Rethinking Analog GTD and Why Stikkit is Making Me Drool

Moleskine

So after spending a few months with this new-fangled GTD thing using only paper-based tools, I can’t help but notice all the super-cool web apps that keep cropping up all over the place. I’ve played with a couple of them (SimpleGTD, Vitalist and Nozbe - the last only briefly), and while some of them are very cool indeed, I was always able to think of several reasons why the wouldn’t work for me. Since, ultimately, they’re all designed to solve the same problem, they all also share the same shortcomings (as far as my needs are concerned). Mostly, it came down to a single issue: portability.

As I’ve described in the past, my primary reason for choosing to use a wholly analog GTD system was the notion that I would be able to manage that system from anywhere I had my notebooks, index cards and a pen. Capture would benefit most directly here, as that’s the one task I do frequently when not near a computer. It’s worth mentioning that I spend very little time more than 30 feet from a computer on a given day - my drive to/from work and any socializing I do outside of my home (which is very little considering I have a toddler son and a baby daughter due this June). Heck, even my in-laws have a computer with Internet access that I could use should the need arise. So, given these circumstances, it seems like I’ve just made a pretty strong case for using a digital system (or at least a hybrid). Why then don’t I pull the trigger and switch?

Before I get to that, I’m going to let you in on a little secret about me: I like having my bases covered. I’m the kind of guy who keeps Kleenex in strategic locations throughout his house/car/desk, even when he’s not sick; the sort of chap who has several unopened packages of index cards in his major work areas, just in case the need should arise. I have trouble concentrating if I don’t have a writing utensil within arm’s reach. Don’t even get me started on the total breakdown I experience if I misplace my cell phone. Getting the idea?

So the paper system offers me, in a very fundamental sense, “security”. I can sit comfortably just about anywhere with my Moleskine notebook and calendar and be ready to rock. I can very easily pack up my entire GTD system (sans the filing system, of course) into my messenger bag and be on my way. I don’t have to wonder if my cell phone won’t have reception or if my Internet connection will go down. The beauty is in the simplicity. Of course, there are downsides to all-analog GTD:

  1. Volume of Stuff - As I write this, my (somewhat extravagant) GTD setup - again, minus the filing/reference stuff - fits snugly into it’s own average-size messenger bag. That’s 2 notebooks, a calendar, a tickler file, a mobile file folder thing, my “mobile in-basket” and other assorted odds and ends. I know I have more pieces than are required by canonical GTD, but I do best when well equipped. All that is to say that paper GTD requires you to have and use a lot of tangible crap.
  2. No Backups - If somebody took a lighter to my project list, I’d be pretty close to hosed. This is probably my biggest beef with analog GTD. I’ve seen the havoc that a lack of effective backups can cause, and I find that vulnerability to be quite problematic.
  3. Manipulation - Last time I checked, index cards and paper notebooks don’t support drag-n-drop, search-and-replace or any other of the little benefits you get when using a computer.

Despite these issues, (up until recently) I was still very happy with my analog GTD system, overall.

But then Stikkit had to show up and be totally freaking awesome.

I won’t belabor the finer points of what makes Stikkit extremely cool, as somebody much more popular than I am has already done a pretty good job of doing just that. Suffice it to say that it’s one of the slickest Web 2.0 applications since Flickr. Seriously. Being able to drive an entire application through little more than natural language is just too sweet.

Granted, it wasn’t built for GTD. There are certain key bits of missing functionality that preclude it from being a turnkey GTD solution. But the fact that Merlin Mann is on their advisory board would certainly lead me to believe that a whole pantload of frothing GTD monkeys will be close behind. There’s also the API which, given a sufficient amount of hacking and bastardizing, could allow you to build a pretty slick GTD system on top of Stikkit. Logistically, it would take some work - especially if it were going to be shared with the masses, but I definitely think it could be done.

Bottom line, I’m very seriously considering moving my GTD system partially off of paper and onto Stikkit. The majority of the functionality is there (projects, tasks, calendar, contacts, tickler-like reminders, etc.) The only thing missing is a clearcut way to link everything together into an intelligent system - and I have to believe that’s coming soon.

Is anybody out there using Stikkit as a GTD tool (in whatever capacity)? I’m curious to hear how such people are liking it and if they’d recommend it.

Technorati Tags: , , , , ,


If you enjoyed this post, won't you consider a Stumble?

