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Anybody use Mark Forster's Final Version in EN?


gatorbrit

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Final Version is a task management approach that focusses on just maintaining a list and reviewing it using a simple algorithm. It is actually quite cool.

Details are here... http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs004/1100358239599/archive/1109511856508.html

And here is a video of someone using it.

It actually lends itself to EN quite well

Of course the absolutely terrible (new) EN Ipad app won't work too well for this, but the desktop apps should.

Anyhow - anybody tried it?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi gatorbrit,

This is the first post I've made on this forum, but I wanted to register to thank you for posting the link to Mark Forster's FV algorithm. I've spent too many hours reading about various GTD systems, both in EN and other apps, and trying to implement them with variable results. Then I came across this little post and it's turned most of what I thought I knew about productivity on its head! I'm honestly surprised you've had no relevant replies.

Probably in common with others who require a "system" to stay organised, my biggest barrier to GTD has always been procrastination and/or motivation. The FV algorithm appears so trivial at first glance that I wondered how it could possibly work. But after thinking about it at some length (insert joke here), it's the only productivity algorithm I've seen which addresses the very real issue of psychological readiness to attempt a task. Like most powerful ideas, there's also something very elegant about the way it works that really appeals to me. The fact that you don't need to understand the algorithm's psychological or mathematical principles to apply it, makes me like it even more. The simplest ideas are often the most powerful.

Ironically, after spending countless hours investigating various complicated organisational systems, I may end up going back to a single list! Or more likely, a "Today" list and a "Next" list, as he hints at in the notes at the bottom.

Anyway, just wanted to note my appreciation, thanks for posting this.

Kind regards

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Thanks for the comments NDP. I would love to use the FV and EN as a tool but the inability of EN for iPad to do a simple thing like display notes as a list means that I couldn't implement it. I finally gave up on EN as a productivity tool solely because of the crappy iPad app. I am now using omnifocus and I love it. It's very powerful (and not cheap) but if you have lots of tasks and projects, it is very powerful.

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Omnifocus is one of the productivity tools I haven't tried, solely because I don't own an iPad. However it's the app that I see most frequently recommended in forums and blogs, so it must be good. I'm sure I'll get myself an iPad and try it out at some point. It's expensive but then again a service like Remember the Milk costs $25 a year, and at least Omnifocus is a one-off payment as far as I'm aware.

I've also given up on EN for GTD, mainly because of the lack of a due date and the need to manually refer back to an email client and calendar. Finding ways of getting around this seems more trouble than it's worth. It's a pity because I love the Evernote UI, and in many ways it's a great piece of software. But you can't get around the fact that it just wasn't specifically developed to manage tasks, so any attempt to do so ends up being a "hack". I'm sure it's sufficient for some people, depending on their requirements, but I don't think it can really hold its own versus an app like Omnifocus. I think I'll have to start saving up for an iPad...

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  • 1 month later...

I am a big fan of Mark Forster and his Final Version. I am using Evernote to execute his FV. Have described my setup below.

The advantage is that this setup will work both on the desktop and the iPad.

 

The Setup

  1. Create a saved search of all your projects (your notes in Evernote that are projects**)
  2. Open a new note and name it "My FV Task List" (for example)
  3. Select all your projects (from the list view) and drag them to the "FV task list" note
  4. You have now a clickable list of tasks (projects actually) on your FV task list
  5. Add any single item tasks (i.e non project items) that you need to do on the fv task list as well. You do not have to create a separate task note for single items.. just add them as a line item on the FV task list note.
  6. So, on your FV task list, you have project tasks (which are clickable and take you to the project notes) single items tasks (that are non clickable)
The workflow


  1. Then Apply/ follow Mark Forster's FV workflow (http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs004/1100358239599/archive/1109511856508.html) . Select the notes that you will work on by putting a check box against them. When you are done (completed the task or had enough of working on the project), tick the check box (I strikethrough them as well) and copy the task/project link (if it is still incomplete) to the bottom of the FV list.
  2. Adding New items
    1. If a new task (single item) comes to mind, add it to the bottom of the FV task list
    2. If a new project needs to be created, create a new project note and copy the project note link to the bottom of the FV task list
    3. If the new item (email, work item whatever) is a part of an existing project, open that project and add the item there.

