm for it to the others, but eventually discovered it had been already discussed in this thread.

For years, I’ve organized my work time relying on Mac stickies. It is exactly like the white boards some of my colleagues use at work: you write down the projects, then detail them a bit by isolating the various tasks. At a point this system works, and is easy to adapt to our fast changing deadlines.

However, it does not work when the schedule is overly crowded. So, lately I adopted a planning program, first PMX, then a free application named GanttProject. I’m currently evaluating OmniPlan (an evolution of PMX).

There is something that prevents me from finding these planners really useful, and it is, probably, the fact that you see several parallel lines running, and you look at them with anguish. Which task to work on first? Which one is the most urgent?

This is the contrary of what David Allen call ‘cleaning the mind’. My mind usually buzzes. And those lines running and running are like an alarm ready to ring.

The GTD method may be a viable solution. I’m experimenting with it, and it looks promising. iGTD lets me see the next task that I need to complete first. Any other task comes second, even if in a Gantt diagram they would seem of the same urgency.

Filtering/processing is another great addition, that a Gantt-based project planner cannot do. Less urgent tasks go out of the way, and I can return later to review them. Only really urgent tasks are in my main list.

So, at the moment I use the following organizing tools: a digital personal GTD organizer for every task in my life; a digital Gantt-based project planner for an overview on my main (and most busy) job; a small filing cabinet for due payments, receipts, commercial letters, contracts, and bank account; a big filing cabinet in garage for older data; and a shelf for old fiscal data (some tons, as typically Italian).

Whether this really works is to be seen. At the moment, it seems convincing.

Paolo

28

Scrivener Gold?

29

Just in case the point is lost on some people, it’s probably worth pointing out here that The David* at no point insists GTD must be carried out on a computer, or palm device. He mentions a few devices, and suggests ways in which they can be useful, sure. But GTD is, to use a computing term, platform-agnostic. It’s just as “correct” to do it all with pen and paper as it is to use a computer. The important thing is finding a method that works for you.

(Hence the Hipster PDA.)

I don’t follow the entire GTD philosophy myself; it doesn’t scale so well to jobs that entail long periods of doing one task, such as writing. Where I do find it invaluable, however, is in the concept of contexts; the “do it, delegate it or defer it” method of coping with an inbox; insistence on ubiquitous capture of thoughts and ideas; and the weekly review.

None of which require a computer :slight_smile:

*He never goes by “Dave”, so I don’t have the comedian-with-a-missing-finger problem myself :wink:

30

Antony is right in saying that GTD is not meant to help novel writers. I see it as a help for people working in an office, or in general doing several jobs at the same time.

As a freelance technical writer, translator, and magazine writer, I currently have five main clients, each one asking things at the same time. Organizing my working time (and life) is a nightmare. The core concept of GTD is very simple: try to transform a multitude of concurrent tasks into an ordered sequence of single tasks.

I must still understand how to fit writing and composing in this plan, but I’m sure there is a hidden button, somewhere, triggering the right function for this too.

Paolo

31

I fit writing in with GTD by fudging it a little. Actually, quite a bit.

I use my calendar to block out times when I want to work on a project (which is heresy to ‘pure’ GTD, where the ‘hard landscape’ calendar should only be used for fixed appointments); and job sheets (a holdover from my graphic design days) to keep track of where I am in each particular project.

For example: This week is currently divided into two projects in my calendar; “Plot Book 3 of Wasteland” for Mon-Tues, “Plot Kerberos submissions” for Weds-Fri. The first project has been carried over from last week, because I didn’t finish it all in that period; but neither task has a hard and fast deadline, so I could afford to let one infringe upon the other. Next week is blocked out as “Script Wasteland #15”. I try to plan 3-4 weeks ahead of the current week.

The paper-based notes/documentation material for each project lives in a manila folder, and all active project folders are in a “Current” filing tray. On the front of each folder is a pre-printed job sheet that I designed myself, printed out and taped to the folder. When I picked up the WASTELAND folder last week, for example, I could immediately see that all plotting and scripting up to issue #14 was done; that I’ve been paid for it; and that Research and Notes were completed for #15, but Plotting (the next task for that issue) was still unchecked.

Now that the plot for #15-#18 is done, I can tick the Plotting box for each of those issues. Next time I pick up that folder, no matter when that is, I’ll immediately see the next task to be done (which, if anyone’s wondering, is Page Breakdown for issue #15).

That’s comics, obviously, but I have a similar job sheet for graphic novels and books - Research, Notes, Plot, Breakdown, First Draft, Second Draft, Polish, etc. All arranged in the order in which I normally carry them out, all with a checkbox waiting to be ticked.

Keeping the details of each job physically together with the related folder of project materials (and easy to find by virtue of being right on the front of the folder) means I never have to go searching to find out where I am with a project. I can then leave my iCal to-do list for non-writing stuff (Agenda, Errands, etc.)

Hmmm. I should write this up into a blog post with pictures…

32

Antony,
You should definitely write this up into a blog post. I’m very curious about your use of GTD and writing. I have been trying to come up with a good system (that I call GTD but it’s really not b/c I do the same thing with my calendar). I have Research, Notes, Plot, etc. as processes for my writing as well but I tend to have 4-5 projects in the oven at once. This has forced me to reconsider some of my To Do list strategies. It’s more complicated by the fact that I am unpublished so any deadlines are self imposed. And in terms of my comics work, I have finished the script for my 16 page “Preview” comic and it is in the hands of the artist. Since this is a “resume” of sorts to possibly land a publisher I need to finish out the story. This becomes a “waiting for” but I still have to steam on ahead. Anyways, bit off topic there at the end.

Write it up if you have the time. You have at least one reader.

33

I posted this on another forum, but might as well repeat it here.

I read an interesting piece in TIME magazine a few months ago that boiled down all the GTD mythos into three basic concepts: Act On, Read and Review, Waiting For. In other words, Green, Yellow, and Red: Go, Caution, Stop.

So I set up three folders in a “To Do” folder inside DevonNote. I like DN because it stores files, e-mails, and URLs. But you could do much the same with a task list in iCal or Entourage, especially for deadline tasks. Here are examples of the three levels:

Act On: pay bills, computer tasks, house repair, writing tasks, yard work
Read & Review: things to buy or learn, maybe: cell phone, light box, convert LPs & tapes
Waiting For: travel plans, movies to rent, research for future book

I’m not saying that the system makes me more efficient, but I live with much less guilt.