February 22, 2007 | Filed Under Digital GTD, GTD, Productivity, Technology 

Popular Posts

Backpack: Get Organized and Collaborate

comments

11 Responses to “Rethinking Analog GTD and Why Stikkit is Making Me Drool”

  1. gtdfrk on February 22nd, 2007

    This is exactly why I use a hybrid system. I have created a custom Excel GTD system which prints neatly to PocketMods. I can crank widgets at my computer using the Excel sheet. On the road I just take a pen and my PocketMod, that’s it! I “sync” both daily or every couple of days and I print a fresh PocketMod frequently.

    I agree that some of these web apps look very slick and useful. However, I have one… no, two… “problems” with web apps for my GTD setup.

    1. As you said, they are not portable
    2. There is no way I am going to put my next actions, projects list, reference material or any other GTD related stuff on the internet. (I have personal and professional -client related- material in my GTD system).

    Just my 2 cents ;)

  2. Jeroen Sangers on February 22nd, 2007

    Yes, portability is a huge theme. And at this moment there is no affordable device offering the cheap, high bandwidth connection I need. I think I will be carrying around my Palm Zire a little while more…

    If only they would make an application like Stikkit for PC/Macintosh synched with PalmOS/PocketPC!

  3. Lifemuncher on February 22nd, 2007

    For me, analog is really good for capture. I love being able to jot down notes in my Moleskine or on index cards and process them later. But I hate writing and rewriting lists, so for now I’m using Vitalist. It’s not perfect, but at least everything’s in one place. I especially like having the little form to fill out for each action, which makes me think about projects, contexts, and due dates.

    I played around with Stikkit and found it a little too unwieldy for my tastes. I need a little more structure.

  4. Scott Elias on February 22nd, 2007

    I signed up and have been playing with Stikkit for a few weeks. I like the natural language, but I keep being afraid I’ll use a wrong “magic word” and an important to-do item will be omitted.

    My T-Mobile Dash recently died (again) so I’m just carrying a “regular” cell phone again as I used to do and using GCal for calendaring instead of Outlook. I already have GCal sync’d quite nicely to my MacBook using SpanningSync, but I’m still not 100% comfortable where that leaves me when I’m not at a computer… I can query today or tomorrow using my phone and GCal SMS’s me a list of appointments, but what I’d REALLY like is random access to a day of my choosing: “Hey, Scott - you doin’ anything Thursday night?” “Hold on - I’ll check…”

    Still - I don’t think there’s a way to SMS to Stikkit which would be VERY cool indeed.

  5. Black Belt Productivity » A Brand New Day is on the Horizon on February 22nd, 2007

    [...] reading Brett’s GREAT article this morning, seeing how Jay’s wife loves iCommit, and in talking with my illustrious cohort, [...]

  6. Frank Meeuwsen on February 22nd, 2007

    “pantload of frothing GTD monkeys”…hahahaha…Sometimes I wish english was my native language so I can come up with terms like that. But seriously: Good points here Brett. Perhaps you can outline some of the basics how you use your Moleskine as a system? I tried it a couple of times and it always becomes a mess. Because of the missing drag and drop, search, auto-indexing etc…

  7. Glenn (Customer Service Experience) Ross on February 23rd, 2007

    Here’s an app for your analog system. Qipit is a program that converts your digital pix into .pdf files. So, you can take a picture of your moleskine or your notecards and e-mail them to yourselves as a backup. Go to Qipit.com.

    No, I don’t have any relationships with them, other than I met the creator at a blogging meeting.

    Regards,

    Glenn

  8. chris lee on February 23rd, 2007

    For the first time in 15 years I didn’t buy a year refill for my daytimer. It is now just blank sheets for notes.

    What took it’s place is gcal gmail GTDGmail Firefox plugin. Works anywhere i can gate a desktop PC

    I get portability on the road with my Blackberry Pearl with gmail and gcalsync installed

    I am looking at stikkit to give quick way to capture ’stuff’ on the fly , still testing

  9. Matt on March 5th, 2007

    How about Hiveminder? I’ve been using it for a week or so. Input is must faster and easier than Vitalist. You just need a good tagging system.

  10. Import Your Gmail Contacts into Stikkit With This Free Utility at The Cranking Widgets Blog on March 20th, 2007

    [...] now, my Stikkit fanboy status is hardly a secret. And while there have been a couple of other posts around here dealing with some theoretical Stikkit coolness, I figured it was time to [...]

  11. MikeDidIt on October 6th, 2007

    I like a lot about Hiveminder but their user interface coloers are ugly and unprofessional looking. By unprofessional looking I mean that when I’m using it at work people notice and ask what it is as if it is some play thing. I don’t have this problem with Vitalist. If I could just take some key features from Hiveminder and have them work with Vitalist I’d be set :)

Leave a Reply