Confused about what do after emptying the "in" basket

Hi,

I am very excited with the possibility that GTD will help me function very efficiently at work and at home. I bought and have read the book and both the Implementation guide and the GTD for Outlook 2010 manual. I have been at this process for almost a week now, non-stop basically. This is where I stand today, but I feel there are some things missing.

So far,

-finished setting up all my categories in Outlook. I have a total of 14 categories. The maximum tasks I have for a category are @computer = 49 items, followed by @projects = 35, @home = 28, @errands = 18, and so on.

-finished setting up my calendar using the Outlook layout provided in the GTD and Outlook 2010 manual.

-finished setting up my email as suggested in the GTD and Outlook 2010 manual.

What I don't have:

-Folders for project support material -
Reason: I don't understand where this is done and/or how.
Example: I need to write a science research paper. For this I will do brainstorming, find references (lots of these, could be 100 for example), do lab work, make figures, write at least 10 drafts overtime that I will submit to my advisors for revision (send by email and/or hand out in paper format), receive email back with revisions or questions, and so on until the paper is completed and submitted. Where do I store all of these material? I used to store it in folders in my laptop's desktop, for example:
1 folder - all the PhD references I have so far about the general and specific topics about my research.
1 folder - named as "X paper" - includes figures, pictures, written work, including revisions returned by the professors.
Are these two folders okay as Project Support Folders? I could try to make a copy of the references I need from the "All PhD references" folder, the problem is I am trying not to have double copies of research papers.

Although I am not completely set up with my system yet, today I had a meeting (not research related) which reviewed aspects that will be discussed in another meeting tomorrow. I took notes in a paper (this meeting does not occur frequently), when I got home I reviewed them and added A for action and WF for waiting for. Then I proceeded to tomorrow's date in the Outlook Calendar and in tomorrow's date I wrote down the appointment with the scheduled time. Within the appointment window there is some blank space below where you can write notes. That is where I wrote down the processed list. Although most of the list has actionable tasks (such as finding a document that I would need to bring with me to the meeting tomorrow) I do not feel moving them to the @home category would help, they would get lost in all the tasks I have @home. Where do these actions go then?

I am really trying to get better at this, but is difficult and stressful. I am either very disorganized or I am doing something wrong. Help please! Any academics around that could share their 0.02 cents? Much appreciated :D

Hi Paul,

Thank you for your input. I incorporated your suggestions into my Outlook system. I have written another post explaining where I stand (see Graduate Student hopeful she can incorporate GTD). I do have a bunch of projects related to my PhD, ranging from writing papers, to processing samples, processing data, analyzing, lots of field work at different sites, conference presentations, abstract submissions...the usual tasks that a science graduate student usually faces. I will keep at it, I am confident this is the way to go. Very motivated! I would love to read your thoughts about where I stand.

ZFF

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zff

Hi,

I am very excited with the possibility that GTD will help me function very efficiently at work and at home. I bought and have read the book and both the Implementation guide and the GTD for Outlook 2010 manual. I have been at this process for almost a week now, non-stop basically. This is where I stand today, but I feel there are some things missing...

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I've already read this post somewhere else. The answer is the same.

Hi Zamara:

Quite a bit within your email, which I'll attempt to expand on, after your next reply.

GTD is not something that is mastered overnight. Based on the timeline and what I've seen you do, you're doing extremely well. You're adapting to a new systematic approach, which includes building out a possibility of an extended mind, which frees up all your psychic RAM. On the surface, GTD looks like advanced common sense, but is actually quite profound as you get further into it over time.

Question I have goes immediately to your phrase, "I am really trying to get better at this, but is difficult and stressful". What part is difficult and stressful?

Paul

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zff

Hi,

I am very excited with the possibility that GTD will help me function very efficiently at work and at home. I bought and have read the book and both the Implementation guide and the GTD for Outlook 2010 manual. I have been at this process for almost a week now, non-stop basically. This is where I stand today, but I feel there are some things missing.

So far,

-finished setting up all my categories in Outlook. I have a total of 14 categories. The maximum tasks I have for a category are @computer = 49 items, followed by @projects = 35, @home = 28, @errands = 18, and so on.

-finished setting up my calendar using the Outlook layout provided in the GTD and Outlook 2010 manual.

-finished setting up my email as suggested in the GTD and Outlook 2010 manual.

