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May 19, 2008
GTD on the Go....
People often ask me how I manage traveling 3 weeks out of the month and still stay on top of my stuff. It's pretty simple: my systems go with me. There is almost no difference for me to be at my home office in California or sitting on a train to New York (as I am right now.) There are a couple of key things that make my system work, almost whenever and wherever I need to get stuff done:
* My lists all sync to a handheld. I never need to boot up my laptop to see my project or action lists. If you don't have a handheld, print your lists--works just as well. Don't make it hard to access to your stuff.
* I have a broadband wireless card for my laptop to process email anywhere I can find a signal. A fact probably surprising to some of you--I do NOT do email on my handheld. I wait until I can get to it on my laptop. So much easier for me to properly process and it means I'm not always ON, since email doesn't stop coming in.
* I generally don't book meetings the first morning I'm back from a trip, knowing I'll have my hard copy Inbox to process, expense report to do, unpacking to get to, etc.
* For any hard copy stuff I might need, I use plastic folders to transport that. My traveling folders include:
In (collects receipts and anything an Inbox would)
Actions (pending actions)
Waiting For (support for items I'm waiting on)
To Office (things to get filed or handled back at my office or anything an Outbox would)
Nice to Read (just that--no love lost if I don't read it)
Travel Support (a collection of things handy for travel: maps, airline employee recognition cards, envelopes etc.)
These take up about an inch in my briefcase and always have anything I'll need on my trip.
And perhaps the most important key for me:
Just like when working from my home office, I guard my time to allow at least an hour a day to process email. This is key. Backlog is no fun.
Posted by Kelly at May 19, 2008 02:14 PM
Comments
Great post! I, too, travel a majority of the time. I don't know whether to be happy that I've already implemented most of your habits, or sad that I didn't learn anything new!
Posted by: Tara at May 20, 2008 08:21 AM
I also do lots of travelling and like your idea of the plastic folders. Thanks.
I also plan what I shall be doing and in what order before I travel.
Andrew
Posted by: GreatManagement at May 21, 2008 12:20 AM
Which handheld do you use?
Posted by: Charlotte B. DeMolay at May 28, 2008 07:02 AM
Hi Charlotte,
I use a Palm Treo handheld.
Kelly
Posted by: Kelly at May 29, 2008 07:14 AM
Thank you, Kelly.
I'm almost through with David's book and my "two days" of lock down organization begin Monday!
Posted by: Charlotte B. DeMolay at May 31, 2008 07:58 AM
