For all of you poor bastards that have been following along with my GTD evolution over the last few years, you’ve seen the implementation change courses a few times. For those of you who couldn’t give a crap about my past implementations, and are interested in how I’m using Toodledo in my new system, welcome to the fray.

The basics: Toodledo is an online “to-do list manager” that has some very strong GTD-esque features and options, is free (though it offers upgraded accounts – one with file storage), has a great mobile/iPhone interface, and a very slick and usable online interface. There is a third-party iPhone app in the app store that syncs tasks with Toodledo, but it’s about as feature-poor as could be, and I’ve avoided it.

Why Toodledo? I did consider Remember the Milk (RTM) and a few others in my search for an online component to my GTD system, but Toodledo was the clear winner. First, I’m only interested in those to-do managers that sync well with Jott. I’ve found myself doing massive core dumps in the car over Jott, and all of those items either end up in my Toodledo inbox, or in my Evernote notebok. RTM made the cut there, but was light on text message interfacing compared to Toodledo, and lacked the GTD context assignment parameters that come with Toodledo. The mobile interfaces were a push, as far as I was concerned.

Why digital? What happened to the Moleskine? If you didn’t read this post explaining my reasons for changing the system, or this post talking about the new role of my Moleskine, go do that first.

Read on for specifics on my new system.

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The trick with Toodledo is to employ contexts as you might expect, use folders as projects, and get really good with the ‘n’ key. If you’re setting this up for the first time, I’d suggest you spend a few minutes in the GTD forum over at Toodledo, as there are plenty of suggestions on GTD implementation out there that don’t match mine exactly. Here are the contexts in my setup:

• .Waiting For
• .Inbox; theoretically, any new task without a context should end up here. It hasn’t worked that way so far, though. Only new tasks entered on the mobile interface or on the web get this default label. Anything coming in from Jott, for instance, ends up with a “No Context” attached to it. Gotta watch for that.
• @People/Calls
• @Office
• @Errands
• @Plant; not literally a plant, but the “manufacturing plant” that I’m visiting all the time with work.
• @Home
• @Web; for anything I can do on the web, regardless of what machine I’m on
• @Mac; for anything I must do on one of my Macs
• @Dell; for anything I must do on my work laptop

There is a folder for each project, and that’s it. I’ve seen some hybrid solutions out there – people using projects to separate contexts and sub-categorize real contexts, but it’s a little too kludgey for me. During your weekly review, you’ll notice that the folder view not only gives you a full list of all the folders, but it shows you a quick listing of how many tasks exist against that project. Never was there a quicker way to find out what you’ve been ignoring…just look for the zeros!

The view selections are outstanding, allowing you to filter by project, context, task status, etc. Toodledo even offers saved custom searches; one of the hacks suggested by the Toodledo guys regarding my Jott problem was to create a custom “inbox” search that included everything in the .inbox context AND in the “no context” context. I haven’t done this yet, but it’s on a list.

I would say, at the moment, that I do about 70% of my task entry on an actual computer, with the other 30% coming from activity either on the mobile version of the site or from my Jott phone calls. It’s amazing how many tasks you can get updated in the system during a horrible meeting.

Learn the ‘n’ key. It’s a hot key for adding a new task on Toodledo, and it’ll save you lots of time…especially if you get good at naming your projects something that’s easily remembered. Imagine ‘n’, tab, ‘j (or whatever letter for the project/folder you’re assigning), tab, ‘another letter for a goal’, return. That’s it.

Don’t forget about goals – something included on Toodledo. Runway, 10,000, 40,000…long-term, short-term, and subsidiaries are all there. Assigning goals to an individual task is a fantastic way of seeing just how much activity you’ve been doing at the runway level to meet your 30,000 foot goals in life. And they’ve even got charts that will let you see, visually, where you’re spending your time.

This is beginning to sound like an advertisement for Toodledo, and that’s okay. So far, I’ve been absolutely impressed with the site’s performance, and its feature set. If you’re inclined to try your GTD system online or on the computer, you owe it to yourself to have a gander at what they’re doing over at Toodledo.

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It’s not as though Mr. Moleskine is unreasonable. He’s just proud. After all, every GTD discussion I’ve had for the past couple of years has included a reference to his services, almost always followed by unabashed praise for his talents. You see, Mr. Moleskine brings you an excitement that’s so fundamental and old school that it’s easily overlooked. It’s the excitement that comes from the veritable “oneness” of mind, hand and paper; it’s the appeal of writing, drawing or composing on a medium that has the potential to last longer than you; it’s the transmission of intangible to tangible…and it’s the beauty with which a Moleskine does all this that really nabs you.