  3. Create a shortcut link of your FV Task List on the shortcut bar
 


** I capture all the project related to-dos and project ref links within the project note. Traditional GTD structure doesn't work for me. I need my project related To-Dos to be surrounded by their project context and much of it comes from the project ref materials and short notes that are there in my project notes. (this article http://speirs.org/blog/2012/9/15/from-omnifocus-to-evernote.html struck a chord with me) Hence all my project related to-dos are within the project. I preface the To-Dos in the project note  with _Call, _Waiting etc to make the action items within the project notes quickly searchable.

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  • Level 5*

I am a big fan of Mark Forster and his Final Version. I am using Evernote to execute his FV. Have described my setup below.

The advantage is that this setup will work both on the desktop and the iPad.

The Setup

  • Create a saved search of all your projects (your notes in Evernote that are projects**)
  • Open a new note and name it "My FV Task List" (for example)
  • Select all your projects (from the list view) and drag them to the "FV task list" note
  • You have now a clickable list of tasks (projects actually) on your FV task list
  • Add any single item tasks (i.e non project items) that you need to do on the fv task list as well. You do not have to create a separate task note for single items.. just add them as a line item on the FV task list note.
  • So, on your FV task list, you have project tasks (which are clickable and take you to the project notes) single items tasks (that are non clickable)

The workflow

  • Then Apply/ follow Mark Forster's FV workflow (http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs004/1100358239599/archive/1109511856508.html) . Select the notes that you will work on by putting a check box against them. When you are done (completed the task or had enough of working on the project), tick the check box (I strikethrough them as well) and copy the task/project link (if it is still incomplete) to the bottom of the FV list.
  • Adding New items

    • If a new task (single item) comes to mind, add it to the bottom of the FV task list
    • If a new project needs to be created, create a new project note and copy the project note link to the bottom of the FV task list
    • If the new item (email, work item whatever) is a part of an existing project, open that project and add the item there.
  • Create a shortcut link of your FV Task List on the shortcut bar

** I capture all the project related to-dos and project ref links within the project note. Traditional GTD structure doesn't work for me. I need my project related To-Dos to be surrounded by their project context and much of it comes from the project ref materials and short notes that are there in my project notes. (this article http://speirs.org/blog/2012/9/15/from-omnifocus-to-evernote.html struck a chord with me) Hence all my project related to-dos are within the project. I preface the To-Dos in the project note with _Call, _Waiting etc to make the action items within the project notes quickly searchable.

Hi! Thanks for sharing your system. One point to note, though, is that your system might work on the iPad once it is set up, but you cannot make modifications to it, because the iPad does not support the creation of note links.

One workaround for this is to create a bunch of notes on the desktop, drag them into an "index note" to generate note links, and then put them in a notebook / tag them as "templates." Whenever you need a note to be note linked, just copy it's link from the index note and paste into your project note master list. You can change the name of the link and it will continue to function properly. Of course, you will want to retitle the linked note and move it to the appropriate location.

Anyhow, this is one way to (kind of) create new note links on the iPad.

Link to comment

I am a big fan of Mark Forster and his Final Version. I am using Evernote to execute his FV. Have described my setup below.

The advantage is that this setup will work both on the desktop and the iPad.

The Setup

  • Create a saved search of all your projects (your notes in Evernote that are projects**)
  • Open a new note and name it "My FV Task List" (for example)
  • Select all your projects (from the list view) and drag them to the "FV task list" note
  • You have now a clickable list of tasks (projects actually) on your FV task list
  • Add any single item tasks (i.e non project items) that you need to do on the fv task list as well. You do not have to create a separate task note for single items.. just add them as a line item on the FV task list note.
  • So, on your FV task list, you have project tasks (which are clickable and take you to the project notes) single items tasks (that are non clickable)

The workflow

  • Then Apply/ follow Mark Forster's FV workflow (http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs004/1100358239599/archive/1109511856508.html) . Select the notes that you will work on by putting a check box against them. When you are done (completed the task or had enough of working on the project), tick the check box (I strikethrough them as well) and copy the task/project link (if it is still incomplete) to the bottom of the FV list.
  • Adding New items
    • If a new task (single item) comes to mind, add it to the bottom of the FV task list
    • If a new project needs to be created, create a new project note and copy the project note link to the bottom of the FV task list
    • If the new item (email, work item whatever) is a part of an existing project, open that project and add the item there.
  • Create a shortcut link of your FV Task List on the shortcut bar

