GTDers' Choice Awards: Ubiquitous Capturing Device

[Todd V]

The ultimate ubiquitous capturing device has the following qualities:

(1) You can take it with you anywhere
(2) It’s always with you
(3) You begin writing immediately (less than 5 seconds)

With all the options out there I’d like to know from others what their #1 choice is for ubiquitous capture. And I’d prefer it came from those who have been using that collecting device/method for over a year.

[hth]

The ultimate ubiquitous capturing device has the following qualities:

(1) You can take it with you anywhere
(2) It’s always with you
(3) You begin writing immediately (less than 5 seconds)

With all the options out there I’d like to know from others what their #1 choice is for ubiquitous capture. And I’d prefer it came from those who have been using that collecting device/method for over a year.

(1) I know of no device which can be taken anywhere (swimming pool, shower, ...)
(2) See 1. For specific requirements you need specific tools.


I use a Palm TX (fits [1-3] enough for me). While cycling with my racing bike I carry a Moleskine Cahier.
I use this setup for more than 5 years (of course not the actual Palm).

Yours
Alexander

[Borisoff]

---- Palm 750v ----

[Day Owl]

Not waterproof, but fits all the other requirements:

Small pack of 3x5 cards cut in half (so pack measures 2 1/2 x 3) held together with a mini binder clip, plus pencil stub or Pilot G2 mini.

[BrianK]

Or generic version of the same thing. I'm never without my wallet, which also has credit cards, identification, and building-access cards in it. Because my wallet also has a pad of paper and pen in it, I'm never without a capture tool.

I've had mine for 3 years. I'm constantly amused and amazed at how helpful and useful it is. Mine is used so often that people know often ask to borrow the pen and paper when we're at an impromptu meeting, at lunch, in a bar, etc.

[GTDWorks]

I'm a DA Notetaker Wallet user. It's always with me and is one of the most important GTD tools in my productivity arsenal.

[mydifferentfeet]

While I haven't found anything that does well in the shower or while driving, it's hard to beat the the GTD note taker wallet anywhere else.

I am considering getting a pen that doubles as a voice recorder for the times I am driving, but I have a simple work around for dealing with capturing next actions and ideas in the shower. just turn the water off and grab my wallet, which is never more than a reach away from me. :)

[TesTeq]

GTD Trifold NoteTaker Wallet / Nokia 6670 phone voice recorder.

[quantumgardener]

(1) I know of no device which can be taken anywhere (swimming pool, shower, ...)
(2) See 1. For specific requirements you need specific tools.


I use a Palm TX (fits [1-3] enough for me). While cycling with my racing bike I carry a Moleskine Cahier.
I use this setup for more than 5 years (of course not the actual Palm).

Yours
Alexander

I've got one of those. It's in my head. Trouble is the recall circuit often fails. :)

David

[ggoldman]

Lots of cheap "reporter" 4 by 6 pads of paper that flip up at the top. In the car, near the phones ie any place my "organizer" might not be.

[dschaffner]

Fisher space pen and pocketmod booklet.

[Mark Jantzen]

It's the Notetaker wallet for me.

The swimming pool's a tough one but at hotel pools it's usually stuck in a shoe close by.

[RuthMcT]

14 x 21cm spiral bound pad where sheets can easily be pulled out.

Plus vanilla PDA for diary entries and contact details

Ruth

[Empty Headed Terry]

The little Zebra telescoping pen from Staples, shrinks down to about the size of a cigarette but the ink is within so no spots on the slacks. Meade 3 by 5 pad fits in the back pocket and isn't noticeable. Love it.

[gdmfsobgtd]

Currently using two Palm E2 tungstens,,,,I hotsync and swap when the lithium battery runs low, that way I'm always up....

Stateside and internationally I use the Palm Treo, turns the cellphone/PDA combo into one unit and is the "BMW" of cellphones,,,here in Japan they don't use it but a GSM model is usable almost anywhere,,,,

I've been using Palm for about 7 years now, GTD really gave me a discipline behind using it, vice it being just an address book w/games.

I think any smartphone is the best "tech" solution but a notepad and paper helps with the more "adhoc" split-second stuff.

[Cluby1]

I bought the GTD notetaker wallet 4 months ago (sorry less than 1 year) and suffice to say it's awesome. The fact it's in the same place as my ID, credit cards etc, is what makes it readily available at almost anytime.