What I don't have:

-Folders for project support material -
Reason: I don't understand where this is done and/or how.
Example: I need to write a science research paper. For this I will do brainstorming, find references (lots of these, could be 100 for example), do lab work, make figures, write at least 10 drafts overtime that I will submit to my advisors for revision (send by email and/or hand out in paper format), receive email back with revisions or questions, and so on until the paper is completed and submitted. Where do I store all of these material? I used to store it in folders in my laptop's desktop, for example:
1 folder - all the PhD references I have so far about the general and specific topics about my research.
1 folder - named as "X paper" - includes figures, pictures, written work, including revisions returned by the professors.
Are these two folders okay as Project Support Folders? I could try to make a copy of the references I need from the "All PhD references" folder, the problem is I am trying not to have double copies of research papers.

Although I am not completely set up with my system yet, today I had a meeting (not research related) which reviewed aspects that will be discussed in another meeting tomorrow. I took notes in a paper (this meeting does not occur frequently), when I got home I reviewed them and added A for action and WF for waiting for. Then I proceeded to tomorrow's date in the Outlook Calendar and in tomorrow's date I wrote down the appointment with the scheduled time. Within the appointment window there is some blank space below where you can write notes. That is where I wrote down the processed list. Although most of the list has actionable tasks (such as finding a document that I would need to bring with me to the meeting tomorrow) I do not feel moving them to the @home category would help, they would get lost in all the tasks I have @home. Where do these actions go then?

I am really trying to get better at this, but is difficult and stressful. I am either very disorganized or I am doing something wrong. Help please! Any academics around that could share their 0.02 cents? Much appreciated :D

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Hi Paul,

I was finding the system difficult and stressful because I did not understand the difference between reference system and the project support. I was also confused as to whether using paper or digital. After seeing some webinars I am more clear. Yesterday I completed some tasks that I had pending for a long time and today I will be doing my first weekly review :D

ZFF

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zff

Within the appointment window there is some blank space below where you can write notes. That is where I wrote down the processed list. Although most of the list has actionable tasks (such as finding a document that I would need to bring with me to the meeting tomorrow) I do not feel moving them to the @home category would help, they would get lost in all the tasks I have @home. Where do these actions go then?

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If I need to bring a document to a meeting I would probably try to put it in my
backpack the night before so I don't have to rely on myself to remember to
bring it. I have a separate backpack or zippered bag for each of a few
activities; for example, a backpack I bring to choir practice, so that I have
all the stuff for choir already collected in one place and can just pick it up
and go, or maybe add one more thing I need on a specific day. (That's the way
I do it; that's not GTD or non-GTD.)

I might put it in my home actions list and put an asterisk next to it to
indicate that it's urgent. The action would be to put it into my backpack.
Or I might (very likely) not trust myself to look at my home actions list
between now and the meeting, and I might set my watch to beep to
remind me (at a time when I think I'll be at home) or I might use
a special reminder (for things that only come up occasionally)
such as attaching a note to the outside of my backpack, on the
handle, where I'll see it when I put the backpack away.

If I knew where the document was, and especially if I needed to
bring several things to the meeting, I might put a list of things to
bring on the calendar beside the appointment. I don't usually do
that since I don't have much room on my paper calendar.
The reason I'm more likely to do it if there are several things
to bring is that I'm more likely to remember to look at the
calendar thinking "what are those things I need to bring?"
if there are several, not just one. Or, I could set my watch to
beep shortly before the time I expect to leave, to remind me to
bring the things.

Hi Zamara:

Thanks for the clarification. I maybe able to expound a bit more on this topic -- and, of course, this is from my perspective/experience/opinion.

Reference Material is information that I use to gain a general or specific understanding of something. In my IT world, it often shows up as arcane systems manuals -- all the information and knowledge is in there and I just have to open myself up to searching for the info I need. The assumption I suppose is that there is a baseline knowledge of understanding so that the reference material makes sense.

Reference material can appear in different forms:

If it's paper-based then its placed in a manila folder with a printed label and filed accordingly, without hanging folders, in my filing cabinet. I have filing cabinets at home and work.

If it's PDF based, typically because I found it online, then I have a bunch of electronic folders on my computer. Nowadays, I've been loading this up on my iPad, which makes it really easy when I'm in the server room and technically away from my computer.

Of course, the greatest reference library offered to folk nowadays is the Internet with various search engines. It's uncanny what I find by just searching on error messages, etc. It's somewhat nice to know that any odd and weird computer message is not unique to me!! I try to give back by documenting my lessons learned -- someone out there will find it useful, I think.

