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Disclaimer: Buckle up, this is a long one!
When Jennifer of Lifemuncher tagged me with this little meme, I have to admit, I was a touch apprehensive. Not because I’ve fallen off of the GTD wagon or anything (which I sort of did a few weeks back), but because I have changed my GTD implementation about as often as I’ve changed my socks in recent weeks. But, being the community-minded nerd that I am, I decided to oblige in spite of myself.
So, to follow the prescribed order of things, we’ll start with my current set of tools (and their particular GTD application, just for clarity’s sake):
Tools
Calendar - I use 30boxes.com. I find it to be a stellar web application with an excellent user interface. Basically, it does what you’d expect it to do and stays the hell out of your way (which, if you ask me, is the definition of any good piece of software). It supports natural language processing (e.g., it knows what to do with “dinner with Mom tomorrow at 6pm”) and is much more responsive than Google Calendar (my old flame). As I’ve said before, it’s the best web-based calendar application I’ve ever used, period.
Lists - For awhile and up until pretty recently, I was using Backpack to manage the lion’s share of my lists, reminders and calendar. Now, I use a Levenger Circa notebook (that was given to me by my new employer - pictured above). Since this is my 3rd or 4th attempt at paper-based list management, I’ve pretty much got things nailed down. Truthfully, any paper notebook would work for me now. But, as Merlin Mann once quoted somebody (whose name I don’t recall) as saying (and I’m paraphrasing here), “there’s always a cheaper pair of shoes, but there’s something to be said for the nice ones that put a skip in your step”. I think this applies just as easily to the tools of the productivity nerd.
This notebook houses all of my lists including Project lists as well as context-based action lists. The paper is a joy to write on and I’m pretty sure I have a crush on the binding system. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one of these up, especially if you’re a Moleskine fanatic.
Reminders - As I mentioned in a very recent post, I’m one of the lucky few to be taking Sandy out for a test drive. She handles all of my reminders, and dutifully so. Once Sandy is out of beta, I’ll give you guys the tour. For now, just know that she rules 
Filing - I have a vanilla filing cabinet at home which houses all of my reference materials and project folders. Honestly, it’s not anything spectacular, but it works for me.
Mobile - Since I (like most people) have one of those “day jobs”, I spend a good deal of my time away from my home base. For that reason, I carry with me a little pocket-thing (pictured above, right) that can hold about 5-10 project folders. It fits nicely in my messenger bag and affords me the luxury of portability for my stuff.
I also have a thin, folder-sized plastic contraption that I call my “mobile in-basket” (also pictured above, left). Again, it’s pretty unremarkable, but if I’m heading out of the office in a hurry and notice a stack of junk in my in-basket, it makes a great temporary home for it until I can sit down and sift through it properly.
Ubiquitous Capture - I think of all of the different iterations my system has undergone, this has gotten the most refining. Up until this past weekend, my capture tool of choice was the Moleskine Cahier (pocket-sized) notebook (pictured above, both open and closed). They’re pretty inexpensive, but still have that feel of quality and craftsmanship. There was but one item that could dethrone my oft-crumbled pad of Italian love - the Levenger Pocket Briefcase. My lovely wife bought one for me for Father’s day - and it’s fantastic. It fits perfectly in my back pocket, kind of like a very thin wallet. It can hold something like 20 index cards, as well as my “plastic” (driver’s license, credit cards, etc.) and doesn’t look “overstuffed”. I’m can say with a pretty strong degree of certainty that this thing is going to be around for awhile. Here it is:
The second have of my two-pronged capture assault team is my cell phone working in tandem with Jott. I gave this service a try awhile back, but (for some reason) wasn’t impressed. Having gone back for a second look, I now recognized the killer-ness of this tool. The primary reason is that my car is an unwieldy beast and, while in motion, requires at least one hand on the wheel. So, there’s no “steer with the knee while scrawling something down”. I’ve tried it, it didn’t work out. Now, I just flip open the old RAZR, hold ‘9′ (yes, I have Jott on speed dial) and I’m off and running.
That about does it for my set of tools. The next question - why do they rock so hard?
What makes my system so badass?
Well, I recently had something of an epiphany. I was (as a few friends have accused me in the past) spending more time working out how exactly my lists, etc. were being stored and managed and not actually doing any of the crap on the lists. So, I decided to stop waiting for the killer app/notebook/pen/blah and just start freakin’ working through my lists. You know what? I’m actually doing things and marking them as ‘done’. It’s a great feeling.
Of course, there are probably a great many of you that would find my configuration to be annoying, archaic or even downright unusable. That’s the beauty of GTD - it’s not a prescription or a set of concrete directives, it’s a framework. A scaffolding for your mental crap, if you will. It doesn’t matter if your system consists exclusively of cocktail napkins and golf pencils - if it works for you, then more power to you, my golf-pencil-toting friend.
How long?
How long have I been using these tools? Well, exactly these, probably 3 days But in a more general sense, probably about a month. And I’ve never been more comfortable with everything (which might be due in part to my “attitude adjustment” described earlier).
Why these tools work
Well, as I said, I haven’t been using this configuration for very long. But one thread that runs through each of the components is simplicity. There’s very little work in keeping things up (compared to other setups I’ve used in the past) and everything (or at least the important things) is with me 99% of the time. I’m never caught thinking “crap, I need to add all these to [some list on some website]“. It’s just paper and it’s right there in the passenger seat or whatever.
