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Proximo's GTD Setup
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Proximo |
Sorry for the long thread Anders. :-)
I received an email from screencast.com that my monthly bandwidth has been reached. oops. The reason I setup Toodledo this way was to try and emulate GTD as close as possible. In GTD, these are all different list and the folders work very well as the structure GTD uses. As a reference, you can look at many GTD Specific applications or web services and they will have the same areas as I show here. Vitalist is a good example of this. The Tickler folder does not work as good as I would like because it's intended for simple reminders with no due dates or indication that you will do anything. I have requested for simple reminders, but we will have to wait and see. Because of this, I don't use the Tickler folder very often. Here is an example of something I currently have in there. - check to see if Techfuga is back on-line. This is a tech site that went down while the creators re-invent the site with more features. They predicted when it will be back on-line, so I put a tickler on there. It's not an actionable task or something I must do. It's just a simple reminder. So far nothing about how Toodledo is setup has cause my GTD Setup to not work. Everything works just fine with the exception of some feature request I am waiting on. I hope it's useful to some and like Anders said. You can always take some nuggets from here and use a different setup. I just like this one. :-) It makes me feel that David Allen would be proud. (not really) |
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Anders |
I think Toodledo is set up pretty well for a tickler, but the best way would involve Start Dates. I know people don't like to add fields, but that is one that I use even though the majority of my tasks have no Start Date. I believe tickler items are supposed to show up in your inbox each day, right? It's the whole 43 folders thing. So you could just put tickler items in your inbox, but give them a Start Date. That way, with the Future Tasks filter on, they would be hidden until the designated day.
Another way to do it, and yes this is very workaroundish, you could just use Due Date, but set the date for a week after you want to see it, and make the Due Date a Due On date "=". Due On means it won't show up until a week before the Due Date. What I wouldn't give to have it work like Start Date... This message was edited Sep 02, 2009. |
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Ian |
Thanks Anders for your helpful reply, and the reference the related thread.
I could switch from using folders to status quite easily, using the batch editing facility. I won't do this in a hurry, however. Indeed I'm impressed you have kept up with this thread. Thanks again. This message was edited Sep 03, 2009. |
| Ian | Post deleted |
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Terry |
@Proximo.
Firstly, great thread. I'm also a new GTD'er that wants to adopt this and use it fully so this is great. I have just bought Appigo Notebook and notice when you sync with Toodledo, it adds all folders that are set up in Appigo Notebook. If I was to creat a random folder in Appigo Notebook, called 'Xmas pressies' I'm guessing that because this would get sync'd to Toodledo, it would then add this to the folder tabs in the main view. How would you suggest overcoming this issue? |
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Claudio |
Terry, you're right that Notebook folders will show up in the Folders tab in the main view. Toodledo has only one set of folders.
As for "overcoming this issue", it depends on what you mean by "this issue". If you don't want the folder to show in the Folders tab on the Toodledo website, you can Archive it, but I'm not sure whether it will still show up in Appigo Notebook. You're using Appigo Notebook on your iPhone/iPod Touch. Are you also using Appigo Todo or are using the Toodledo iPhone app? Todo allows you to hide folders, but the Toodledo app does not. Hope that helps. This message was edited Sep 11, 2009. |
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Terry |
Thanks for the response Claudio.
I'm using Appigo Notebook on the iPhone and also Toodledo for iPhone. I would like to adopt Proximo's approach but I would also have liked to have folders for my notes independent of the Task folders. I think my only choice would be to adopt Proximo's approach for the use of folders and just have notes on my iPhone/Toodledo notebook but not have them in a folder. Seems a shame though because it means less organisation of my notes. |
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Karuna |
Hi all,
I have enjoyed this thread. Have read page one and four. I am going to try to use Proximo's method too. When you setup your Projects, on the video, you mentioned "Greasemonkey script." What is that? Greasemonkey or no, I'm trying to figure out how you organize your Projects within the Projects folder. That part of the video is so short. It looks like you have Parent tasks with subtasks. Thank you so much. |
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Terry |
I believe the Greasemonkey script was to allow indenting of subtasks, which Toodledo didn't use to be able to do but now it can, so basically that script is not required. That's what I picked up but somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.
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Karuna |
Thanks Terry, that helps a lot.
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Proximo |
Hello everyone.