** I capture all the project related to-dos and project ref links within the project note. Traditional GTD structure doesn't work for me. I need my project related To-Dos to be surrounded by their project context and much of it comes from the project ref materials and short notes that are there in my project notes. (this article http://speirs.org/blog/2012/9/15/from-omnifocus-to-evernote.html struck a chord with me) Hence all my project related to-dos are within the project. I preface the To-Dos in the project note with _Call, _Waiting etc to make the action items within the project notes quickly searchable.

Hi! Thanks for sharing your system. One point to note, though, is that your system might work on the iPad once it is set up, but you cannot make modifications to it, because the iPad does not support the creation of note links.

One workaround for this is to create a bunch of notes on the desktop, drag them into an "index note" to generate note links, and then put them in a notebook / tag them as "templates." Whenever you need a note to be note linked, just copy it's link from the index note and paste into your project note master list. You can change the name of the link and it will continue to function properly. Of course, you will want to retitle the linked note and move it to the appropriate location.

Anyhow, this is one way to (kind of) create new note links on the iPad.

 

Yes, agree. I use the iPad for doing and not planning, so my setup works for me.

 

BTW, your posts on minimal organization helped me a lot with my evernote setup. Thank you!

Link to comment
  • Level 5*

 

I am a big fan of Mark Forster and his Final Version. I am using Evernote to execute his FV. Have described my setup below.

The advantage is that this setup will work both on the desktop and the iPad.

The Setup

  • Create a saved search of all your projects (your notes in Evernote that are projects**)
  • Open a new note and name it "My FV Task List" (for example)
  • Select all your projects (from the list view) and drag them to the "FV task list" note
  • You have now a clickable list of tasks (projects actually) on your FV task list
  • Add any single item tasks (i.e non project items) that you need to do on the fv task list as well. You do not have to create a separate task note for single items.. just add them as a line item on the FV task list note.
  • So, on your FV task list, you have project tasks (which are clickable and take you to the project notes) single items tasks (that are non clickable)

The workflow

  • Then Apply/ follow Mark Forster's FV workflow (http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs004/1100358239599/archive/1109511856508.html) . Select the notes that you will work on by putting a check box against them. When you are done (completed the task or had enough of working on the project), tick the check box (I strikethrough them as well) and copy the task/project link (if it is still incomplete) to the bottom of the FV list.
  • Adding New items
    • If a new task (single item) comes to mind, add it to the bottom of the FV task list
    • If a new project needs to be created, create a new project note and copy the project note link to the bottom of the FV task list
    • If the new item (email, work item whatever) is a part of an existing project, open that project and add the item there.
  • Create a shortcut link of your FV Task List on the shortcut bar

** I capture all the project related to-dos and project ref links within the project note. Traditional GTD structure doesn't work for me. I need my project related To-Dos to be surrounded by their project context and much of it comes from the project ref materials and short notes that are there in my project notes. (this article http://speirs.org/blog/2012/9/15/from-omnifocus-to-evernote.html struck a chord with me) Hence all my project related to-dos are within the project. I preface the To-Dos in the project note with _Call, _Waiting etc to make the action items within the project notes quickly searchable.

Hi! Thanks for sharing your system. One point to note, though, is that your system might work on the iPad once it is set up, but you cannot make modifications to it, because the iPad does not support the creation of note links.

One workaround for this is to create a bunch of notes on the desktop, drag them into an "index note" to generate note links, and then put them in a notebook / tag them as "templates." Whenever you need a note to be note linked, just copy it's link from the index note and paste into your project note master list. You can change the name of the link and it will continue to function properly. Of course, you will want to retitle the linked note and move it to the appropriate location.

Anyhow, this is one way to (kind of) create new note links on the iPad.

 

Yes, agree. I use the iPad for doing and not planning, so my setup works for me.

 

BTW, your posts on minimal organization helped me a lot with my evernote setup. Thank you!

Hi. Glad that I could help, and I think your post / shared note will also give people a lot of great ideas.

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