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GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

hamberg.no

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Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#41

Post by Foxboron »

I have been attempting to create a todo tracker for myself, but my problem have been finding a suitable interface.

Currently i combine vimwikis diary function and taskwiki to integrate todo filtering and have taskwarrior as the backend. The way it works is that i have a template with a list of viewports from taskwiki. These gets initialized everyday and clears out any done todos. I can still retrieve todos, and i can see the history and context when todos was done when visiting old diaries generated by vimwiki.

I hope this solves my problem of remembering todos, i have yet to notice any difference.

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#42

Post by kstrauser »

ryanmarsh wrote: post #34

This is going to sound crazy to GTD'ers but I don't maintain a task list of any sort. I used to be crazy about Franklin Covey, then GTD, and it was all stress and anxiety. If something is important it will bubble up to the forefront and I'll take care of it. Otherwise I just let it go. You'd be amazed how few things you actually have to get done to enjoy a happy life and to be successful in your work.

I use GTD and handle the thing you're talking about in the classification process. Everything I think I might want to do goes into my OmniFocus inbox. Everything. This gets it out of my mind and I can stop thinking about it.

Then, unless it's time-sensitive, I let it sit there for a couple of days at least. When I sit down to sweep through my inbox, I toss out the stuff that doesn't hold up. "Check the van's mileage for an oil change"? Keep. "Buy that dog t-shirt for my wife for Christmas"? Yeah, she'll still like that. "Turn the lawn chair into a pilotable drone"? That sounded like a great idea at the moment but I'll never actually do it: delete.

I also have a weekly review where I'm pretty ruthless about pruning stuff. "I've been thinking about doing X for the last year, but if I was actually going to do it, I'd have done it by now. Goodbye!"

At the end of this, I have a very manageable set of actions that I actually intend to follow through on. Knowing that I don't have to remember each of them is hugely liberating to me.

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#43

Post by throwawaytodo »

Foxboron wrote: post #41

I have been attempting to create a todo tracker for myself, but my problem have been finding a suitable interface. Currently i combine vimwikis diary function and taskwiki to integrate todo filtering and have taskwarrior as the backend. The way it works is that i have a template with a list of viewports from taskwiki. These gets initialized everyday and clears out any done todos. I can still retrieve todos, and i can…

Here’s a todo app idea:

1. Take a standard notebook and a regular pen (or pencil, if you prefer). 2. Write down things you have to do. You can even organize them by date: 3. Actually do the things instead of yak-shaving solutions to making basic lists. 4. Cross each thing off after you do it.

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#44

Post by briandarvell »

throwawaytodo wrote: post #43
Foxboron wrote: post #41

I have been attempting to create a todo tracker for myself, but my problem have been finding a suitable interface. Currently i combine vimwikis diary function and taskwiki to integrate todo filtering and have taskwarrior as the backend. The way it works is that i have a template with a list of viewports from taskwiki. These gets initialized everyday and clears out any done todos. I can still retrieve todos, and i can…

Here’s a todo app idea: 1. Take a standard notebook and a regular pen (or pencil, if you prefer). 2. Write down things you have to do. You can even organize them by date: 3. Actually do the things instead of yak-shaving solutions to making basic lists. 4. Cross each thing off after you do it.

You sir are doing God's work. Actually get things done instead of making fake work under the pretense of being busy - more people could do well by following this principle.

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#45

Post by jsilence »

lypextin wrote: post #12
zamazingo wrote: post #3

Emacs Org-Mode, along with its org-capture mode and the ability to clock in/out, is a perfect tool to implement this, btw. https://emacs.cafe/emacs/orgmode/gtd/2017/06/30/orgmode-gtd.... http://orgmode.org/worg/org-gtd-etc.html

I was always curious about trying this, but has always been put off by the Emacs part of it. How much Emacs do you need to know to use this comfortably?

Maybe the Spacemacs distribution of emacs is more accessible for emacs beginners. But beware: it is really opinionated.

