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How to Make a GTD System for About $20

By , on Monday, April 16th, 2007

20 Dollars

I’ve had several requests come my way for some tips on how to implement GTD on the super cheap. After all, not everybody can afford a super-fancy PDA or even a spiffy Moleskine notebook – especially college students. So, after doing a little research, I’ve figured out a way to make your very own GTD setup for around $20 (USD). Remember – my goal here was to find the absolute cheapest items (and even some DIY solutions), so I’ll be cutting a few corners.

First, there are a few things I’m going to assume you already have (or have access to). If you don’t have these things, well, you may have to adjust the bottom line a skosh:

  1. Writing Utensils – If you don’t have anything to write with, just ask somebody for a pen you can keep. I’ve done this before and people are surprisingly generous. Just don’t expect a Monte Blanc or anything.
  2. Paper – Notebook paper works fine, or even blank printer paper if it’s all you can get. If you’re truly desperate, grab a stack of napkins from McDonald’s.
  3. Desk and/or someplace to work – If you don’t have your own desk/work area, then the local library would be the first place I’d go.
  4. A Copy of Getting Things Done – Tack on an extra $10 for the book, if you don’t already have it. But since you’re reading this, I would assume you’ve either got it or are interested in buying it.

Now, assuming you’ve got all of the above equipment, here’s the rest of the goods you’ll need:

  1. Manila File Folders, 2 boxes of 100 – These will be your filing system and your tickler system. Once these arrive, you’re going to want to keep the boxes, because that’s where they’ll be stored (not the most elegant solution, I know, but we’re going for economy here). Put 43 of the folders into one of the boxes (after labeling them 1-31, Jan-Dec). You now have a tickler – just make sure you use it :)


    The remaining folders should be stored someplace else – on a shelf, in a drawer, whatever – until you need to put something in them. The second folder box will be where your project support folders and reference folders are kept. The folder box may not have the greatest constitution, so don’t be surprised if you have to reinforce it with some packing tape or something after a bit of use.

    And if you want to get really clever, use the top of one of your boxes as your poor man’s in-basket!

    Get these folders here for $5.99/box for a total of $11.98 – only $8.02 left to go!

  2. Calendar – Now, if you have regular access to a computer, I would highly recommend using a web-based calendar, for one simple reason: they’re typically free. There are plenty of them out there, but I recommend 30boxes.com because, frankly, it’s the best calendar I’ve ever used (more on that in a post soon to come).

    If you don’t have a computer or don’t want to use a web-based calendar for whatever reason, you can get a very simple weekly day-planner-style calendar for $6.40 from Staples. Again, it’s pretty bare-bones, but it should suffice for most people.

You might be thinking to yourself “Sir! The David considers a labeler to be an indispensable tool! You haven’t included a labeler in your list of items! Sir!”. Well, yes, a labeler is a very good thing to have (I have 2, actually), but I don’t believe it’s absolutely necessary to implement GTD. If you want to reuse folders, get some White-Out or some other correctional tool and use that to cover up the writing on previously-enjoyed folders. Remember, we’re trying to keep the price tag low here. :)

So far, we’ve spent $11.98 + $6.40 = $18.38 on our supplies (or just $11.98 if you went for the web-based calendar), which leaves us with just over a buck to play with. In my opinion, you should take that last dollar and go to some drug store and buy a package of index cards to keep with you for capturing information. Since starting with GTD, index cards have been a staple of all of the different incarnations of my system and will likely continue to be in the foreseeable future. They’re just too simple and too cheap to not make constant use of, if you ask me.

One caveat about these prices – the Staples website prices things differently for different zip codes, so you may find slight discrepancies between the prices I’m showing here and the ones on the site. But I seriously doubt the differences will be anything but negligible.

So, by way of conclusion, here’s what your GTD arsenal should now include:

  • Paper for maintaining your lists
  • One box with 43 folders in it for your tickler file
  • Index cards for capturing information
  • 100+ folders for your project folders and reference information
  • A paper (or web-based) calendar for your hard landscape
  • The pen you borrowed from Mickey in the bio lab or whatever

There you have it. And if you’re really a penny-pinching sort of person, you can probably find even better deals than these. Sometimes office supply stores will sell their own branded products at a substantial discount to try to move them (I got 100 pendaflex hanging folders for something like $8) – just keep your eyes peeled.

Heck, you might even have some change left over – go get yourself a package of binder clips and use one plus your index cards to make your very own hipster PDA!

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  • Brian Wolfe

    Another handy and inexpensive way to label folders (if you do not already have a labeler) is to use Post-its on the folder tabs. Just slap a Post-it on the folder tab and label the folder — a medium or fine point Sharpie seems to look best, but anything will do. If you are using folders that have the 3rd-cut size tabs, a 3×3″ Post-it fits perfectly, otherwise the 2″ wide Post-its fit nicely on the smaller 5th-cut size tabs. The labels stay down flat, yet can be removed in a heartbeat if you decide to make a change later.