Let me try to catch up. Terry: Appigo Notebook I could not add anything to Claudio's comments. I don't have experience with Appigo or Todo. It would be nice to have everything in your life in one application, but it's OK if you require more. The system you trust does not have to be one piece of software, but something that works for you and that you always check. Karuna: Greasemonkey Terry is correct. It's no longer needed because Toodledo added the ability of sub-task to be indented by default. I keep all task related to a Parent Project under the same context folder "Project". I am thinking of doing another video to show how I am now using Tags for context related to the tools required and use the Context field for areas where I am working. The difference is that my context field is based on location and the tags context is based on what I need to get it done, such as a phone or internet connection. Everything else is exactly like the video shows. I only added tags to the mix. |
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Rob G |
@Proximo
I have found your system a great starting point for creating a system that works for me. Thanks. You stated "I keep all task related to a Parent Project under the same context folder "Project". " Context or folder? Which is it? I thought you used a Folder for Projects? |
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Proximo |
Posted by Rob G:
@Proximo I have found your system a great starting point for creating a system that works for me. Thanks. You stated "I keep all task related to a Parent Project under the same context folder "Project". " Context or folder? Which is it? I thought you used a Folder for Projects? Sorry for the confusion Rob G. I use Folders for the different GTD based list. Actions, Projects, Waiting For, Someday/Maybe and Ticklers. I currently don't use Reference list for much so I left it out. My Context are based on Location or Area of Focus. Work, Personal, Proxstud (My website) I now use Tags for Context that are specific to a tool or resource I need. Phone, Email, Internet, Errand, etc. I recently added the Tags as a second level Context field to be more specific on the resource or tool I require. Projects So I don't use folders for Projects. I use one folder called Projects to list all my projects. My Projects are controlled by a Parent Task / Sub-task. Pro account required. All sub-task have a context of "Project" to make sure they show up in my Projects folder list with it's Parent. The idea is that I have one Project List where all my projects can be found and I have one Actions list where all my single task are located. When I view these areas by Context, I can see all my Work related Actions, Projects, Waiting For, Somday/maybe and Ticklers on one long list. If I want to view based on my Folder list. I can click on the Actions folder and see all my actions across all locations or areas of focus. I can then use the context filter option to only see "Work" related actions or "Personal" related actions. Gives me plenty of ways to view my list and see my life. Hope that makes sense. This message was edited Sep 21, 2009. |
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benny |
@Proximo - looks good as others have stated. One thing I wanted to mention is the use of tags. I don't use tags at all currently (except for adding a tag of 'iPhone' by default in the iPhone app so I can easily query for those) but the only reason is because of the tags implementation. In the future I imagine that TD will treat tags as first class objects and you'll be able to manage them (and hopefully get auto-complete for them when entering them). If that happens I will immediately change to using tags for contexts - mainly because then I can add more than one to a task. I was interested to know if you had run into a problem with using them - do you rely on them for any searches or is it just a decoration for your tag for you to see when deciding on work to do?
In a prior life with another product I did this and it was invaluable - maybe it's not strict GTD and maybe it doesn't meet the strict definition of a context but it helped me to perfectly align work with my needs for completing it. Maybe you could call it a resource or just a plain old tag or whatever - I'm just looking forward to this. Right now I just can't accept the probability that I will fat-finger a tag when entering a task and then have it not show up in my saved searches. Plus, the more tags you have the more opportunity for data mining you have... |
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Proximo |
@benny
I have fat-fingered many tags. I agree with you 100% on how tags need an overhaul. Toodledo is great but there are many areas of improvement that I am also waiting on. I still use what I can despite if it's not the way I wish it worked. II don't use tags for searches at this point. I use the tag view to filter out task based on something specific like @Internet or @Phone. This allows me to take advantage of a particular tool or resource when my energy level is high on a particular resource. For example: If I am making a phone call and feel the energy to keep rolling with the phone. I look at the Tag view and click on the "Phone" tab to see what else I could get done with the phone at that time. The setup works for me and although I have tweaked it a little since my videos, it's basically 95% the same. I finally got to the point where my GTD tool of choice is not taking up all my productive time and I am actually getting things done. One trap many fall for is spending too much time with their system and not "Doing". This is why simple is better in many cases. |
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benny |
@Proximo - thanks for the feedback. I agree totally on not letting your system kill your productivity. I also tinker with mine quite a bit but I only do that late at night and don't let it affect me during the day. TD is nearly perfect for me but I think it'll get there.
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jasonr |
Proximo -
Thanks for this insight on how to use Toddledo and GTD. I just started to develop a system and have not read any of the GTD book yet. I have used Outlook for several years, but not very efficiently. I'm not sure if your system will be the best for me, but I am going to copy it "NOW" so that I can start out doing something much better than my current. I can adjust later if I need something different. GOOD JOB on explaining how this works and making it very simple to understand! |
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Lucky FLIP |
Proximo,
Thank for sharing your video. This has really helped me in organizing my tasks and give me a better idea on how I can structure my lists. Although I won't use every detail you presented within my Toodelo structure setup, I now understand the full capabilities of Toodelo. Thank again. |
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Proximo |
@jasonr and Lucky FLIP
Thanks for your kind words. It's always great to share and learn from each other. I am constantly learning and improving my understanding of GTD and Productivity in general by others on this forum. One of the best things about Toodledo is the ability to customize it extensively. I used Toodledo for a while before I created my GTD setup. I first tried the standard approach of Toodledo and it worked just fine, but I really wanted something more specific to GTD and how the List are setup in other GTD applications. This is when I came up with my current setup and it's been great. It's not perfect and it won't be for everyone, but it's always good to get some nuggets from other users and come up with our own implementation. My Goal is sharing this setup was to give some GTD users a core base to build from. I know there are many GTD users who are still using the traditional Toodledo setup and that's perfectly fine also. The important thing is that you trust your system and you are getting things done. Thanks again and I look forward in learning from you guys as well. P.S. Love the name (Lucky FLIP) lol |
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Lucky FLIP |
Haha! Thanks! My name has 3 meanings which all describes me.
As an update to this, I have adopted your WHOLE system to my GTD setup (originally I just did parts since my tasks lists were so small). i had so many ideas that just popped in my head, and I'm making a practice of either putting it into Evernote or Toodledo (not Toodelo like I've been calling it) that my lists of tasks was just growing. It just works so good. The productivity at home and work has been much better since using this yesterday. Maybe because it's a cool managing system......in a non-dorky way! |
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