May 5, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Getting Organized
May 6, 2008 at 5:05 am
Steve,
RememberTheMilk.com is pretty good, but I'd recommend you also give http://www.ToodleDo.com a try too. ToodleDo.com seems to do all that RememberTheMilk does, but more, and the basic service is also free. ToodleDo.com also has Goals, which RTM is missing.
I personally think the user interface for ToodleDo is easier to use than RTM. Take advantage of the SMS reminders in either ToodleDo or RTM too.
The other thing you should try is http://www.Jott.com (which is also free). You can hook up Jott with ToodleDo.com or with RTM, and even with your Google Calendar.
Jott allows you to call an 800 number, speak with your voice to add task list items or calendar items, or to send text and voice emails or SMS messages to your contacts. Works great for those times when a computer is not immediately available, but you still want to add a task list item, calendar item or send a quick message to a contact.
Hope this is a help!
May 6, 2008 at 5:05 am
How do you eat an elephant? - One bite at a time.
Your strategy of breaking large, long-term tasks into smaller tasks is exactly the way to go.
I also would add that starting early as possible on the tasks makes life much easier. I often get the complaint from others that I am working on things 6 months (or more) ahead of time; but it is amazing how effective you can be by removing procrastination from your life... at least for the most important items. Not always do I have the luxury of being able to work that far in advance; but I do when ever possible.
Also, making a short list of the top 5 most important things to accomplish on a given day - in priority order is very helpful. I don't always physically write these down; but you can rest assured that the list has been made in my mind.
Thank you for taking the time to prepare your newsletter each day. It is definitely part of my morning routine and it helps get me plugged in for the remainder of the day.
May 6, 2008 at 5:42 am
Agree with John about bite sized. The part about not forgetting/losing work is a big one for me, few things irritate me more than to check on work I've asked someone to do and I get the blank stare, or uh... kinda look.
I use the task list in Outlook 2007 for longer term tasks that I want to work on but am waiting for something or just don't have time yet. I still use paper to organize my daily plan. Keeping a list reduces stress for me because I don't have to worry about forgetting something. It's still a list and at times can be intimidating, but it what it is!
Todo lists and time managment are hard. Rule #1 is to have a pattern and stick to it! Rule #2 might be to occasionally revisit your implementation of #1 and see if you can improve it. Many years ago I had a colleage that had something like 20 clipboards on the wall behind him, each tracking things that needed to be done in different areas. Manual yes, but was very effective and wasnt something a computer was going to improve on (clipboards not being very expensive!).
May 6, 2008 at 6:43 am
Scrapbook:
It looks like OneNote does the same thing. I use OneNote for saving web pages for research, and for keeping other notes.
Getting Things Done:
This looks interesting and merits more investigation by me.
ClearContext:
Looks like a similar solution to GTD.
Outlook:
This is what I use at home; I use the tasks, calendar. I don't use the Journaling feature as much as I probably should. I also organize my email by folders. With a WindowsMobile PocketPC, I carry my contacts, calendar, and task with me.
I just wish my employer would switch from Novell GroupWise to Microsoft Exchange/Outlook.
May 6, 2008 at 7:11 am
Lifehacker.com is a fantastic resource in this regard, Steve. Though your time savings will definitely be inverted at first (the site has a LOT of interesting items/discussions) you cannot help but come across some helpful task tools.
May 6, 2008 at 7:48 am
I use Microsoft Outlook for a to do list, but not as you would expect. I don't use the task feature, I find that for me switching folders or even programs tends to allow me to ignore things.
What I do is flag everything that comes in, and voicemails I add to the inbox as a post, then as I get things done I just deselect the flag.
May 6, 2008 at 11:27 am
I think the general concept behind GTD is pretty good. (Break your big tasks into small tasks and work through those until the big tasks are done.) Don't skimp on the weekly review. For the service - it just depends. David Allen (the person behind GTD) supposedly uses the built-in functions on his Palm PDA. He's also done some presentations on mind-mapping.
For me, RTM is cool just to have a list of stuff that needs to be done. Sure it's missing goals, but I mostly have smaller tasks I need to track. I haven't seen ToodleDo before, but it sounds like it's worth checking on. I also like SlimTimer, just to keep a running total of time on my current tasks, not so much for reminders.
Good article and a reminder that we all need some level of organization, and a consistent system. I think that David Allen made a point about just sticking with a system rather than hopping from one to another as something "cool" came out.
May 6, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I keep it simple and mostly manual or I won't do it. If I have lots of different things to do, I keep a paper list - simple. I cross things out as I do them and add things as they come up. Everything listed in one place.
I put some tasks in Outlook as appointments so that Outlook will "nag" me properly. I don't use the task list because it's on another screen and I won't think of it.
Lifehacker sounds interesting. I'm going to check that out.
May 13, 2008 at 8:34 am
John Magnabosco (5/6/2008)
How do you eat an elephant? - One bite at a time.Your strategy of breaking large, long-term tasks into smaller tasks is exactly the way to go.
I also would add that starting early as possible on the tasks makes life much easier. I often get the complaint from others that I am working on things 6 months (or more) ahead of time; but it is amazing how effective you can be by removing procrastination from your life... at least for the most important items. Not always do I have the luxury of being able to work that far in advance; but I do when ever possible.
I admit that I tend to procrastinate sometimes, however I also know how working on things in advance makes sense. I feel that if you can work on some long term things when things are slow, you will be able to handle the "OMG, drop everything and work on this" problems, even if you are under deadline for that long-term project.
I have some lists and I also use tasks in Outlook. I put a reminder on some tasks so I don't have to look at the task list. If I don't finish something, I will push the reminder back to the next day.
Ian.
"If you are going through hell, keep going."
-- Winston Churchill
May 17, 2008 at 5:58 am
For implementing GTD you might try out this web-based application:
You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
A mobile version is available too.
As with the last update, now Gtdagenda has full Someday/Maybe functionality, you can easily move your tasks and projects between "Active", "Someday/Maybe" and "Archive". This will clear your mind, and will boost your productivity.
Hope you like it.
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