Question: How did you organize your tasks? Am I suppose to have a main Projects category and corresponding action tasks categorized @home, @work, etc?
David Allen: Yes, for me “Projects” is a category, just like the action lists of “Calls”, “At Computer” etc. They are simply flat lists, tied together with your review of the whole system.
Question: If there are 5 (or likely more for me) separate sections in a folder to track everything, how do you pull everything in a project back together rather than having it all scattered? It seems that the many tasks that might need to be done would be located in many different places rather than under one project. I know that with so much going on and my memory, that I would not necessarily remember all the details of each task done and where it was left. I feel like everything is scattered.
David Allen: Actual next actions are better distributed by context instead of by project they’re about. If you did the latter, every time you talked with your boss, you’d have to review every single project you had (probably 30-100) to find all the “talk to boss” items potentially embedded in there, and you won’t do that. Your brain has to connect the dots about what’s going on with your projects, in the Weekly Review.
I’m all for software that links projects to next actions. Makes the whole process a lot simpler
I have been using GTD for about 2 years and it has revolutionised the way I stay organised. However, for most of those two years I have continually struggled to keep projects moving along because my system couldn’t link projects with my Context lists.
That was until 2 weeks ago when I upgraded my ToodleDo account to a Pro subscription and so now have subtasks.
I still continue to list all my projects with an “@Projects” context, but now I add all the “next physical actions” for that project as subtasks under that project banner task. I can also assign a context to each subtask (i.e. @Call or @Laptop etc.)
The beauty and breakthrough of this for me is that now I can choose to look at my lists by the context of @project (with all relevant subtasks collected under each project) …. OR I can choose to look at all my next actions by Context (with all next actions – both single step tasks and projects).
In practice this means that, during my weekly review of my projects, I can see easily which projects do not have next actions assigned (because all the next actions are nestled under the @project heading), PLUS I can see which projects have not been progressed in the previous week because the next action is still sitting there. This gives me the reminder to do something about it.
At the end of the day though, the best benefit I have found is that now I don’t have this underling anxiety that there is a disconnect between my @Projects list and my Next Action (by Context) List. It seems the more I learn and adapt to GTD the better it all gets!!
I’m with you on the Toodledo. I tried the subtasks, but it didn’t feel right to me, so I switched to just using folders as projects and @computer etc for context. I don’t use the Toodledo desktop version very often because Ultimate Todo’s has a user interface that I like much better on the iPhone which syncs to Toodledo. However, I do the same thing you do during my weekly review because I can open up the Project Folder and see all the next actions associated with it.
I went a teeny bit overboard on the Project side … rather than purchase software to track projects, I tweaked Outlook for free. I created a custom “project” Form that has fields for name, purpose/principles, outcome/vision, and a big notepad area for brainstorming/organizing. I can link this “project object” (it’s a Contact under the covers) to tasks and view things that way, and I like how it nudges me into thinking about my “stuff” when I set up projects.
Mr. Gerber,
I have a question for you regarding your application of Toodledo. Would you say that the use of subtasks is more beneficial than the use of Folders (as Project Folders) where you can link all tasks to one Folder. I’m trying to figure out what would be better. I do not have an @projects list, and wonder if I should do this instead. I would would really appreciate your comments on this. I am an avid GTD’er and have used Toodledo sync’d with iPhone Pocket Informant for quiet a while now. Still struggling however on the project organization as well. Thank you.
I use a software implementation of GTD which allows to display all actions associated with a particular project.
Interestingly, most of the time i don’t have the need to actually see them cause most of the time there is only one action associated to a particular project – the immediate next one.
However, what the software allows me to do is to structure my commitments in a nested fashion resembling the views from various altitudes giving me the ability to draw a treelike map from all my projects.
In some way, next actions are just attached to commitments like leaves but i only need this view during the review and planning phase. Execution of next actions goes strictly through location based contexts.
Implementations in software for sure allows for a more convenient representation of the relation between projects and actions, i.e.: displaying them as connected in some way.
The methodology however not being technology centric and when carried out on a paper based system would lack this feature.
My experience is that with either tooling some kind of review is needed to perform the required inventory over commitments and actions to drive them forward.
–Rudi
I have become a real fan of http://www.nozbe.com as a web based GTD system tool.