It's a tad pricey at $100, but the quality is good and I use it - and to me that makes it worth it.

Another good thing about it is that you are limited to about 5 or 6 cards, a couple of business cards and this keeps you from cramming it full of stuff. During my weekly review, I collect the notes I've taken and put into the system.

[MarinaMartin]

Whoa ... has no one seriously mentioned their Moleskine yet?

I keep a small Moleskine in my purse, along with a small arsenal of pens. Once I process notes in my Moleskine, I highlight them.

I can't think of a time I'm not with my purse, and if I do have a brilliant idea while in the shower, I can always get out for a moment and write it with a dry-erase pen on my Personal Routine checklist hanging on the bathroom wall.

Marina

[Zenistar]

I tend to use 3x5 cards stored in a Bomber Jacket Pocket Briefcase from Levenger. Not sure why but I never really got on with the notetaker wallet and feel a lot more comfortable with the larger writing area of a card.

[tominperu]

For me the devices for capture are square notepaper on my desk, Notepad on the Palm (away from desk and on the fly) or inputting directly on KeySuite Tasks on the Palm (when I have time - away from desk).

[validatelife]

I've got a bunch of systems working for me, for mobility:


I have wall-velcroed 2-3 yellow legal pads.
a wall-velcroed mini white board
various writing instruments velcroed to the wall
a PDA (currently 8125, but with windows mobile and a slide keyboard, it's WAY too slow, blackberry and/or palm sound faster)


possible additons and/or alterations: a MUCH more efficient pda that has exceptional macbook-syncing capabilities. A pocket moleskine. I've just heard of moleskines in the past few days, but I remember I think writer larry david always carried something like that for ideas, and it seems handy. It's not high-tech but it's "quickness of writing" is off the charts. My handwriting is "doctor-like" (nearly illegible) so non-typing forms of data processing and notetaking don't, typically, work well with me, unless it's a brainstorming session. Blackberry's (well Rex's technically) ideaMatrix software looks pretty incredible (but expensive).

Then for office area I have:

a large, permanently-mounted whiteboard,
a yellow legal pad on one of those "doctor clipboards" with a built-in calculator.
a stack of blank 8-11 printing papper
another permanently mounted mini whiteboard
lot's of ONLY clickable pens and pencils (pen caps and pencil sharpeners are just NOT GTD utensils! If you use pencil sharperners and pen caps, you might as well just devolve back to "quill feather pen and ink well"!haha. I'm just a stickler on writing utensils. If you aren't entering data electronically (via keyboard) why bumble with "caps and sharpeners". Clickable pens and pencils work best


Now that I think about it, I'm hyper organized!! Sweet. I also have a macbook which is my personal indispensible invaluable organizing tech device for EVERYTHING (video editing, general organization (iCal, firefox, tons of automated Automator macros that do thigns like automatically back-up Google notebooks, create backups, and the like). For the year I had a windows laptop, my productivity plummeted from about a 7 to a 2. Now, with the macbook, I'm back up at about an 8-8.5 (10 being "Jedi Organized" "Action Non-Action (Wu Wei) Zen Master" ):mrgreen:

[MrProactive]

For me, it's my Palm Treo 700p. It goes with my everywhere, and the side Voice Memo button is perfect for a "bam! quickly capture something" moment. (Side Note: The old Voice Memo program was a little slow on the start -- probably not meeting the "5 second rule." However, after applying the Treo update, it is now perfect).

If you are an Outlook user, our product, Foresight (http://www.fixyourtodolist.com/right), has a Quick Capture (http://www.fixyourtodolist.com/support/quick_capture.htm) module that let's you quickly capture something. If it knows what to do with it, it will slam it into Outlook and you can continue working on whatever you were focusing on. If not, you can postpone finishing it till later during your "processing time." Honestly, it's probably my favorite feature of the software.

[nondual]

iPod Touch. The new software has a 'notes' program in it.

[jennifergeorge]

Paper everywhere! Car, bathroom, living room, purse, offices, bedside. Everywhere I can think of.

[TesTeq]

iPod Touch. The new software has a 'notes' program in it.

But not in Poland. No iTunes store, no paid upgrade.

[nondual]

I hadn't thought of the Polish implications, I guess.