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#46

Post by mgbmtl »

beaconstudios wrote: post #13

I've tried to implement GTD a couple of times before but I always fail when I end up with organised but huge lists of things to do, along with things that become irrelevant over time (time-contextual "could-do's") and getting snowed under by day-to-day maintenance chores. Has anyone had success implementing it, and if so, was there any trick or technique that helped it "click" for you? I also realise I might just be…

I use a wiki page (in my personal Gitlab space of our company Gitlab instance):

- one wiki page per week

- every Monday, I copy over the wiki page to a new one

- I split sections between time-based, and "priority backlog" vs "low-priority backlog" (stuff that might get done in 2 months).

- I also keep a short list of general reminders at the bottom completely.

- I like using [x] to mark things done. Easy to review at the end of the week. Even sometimes ~~ to strike-trough, for extra satisfaction.

- If I had something not planned, I add it to the list, so that I don't despair at the end of the week, if I didn't do half of the things I should have.

- I pin the tab at the top of my tab list in Firefox, for quick access.

I like using Gitlab's wiki for this, since I can copy-paste the URL to an issue or specific project, and it automatically converts to something nicer. And while I could use the wiki history, instead of a new page, I find it easier to go back in time this way.

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#47

Post by ptype »

lypextin wrote: post #12
zamazingo wrote: post #3

Emacs Org-Mode, along with its org-capture mode and the ability to clock in/out, is a perfect tool to implement this, btw. https://emacs.cafe/emacs/orgmode/gtd/2017/06/30/orgmode-gtd.... http://orgmode.org/worg/org-gtd-etc.html

I was always curious about trying this, but has always been put off by the Emacs part of it. How much Emacs do you need to know to use this comfortably?

Not much. I hardly know emacs (would love to learn more though...) and am using sublime as my editor, but have learnt just a few shortcuts to be productive in orgmode. Currently I run emacs just for my orgmode tasks and org-agenda which is fantastic.

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#48

Post by bkanber »

Similar to GTD, I use a technique called "Bullet Journaling" [1] and it's been transformative. It's less opinionated than GTD and I find it flows a bit more readily.

I find it ironic that as a tech CTO I'm connected to my phone and computer probably 80% of my day and love playing with productivity and organizational tools -- yet I've still never found anything better than putting pen to paper!

I keep a small pocket-sized moleskine in my back pocket with me, and it travels with me basically wherever I go. I leave it open on my desk during the work day, and I find I "respect" the notebook more than I respect Asana or Todoist or any other digital app. I guess it's because it's in my own handwriting.

I spend about 10 minutes in the morning going through the notebook and another 10 in the evening looking forward to tomorrow. Strongly recommend this approach if you're looking for a slightly more flexible approach than GTD.

[1] http://bulletjournal.com/

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#49

Post by krrrh »

mhd wrote: post #11

I tried GTD way back when in the heady Merlin Mann days, but never got a capture-anywhere method that I liked. Hipster PDAs were out due to me writing with pens isn't exactly enjoyable/readable, and I get tired easily by my slow mobile typing speed, too. And voice notes while among other people? I'm a German introvert, goshdarnit... On the computer, there's a plethora of possibilities (org, notational velocity, "quak…

If on iOS, the app Drafts[1] is a good option for your bottom row. It doesn't take care of typing speed, but it is optimized for time-to-cursor. That combined with the Siri phrase "Remind me to/about ___________ [at [time]|when I get [place]]" is as good as I've managed to get for mobile capture. It does still take discipline to clean these boxes out and get the info into an integrated system

https://agiletortoise.com/drafts/

Re: GTD in 15 Minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done

#50

Post by alint7 »

kendallpark wrote: post #22
beaconstudios wrote: post #13

I've tried to implement GTD a couple of times before but I always fail when I end up with organised but huge lists of things to do, along with things that become irrelevant over time (time-contextual "could-do's") and getting snowed under by day-to-day maintenance chores. Has anyone had success implementing it, and if so, was there any trick or technique that helped it "click" for you? I also realise I might just be…

I started with this: https://trello.com/b/2f37iYzy/sample-gtd-board Then I made some alterations to fit my lifestyle. For one, there's a giant "Homework" list with all of my assignments for the semester and due dates. This helps me make sure that on any given day, I know whether an assignment is coming up. I sync this Trello list with my Google calendar, which sends me an email reminder the day before something is du…

I also think Trello is a great solution for GTD. But I've always felt the need to have a clear overview of all projects (boards) so I've made this little tool https://workflow.pm Basically it brings all your cards from all boards in a single dashboard.
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