I really like how my PDA has been working! I particularly like how I never have to recharge the battery! I did have a problem with the “Real Simple” cover ~ it did not withstand the constant use, so I had to figure out something else.
I ended up buying a package of “Impact Presentation Solutions” Premium Rigid Covers. They are intended for business reports & presentation documents. (But I have a binding machine, and sometimes need that kind of cover to bind articles I print off the internet, etc. So it will come in handy for that, too.)
I like the thickness & texture of this plastic, and it turned out to be just perfect for my PDA. It can be cut to the right size using a pair of scissors. I cut the back cover wider than 3x5, so that about 3/8” would extend on the right-hand side, to accommodate my Bic Four-Color Stylus. I punched four holes along that edge, with a hole-puncher, and put a hair elastic in the bottom two holes, to hold the pen, and looped a gigantic rubber band through the top two holes, to use as a way to keep the PDA closed when not in use. (These huge rubber bands are available at an office supply store.)
Another change I have made is to put the metal ring through the bottom left corner, instead of the bottom right.
For the most part, I use David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” method, although I have adapted it to my own needs, as everyone does, and I could be better at it, in some areas. But here is how I use my PDA in my implementation of GTD:
For a ubiquitous capture tool, I have some 3x5 notepads in pretty colors, and I put a few sheets in the very front of my PDA. It doesn’t need to be as durable as a 3x5 card, because it’s just for jotting things down to process later. I actually don’t need this very often ~ most information goes directly into my T-Mobile Sidekick Gizmo (such as names & addresses, book recommendations, etc.) Information that I know I want to keep for a long time goes in there. The 3x5 paper would be for very short-term information, like directions to a place I’m going that day, or anything else that I might want to process differently than into the Gizmo.
The page I look at throughout the day is the daily “Dance Card” page (my schedule of appointments). I have about a week of those in the PDA at any one time. As I go through the day, I also write down what I have done, so that it is kind of a short-hand journal. I archive these pages in a 3x5 file box. On the opposite page is my SuperFoods list (see an earlier blog entry about that), and in between, on a colored, folded 4x6 card, I keep my all-important Next Actions list.
I have always struggled with the best way to use a Next Actions list. This is an area where David Allen’s methodology doesn’t work for me, if I use it “by the book.”
I tried having the list divided into separate contexts, because that seemed to make a lot of sense. But my work life differs from many people’s, in that I do not automatically find myself in the contexts where I need to get things done. One of my jobs (at a church) can be done on my own schedule, and I found that having my actionable items on a separate list didn’t work. I would not be in that context, so I would fail to look at the list. But I had no reminder system to tell me to put myself in that context often enough. Now, I put everything on one list, and the list is in my face every day. So I see the things I need to do at the church, and that reminds me to go there and get those things done!
I was worried that this would make my Next Action list long and unwieldy, but that has not happened. Sometimes I write “GS” out in the margin if I need to be at the church to do it. And if it is an Errand, I write “E” in the margin. This is enough organization ~ I don’t need separate lists! When I am running errands, I can quickly see the “E” items, and when I am at the church, I can see the “GS” items without having to read through the whole list.
Another thing that keeps my Next Action list from becoming long and overwhelming and scary-looking ~ If I am sure there is no reasonable chance I will get around to this task in one week, it doesn’t go on the list. It goes on my “Sleeper Projects” list. About once a week, I look at this list, and if the time is right, I can activate the project by putting a Next Action on my Next Action list. I don’t like to use David Allen’s term “Someday/Maybe,” because that wording arouses my skepticism. “Yeah, right. Someday, maybe I’ll do this.” I prefer to be more hopeful about it. “The project is only sleeping ~ sleep is good! When the time is right, it will wake up!”
Having the Next Actions on a 4x6, folded, gives me lots of room ~ enough for a whole week of actions to be added & crossed off. When the card is full or too messy, I rewrite the uncompleted actions on a new card, and start over. (That is good motivation for knocking off some of the quicker actions, especially ones that I’ve been avoiding. I don’t want to rewrite them week after week!)
On the “inside” page of the folded card, there is room to keep a running shopping list ~ any groceries or other items that I need are written down here, as well as errands. Not all errands go on the Next Action list ~ only the really vital ones. But it’s nice to have a more complete Errands list, because when I’m out doing a Vital Errand, I can see that there are other places I might as well go, as long as I’m out.
In the next sections are my weekly and monthly pages, printed from DIYPlanner.com ~ I currently have the weeks up until January ’09. When I need to write something on the calendar, the rule is that if there is a daily page for that day, I write it there. If not, then it goes on the weekly page. And if it is for a date beyond what I have weekly pages for, it goes on the Monthly pages. I might write them on all three, but if I do, I have to remember that the Daily Page has the most authority, then the Weekly, then the Monthly. It is good to see all formats, so you can brace yourself for what is coming at you. I have two marathons about to hit me in the face, and I can only see that if I look at my monthly calendar!
The next section is my Projects ~ I keep lists of current projects, sleepers, and recurring tasks that I should be doing automatically. At the weekly review, I can add to these lists, and make sure I have Next Actions written down (on the NA list) to move the projects forward, if they are active, and to wake up any sleepers that have slept long enough. That is also the time to see if I have been remembering to do recurring tasks. If I’m not doing well (which is often the case), I will put it on my Next Action list. “Floss teeth” is one that I find I neglect to do. If it is on my Next Action list, I am much more likely to do it! (I keep it on there for a week, and don’t cross it off.) But if it is happening without that prompt, I don’t clutter up my NA list with it.
The next section is particular to my work ~ I plan the music for an Episcopal service each week, and it is good to have that information at hand, so I can see what is coming up, and know what to practice. Like the “Dance Card,” and the “SuperFoods Card,” this is a form I have made on Microsoft Word, and I print them on my computer. I currently have services planned through August, so now it is time to select new liturgy music, and start planning fall services.
The “Students” section is for my piano teaching, both at the community college, and private students. I have a card for each student. With the college students, I have their contact information and a record of their lessons, so when it is time to figure grades, it’s an easy job. For the private students, I should jot down when they pay, but I’m not very good about doing that (unless I notice that they haven’t been paying me! And that has happened!)
Finally, there is a “Money” section, which is simply my checkbook register. That is also a form from DIYPlanner. Nothing special to say about it. It’s just a checkbook register.
I keep the sections easy to find by using Durable Tabs. I found that Divider Cards made the PDA thicker than it needed to be.
I have tried to do GTD for many years, with more-or-less success. But this current setup has given me more success with it! A good system is one where you get things done without having to think too much about your system. Especially with the addition of the 4x6 Next Action card, I have had more “stress-free productivity” than I used to.
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