[rlvesco7]

For taking notes with the pocket pc there are two things that are essential.

1) a program that inks really well and is easy to access. I've found phatpad to be an excellent program it beats paper any day.

http://www.phatware.com/images/phatpad4.gif

2) I need to be able to keep my pocket pc phone easily accesible and safe. I found this tool to be indispensable. It allows me to access my phone with a simple click of a button. No awkward unclipping or putting back on your belt.

http://www.ebcases.com/-strse-3232/TechLock-Clip/Detail.bok

http://www.ebcases.com/stores/e/ebcases/catalog/TechLock_1.jpg

[DRVinc]

My current configuration.

A black 1 1/2 inch three ring binder.
White dividers (http://office.pricegrabber.com/indexes-tabs-dividers/m/701480/), with blank tabs that I can Context with labels made from my Brother Ptouch Label maker.
I using graph paper to divide-up where an action has been and where it is going and how it's referenced and to look smarter.
At the front I keep a daily sheet for quick access. It is used to remind me what day it is and for mileage, transactions, journaling, conversation logs and any other notes. Some of these entries go with my projects and tasks but at the end of the day it takes a couple of minutes to enter the data into my computer for later retrieval and proof that all those things happened.
I also keep my checklists at the front, or my day will be lost.

Separate from the binder is my calendar from At-A-Glance (http://www.ataglance.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product3_10052_10002_131320_-1_false_10052#%23). This particular
selection is the best.

In my shirt or jacket pocket (minus a protector) I keep a Moleskine (http://www.moleskineus.com/pocket.html). It is for quick note-taking for when I am standing in lines. It also serves as my wallet.

I always keep a pen handy but I am always messing-up what I put down.
Because I don't feel safe keeping a bottle of White-out in my pocket I prefer
the Pentel e-sharp mechanical pencil (http://www.pentel.com/). The best and most reasonable place to find one is probably your local Mom and Pop art supply store.

These essentials, along with a good book follow my busy and mobile days.

[jrichardn]

While cycling with my racing bike I carry a Moleskine Cahier.

How does that work, hth?

When I'm cycling I'm not going to stop, pull out a notebook and pen (I too use a Moleskine), and make a note. Ditto when I'm running. (For swimming I'll take for granted that nothing works. :-)

I carry a Treo 700p usually, and in most contexts I can make a voice note. But on the bike that just doesn't work - 'way too much chance of dropping the device. I've tried digital voice recorders but had too much road noise, but I'm open to trying one again if someone has a recommendation.

The Treo's a bit bulky for some runs, and in bad weather I don't like carrying it anywhere accessible (e.g., I'll have it in a Ziploc bag someplace dry-ish).

Cheers, Richard Nelson, temporarily in Burnaby, B.C.

[gpenguin]

I have this really nice USB thumbdrive from Kingston which encrypts the data, and yes, its waterproof! My problem is I keep frying my laptop when I need to use it in the pool...

[bartco]

Rhodia Pad #11 w/Rhodia Pad Cover and a Retro 51 Elite Black Pencil

[funkym]

The ultimate ubiquitous capturing device has the following qualities:

(1) You can take it with you anywhere
(2) It’s always with you
(3) You begin writing immediately (less than 5 seconds)

With all the options out there I’d like to know from others what their #1 choice is for ubiquitous capture. And I’d prefer it came from those who have been using that collecting device/method for over a year.

I am using my BlackBerry Curve 8320 with NextAction! (http://www.s4bb.com/software/nextaction/). I assigned NextAction! to one of the BlackBerry's soft keys which allows my to access my task list in less than a second from within any program I am currently using. Adding a new task just works with the hotkey "N", the title line is selected by default, I enter the actual "next action", select a context and save. That's it :)

[ckephart]

I have used a number of capture tools over the past two years including a note taker (which I still carry), a voice recorder and finally JOTT from my phone. With the addition of the I-Phone APP store I have consolidated now to a simple voice recorder application that I downloaded for free. I almost always have my phone with me and I can make notes while driving or at a meeting. One caveat, you have to get used to people starring at you when you stop and capture a "voice note". Some think it is a bit strange. For those times when it is inappropriate to speak out loud I capture a note on the I-phone with text. There is an I-phone app called "You Note" which will let you capture a text note, a voice note, a web page or a picture in the same application. Good luck.