It links contexts and projects. It is available on my desktop via internet. It also syncs seamlessly with a iPod touch/phone application.
It is subscription based, but is well worth it for its functionality and ease of use.
I like seeing my next actions in terms of the project they are about because that enables me to see each action I take as part of my goals and all the way up to my 5000 level vision. When I do a review, I want to see all my actions in terms of the projects they are associated with.
But, actually doing next actions is easiest when you have them organized by context, so that you don’t have to look through each project to see what you can do given the context you are currently in.
That is why I use OmniFocus. It organizes your next actions in both ways.
Hi Jamie,
Your question is timely for me because I have just converted a collegue to GTD, and he has set up ToodleDo in the same way as you, namely, setting up Projects as ‘Folders’.
As background, I orginally setup my GTD system using MS Office and so did not have the option of both folders & contexts. With Office I was restricted to only having Contexts (‘categories’ in their language). This suited me fine because the GTD system treats Projects as just another context list anyway. So I was simply following the GTD system.
On moving to Toodledo I maintained a context list of Projects, not realising that using folders and contexts could help solve the problem being discussed in this thread (ie. linking projects and next actions). And so with time I discovered using ‘Subtasks’ (see above) and this was a breakthrough change for me.
So either method (using folders or subtasks) can work, but upon a bit of reflection, I think that I find using subtasks better because …
1. I can assign start dates, end dates and prioities to my projects because they are entered as a task (with subtasks). This is very helpful when looking at my list of projects in weekly review. As far as I can tell, you can’t assign dates and priorities to Folders.
2. When I look at my Project list I can expand or collapse all the subtasks under each project. That is also helpful and I don’t think you can do it with folders (but having not used folders much, I could be wrong about that – I’m happy to be corrected)
3. Using a context of @Project is more consistent with GTD methodology. Not essential, but I like to stick with the tested wisdom of the system.
4. This is a minor thing … but when I new project comes onto my desk, I find it easier to capture it in ToodleDo by simply assing a new task with context as @Project. When using folders you need to create the folder from the new folder section.
5. This point has only occurred to me today … but I think I will start using folders for my Areas of Responsibilities (eg. Job Roles/Responsibilites, Home, Husabnd, Father etc.). I think it will be very helpfuol to be able to isolate all the tasks & projects for each area of responsibility. At the moment I am kinda doing this through my Context lists (eg. @Work, @Home etc.) but I think using the folders will add a new level of insight.
So there is an (overly detailed!!) response to your question. I hope it helps. I have certainly benefitted from having to think about it 😉
Go well !!
Anthony
PS: the is one frustrating thing I have encountered using Subtasks. When I first add a new subtask to a project … my internet explorer pops up a warning about scripted windows. Each time I need to select ‘allow temporary access’. I am sure this is just a setting problem with my browser, but I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet.
My projects each gets their own list of action items. The top item or two also may gain a spot on what I call my Top3Lists (which i try to do a daily mini-review over).
These Top3Lists are:
@NextUp – primary action items for the next day or so,
@OnDeck – secondary action items for about the next week, and
@Errands – action items that can be worked in as I’m running around from place to place or focused on when I set aside a chunk of time.
My Weekly Review keeps my projects from stagnation by keeping these Top3Lists focused on whatever needs to happen over the next few days & week.
Date-specific stuff is driven by my google calendars that send a daily agenda & email reminders to my google email.
My project & Top3Lists are on 3×5’s that I carry in a FranklinCovey Index Card Holder Wallet.
To have my google email & calendar function like a personal assistant, I only use my google email my calendar & task items. In addition to sending an email reminder for date-specific appointments and due dates for project tasks, I’ve got it set to send 2 text message reminders to my phone at an hour & half hour before appointments (or whatever travel time I need) to give me time to wrap up & travel to the appointment.
All other email goes to another account which I work to zero out, making project & reference folders as needed. A prefix of 10 keeps the folder high on my list. Changing the prefix to 20, 30, 40, or 50 adjusts the priority as much as necessary given my Weekly Review.
I am a big fan of the GTD methodology and I have drawn so much benefit from it! My mind is much clearer now that I have everything in my system (I use AbstractSpoon ToDoList as a list manager).
