A GTD System for a Teen?

[dropdeaddustin]

Hi. My name is Dustin, and I recently turned 18 years old and I am currently a student in high school and will go to college soon after graduation. I have been into GTD for about a year now. I've never actually implemented the system but my knowledge of the concept of GTD has helped me boost my productivity and improve my self as an individual. I, now, actually want to implement a GTD system for myself. But I need some help from already experienced users of GTD. I know their are different methods of applying GTD to your life rather it is based word-by-word on what the GTD god, David Allen, himself said or whether you've taken the initial concept and played around with it to fit your needs as a human being. I know I am going to be one of those people who plays around with the GTD concept and comes up with something on my own. As you can imagine, I have very limited resources being 18 and all and still in high school. I need some help from you guys to help me form a system that isn't expensive but is very effective as well as fluent. Inexpensive, effective, and fluent! I like the way one individual is making use of GTD in this article: Organization 101. I like the way he uses a pocket-sized ubiquitous capture device (his little mead notebook) and writes down his thoughts and ideas and then plans them out later with a slightly bigger notebook. I've come to find out that no place near me sells pocket-sized ubiquitous capture devices!!! OMG! I'm sure if I look harder they will appear, but geez. My Wal-mart doesn't even have any. Anyways, I've come to enjoy a 9.5x6in, 80 sheets medium-sized notebook that I use to spread my ideas out. I need a ubiquitous capture device that I can fit in my pocket still! Any ideas? Getting back on to the topic, I really need your help to find out a GTD system that will work for me and is efficient, cheap, and fluent!

Your Help is Greatly Appreciated,
Dustin!

[hth]

I would start setting up a filing system. I assume manila folders are easy to buy and not so expensive. For informations how to set up the filing system you could search this forum.

I've come to find out that no place near me sells pocket-sized ubiquitous capture devices!!!

For a first cheap UCD look at: http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/03/...he-hipster-pda

Yours
Alexander

[Day Owl]

I've come to find out that no place near me sells pocket-sized ubiquitous capture devices!!! OMG! I'm sure if I look harder they will appear, but geez. My Wal-mart doesn't even have any.

Keep looking. Those little spiral-topped Mead notebooks are sold everywhere. You are right -- if you look harder, they will appear. Try Wal-Mart again, or Kmart, or whatever equivalent is in your neighborhood. Most supermarkets have a small stationery/school supplies section, and you are likely to find little notebooks there. Or try 3x5 file cards held together by a rubber band or binder clip (the basic hipster pda), as suggested by Alexander.

[Brent]

I personally use a small pack of 3x5" unlined index cards as my ubiquitous capture device. Works great for me, and broadly available.

[Jamie Elis]

Those 1/2 size 80 page note books are hard indeed to find at certain times of the year when the major retail stores are not selling school supplies; but you could try on-line and the major office big box stores.

Now here is some help I need...I do a lot of work with teens who are academically oriented and I cannot get them to actually 1)write in their planners consistently and 2) look in their planners and 3)discuss anything in outcome terms. In jr hi they are required to use planners and must show them to their homeroom teachers but in h.s. and college they are on their on. Even when they miss major things of interest. to themselves They will not even engage in a discussion about UCD. Any thoughts on how to get them to do this. The Socratic method has not worked!

[Cpu_Modern]

let them own the idea. UCD is your idea, old pop. way uncool. and not practical. imho you should let them discover how awesome it is to have an UCD, even if they don't know they are partially doing GTD. let them have the awesome idea and then support them.

[kewms]

For smart teens, high school isn't demanding enough. They can (or think they can) keep everything in their heads, so a planner just weighs them down. I know I didn't begin to develop decent time management habits until I got to college.

So don't push them to use planners, and above all don't issue a "standard" planner that everyone must use. Create a challenging and interesting situation, and then be there with the tools they need to handle it.

Katherine

[petdr]

I've come to find out that no place near me sells pocket-sized ubiquitous capture devices!!! OMG! I'm sure if I look harder they will appear, but geez. My Wal-mart doesn't even have any.

Dustin, I sent you a PM. I have some pocket sized notebooks I collected and am not using. I'll gift them to you if interested. Just PM your mailing address.

Enjoy the implementation process! Don't waste too much time tweaking the system though