If the last paragraph hasn’t convinced you that Mr. Moleskine is still one of my favorites, then you’ve been drinking too much of his pessimistic Kool-Aid.

As he and I have discussed, it’s not that I’m kicking him out of the clan. I’m not even stripping his title. When someone wants to talk about the most desirable, efficient and practical way to put their thoughts on paper, I will fly his banner. It’s just that I want him to do what he does best for my situation – and little more.

Mr. Moleskine is now a capture tool, first and foremost. He’s no longer the retainer of my lists, though he does hold on to various pieces of info (I call them “nuggets”) that I might need any place/any time. Mr. Moleskine received a tab makeover – though calling it a makeover, as opposed to a removal, is a bit disingenuous. We’re now talking about one tab separating the “capture zone” from the aforementioned “nugget zone.” Capture Zone is comparable to an inbox, and items get crossed off as they’re processed. Nugget Zone is populated with quick reference items that I find handy, and that’s it.

I’m getting tired of of the names that Mr. Moleskine has started calling his “list holder” replacement. When I first told him that Toodledo was coming in to help out with the lists, there was little reaction. But now I can’t go an hour without hearing reference to “Toodlepoo,” “Toodledookie,” or “Toodledoomedtofaillikeveryotheronlineserviceyou’vetried.” Toodledo just smiles, as he understands…

It’ll just be a matter of time before Mr. Moleskine comes around, I’m sure.

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This time around, I picked up on something subtle that David said somewhere in Disc One. He’s talking the tools (gear) that you need in order to effectively execute GTD, and from the outset, he notes that the shape, style and high-tech/low-tech nature of your equipment isn’t important. Rather, your ability to quickly and effectively use the equipment is paramount.

As David tends to do in this seminar, he jumps into a shallow rat hole here, and lectures the attendees on the importance of typing speed. Here’s where my revelation starts.

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Listening to David, he insists that everyone needs to get themselves to a WPM rate of around 50 in order to be effective in the tech-heavy world that we live in today. 50 WPM? I was typing at 50 WPM when I was 8 (20 years ago, for those of you who are counting). That’s piece of one this pie. Piece two comes in David’s description of his Palm device, which he uses to manage, track, create and execute lists. He says he can create a list on his Palm in no time, but that because it syncs up with his computer, list creation is actually a cinch any time he’s at the machine. Again, this is only possible because he can type 50 WPM.

Here’s the conversation I ended up having with myself:

How fast do you type?
~130 WPM

Do you type faster than you write?
Hell yes.

Why dont’ you manage your lists on the computer?
Because digitally capturing items remotely (like on my iPhone) isn’t fast enough for me.

Did I say anything about capture?
You are me. So, yes.

Why not capture in your Moleskine, or via Jott on the iPhone, and track your lists post-processing in something that’s either online or syncs well with the iPhone?
Why don’t you shut up, Mr. Smarty Pants?

If you accept that when you’re away from your machine you’re primarily capturing, and that you’re primarily processing when you’re near it…where’s the missing loop?
Okay, fine. But what utility is going to let me do the syncing/access thing?

So here’s where I introduce Toodledo, and the new, improved, “Tim Glinatsis GTD Implementation Strategy” (TGGTDIS, proncounced “tugged-dis”).

At the expense of inciting a Turnipville revolt, I’m going to save the details of the implementation for the next post…but I’d encourage you to have a gander at Toodledo, and see if there’s an obvious solution set for you.

Stay tuned…

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Well, I take heart in DA’s proclamation that it takes years to make the GTD way your way. I take heart because I’ve come to find that I’m substantially more productive when I get a dose of David every three weeks (or so).

It helps me to try and identify the weaknesses and holes in my system, and you’ve indicated that it’s helpful for you to hear about them. So here goes:

1. I’m still struggling to truly use my Inbox for what it’s intended. For email, this is no sweat. By definition, everything that comes in over email shows up in the right spot…ready for processing. But for that non-digital input, I have established a bad habit of skipping the inbox altogether, and processing contextual locations on the fly. This is bad, as it leads to shortcuts, and doesn’t give my brain enough time to truly digest what this new input is.
2. I don’t build lists of things that can be done with minimal brain power. Friday afternoons, after my weekly review (see item 3), I find that my brain is lacking the engagement that it usually has. Accordingly, I’m not excited to bust out my @Office list…I’d rather do something low commitment, and typically end up surfing the net. I need to start building those “sort paperclip container” lists for times like Friday afternoon.
3. I still really suck when it comes to weekly reviews. David says it’s one of the most important parts of the process, and this is clear to me. I’ve even taken to scheduling that weekly review in my calendar for Friday afternoons…but I still continue to skimp out on it from time to time. For what it’s worth, I tend to do a lot of this reviewing during meetings wherein my participation is in in presence only (ack)…but there needs to be something formal there, undoubtedly.
4. There’s got be a good way for me integrate financial reminders and/or bills in my system, without bogging down my calendar. I don’t have 43 folders..and maybe that’s part of it. This is just another example of a massive hole in my system, attributable to my lack of commitment to the whole process, when it comes right down to it.