The theme so far with Reference Material is that it's based on knowledge that is not necessarily specific to any of my Projects or Actions. It's information I need to know about something and will be accessed when needed -- as long as I can find where I put it...

Sometimes snippets of information are taken from Reference Material and placed into Project/Action Support, but the integrity is still maintained of having the whole source of Reference Material, filed appropriately.

Project/Action Support is classic GTD because it goes towards specifically supporting my Projects and Actions. It's less about knowing how to do something and more about having all the tools and resources I need to accomplish my next action (whether single action or as part of a project).

The tools I've been using for several years now is MindJet's MindManager (which is now morphing into an all-in-one offering of local application, mobile device and web-based system). This tool is really useful for me in keeping all the various components of the project in their place.

The more you get into GTD, and find your mind is clearer, the more potential there comes of random thoughts popping into your head that are to do with future components of a project. These are not actual next actions right now, but things to do or consider or whatever down the road. This is all great stuff and I make sure I capture this and then place it appropriately within my MindMaps. I think this thinking happens because as I'm reading through Reference Material, or surfing the web, I associate ideas that could be useful in future. I've learned to process this, even though it may not be really important or useful right now.

Another tool is Personal Brain. I gently dabble with this app every so often, as it's reasonably complex. If what you do involves research where you're trying to realize relationships that develop between various components, then Personal Brain should be considered. You put a bunch of data in, but there is definitely a nice payoff.

Action Support for me is also a way of staying focused and on track. Because I've been placing the sequential steps that I'll be taking, much like a checklist or procedure, then when I've completed an action I'll refer to Project/Action Support and see what's next on the list.

This is the KEY, though.... If I mark off an action on my lists, and go to Project Support for the next action, and I don't complete the next item immediately, then I ensure I write down that item on my action lists as appropriate. This is really important because you'll then create another "hunh?" stack where you don't have the next action written down and the next action is embedded someplace within Action Support.

I get a reasonable amount of email, but not as much as I thought I would, where I need to cross reference back to the email at some point during a next action. I have various electronic folders in my email, and one of them is marked "Short cycle" -- I did that because I know I'll get back to it quickly, I'll never need to see it again after the action is complete, and I can't be bothered trying to find an actual folder for everything. So... within my Agendas folder in my GTD System is a written entry: "JF - Chat about rack KVM. Short, JF, 9/23". That's it -- When I next meet with John, I'll cross-reference to Agendas, look for any JF's, be reminded of the KVM topic, and then find the email really fast (within the Short-Cycle folder, sent by John on 9/23) where he had sent me info on something. This system works too well.

I think that about covers the basics of Reference Material and Project/Action Support.

You mentioned Paper vs. Digital -- fun topic... In my GTD beginnings, it was all about the List Manager -- ideally electronic, cool, spiffy, and full of awesome features. Keep in mind that I'm an IT guy and love electronic toys, but I also need to keep some form of perspective towards GTD best practices. GTD is a Systematic Approach, not a specific technology/app. I suppose it comes down to personal preference -- by not following GTD principles such as the Weekly Review, there are equal opportunities of hosing up either system (technology or paper).

Unfortunately, I haven't found an app yet that electronically replaces my having to be responsible for myself.

In my opinion, if someone is new to GTD, then ideally the process is forced to be slightly slower -- that means going with paper. The act of writing is typically slower than typing and it encourages the best practices of GTD. The danger of an electronic system is that your email InBox captured the item for you and then you dump into a list without fully processing the item in your mind. This creates bloated lists of undoability really fast. Not to say the same thing can't happen with paper systems, but it's usually caught quicker because you're reminded while you're writing.

Each electronic system often comes with "features" that are not necessarily GTD and are therefore used to differentiate from other electronic tools. My concern with this is that it's typically been thought of by someone who is already advanced in their GTD practice and has a solid understanding of the foundations. If you're having to understand a new electronic tool along with a new systematic approach I can see how that could be overwhelming. With paper-based, it's -- pen, paper, folders, tabs.

An idea would be to start with paper and then go from there. GTD is a game where you can change the rules of how you participate to suit yourself -- it all comes down to what you think is most effective.

