Kelly, I agree with everything except for: "60 seconds to get something in/out. That's a *whole minute*. Are you sure you meant that?

I mean I could even finish half of one 2-Minutes "do it immediately" task in that time... ;-)

Do you have any recommendations of paper and software list managers?

Hi Rolf,

Another way for me to say that could be "less than 60 seconds to GET to your lists." Of course the ones that would take you less than two minutes to complete wouldn't even make it onto a list at all--you'd just be doing them as they showed up. I mean adding and scanning to choose actions off your lists should be a quick thing. Some people seem to be choosing programs that are not easily accessible, which will eventually break down the ease of the system and your attraction to using it.

-Kelly

Hi Adam,

I was afraid someone might ask that! This could/should be a whole topic in itself and there are literally hundreds of options (from a legal pad to server-based corporate tool.) I'm hesitant to put brand names out there for fear people will then take that as the only tools to use or endorsement from David Allen Company. But I'll see if I can put some options together and post something for you all as a starting point to explore what would work best for you.

Kelly

I was also thinking about "takes no more than _a few_ seconds to get something in (or out)". I'm talking 5 or 10 seconds to enter a few words, when lightning strikes my mind. An app that takes me a whole minute, or even half a minute to _enter_ my thoughts is totally useless for me.

GTD apps like, iGTD, Things or OMNIFocus all have a so called quick-input-panel which can be activated through a keystroke and is ready to service within a fracture of a second. (Provided the associated app is running in the background which it usually will do all day long.) With QuickSilver or LaunchBar integrations you can even enter stuff before the actual app is running.
MacLemon

Just a quick comment - for me, there IS a perfect GTD list manager, called InfoSelect. I have used it since 1994 and as my GTD trusted system for about 5 years. Its perfectly flexible, fast and reliable.

Great post, Kelly.

I ran my small stack of colored 3x5 index cards through your list and it passed!!! If you'd like some pix or description, email me and you're free to use it.

Thanks Joe. Looking forward to more info on your index card system.

You can have a GREAT paper-based GTD system, in fact for many people (even techies!), that will work better for a variety of reasons. For all those people out there who think GTD lists have to be electronic, they don't! My roots with this (and David Allen's) are working this entirely using a paper-based planner.

Thanks Richard.

Are you referring to the Palm application here described here? http://www.miclog.com/

Kelly

Kelly, there are both palm and desktop versions. I have tried the palm version but did not find it useful. I use the desktop version, I "live" in it, i.e. I leave it open all day at work. Its installed on a thumb drive so end of day I bring thumb drive home and copy infoselect data files, approx 5-10 mb, to my personal laptop as backup. Once a month or so I'll email the data files to gmail as disaster backup. Product is very stable though, I have never actually lost data. My trusted system is very trusted :-)

I would add a "technical" requirement that is simple with paper planners but can be onerous with software: Ability to move items among lists. For example make an email a Next Action, make a Next Action a calendar entry. Or, my favorite, move a Someday Project item to a Next Action or Active Project. Sounds simple, but some systems will not allow the transfer without an identical data model.

Hi Kelly,
Its taken me several dollars - well pounds actually - and many false starts along the way but I've arrived at a GTD system that suits me.

I use software on my Blackberry from www.wirexwireless.com as my main system. The portability of the Blackberry combined with an additional Rex browser interface means that my chosen method is aways to hand. ToDo lists are a breeze! I perform a daily review during the 45-minute commute and arrive at work with objectives in mind. If I'm not brain-dead on the return home in the evening I may do a mini review. (Funny, I always have the energy for a review on Friday evenings.) The ease of use of the Rex software helps me to stay on top of things throughout the working week and the Blackberry or my Moleskin notebook (or both) are always at my elbow.

I've managed to 'tame' my Mac using Ready-Set-Do by Todd Vasquez (http://homepage.mac.com/toddvasquez/apps/Menu105.html)

Tod's software was the missing link for me and it has helped me get my computer better organised which in turn has helped me to get better organised as well.

With both of these programmes, plus my trusty Moleskin notebook, I find it pretty easy to stay with David's GTD programme most of the time.

Hope this helps someone,

Regards,

Grahame

On my Palm and Windows desktop, I use a combination of Life Balance and DayNotez. Life Balance is used to hold the list. DayNotez is used to hold completed items from the list. The completed items are time / date stamped when they are checked off. Life Balance also has a Mac version (http://www.llamagraphics.com).

Hope this helps.

What works for me is Thinking Rock (http://www.thinkingrock.com.au) and Todoist (http://todoist.com/) and a piece of paper.

I've just discovered GTD, and am slowly coming to grips with the concepts. I have just started to use a piece of software called ThinkingRock (www.thinkingrock.com.au).

There are 2 great things about this software. Firstly, from the Overview screen, you actually learn about GTD whilst you're using the software. Secondly, you can move the underlying the database from a MAC to a Windows laptop/desktop.

For me, who has a MAC at home and a laptop running Windows XP, I am never without the most up to date list.

Please check out ThinkingRock.

Great timing, Kelly. (I actually happened on this post a few weeks ago.) You've provided a good framework for all of us to consider when selecting a GTD implementation tool or evaluating the effectiveness of our current tool.

Your excellent post has inspired me to sift my favorite GTD tool for Lotus Notes through it to see how it fares against your criteria.

I'll post the results over on NotesOnProductivity.

Thanks,

Eric

Hi,

I highly recommend Pocket Informant (http://www.pocketinformant.com) if you are using Windows Mobile. Actually, the original task (todo) list provides most requirements. However, PI provides several self-saved preference for sorting and filtering which is useful for personal usage. Besides, it also provides grouping and I think it would help to categorized each NA under projects.

Regards,
Chun-Hung

Kelly ... this list is great. I like how you included the intangibles like "attractive vs. repelling". I used your list/blog post yesterday in an at work coaching session with a co-worker on how I've implemented GTD. I outlined my analysis of what I use (Outlook on Tablet PC and Pocket Informant on Windows Mobile) on my blog at:

http://sholden.typepad.com/weblog/2008/04/my-gtd-list-man.html

Thanks! - Steve