So what’s the message here? I’m going to keep plowing through it. The feeling that I get when things are firing on all cylinders is unbelievable. It’s just a matter of getting those cylinders to fire as a matter of course.

Onward.

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There are scores and scores of tips out there on how to implement GTD with a Moleskine, ranging from pretty strict implementations to stripped-down versions of GTD. After nearly a year of using GTD in my Moleskines (I’m on number four), I’m finally comfortable enough with my method to consider it relatively static. Read on for an outline of my system.

First, let me put out the general disclaimer: I’m not a strict David Allen fundamentalist. I absolutely am convinced that GTD is the coolest, most sensible productivity system that I’ve ever found…but my face isn’t buried in the proverbial punchbowl. That is to say that my system includes the occasional loose interpretation. Overall, I think you’ll find my method to be somewhere between the hyalineskies method and the PigPog PDA.

The basics

I carry my Moleskine with me everywhere I go. I’m a fan of the squared notebooks, but I’ve used the blank and lined varieties just as well. My writing style is well-suited for the smaller line spacing on the squared books, and I prefer some guidance for alignment (my writing tended to stray off at angles without lines).

99% of my writing is done with a Pilot Precise V5, extra fine point pen. I’ve become a huge fan of the extra fine point; this pen writes and feels like a good gel, but it doesn’t bleed. After experimenting with a variety of gel pens, this is the absolute best for me. They can be bought purchased in boxes of 12 if you look hard enough. As a backup, I carry a trusty Fisher Bullet Space Pen in my pocket, at all times. While I’m not a huge fan of the large ballpoint that the Space Pens have, this little guy has saved my ass more than once. You completely forget it’s there…and it’s almost indestructible.

What else you’ll need..

I love these little plastic paper clips, though I suppose you could use any kind of clip you’d like. We’ll be using the clips to identify what page our list is on, so I really like the way these clips are thin and easily removed while still giving you something to grab. I visited three Staples stores, and two Office Depots before finally caving and buying them online.

Get some of those little colored circle stickers. They make great tabs, and you can keep an extra sheet in your hidden pocket. You can find these just about anywhere – I even saw them in the grocery store this weekend.

3×5 cards whose lines are running across the card in portrait mode are nice. Really, it doesn’t matter what type – so long as you’ve got a few in your Moleskine at all times.

The method…finally

Alright, now that we’ve got everything. Let’s go.

I break the notebook up into three sections: Next Actions, Someday/Maybe, Inbox – and in that order. I give myself about 50 pages of inbox, 20 pages of someday/maybe, and the rest for next actions. Mark each of these sections with a little colored circle by folding it over the edge of the page and allowing about 1/8″ to stick out past the page edge, then stick the rest of the circles in your secret pocket; when your tabs get worn off in your pocket, you’ll have more to repair/replace them.

Next actions are pretty self-explanatory…until you start using them in a book whose pages can’t be re-ordered. Here’s where the clips come in. I routinely use six (6) next action lists: @Home, @Mac, @Errands, @Office, @People/Calls, @Meeting. I also throw the Waiting For list in this bundle. I take a different colored clip for each action list, and place it on the edge of the first page of that list. This is important…so let me take a second here.

We don’t want to worry about how many items we’re going to have in our action lists, and we subsequently don’t want to have to guess how many pages each list needs. Nope, instead, when we run out of room on the page we’re on, we find the next open page and continue the list there. For example, my first open page of @Office items is on page 82 – so page 82 has an orange clip on its edge; if you flip to page 87, you’ll find more @Office items…but I won’t move that clip until everything on 82 has been completed.

Get it? The clips are there to help you find your lists more quickly, and cut down on some of the page flipping that comes with Moleskine/GTD use.

Tip: I put clips for non-work lists (i.e. @Home, @Errands, @Mac) on the TOP of the page, and work-related clips on the RIGHT of the page. This makes things yet a little faster for me – especially since I don’t pay any attention to the color of the clips.

“What the hell is the @People/Calls list?” I’ve written about the @People/Calls list before, so read up on it there; it’s basically a way of streamlining the often interchangeable activity of speaking face-to-face and calling.

