implement GTD

Recently I finished the book by David Allen. I loved it and promised myself to implement the system as soon as I could. However, I do not have the luxury of spending two whole days doing this and nothing else, since I have a two-month old baby to care for.

But being a FLYbaby, I will implement the system baby step by baby step, even if it takes me a whole year to do it! I see the value of being on this level of organization, and I definitely think it is worth it to implement this system.

Well, I’ve been better about funneling all my ‘to do’ stuff / thoughts into a notebook (I carry a mini-moleskin in my pocket). So, ‘gather’ is pretty easy. I put a flowchart of the gtd system on my desktop.

I have my tickler system up and running. It is a bit of a departure from the 43 folder method. I have a folder “Bills to Pay” which is a folder to be reviewed every day. I am still working on getting and keeping In empty.

I have been working on my “Rebuilding” program for nine days now and have been using a number of the GTD recommendations for organizing and moving forward on my projects. I am a little concerned that I am turning GTD into a project that takes time away from other projects. I am proceding on the assumption that the work I put in up front will help me stay on task with other projects.

but still I am struggling big time! I really need to make lists, mind sweep, wack my mailbox to 0 and empty my sky hight physcial inbox and preferably all of this in the next 24 hours! I know it is just not possible so I will just go for as much as I possibly can do and continue the rest on monday! Rome is not build in one day and my GTD system isn’t either! I really admire the people who can do this in one weekend! Masters of organisation or of a organised mind, or both! I am neither so it takes loads of time but I will get there! And if I do I will throw a party I must also admit that I really enjoy the process of organising, thinking and making baby steps that on their own already make a huge difference! So I am not giving up! I am going to make this work and then move on to that level!

The weather was stunning this weekend, so I didn’t get quite as much done as was planned. However, (while basking in the sun) I managed to mind-sweep. I wrote down all the tasks and actions I could think of and separated them into 5 categories: home, career, self, someday, and see/buy/go. Then each of these is further broken down. I’m using (and loving) index cards, as in the hipster pda. I also, of course, have a card for next actions, which I think is key to this whole system.

I have a small red moleskine that I will continue to use as my calendar, and I’m going to use both my filing cabinet (for paper stuff) and 43things/kaboodle (for web stuff) as project support.

Tomorrow I am going to do the same thing with my work stuff. It will be easier because it’s essentially just one category. So, I will have one card for a project list, then each project will have its own card with a full list of actions. Easy! I can’t believe how simple this is… and how much of a difference it’s gonna make!

http://www.gtdtimes.com/2008/04/28/a-simple-index-card-gtd-system/

http://www.43folders.com/2006/03/21/gtd-2

http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done

http://www.diyplanner.com/templates/official/hpda

http://wiki.43folders.com/index.php/Hipster_PDA

http://kvet.ch/2006/12/05/how-to-print-diy-planner-hipster-pda-cards-direct-to-3×5

http://www.flickr.com/photos/helz/43617452/

pretty!!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/natalinha/3414894233/

very cool – my favorite so far: http://moleskine.vox.com/library/post/minddepositor-by-scription.html
and http://www.flickr.com/photos/moleskineart/sets/72157610458565391/

I’ll definitely be doing a version of the hipster pda, that last link is totally inspiring. But… one step at a time! I’m still reading and mentally preparing.

I got the book at the library today – I’m excited to do this because I’ve been neeeeeding some sort of system of organization. I’m so all over the place, I can’t think straight! I’m going to set aside this weekend to get sorted. That’s all for now. I will update soon.

I cleared my desk and established a very basic system for organisation of my projects so I can work again in my office. I also deleted 4000 mails (yes, I know!) from my stressed out mailbox and deleted a dozen unnessacery folders. The big clean up of my life! It’s kind of funny how things that were super important two years ago are no totally useless… while others are still very emotional. So GTD is not only orgnaisation it is also moving on and lettin go! Very interesting! Anyway, I am now off to bed, to be continued at the same pace tomorrow, or better later today! I am proud of myself!

I will do that tomorrow! The things I need your help, inspiration and support for will happen here, the ones I just need to dig in with and work hard on, will move to an action list. I really need to clean up stuff, starting and stopping here since the total make over of my life also started here and hopefully is a never ending story continuing here for years and years to come… ;-) So not stopping, cleaning up!