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Bob
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Hey, i have come up with a simple idea, something missing (it seems to me) in all GTD applications ! Nirvana could be the first...
Explanation : As i have said in a post on this forum, GTD gets things out of your head, but your lists become outrageously big when you have not figured exactly where to put it all, and when you have a lot of stuff that comes to mind.
• The first idea is, already mentioned, and that i am not the only one to defend, is to use different types of Someday/maybe's (later, someday, maybe).
• The second idea, which Lasse was mentioning, is to leave potential/someday tasks of a project, in the notes section of the project.
Here is a third point : In the someday/maybe section, there are tasks i am putting away, and then might put in my next actions list. But there are also groups of tasks of things i might want to do. For example, books i might want to read, or places i might like to visit (these are David Allen's examples). If i put all of that in the someday/maybe list, it gets really to big. They do belong to the someday/maybe concept, but yet, clutter a someday/maybe list in an application. So i believe the thing to do is to have these lists elsewhere. Not in the Someday/maybe folder (weither it be the Later, Someday or Maybe sections), but somewhere else : a new category called "Lists".
And this is where NIRVANA can make a difference : having a folder/section just for all these types of lists ! I think people keep these lists in word documents or on paper, and out of their task management application. But it could be kept inside the task management application, just as long as there is a section for that. The fact is, it is pretty nice to type a book reference as you would a task, and to save that on a list of "books to read", with the same drag and drop feature you use to reorganize tasks in a list (in order to put the first books to read on top of the list), instead of just putting the list of books to read on a word sheet.
What do you think ? Where do you folks keep those lists "books to read", "movies to watch" lists ?
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2 Posted by Proximo on 09 Aug, 2010 02:13 PM
@Bob,
I think the Lists is a nice idea.
I will caution you as I do many people that GTD is simple and don't spend too much time trying to over structure it.
Everything has a list it belongs too in GTD. Your Weekly reviews allow you to process the items into the correct list and you can filter by Time, Energy and Context from there.
Just wanted to mention it.
A List feature can be useful for many reasons so +1 on the idea.
I currently keep things like this outside of Nirvana.
3 Posted by Bob on 09 Aug, 2010 02:40 PM
@ Proximo : "I will caution you as I do many people that GTD is simple and don't spend too much time trying to over structure it."
That is very true. I myself spend too much time on structuring my system. But how could i do otherwise ? There is no coach next to me explaining what i did not get right. So i have to try and understand, and spend time doing that, if i want to implement GTD. That is how over structuring comes : by just trying to have a GTD system. The simplicity you only reach it after a while, at least that is what a lot of users say.
Also (and this i know is a mistake), i would like to use a digital task manager. Even developers don't know how to make one that follows GTD and looks good ! The first application to make a difference is Nirvana, and it came out just a little while ago (and is still in beta). David Allen uses a PC, so he is always talking about Lotus Notes and eProductivity, which are used by big companies. That doesn't help finding a good digital tool on Mac, and most of all, understanding how to use it, in a way that corresponds to someone's type of activity.
"I currently keep things like this outside of Nirvana."
Could you eventually say more about that ? Just so things are less theoretical and we can view someone's organizational system.
4 Posted by roddyt on 09 Aug, 2010 04:28 PM
Bob,
I don't know if you're aware, but Nirvana does have a rudimentary list capability. In the notes section of the task, at the beginning of each line, enter a hyphen, space, and your text. When you save the note, the hyphen is replaced with a checkbox.
As for "keeping things outside Nirvana," you'll find a lot of people like Evernote.
Personally, for lists, I like Zenbe lists (http://lists.zenbe.com). Two reasons for this: they have an iPhone app that syncs with it, and individual lists can be shared with other people.
These things may or may not appeal to you, but there are other choices out there.
5 Posted by Keith on 09 Aug, 2010 05:06 PM
Very cool!
Proximo said elsewhere he uses Evernote. I prefer VoodooPad for everything.