However, this issue of projects, next actions and contexts still leaves me puzzled. As a security consultant in the IT industry, I am used to having all information and resources at my fingertips. So basically 90% of my next actions would be in context @Laptop. I have some contexts @Boss, @Secretary, @MondayMeeting etc. which are very useful. But for ther other next actions (in context @Laptop), it seems more attractive to sort them by project (or by customer, in my case).
Is the sorting by contexts getting less and less important in an “always on” world, or am I missing an important point here?
I’m new to GTD and need some help to sort my project tasks. If I have a project with 15 tasks, do I list all 15 in my iPhone ToDo application or seperate the 1 next action and list the other 14 in another application (e.g. a notes App.). I find that if I keep them together, my task list looks huge, but I could just look at my next actions and try and ignore the other tasks. Sny suggestions for me?
This is a really good discussion. I am just getting started with Toodledoo also, and I really appreciate all the insight shared here.
I havent even finished reading all the good comments here, but I had to respond to Mr Gerber on his IE pop-up issue. If you switch to Chrome or Firefox, you will not have that issue, and with a little getting used to, you will have a MUCH better browser experience.
Also, with regard to Projects as a context or as folders in Toodledoo, I just wanted to chime in with how I have been doing it.
I have a Folder called Projects, and I enter anything that is a project as a task with a status of either Planning, Active, or Someday. Then, during weekly review, I create folders for any projects that are Active, and would need the added dimension of a folder to collect tasks. (Some dont need that much detail).
I am interested in the other iPhone apps that sync with Toodledoo, I am not loving the iPhone UI of the Toodledoo app, but I am certainly getting more stuff out of my head and captured on lists.
Being able to view Projects vertically (all the actions related to a given Project) and horizontally (view actions by context regardless of the related Project) continues to be the most discussed topics on GTD implementation. I find it critical to be able to do both, and it is not practical to do it without some sort of software application.
My twist on using Toodledo is:
a) upgrade to the Pro Subscription so subtasks are enabled.
b) Create a folder called #Projects (like “@” prefixes Contexts, “#” prefixes a Project lists as I can’t action a project, only tasks within a project).
c) Items within the #Projects folder are project titles. I attach a note to each project item that is a brief synopsis of the project; source, objectives, deliverables and critical time lines. Very useful to be in one place during reviews to remember why I’m trying to drain the swamp.
d) Subtasks are then used under each Project title for the actionable items. Contexts are assigned, etc here.
Once this is set up, a quick click on the #Projects folder gives an instant view of all projects. Using the tools in Toodledo then lets you zoom in to the related tasks and contexts while still bundling all contexts for everthing in the system.
Side note: At the moment, I actually have two sets of projects folders, one called #Projects-Work, the other called #Projects-Home. I find it a focusing tool mentally to keep separation. Also allows a quick way to print out a list when the boss (work or spouse) asks “So what are you working on anyway?” Conceptually I thought of it as one set of projects list for each area of responsibility. Key thing (as we keep getting reminded) is not to get carried away designing the system, but to build a minimalist system that you actually use.
Thanks to all for the various comments – much re-reading for me over the next couple of days…
The majority of my “stuff” arrives via GMail, and I also try to use Toodledo both Web & iPhone for capturing everything else. And I’m still drowning in “stuff”, so something’s not working!
I would LOVE to have a single system – GMail – for all my GTD needs, but this doesn’t work well on the iPhone (difficult to add multiple labels when selecting from around 300 or so).
I am trying yet again to get all my mail organised and using the new GMail feature of nested labels is helping.
I have groups of labels under the headings of Context & People; Project (includes project specific information not just Actions); Reference (information not specific to any project). I also use “Superstars” to flag Next Action; Action; Waiting for/Delegated.
1. Does anyone use GMail exclusively as their GTD app, and if so, how do you have yours setup?
2. If you are using ToodleDo how do you split email stuff between your email program and ToodleDo. Do you send ALL actions (> 2mins) to ToodleDo?
All help/suggestions/feedback gratefully received!
Thanks, Iain
Hi…I use paper implementation of GTD. One of the issues I’m facing is how to track parallel and sequential (dependent) tasks. For example, if you were to go through the 5-step process, after organization, you want to know which tasks you want to begin now and which ones will need others finished. I realize reading the comments here that a software like Toodledo is helpful, but I’m on road and sometimes have limited connectivity.
It would be great if the authors of this blog or readers could explain my query above through an illustration.
Thanks