I like paper because I can consciously delay between capture and processing into my system. This delay then offers an opportunity to really do something within 2 minutes or think more deeply about the item before it gets processed into a list and then possibly forgotten. What's odd is that the majority of what I capture doesn't actually need to be done anytime soon -- hmmn.... Oftentimes, what I'm avoiding doing is something I've actually already captured, but haven't completely resolved my higher horizons of responsibility and therefore put off the item/project.

So far, the majority of our conversation has been about the Control Piece, but the real magic in GTD happens within the Horizons of Focus.

That's great that you've been completing some pending tasks -- that must feel good.

When doing the Weekly Review, I highly recommended following the checklist routinely during this process -- the wording is written very precisely and purposefully.

OK. Back to my growing stack of papers that need to be tamed.

Paul

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zff

Hi Paul,

I was finding the system difficult and stressful because I did not understand the difference between reference system and the project support. I was also confused as to whether using paper or digital. After seeing some webinars I am more clear. Yesterday I completed some tasks that I had pending for a long time and today I will be doing my first weekly review :D

ZFF

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Hi Zamara:

Following up on something you said - "I took notes in a paper (this meeting does not occur frequently), when I got home I reviewed them and added A for action and WF for waiting for. Then I proceeded to tomorrow's date in the Outlook Calendar and in tomorrow's date I wrote down the appointment with the scheduled time. Within the appointment window there is some blank space below where you can write notes. That is where I wrote down the processed list. Although most of the list has actionable tasks (such as finding a document that I would need to bring with me to the meeting tomorrow) I do not feel moving them to the @home category would help, they would get lost in all the tasks I have @home. Where do these actions go then?"

I think the strategy of where you file things is really up to you. Ideally, it's filed with names that make sense to you and is the minimum quantity of locations possible. I avoid giving suggestions to people about how to name something, because they may have an internal trigger word I don't have.

If I have a very large system (eg IBM Domino) that I'm managing, then what I've done is create folders named, "Domino - Replication", "Domino - AdminP". The idea being that I'm keeping the folders together, but they have a unique purpose.

I think the icky part that's not really being said is this -- processing is a necessary GTD task that can take up to an hour of the day if done right. What that means is that your one item you captured may actually need to processed into various different locations and categories, as needed - maybe even into @Home.

In your example, you had to go through various steps and you were entering list information within the calendar -- I'd ensure this is separate from the Calendar. The Calendar is only for managing hard-edged items with dates and times. The processed list stuff belongs within Action Support.

Ahhh... The golden nugget reveals itself... "Although most of the list has actionable tasks (such as finding a document that I would need to bring with me to the meeting tomorrow) I do not feel moving them to the @home category would help, they would get lost in all the tasks I have @home. Where do these actions go then?""

The answer is -- @Home. What's really important is placing the actual next action -- "Find document for research paper xxx" within the correct location-based category. My concern is that you'll be at home, will "remember" the meeting, not look at the calendar, and will overlook a next action embedded within the calendar entry (while at home) for finding a document also at home.

I do see your point though -- @Home also has a bunch of things that are nothing to do with your research paper. If you review your lists often enough then the items will pop out and reveal them to you. But... I suppose you could create an @Home-School category. This is a stretch and should definitely be reworded, but the idea is that you're physically at home, but in the mode of school. Be careful with that though. Also, and this is weird being in IT, but after 6 years of GTD I actually got rid of @Computer. When I'm @Home, I scan for the computer stuff and when I'm @Office, I scan for computer stuff. When I'm putting stuff @Office that I know it's going to be done at the computer, it's in that category because I actually have to do it at the office on the computer because there are other items (like file cabs) that are also on-site. Hope that makes sense.

Quick behind-the-scenes David Allen observation -- I've seen him create a mindmap just to process his thinking and then trash the map. I've also seen him label a folder that I know will probably be trashed next day - he says, "have lots of fresh manila folders at arms reach". It's all about getting the stuff out of your head and processed into a trusted system.

Paul

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pgarth

Hi Zamara:

Quite a bit within your email, which I'll attempt to expand on, after your next reply.

GTD is not something that is mastered overnight. Based on the timeline and what I've seen you do, you're doing extremely well. You're adapting to a new systematic approach, which includes building out a possibility of an extended mind, which frees up all your psychic RAM. On the surface, GTD looks like advanced common sense, but is actually quite profound as you get further into it over time.

Question I have goes immediately to your phrase, "I am really trying to get better at this, but is difficult and stressful". What part is difficult and stressful?

Paul

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