    The nice thing about using Post-its (or their generic counterparts) is that it allows you to start quickly without the emotional hesitancy that sometime happens when you are working through creating folders for a lot of paper. During this time, it is not uncommon to feel a bit fuzzy about what to name the folders. Frequently, an item can fall under any of a number of different names. Is it “Accounting: Software” or maybe “Software: Accounting”? Or maybe just “Software”, or just “Computers”? The clear obvious name for any specific folder may not be apparent until after you’ve gotten pretty far into the project, labeled a bunch of your folders and developed a greater sense of how broad or narrow your logical areas of coverage are going to be. If you start off using an automatic label maker, there can be a bit of a cringe factor and hesitancy as you might feel that you have to get the label name right the first time.

    Using a Post-it eliminates the cringy-ness. You feel free to move quickly, using your best guess for each label, assured that if you decide to change it later, it’s no big deal and isn’t going to burn up expensive label tape. If later, after you labeled the folder “Accounting: Software”, you decide that you really think it should have been “Software: Accounting”, no problem. Pull off the Post-it, crumple it up and slap on a fresh one, write the new title and re-file the folder. If later you discover you have two folders with similar names that you want to merge, just combine the two into one, pull off the Post-it from the leftover, now-empty folder and voila, you have a like-new folder ready to be given new life again someday when you need it.

    Later …. when you have an automatic label maker, label away! Replace the Post-its with nice crisp printed automatic labels. By then, you will already be Getting Things Done.

  • http://www.techzi.com/2007/04/16/gtd-on-the-cheap/ Techzi » Blog Archive » GTD on the cheap

    [...] is less about your tools’ fancy-factor and more about your resolve. —Gina Trapani How to Make a GTD System for About $20 [The Cranking Widgets [...]

  • http://www.softsaurus.com/?p= SoftSaurus

    [...] is less about your tools’ fancy-factor and more about your resolve. —Gina Trapani How to Make a GTD System for About $20 [The Cranking Widgets [...]

  • clearcut

    Save $10 and check the book out from the library.

    Check the discount bins at the local stationary store. I found an leather Dayrunner for $3.50. I fill it with 4X6 index cards instead of the expensive refills.

  • brett

    @clearcut

    Honestly (and I think most GTD enthusiasts will agree with me), I think it’s best to buy the book simply because everybody I know who has read it has done so multiple times (myself included).

  • Jon

    And, if you feel you need to have printed templates for everything, check out http://www.diyplanner.com for an exhaustive resource of printable templates for hipsterPDAs, planners, GTD and more. You can have a very professional-looking setup with only the cost of paper (which you already need) and ink or toner.

    BTW, for me and for hard landscape items, I like Google Calendar and iCal. Google has the nifty Google Notifier, which can pop up reminders on my Mac, and it works with iCal, so I can sync it to my Palm. Besides that, it can send a text message to my phone as a further reminder! However, I will be giving 30 Boxes a look. Always interested in new things. ;-)

    -Jon

  • http://desipenguin.blogspot.com/ desipenguin

    Since we are talking economy here, I use my old business cards to capture ideas. I know it doesn’t apply if you are a student, but may be you know someone who isn’t using their old business cards. Most of the times they are blank on one side, and easy to carry.

  • http://www.didigetthingsdone.com/2007/04/17/how-to-make-a-gtd-system-for-around-10/

    [...] reading the great blog entry titled “How to Make a GTD System for Around $20” over at Cranking Widgets, I decided to add a UK spin to this theme as I am based in the UK [...]

  • http://eleadership.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/gtd-power-links-04-16-07/ GTD Power Links 04-16-07 « geeks guide to getting things done

    [...] Can you GTD for 20 bucks? I’ve had several requests come my way for some tips on how to implement GTD on the super cheap. After all, not everybody can afford a super-fancy PDA or even a spiffy Moleskine notebook – especially college students. So, after doing a little research, I’ve figured out a way to make your very own GTD setup for around $20 (USD). Remember – my goal here was to find the absolute cheapest items (and even some DIY solutions), so I’ll be cutting a few corners. [...]

  • http://morfablog.com Nic Dafis

    My hPDA is just scrap paper, A4 ripped into 8 pieces. A little bit smaller than index cards, which means it fits more comfortably in my back pocket. Costs nothing (well, 20p for the tiny bulldog clip), refills always available, and I’m reusing/recycling waste. I’m so good.

  • http://www.domester.net/wordpress/news/how-to-make-a-gtd-system-for-about-20/ Domester.NET Blog » How to Make a GTD System for About $20

    [...] read more | digg story [...]

  • mnkyboy

    Whats is a good Moleskin notebook to use for the GTD system?

    http://www.moleskine.com/eng/_interni/catalogo/Cat_int/catalogo_notebooks.htm

    So many to choose from. :)

  • zaxis

    another alternative to diyplanner is the pocketmod http://www.pocketmod.com

  • http://patrickrhone.com/journal/archives/2007/04/277.html journal

    Remainders 04.17.2007…

    When some people first start implementing GTD, they feel the need to run out and spends lots of cash getting chic notebooks, nice pens, expensive folders and labelers. While these things are nice to have you don’t need a lot……

  • gtd geek

    All respect to the David, but you can also buy a copy of GTD used from half.com or the like. I did that, and then bought a copy new and handed the used copy to a colleague who desperately needed it.

