GTD: Where I am at

A long time ago I wrote a blog post about how I was progressing with my GTD (Getting Things Done) system.  I thought I would circle back to see how things have progressed.

I still don’t follow the GTD method that is laid out by David Allen.  I just couldn’t get it to work right.  I also found I was just making more time for me to do more work.  Not what I want to do really.

For one thing, I gave up on OneNote.  For me it is just to unwieldy.  I also now have an iphone and there is no OneNote client for the iphone.  Also, I could never get the OneNote mobile client to work the way I wanted it to when I had a windows based smartphone.  I do like the Evernote application.  It is a really nice desktop and iphone application that can do many things and does them well.  I use evernote to type up my notes and take pictures of things I want to remember like business cards and things like that.  It is easy to search for my information which is a key requisite in my system.

I also use the “Remember The Milk” (RTM) application.  It is a web based application.  It also has a really nice iphone application (paid version only).  I started to use the RTM application because I started to work somewhere where I didn’t have full control of my Outlook tasks and couldn’t sync to my iphone.  I use RTM to set up reminders and to remember things I might have to do for work or need to be done around the house.  I can be alerted via several methods whether it is an SMS text, email, or even by twitter.

I have started using a moleskine cahier as my catch all “to do list”. I take a cahier with me everywhere.  I don’t always carry my iphone with me wherever I go (I know blasphemy!).  I still haven’t gotten used to typing on the iphone and can write faster in the cahier.  I protect it with a leather cover from Renaissance Art.  The cahier has a very flimsy cover and while that makes it easier to carry in your pocket, it will tend to fall apart without this protection. 

I have a large moleskine notebook that I use to take notes in.  I keep the notebook in a Rickshaw folio.  I like this folio a lot.  It holds a few of my pens and pencils and some other odds and ends and isn’t too big.

I also keep a journal.  It is an Oberon Design Lotus Icon journal.  This is starting to go with me everywhere.  I might do a post later about this journal in more length.

All in all this system works for me.  Yes, there are a lot of “inboxes”, but it allows me to be flexible.  I have successfully dealt with the “What should I use, digital or analog for my GTD system?” by using both ;-).  I might have a few minor tweaks like using the new extra small moleskine volant’s instead of the larger cahiers for my catch all notes.

New job

I start a new job tomorrow.  I had only worked at my previous job for two months.  I believe that is a record for me.  I am not one to job hop from job to job.  I like to become part of “the gang” that has been there for a while and has a lot of knowledge of the position.  It is a double edged sword staying at one place for too long as you can get stuck in a rut and the routine can start wearing you down. 

I am excited about this new position as it has a lot of possibilities ahead of it.  My previous position was a contractor position which was technically a long time contract at times it didn’t feel like it.  This helped make the decision to go with this new position.

I do feel blessed that in this economy I was able to have a choice on where I work.  Many others are not so fortunate and I realize that.  Along with many others I am looking forward to when the economy picks up and the unemployment rate can go back down again.

Onwards and upwards!