My Evolving GTD System: Part 2

Welcome to part two of my series explaining my GTD system. Be sure to check out the introduction and part one of the series to understand the background. When I last left you I was using a ring binder and individual sheets for next actions. For Christmas I was given a leather conference portfolio which I liked and really wanted to use but as it was not a binder it would have required quite a departure from my existing system. As over the holiday period I had rather neglected things I figured it was a good time to freshens things up with a new approach.

I’ve always preferred A5 size sheets to work with and there was a pocket in the portfolio for that size so I used it for all my implementation related paperwork so to keep it seperate from all the other doodlings and writings I did in the portfolio.

One of the problems I had with having a list of tasks all on one sheet was that it would go stale. There would be a mix of tasks there were completed, tasks that had been there for months, and tasks that were no longer relevant so I decided I would update the list on a weekly basis. I would write out my next actions for a particular week and at the end of that week during the weekly review I would transfer any incomplete ones to a new sheet. So I could have a time scale of how long a task had been left incomplete I would add a star next to it for each week it got transfered over (for instance, three stars for three weeks of incompletion).

The primary benefit of this approach was that tasks were always being thrust under my nose. Though the act of re-writing tasks out every week was slightly tedious (it helped that I only ever had a page of them at most) it meant they were always being brought to my attention, especially if they had stars by them. For instance, if a task had four stars by it meant I had to really ask myself if I was ever going to get it done or if it was really relevant anymore. I took this system further and did a similar approach with my someday/maybe list but updated that monthly.

To make everything all compact I would take four blank sheets to use as next actions list for each week of the month and staple them together with the someday/maybe list to create a neat package. When that package was completed I would have a monthly review, create a new package and transfer the relevant information over. Finally I would dispose of the old sheets. I stopped using an archive system for old actions and projects because though it was encouraging to see a large pile of completed tasks, I never actually referred to them again once complete; they were just taking up room. Plus it was getting very annoying shuffling sheets around in a folder.

You may have noticed in this series that I have a very lo-fi system. I like the ease and usability of being able to carry a folder or a portfolio around with me wherever I go. I cant imagine how an hi-fi system can be any easier than flipping open a folder and having your next-actions right there in front of you. I also spend plenty oh time at the computer without having to use it to manage my day-to-day actions.

Regarding other elements of GTD, until very recently I never used a calendar (I am currently experimenting with one) as I found that by writing it down as a next action I was being kept aware of it on a near daily basis anyway. For a similar reason I don’t have a proper tickler file system in place either. Any relevant pieces of paper either get pinned to my notice board or put under my keyboard where it is near to me (the latter might sound bad practise, but as it gets all checked/cleared during my weekly review, it seems to work). Then, like with time sensitive tasks, I add a next action and keep moving it across each week, where necessary. As mentioned previously, adding stars each time I do that makes those tasks stand out and adds a sense of priority.

Thats more or less it for my current GTD implementation. Hopefully it gave you all some ideas, and got across the message that you should implement a system that works for you and your demands/needs. No doubt I will be doing further updates in the next few months but in the meantime here are a few other cool implementations that I’ve come across:

• Zen Habits
• Patrick Rhone
• Stephen Smith
• Corrie Haffly