  • http://wyldwolf.org/2007/04/17/gtd-on-the-cheap/ technogeek

    GTD On the Cheap…

    Brett over at Cranking Widgets has a very good post up about setting up GTD for under $20. Give it a read here.
    ……

  • http://danielking.org Daniel

    The folders are $3.99/100 at Walmart, so $8.80*.
    Skip the calendar and use index cards – 15¢ a month.
    If (like me) you average using 10 index cards a day for Tasks and data capture – that’s $1.65/month.
    I usually Psychic Ram Dump onto Legal Pads $2.75 quarterly for six pads or 69¢/month

    So you’ll spend $8.80 setup and $2.50/month on a simple paper-based GTD program.

    If you use the aforementioned McDonald’s napkins (which don’t shred well) instead of index cards and legal pads, you can afford the aforementioned book on the aforementioned twenty dollars.

    *(Prices include 10% sales tax.)

  • http://onehumportwo.blogspot.com Will

    Awesome post. I’m a college student with neither the space or the money for a file cabinet, so I was stymied when I tried to implement GTD. The box sounds like a great alternative.

  • http://defenestrated-ego.blogspot.com Nitin

    Thanks a lot Brett!
    My (and quite a few others, I guess) suggestion got you a mention on Lifehacker. Way to go. Excellent work.

  • http://www.di4ent.com/2007/04/18/how-to-make-a-gtd-system-for-about-20/ How to Make a GTD System for About $20 | di4ent.com {topical rotating wunderkammeresque distractions and delights | By Bill Keaggy }

    [...] absolute cheapest items (and even some DIY solutions), so I’ll be cutting a few corners.” MORE ➲ This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under April 2007, [...]

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  • greenlantern

    HALLMARK stores give away pocket calendars FREE every year for the first few weeks or until they run out

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  • http://technogeek.org/2007/04/17/gtd-on-the-cheap/ technogeek » Blog Archive » GTD On the Cheap

    [...] Brett over at Cranking Widgets has a very good post up about setting up GTD for under $20. Give it a read here. [...]

  • http://www.internetredux.com/blog/?p=165 Internet Redux — 100 Great Tips to Improve Your Life

    [...] Make a GTD System for about $20. Putting together a functional GTD system for the price of a week’s worth of Starbucks. [...]

  • http://correlational.wordpress.com/2007/08/01/100-tips-to-improve-your-life/ 100 Tips to Improve Your Life « My Weblog

    [...] Make a GTD System for about $20. Putting together a functional GTD system for the price of a week’s worth of Starbucks. [...]

  • http://www.computing.inhelp.net/ Cheap Custom Built Computers

    Cheap Custom Built Computers…

    I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

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    Business Ideas Forum…

    I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

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    Business and Personal Finance…

    I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

  • Joe

    I’ve never really understood why the filing system with manilla folders and labeller was so necessary. Why not use a ring binder? Cheaper alternative and it also means you don’t have to bother with loose paper falling all over the place.

  • http://e-spacy.com/gtd-resource/ GTD???? at E-space

    [...] Rich Slowly: GTD – How to Take Control of LifeGTD, Personal Finance StyleTop 5 Reasons to Hate GTDHow to Make a GTD System for About $20Best Practices for GTD and administrative assistants var blogurl=”http://e-spacy.com”; var [...]

  • Ernie

    I didn’t see anything listed with this system that you can’t do on the internet at simplegtd.com . Endless folders, subcategories and projects, all saved in cyberspace instead of in your home.

  • http://gtd.zigzo.com/2007/05/15/massive-gtd-resource-list-zen-habits/ My Get Things Done List » Blog Archive » Massive GTD Resource List [zen habits]

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  • http://lifehacking.nl/2008/05/05/10-papieren-gtd-systemen/ 10 papieren GTD systemen » lifehacking.nl

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  • http://www.priorityplant.com/POWER-CUTTERS/C3-1-0.htm Power Cutters

    Great alternative to the heftier furniture like filing cabinet, and a good “real world” alternative to PDA/iPhone where you need to store information physically. Not sure those prices would translate as cheaply in the UK though….

  • http://www.redbanduk.co.uk/CONCRETE/MASONRY-CUTTING-CHAIN-SAWS/ICS-603GC-Concrete-Cutting-Diamond-Chain-Saw/C9-30-1-0.htm Concrete Cutting Diamond Chainsaw

    Practical thinking in the age of the credit crunch – thanks for the article.

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  • Mel

    I think the low-tech version is a good place to start with GTD to see if you really resonate with the system before you spend hundreds of dollars. So far, I have spent about 70 cents (folders at a Staples educator discount sale.) Everything else I already had, and I've been reading GTD books in installments at my local coffeeshop/bookstore.

  • http://blog.crankingwidgets.com/2007/04/18/web-gtd-systems/ The Two Types of Web-Based GTD Systems : The Cranking Widgets Blog

    [...] words: extendability, customization and simplicity. Besides, what’s a GTD system other than lists, folders and a calendar? That’s right – not much at all. Sure, you can pimp it out by adding cell phone [...]

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