Wondering how people apply GTD to kGTD

Jon, much of those things have been on my mind lately, as I’ve finally got around to actually reading GTD (per Ethan’s exhortation in the beginning of the new video!). So a few thoughts:

1. when I originally picked up and tinkered with kGTD, I tried to use it to organize (via linking to lots of external documents and inserting lots and lots of notes) too much project support material. It got too crowded and added too much cognitive overhead to using the system. So with the new version of kGTD, I dumped my old file entirely and am trying to use it now for strictly planning. As long as I keep my external support/reference stuff functioning, I shouldn’t need to insert it into the organizing system. So, yes, I’ll use it to “map out” a project, but only isofar as that means organizing actions. Everything else is external, lest looking at the project become too heavy a burden.
2. My understanding of projects is that everything that will take more than one action should be put into the system as a project. So while some things (household stuff, for example) make sense to group as if their project was a general category, everything else for me gets its own project: Each article, each objective, etc., as long as it will take more than one action — gets a project.
3. I read later-maybe as getting reviewed slightly sooner/more frequently than someday-maybe.

-Alan

Hello all- I thought I’d post a fews ways I am using Kgtd, although it is a professional setting. I agree with the challenges that some of you (here and other posts) have with determining contexts. Sometime they are useful, sometimes just neccessary to make the system work.

Useful: @ calls (used for personal calls or calls that can be made in the car). @ Office calls- I need to be at the office b/c I need references that are there. @ emails- another version of calls… @ Errands, @ Chores (I’m married, so its a neccessity), etc - same for everyone… @ Delegated— I added a new column to put initials of the employees I have assigned a task to. Its easy to click on that context to see what is outstanding… although they are presented in random order, not by delegated-names.

Others are used as place holders: @ Review- something to read (contracts, articles, etc) @ Develop- usually an analysis, memo, etc @ Meeting- also placed on ICal, but are useful place holders as needed next step @ Tasks- everything else… doesn’t matter the context, b/c the description defines the task. (i.e. “Follow-up with 4th Door Creative” which could be a call, an email, or waiting-for.)

Here’s my challenge- I sit at a desk ALL day, so I can work from the Kgtd document all the time. I find myself moving from project to project (and back again), looking for which Next Step I should work on next. Too many balls in the air, to focus just on @calls, or @emails, or @ online, etc. I read the book and listened on Itunes… still doesn’t help here… Any ideas???

Also- the system needs to be with me in the car, home, etc when I’m away from the mac. I dusted off my Palm (which is too big to carry all the time). Printing works well, BUT my doc changes too often, so I’m reprinting everytime I leave. I find myself without my security blanket and then realize I could have accomplished something while waiting in traffic…

Another challenge- I work on a lot of deadlines, so Due Date is important. BUT, the Next Steps formatting doesn’t consider dates… only the order I sort the tasks in Kgtd. So I’m ALWAYS having to drag & drop tasks to put them in the right order. ICal to-dos would be ok, but my doc is WAY too long to sync everything, which is the only way of sorting the things I need together.

Well that was a lot of typing that doesn’t say much. If you catch the direction I’m going in, I would love some feedback. If not, thanks for listening… -Jason

I would love to see a tutorial on putting geeks in context lol :))