Share your GTD Documentaton

[Brad H]

Has anybody taken the time to make documentation for their GTD system? Really complete. With how it's used. Very explicitly. I would assume the simplest usable system would be at least 100 pages. Probably more because it would need to contain examples of how to use it to be meaningful.

[Myriam]

David Allen did, it's all in the GTD book

Myriam

[CJSullivan]

I was going to reply exactly the same way! The power (and one of the hardest things to really internalize) of the system as laid out in the "Getting Things Done" book is that it allows ample room for individual customisation. It forces one to ask all sorts of questions of oneself; there's way more than meets the eye. But the most important thing is to just take it step-by-step, notice what's coming up for you as you start to implement, write everything down for yourself, and internalise the methodology before you get into the high-level stuff...

My two cents.

[Brad H]

I was hoping someone would share their procedures or called "working procedures" like in the book Work the System. I love plagiarizing. Thanks anyways, guys.

[cwoodgold]

This blog post of mine partially documents my systems: http://woodgold.wordpress.com/2011/0...-required-etc/

[Myriam]

I was hoping someone would share their procedures or called "working procedures" like in the book Work the System. I love plagiarizing. Thanks anyways, guys.

I don't think any one of us has 100 pages with working procedures... I do understand the question. The best you will probably get is mind maps, excel files (I know I posted mine once), word files, references to apps, and so on...

greetings
Myriam

[artsinaction]

Has anybody taken the time to make documentation for their GTD system? Really complete. With how it's used. Very explicitly.

Even if I could do that, I'd have to send you changes at least quarterly, sometimes monthly when Areas of Focus or Contexts change. And what happens when I move from OmniFocus back to paper and vice versa? It's a living organism of a system, as flexible as the person using it.

And if someone did send you full documentation of their system, how would you use it?

Dena

[TesTeq]

I was hoping someone would share their procedures or called "working procedures" like in the book Work the System. I love plagiarizing. Thanks anyways, guys.

There is a great GTD implementation guide and Lotus Notes/Outlook/Blackberry/GroupWise/Paper setup guides available in the David Allen Company online shop or at Setup Guides for GTD Connect members.

[billmcneely]

It is purely individual. We have the great content on Connect to help guide us, but even that is just a guide.

For example DA's lists, it's what works for him, and in the implementation it is recommended that you use one's such as Work, Home, Errands, Computer, Calls, etc. So ask yourself if those are really what you need or do you need it more focused such as Errands - North end of town, Errands - South end of town.

I found myself wanting to post a question similar to this on the forum and I realized that it is a purely individual thing to be solved. And what a great thing that it is individual, you have the answer for what works for you.

I was having trouble understanding the concept of lists and wanted to know, is it a list of things on a piece of paper, a list of tasks in Outlook, a bunch of pieces of paper in a folder; then came how do I manage it and I started to fret and think I must be a fool because everyone I know says GTD is simple and...and...and...

I finally decided to spend some time just digging out what I could on this subject. I read the book on that part again, got into the forums and searched and printed and read and reread, and downloaded all of the podcasts on lists I could find and searched Google and after all of that I realized that the answer is what works for me works for me, and what works for me may not work for you, although I have no problem showing off what I do.

I hope I didn't overstep here. I just remember when I had an idea for a forum question somewhat like this it turned out to be something else all together that I needed to solve on my own.

Hope this helps.

[jesig]

I buy people the book.

I suggest they start out on paper, and direct them to DA's instructions on creating a paper planner.

I refuse to show them my system, unless they really aren't understanding the concept.

I find GTD to be hindered for people when they are shown what their lists should look like, or what lists they should have, or where they should put their lists. It creates too much overhead, and too much fiddling, and the person is way more concerned with what list app to use, or what color pen, or whether or not they have the right categories than whether or not they are walking through the steps of collect, process, organize, review, and do.

The only GTD Documentation I use, refer to, and/or give out is the GTD Processing and Organizing diagram. That and the book is all anyone needs to do this.

My list managers have ranged from a notebook, to a Planner Pad, to a moleskine, and now to a combo of iPhone, nook, and PC syncing via Google Tasks and Google Calendar. It's uniquely mine, and no one else probably has the need for exactly the setup I have.