The projects list hasn’t left the building…but it’s not going in your Moleskine. It’s going on one of those nifty 3×5 cards that you’ve stuck in your secret pocket. That’s not to say that you can’t dedicate a section to Projects with one of your circle stickers (I did for six months or more), but I find the 3×5 card method superior. By putting your projects on a 3×5 card, you accomplish two things: it can move throughout your book, always being within a page or two of your current action list, and it’s always within a page or two of your current action list. Seriously, though, I’ve found that having the projects list visible without having to flip pages is hugely helpful during weekly reviews, and when generating next actions on the fly. Besides, the cards fit so nicely between the pages of the Moleskine, you almost forget it’s there.

Take credit for your page completions by crossing the whole damned page out. It feels good…really.

I’m sure there are some gaps that I can help fill in here, so I’ll keep an eye on the comments. In the meantime, ta ta.

Tags: motivation, blogging, gtd

My most recent adaptation has been completely away from @”Person” lists. There are several people with whom I need to converse on a daily basis, and initially, I created a list for each of those people. These lists would team up with my @Calls list, sometimes spilling over into my @”Building” list (where the “Building” is an actual, physical location), and it was effective…but dreadfully complicated. Let me illustrate, with an example.

If I need to speak with Tom about TPS reports, I might add “Asked about TPS report status” to my @Tom list. Intuitively, the next time I see Tom, the reminder will be right there. But Tom’s office is in Building 20, so it might also be appropriate to add “Asked Tom about TPS report status” to my @Building 20 list for a trigger. Then again, while I need to speak with Tom, I don’t necessarily need to see him to speak with him, so I might throw “Asked Tom about TPS report status” in my @Calls list.

I’m dumping this nightmarish overlap in favor of one ubiquitous @People/Calls list. In this list, action items look like this “Tom: Asked about TPS report status.” This isn’t anything ground breaking, but my philosophy is simple: when I’m talking to people, I check the list; when I’m walking, with access to a cell phone, I check the list; when I’ve got a few minutes at my desk (and am not on the phone), I check the list. Since there are several ways to accomplish “talking” to someone, I’ve found that this method keeps things more orderly…especially as I start stacking lists inside my Moleskine.

As a quick note, I still keep email actions rooted in my @Desk list: “Sent email to Tom about TPS report status.” While I’m trying to streamline the “talking” actions, they still need to be contextual.

Tags: gtd, moleskine, @calls

It finally happened. I caved and bought a Moleskine.

I’d been reading about how fantastic they are for an awfully long time…but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I happened upon a decent deal and picked up a couple.

I love it. Really.

The key here is that it’s part of my ongoing GTD implementation, and not all that novel.

You can find scores and scores of suggested hacks for using your Moleskine with GTD, and many of them are good. Most people suggest using tabs along the edges of your pages in order to create quick “folders” or action lists. There’s no doubt that this approach is the most practical, but I don’t want the tabs to get all jacked up when I carry the Moleskine in my pocket.

Therefore, I’m using those little colored circle stickers that you can get in packs of 200 at any random store. You can see one of them in the picture here. I’ve found that the trick here is to fold the stickers over the page edge so that there is a slight excess, and so the sticker fold forms a miniature “tab” that only protrudes away from the paper just slightly.

I’ve had minimal problem using these special “tabs” and carrying the book around in my back pocket. And as an added bonus, get this: you can store a sheet or two of unused stickers in your accordion file at the back…perfect for quick, on-the-fly list creation.

technorati tags:moleskine, gtd, hacks

Part of what was so great about Backpack was that I can access it from just about any internet connection – my PDA/phone included. I’ve been able to send e-mail updates to my lists, and work fairly comfortably from them in conjunction with my GTD effort.

Unfortunately, the single biggest problem with Backpack is the inability to move items between lists. It’s one of the most fundamental tactics of Getting Things Done, as everything is supposed to start in the inbox and propagate its way through your system (even as it becomes actions). It’s difficult to do that without retyping everything, on Backpack.

For now, I’ll be using Outlook on my Windows machine (in conjunction with my MDA) to categorize to-do list items. It’s not what I want to do…but my GTD implementation is suffering on account of my hesitation to re-type items as they move between lists.

Sorry, 37Signals. I’m still a loyal Basecamp user, at least.

GTD, Backpack, 37Signals

• I have a tendency to skip my inbox on things that show up on my desk, and file them directly into the appropriate folder. That’s bad.
• I don’t check all of my folders regularly.
• I tend to put the great majority of items in my @office folder, knowing that I will review that one, if nothing else.
• I haven’t been very good about entering new items directly into Backpack via my PDA; I’ve tended to scribble them down as notes, and address it later.
• My "Project" lists have become almost worthless, because I haven’t been referencing them.
• I haven’t been consistently asking the question "what’s the next action here?"

This lists doesn’t mean that my GTD effort is shot, just that I need to get my proverbial ass in gear.

GTD, David Allen, Backpack