GTD Integration

[cucca 1]

HI all, 

i work as IT manager, and i really need a working method to organize all the massive requests and datas that everyday came...

Some days ago i'm started to use this method and i created the following notebooks inside the stack Works:

 

[GTD] Delegate               (here i put all the jobs i had delegate to someone else)

[GTD] Finished Actions   ( i store here all the finished jobs just for a while)

[GTD] Inbox                     (here all new requests that need to be analyzed)

[GTD] Progects               (don't know yet how to use it...)

[GTD] Reference             (i have here all the details like specifications, data definitions etc that could be usefull for the today jobs)

[GTD] Someday/maybe   (here i store all the request i receive that are still not planned)

[GTD] To Do Today          (jobs to be made today)

[GTD] Waiting                   (waiting for someone... like owner approvation etc)

 

actually, my work flow is to make a meeting for new projects and that divide this project in small sub-project to make it immediatly, delegate and so on.. in the main meeting report i include the link of the note of all sub-notes that have a checklist so that i can rebuild everything. 

What actually is missing for me, is that every sub-notes will become a software, and i would like to have all the software details in my note and save it somewhere (maybe in projects?) 

 

I still don't use so much the tag, i just use it for differences all the projects but it's not so useful actually!

 

What do you think about my approach? Can i make it better?

 

thanx all

[Anna Kaliska 0]

Hi,

 

I think you may need something like SmartTM app. This is great GTD task manager which works with EN and more like e.g. iCal or Google Callendar so you can manage all your activites in just one place. Here you can find more http://smarttm.co/

 

Btw, SmartTM is one of the participants of this year's Evernote DevCup The app is known there as a SmartGTD - if you like it support us and vote for SmartTM (SmartGTD) Here's how to cast a vote http://smarttm.co/#post=170 and https://www.hackerleague.org/hackathons/evernote-devcup-2013/hacks/smartgtd 

 

hope you'll find it useful!

BR,

 

Anka

[cucca 1]

nice app... but it's only for ipad... is it right? I use EN both on windows and mac...

[Anna Kaliska 0]

Soon there'll be iPhone and web verions so don't give up  

[Candid 167]

I really like Daniel Gold's book on using Evernote with GTD. http://www.degconsulting.net/bookstore/evernote

 

He's getting a new edition ready, but if I have understood correctly, if you buy now you will get the newer version when it comes out. 

[Hekyi 2013 0]

Hi Cucca,

 

Based on the information you have provided, the function of "[GTD] Progects" notebook is similar to "[GTD] To Do Today" notebook, they both consist of tasks need to be done. The difference between them is, "[GTD] To Do Today" has to be done today and "[GTD] Progects" is not time-sensitive. Therefore, store your software detail notes in [GTD] Progects is not a good choice.

 

A done check list/to-dos should be store in notebook like [GTD] Finished Actions.

A reference material is previously used for supporting your working project and now the project is done, the material should be stored at notebook like Archive, Reference, Filling... etc. (Depending on your preference). I assume the software detail consist of relevant information of the project that you have done, so that I suggest you to store software detail notes in a new notebook (e.g. [GTD] Archive). 

 

My suggestion to you is to separate done check lists / to-dos with the software detail note. It is because a done to-do has less reference value than a reference material and we might delete it someday in future. 

 

Other than that, I think you have miss-use of "[GTD] Someday/maybe" notebook, Someday/maybe notebook is a Keep-in-View notebook that store tasks you don't want to do it now and you don't plan to get it done in future. In other words, you just keep it there until next time you reviewing the task and you change your mind. According to your description of [GTD] Someday/maybe, I assume "still not planned" means you will do the planning some point of time in the future. Thus, it might as well go in [GTD] Progects notebook with the applied context tag(s). 

 

Basic GTD workflows are:

Inbox -> Organising -> *Actions/Completing tasks -> Archive. 

 

My understading to your GTD system are:

Inbox - [GTD] Inbox

Organising - [GTD] Delegate, [GTD] Progects, [GTD] To Do Today, [GTD] Reference, [GTD] Someday/maybe, and [GTD] Waiting.

Action - (Not require in GTD system.)

Archive - [GTD] Finished Actions.

 

It seems like you are lack of one Archive to store all your non-action required notes. For example, you have receive an email from your co-worker in relating to industry information, the email itself doesn't require any action (other that archiving it), nor provide reference to your existing projects. Therefore the email should directly been archive without gone through "Organising", "Action" phase.

 

Hope it helps

Hekyi

[philanon 9]

I use Toodledo to track all of my projects and sub-tasks. In Evernote, I have parent notebooks for "Home" and "Work" and then each of my projects gets its own notebook under one of those. So I don't actually use any GTD syntax in Evernote, it's all in Toodledo. For my workflow I find it easeir to treat Evernote as a quick reference (since it's easy to search). There's a new app called TaskClone that looks like it might streamline this further but I haven't tried it yet.

[skellam 114]

I've been using Zendone for the past couple years and it works great for GTD management integrated with Evernote and Google Calendar.  They have an iPhone app and they are just finishing an Android app as well.  They have a full featured web app as well that would work on Windows and Mac.

[Ulagu 9]

Greetings cucca-

 

I've been a fan and user of the GTD method for over two years.  Two months ago I decided to get rid of my paper based system and move to Evernote.  The move has truly changed my life.  In searching for different methods and trying to reinvent the wheel,  I came across one site that was invaluable.  

 

Grab yourself a cup of coffee and a bit of patients. Each video is 5min or less but they are a bit dry.  This method worked perfectly for me.  You only use two notebooks:  1) Inbox and 2) Processed.  The system is heavy on tags and is a wonderful setup.  Once you have the structure in place you can access it via PC, mac, Iphone, Ipad, etc with no problem.

 

I'm in sales and have over 100 primary accounts that I manage.  The one change I did was adding a notebook called accounts and tags that started with the $ sign for each account I manage.  That way I can associate each account with everything I have done over the course of a year.  Check it out.  I hope you find it as valuable as I did.

 

Enjoy:  http://www.afterthebook.com/how-to-use-evernote-for-gtd-videos/ (not an affilated link).

[realistdreamer 23]

There are as many individual ways to solve these challenges as there are people.  I find there are primarily two key forces at play for most people:

1. Complexity and quantity of tasks being managed
2. Tolerance for using multiple systems

These tend to break in four groups:

1. Low complexity/quantity, low tolerance - choose all in one solution that fits many needs (use Word, Excel, Evernote for everything)
2. Low complexity/quantity, high tolerance - simple standalone app like iphone or ipad app that is a closed universe but works well for task at hand
3. High complexity, low tolerance - more robust standalone app, possibly working on multiple platforms - Think Salesforce or one of the many project management apps that have calendar and notetaking ability.
4. High Complexity/quantity, high tolerance - best of breed apps in key categories (mail, calendar, reference, project management) with integration among them all wherever possible.  Free is great, but willing to pay for ease of use and integration at this level.

Unfortunately, I have high quantity, reasonable complexity and the need to share information with others.  I need system(s) robust enough to handle that and work on almost any device.  Although I have only medium tolerance for multiple systems, trying to get Evernote to be all things simply won't meet the demands for specificity, collaboration and organization I have.  I could set up a perfect system that works for me, but having it interact seamslessly with others in a project management environment would be a nightmare.  That's why I liked Outlook's integration with MS Office.  We're a Goog shop now, but I miss that integration and power.

 

I'm squarely in category 4, but as I stated at the outset, this is as individual as there are people.