6 Posted by Proximo on 09 Aug, 2010 08:46 PM
Bob,
I use Evernote for Reference material, list and anything else that makes sense to have there. I also use some iPhone apps for grocery list and simple list.
As for GTD.... I have done my share of over complicating things at first. We all do this and there is a learning curve that is different for everyone. I have found the simpler I keep things, the more sense GTD makes and the more time I spend on getting things done rather than thinking about the system that is supposed to tell me how to get things done. :-)
We are here to help as much as we can. I am not a GTD coach, but I will always be willing to share my ideas and many users in this community will do the same.
Ask questions and pick up nuggets from others that you find useful. I am still growing and learning, but I quit trying to over control everything in my world.
GTD is about doing what is most important at the moment and feeling good about that decision. It's not about doing EVERYTHING. It's called Getting Things Done and not Getting Everything Done. Something we all go through.
7 Posted by Bob on 10 Aug, 2010 04:58 PM
@ roddyt "I don't know if you're aware, but Nirvana does have a rudimentary list capability. In the notes section of the task, at the beginning of each line, enter a hyphen, space, and your text. When you save the note, the hyphen is replaced with a checkbox."
Looks like a cool feature. Doesn't work for me though (i think because i have a french keyboard or something).
@ Keith : could you explain why you prefer Voodoo pad to Evernote ? What is it that makes the difference. And how do you exactly use Voodoo pad (since you can do many things with it) ?
8 Posted by Bob on 10 Aug, 2010 05:01 PM
@ Proximo : "We are here to help as much as we can."
Yes, thank-you, and thanks to the GTD/Nirvana community. :-)
9 Posted by Keith on 10 Aug, 2010 07:40 PM
@Bob: I tried out Evernote and Yojimbo and a few other note-type tools for the Mac and stuck with VoodooPad. I like that it's scriptable, but mostly I just like its super simple interface. I also like that it's not in the cloud, and its data is just one file I can back up, and that it's software I can buy once instead of paying a monthly fee for. (Not that this is in any way related to whether I'd pay monthly for Nirvana... if I'm still using it when you come out with the paid version, that alone will prove that it's worth my money).
One of the main things I disliked about Evernote is that it wasn't designed with keyboard usability in mind. Like, I'd add a new note, and the only way to get down to the body of the note was to hit tab a bajillion times to get through the rest of the widgets on the window. They later fixed that, but still.
10 Posted by Bob on 10 Aug, 2010 07:46 PM
@ Keith. Ok thanks. :-)
11 Posted by krystal on 12 Aug, 2010 06:55 PM
I keep hearing about all these other applications for various purposes (evernote, etc.) that can be integrated with Nirvana. I want everything in one place! I want Nirvana to be nirvana!
12 Posted by Bob on 12 Aug, 2010 07:56 PM
@ Krystal : That is why people want Evernote linked to Nirvana ! To have access to tasks AND notes and files within Nirvana. :-)
Go have a look at these applications. Evernote changes the way you work and go about your digital life. I myself am discovering.
13 Posted by Proximo on 13 Aug, 2010 04:21 AM
Evernote is an amazing service/product.
The free version is enough for most people, but I am thinking of getting the pro version just to support Evernote developers.
I have it on my iPhone and capture many things in my life. Notes, Photos, Voice memo's, website articles, ideas, etc.
14 Posted by Lasares on 13 Aug, 2010 02:46 PM
I have the Pro version, which provides unlimited upload.
On Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 00:23, Proximo <
***@tenderapp.com<tender%***@tenderapp.com>
> wrote:
15 Posted by DaveP on 01 Oct, 2010 01:29 AM
@bob
If you are looking for a way to partition your list a bit so that it is not "outrageously big", you can use the "schedule for" box. For example, let's say you want to visit you Aunt Flo sometime before the Holidays. In order to have that not crowd your list you could schedule it for 1 month from now and it won't hit your "outrageously big" list until then.
I am an old Omnifocus user and I used that feature quite a bit for tasks that did not have to be done now.
David McLaughlin closed this discussion on 10 Feb, 2011 03:09 PM.