If I could use this to give everybody one piece of advice, it would be this: The Perfect Tool Does Not Exist. Pick something you like and get on with it. Remember, you’re the developed mammal with the capacity for abstract thought and reason - and it’s just a notebook/website/piece of paper. You’re in charge, so bend it to your will and start accomplishing some of those pesky projects.
Oh, and I tag Jason
Technorati Tags: gtd, productivity, moleskine, levenger, google calendar, 30boxes, iwantsandy, circa notebooks, meme
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16 Responses to “Prepare to Be Very Jealous of My Killer GTD Setup”
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Brett, I’m glad you found a little time to join my GTD meme. I just read your article with great interest, partly because of your writing style (humor mixed with detail) and partly because I recognize so much of what you’re saying! I, too, have been changing GTD systems frequently. OK, maybe not like socks, but more like the seasons. Going analog, then going digital. Getting nothing done, then going hybrid again, et cetera. I share your love for pen and paper but now I’ve convinced myself that I need the flexibility and portability of my PDA to store all of my lists. However, all of my notes and reference material are paper-based. No more “Wouldn’t it be cool to store everything in my little PDA?”. Will this journey ever end? Thanks for your contribution!
-gtdfrk
Very nice looking system. I too seem to change my system on a regular basis. My latest approach is my simplest to date and just uses a single sheet of paper which I suppose is quite a departure from your approach
Organize IT
Because of the nature of my work, my GTD quest is to find tools that can be used on both computers and mobile devices, both on the internet and off. I’ve been having modest success with RTM and AirSet, and feeling the lure of paper products, especially with my cool collection of Wateman writing products.
Wow, I can’t believe how similar our systems are. This is especially interesting because, like you, my system began with heavy use of Backpack and Moleskine. Now, I too have a Circa (Bomber Jacket Letter Size) for my GTD system at work. I now use a Pocket Briefcase and Jott for capture. The work stuff gets routed to the Circa. The personal stuff gets routed to OmniFocus. I like to keep my work and home systems separate. I still use Backpack for the Calendar and Reminders features as no one seems to it better for me yet - I am jealous you have Sandy. I want Sandy :-).
In any case, I will eventually post about my updated system on my site.
Great system you have going here. I tried a bunch of digital and analog solutions before finally settling on my Shirt Pocket Briefcase, Jott, and Circa, so it seems like we have pretty similar systems going. I’ve been going GTD for nearly 1.5 years, and the shirt pocket briefcase and Circa are the tools I’ve come to depend on. They’re not going anywhere anytime soon. You’re right, it’s a winning combination.
Love the writeup. We live in the customization age; that being said I think it’s the root cause for why we shift and contort ourselves through solution after solution. As long as people aren’t using the solutions as an escape from the actual “doing” each iteration should show you something more of what you like and what you don’t like. I know after probably 30 permutations of my own I’m pretty alert to when something new is acting more like teflon than concrete.
Capture, Sort, Do, FIle, Rinse. Amazing how many ways we can come up with to do these things. hehe!
Bravo! Thanks for taking up the torch. Everything you say sounds very familiar.
What Patrick said. I use a VERY similar system myself. I’m just thrilled to have accepted a new job where I will actually be ‘allowed’ to use a Mac. That means I can actually get into something like OmniFocus and use it at home AND at work without having to worry about interoperability between the systems.
I recently treated myself (thanks to a 20% off e-coupon) to the bomber-jacket leather Circa notebook in the letter size and I’m in LOVE. I’d been using a Junior for a while, and then a “naked” letter-sized one to test the format and I find the letter size to be just perfect. I can Circa-punch anything and put it into the notebook. I’m going to re-work my own GTD “whitepaper” post (http://tinyurl.com/2ec9mf) to reflect a few of the changes and iterations I’ve gone through in the last 6 months, but all in all, it’s not that different from the way it was and it’s not that different from yours.
Thanks for the good links. Keep up the good content!
[...] More New: Brett weighs in with his “bada**” system at Cranking Widgets. [...]
I also like very much your articles.
Now I am using Todoist http://todoist.com/, and Thinking Rock (to make projects) http://www.thinkingrock.com.au/. I should choose one of them,but I am doing very well and happy with both.
I also use unexpensive pen and paper that other way would go to the trash.
Thanks,
Silvia
Nice set up. I’m like Sybil when it comes to executing GTD: One day it’s all super groovy high-tech, the next it’s back to that nice tactile sensation you get from pen and paper. At this point, I’ve pretty much settled into a combination of both: super groovy high-tech for balancing work, consulting/home and school (as returning “older” student) with paper (my Amish PDA) as a capture and fitness training device.
Keep up the good work!
hak
Like Patrick and Scott said - wow, what a similar system. A few months ago I switched from a windows mobile/Outlook setup to a classic size circa, and haven’t regretted it. The difference is in addition to my lists I also keep a calendar in mine (a circa-punched off-the-shelf day runner refill) because I’m in meetings all the time where someone says “let’s check our calendars” and I can’t be the chump who says “I’ll have to get back to you.” I also keep a copy of my calendar in Google calendar for sharing and printing. As for portable capture, it varies from index cards, 3×5 spiral notebooks, or the voice memo feature on my cell phone. With that last one you have to remember to process your voice memos, though, so I might try Jott.
As I was writing this, I sort of wondered how common this type of setup was (”hybrid”). Kinda funny that several of you see such strong similarities between our respective setups…
Great minds, I guess
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