Labeling the bottoms of the file folders also - great trick! Wish I'd come across that or thought if it myself.

Question: Where or how do you track your goals or objectives - your super projects with completions more than a few months out? Would you recommend a "Goals" list to be incorporated into the review process to align the projects and tasks with the goals? Today mine are all jumbled up but I was wondering if the master had specific advice?

Richard - I keep a 30,000 ft list as a Palm memo and mind-map in MindManager; and a 40,000 ft list as another Palm memo, and amind-map. - David

David,

An idea. How about a web page that shows you going through some of your key steps in a typical day, with some photos. For example, walk to my desk, open the X folder, check out my tasks; transition to a project; then process my email; get the postal mail, put stuff in inbox, process, etc...

I'm not sure about that Tom - I like you general idea of getting a better picture of how a GTD expert goes through a typical day, but all the pictures seem a little creepy :)

David,
I'm still trying after about 2 years to embrace GTD. I love it, I just wish I could master it!I have bounced back & forth from paper to pda, and I'm back to paper.I once read that someone suggested just having 1 list with the outcome at the end of the action instead of multiple lists. Any thoughts?

David, thanks for the guidance. I've been unsing MindManager since version 3.5 back in the late 90's but have only recently returned to it - I've been mind mapping since the late 80's while studying for an MBA during down-time in the Libyan desert and find the concpet wonderful, though most of my colleagues think I'm weird.

Downloaded a trial of ActiveWords yesterday and am loving it!

Kudos to David for responding to this request. Between shots of David's desk, inbox, and cat, we're truly moving into "GTD-Voyeurism". In that vein, I find it very interesting and valuable to see how others have implemented the methodology, and am considering adding a post to the forum to invite people to do a concise, 1-page write-up of their implementation - gear, approach, categories used, habitual and best practices, etc. so that we can all keep evolving our systems.

Thanks again, David. The GTD approach can (and has) had a major impact on my entrepreneurial world!

Regards,
Peter

Kudos to David for responding to this request. Between shots of David's desk, inbox, and cat, we're truly moving into "GTD-Voyeurism". In that vein, I find it very interesting and valuable to see how others have implemented the methodology, and am considering adding a post to the forum to invite people to do a concise, 1-page write-up of their implementation - gear, approach, categories used, habitual and best practices, etc. so that we can all keep evolving our systems.

Thanks again, David. The GTD approach can (and has) had a major impact on my entrepreneurial world!

Regards,
Peter

O.K. Dave- [I've reached a new low here] - where did you get your in box?

Now THAT'S a REAL stapler...very nice. ;-)

Bob

David, thanks for sharing some of your system. I was intrigued by your mention that you keep a '30,000 ft' list as a palm memo and a MindManager map as I also use both these tools. Do you have a means to keep them synchronised automatically?

Mindmanager 2002 had a synchronization to the Palm version of Mindmanager but they dropped this when they went to X5 as they found the Palm OS to be changing too rapidly. However, you can save an X5 map in 2003 format and synch that, but it doesn't get you to the Palm memo synch that you're asking about. I've made maps synch to Outlook calendar and Outlook tasks but not yet tried synching to Outlook memos. I'm experimenting with a 30,000 ft category with single memo's per goal within that category rather than a simple list. That way I hope to capture my modtivation and progress within the memo while being able to filter on the category for a list of goals. This may provide a way to synch the map to the memo via Outlook through the use of multi-maps in Mindmanager.

David,
this is completely unrelated to this particular post but have you seen GeoMinder -> http://ludimate.com/products/geominder/
it's a location-based way of getting reminders sent to your cellphone and doesn't require GPS but rather works via the antennae id's and only functions w/ Nokia phones currently. Apparently you register locations in your phone and then you can set it so next time you're near the market you'll get a "pickup milk" reminder.

I just completed your audio disc series for GTD and found it helpful. 90% of it was not novel info but just validated my current homegrown system. Great stuff.

Sean

Paul, just to match your real low... in-basket from Levenger. Best around (until ours is out) - David

I could envision the DavidCo in-basket - it only allows any specific item into it only once - ever! Hey - maybe there's a patent here...Peter.

Related to the subject of in-boxes and office gear: Does anyone know of a good source for quality TWO-DRAWER file cabinets? Love Levenger, but even they offer only the now-standard style of one file drawer on the bottom, one or two smaller drawers on top. The typical sheet-metal version offered at OfficeMart is junk . . . but where to find the real thing: Sturdy, attractive cabinets with two deep file drawers?

Steve, I have seen a few good cabinets from Herman Miller. We use the Herman Miller "passages" line because it is on wheels and fits under our desks, tho they are not quite as deep as our other steelcase or HON cabinets. Perhaps inquire at an office furniture dealer near you to find exactly what will best serve you?