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 Originally Posted by zff View Post
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