Knowledge Base: Getting Started
This quick Getting Started tutorial will help you get the most out of your time investment in Nirvana and the GTD methodology.
Login
When you login to Nirvana you will see a number of lists in the left navi: Inbox, Today, Next and so on. These will help you organize your action items–tasks in Nirvana parlance—so that you can focus on what you need to accomplish at any given time.
Inbox
The Inbox is a general collection bucket for holding tasks that you need to take care of, but have not yet decided where to file them. The first time you login to Nirvana (or any other time you need to quickly get things out of your head), create a new task for each action item you need to accomplish here—simply click on the button labeled +New Task. As a shortcut, press the ‘n’ key to bring up the New Task dialog. Once you’ve gotten everything out of your head and into your Inbox you can start moving tasks to other lists (Today, Next, Someday…) to help you focus on, well, getting things done! Drag-n-drop tasks onto other lists using the drag-handles to the far left of each task.
Today
Tasks you wish to accomplish today should be moved to this list. There is no need to set a due date on your tasks… simply dragging them to Today will mark them as tasks you wish to focus on today. That said, if you have tasks filed elsewhere with a due date, they will automatically pop into your Today list as those due dates approach, helping you stay on top of your daily action items without having to drag tasks manually. The idea is that on a day-to-day basis, you should be able to simply work through the items in Today, keeping you focused on what needs to get done now, without constantly reviewing all of your outstanding tasks. Sort tasks in the order you wish to tackle them by dragging them up/down using the sort-handles on the left, just to the right of the drag-handles.
Next
Upcoming tasks that you need to accomplish, but not necessarily today, should be dragged to Next. This will likely be where most of your upcoming tasks will reside. Review the items in your Next list and drag them up to Today when you decide it’s time to focus on those tasks today. Again, you can sort tasks by dragging them up/down using the sort-handles to the left of each task.
Someday
Tasks that you wish to accomplish someday, not necessarily today, tomorrow or who knows when, but that you want to make sure you have some record of it, should live in Someday. Don’t keep those things that aren’t urgent rolling around in your head… they’ll steal brain power and potentially keep you up at night, knowing that these are things you need to remember. Put them in Someday so you can forget about them, knowing that you can always check Nirvana to review them later.
Projects
When achieving a goal requires more than one action item, Projects come to the rescue. There are two ways to create a project.
- Click on Projects in the left navi and then click +New
Project.
- Drag an existing task to Projects in the left navi, which will convert the task into a project.
Both methods will allow you to then create “subtasks” – a series of tasks you need to take action on in order to reach completion. The second method, dragging a task onto Projects, is more organic in that, as you realize an existing task requires more than one step, you can easily convert it into a project and break down the steps to completion into atomic, bite-size tasks.
Archive & Trash
Remove tasks and projects as you complete (or abandon) them by moving them to Archive or the Trash. Items placed in Archive can always be dragged out later. Items placed in the Trash can be dragged out until you decide to empty the trash—at which point those items will be deleted forever.
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Once you’re down with the basics…
Here are some more resources to help you make the most of Nirvana.
Nirvana Community Home – members helping members
Nirvana Keyboard Shortcuts – when mice are too slow
Nirvana on Twitter – keep on top of the latest and greatest
Getting Started with Getting Things Done – 43folders.com
Getting Things Done – wikipedia.com synopsis
Getting Things Done – the book that started it all by David Allen (kindle edition here)
David Allen’s Blog Posts – at huffingtonpost.com
Or you can always contact us directly and we’ll respond in a jiffy.