1 item / paper vs. save the woods?

[Tom.9]

I remember vaguely that David said something about writing only one item on a piece of paper - why should we do this even if we are concerned for our environment ?

[artsinaction]

So, what number of notes is enough to justify a sheet of paper?

Eight notes?
My notes are small. If I wrote 8 notes on one sheet, it would be the same as 1 note on 8 sheets. If one of those notes is "take out recycling"... bonus!

I think world-changing ideas are created in the GTD system. If it took me 1000 single notes to generate that one idea that saves a forest (or a community, or a life), then clearly the bigger picture wins the day.

Thanks for posing the question, Tom. What does everyone else think?

Dena

[cfoley]

In a paper based system, that piece of paper could become your project handle, complete with the goal and some level of notes/planning. The other side could be your next action, with space to check off and write the next-next action when it is complete.

However, I think the real reason is to make processing easier. If I capture a load of stuff in a list, I find it very difficult to focus on just the first item. I can't help myself scanning down the list. One piece of paper per item forces me to focus.

If you are worried about the environment, you could use smaller pieces of paper (I use post its), the reverse side of something that would be binned otherwise, recycled paper, a voice recorder, the notepad on a smartphone, etc...

[vic_lh]

I'm so glad that someone brings the subject. I've struggled with this issue for some time, and still am, in a way. It is true in my case too, as mentioned above, that one item per page makes processing easier. But it feels a bit of a waste to me, so I usually write down like three or four captures (when they are small, single keywords and the like), on a single notebook page.

Against the temptation of scanning all the items, I use very clear boundaries to separate them. I like a notation shown in one of the webinars: date on the left, a horizontal line across the whole page separating one idea from the next very clearly, and you cross out the block or put a tick mark below the date once you've processed the idea. And yet, there are still times when I catch myself sliding and have to tell myself 'wait a minute, you haven't really processed the previous idea... one thing at a time, my dear'.

I guess this is a good argument in favor of going digital...

Just my erratic two cents...

[Twofish]

I saw this but assumed that this is just in the initial collection phase. Now I have a single sheet folded into A6 that I collect with and these are processed to lists in contexts.

[cfoley]

so I usually write down like three or four captures (when they are small, single keywords and the like), on a single notebook page.

...

I guess this is a good argument in favor of going digital...

Why not just tear the paper into four?

Going digital probably means seeing your captures in list form.

[Oogiem]

I use a 3 x 5 spiral notebook for capture and while I don't always stick to one item per side of the page I do make very clear distinctions between and rarely put more than 2 on a page. For my initial capture years ago I used the back sides of the daily calendar sheets I tore off and saved as scrap paper anyway. So recycling worked.

[Suelin23]

Don't understand the need for it myself. I capture into a notebook. I rule a small column on the left hand side of the sheet for symbols - like a tick when each item is processed.
Focus on the principle - make processing easy - and then work out for yourself how best to do that.

[hcparker]

I cut 8.5 x 11 sheets into 4 pieces (as cfoley suggests). Each piece is big enough to capture something (as a general rule).

[TesTeq]

I remember vaguely that David said something about writing only one item on a piece of paper - why should we do this even if we are concerned for our environment ?

Use:

• GTD® NOTETAKER WALLET as a portable solution;
• NOTETAKER WALLET PAPER PADS as a desktop/home/office solution.