Cool GTD Moleskine Hack
For at least a year or so I’ve watched in amazement as much of the blog world went crazy over the Getting Things Done (GTD) time and project management system. I admit I wanted to jump in, cause for a lot of people it is an “old fashion” paper-based system, and I must admit I am still a mechanical pencil and legal pad planning guy (even if I am on a computer close to 24/7).
After reading the book, spending a lot of time on 43 Folders, and tinkering with the system’s concepts, I just could pull myself away from my current organizational structure. But through my research I was introduced to Moleskine notebooks. I’d been playing around with “hacking” each of my Moleskine notebooks to my tastes for months. A little change here, a little tweak here.
But then I stumbled across this post by Eston Bond. It struck a cord me my on multiple levels. One, he had the same “cult” feeling I did. And two, the hacks he suggests are similar to what I was doing, but with more of a GTD focus.
I
Cool Printable Planning Forms
Although I spent way to much time on a computer, I still prefer paper when it comes to planning. So if you are like me, you know “old school,” you should appreciate these free printable planning forms from Organized Home. There are few of any cutesy graphics, plus they are all pretty functional.
GTD Fast Company Article
I’ve been doing some background research related to David Allen’s book Getting Things Done and found this article in Fast Company database. It is a great introduction to GTD. An
excerpt from one of David:
There is always more to do than there is time to do it, especially in an environment of so much possibility. We all want to be acknowledged; we all want our work to be meaningful. And in an attempt to achieve that goal, we all keep letting stuff enter our lives.
The problem is that we also want to finish what we start. Much of the stress that people feel doesn
D*I*Y Hispter PDA
You’d have to be living under a rock if you spend anytime online and have not heard about Getting Things Done (GTD). David Allen’s book about how to work more effectively is talked about on thousands of sites and blogs. My introduction to GTD occurred more then a year ago via 43 Folders.
The author of 43 Folders, Merlin Mann talks about personal productivity in a manner that cuts to the chase. He also does wonderful reviews of software applications, office tools, you name it. And not that long ago he introduced the Hipster PDA. According to Merlin:
The Hipster PDA (Parietal Disgorgement Aid) is a fully extensible system for coordinating incoming and outgoing data for any aspect of your life and work. It scales brilliantly, degrades gracefully, supports optional categories and
Backpack is Almost Here
Tomorrow is the launch date for Backpack, the next web application from the wonderful folks at 37 Signals. I can’t wait. Just some background. 37 Signals is a five person design and application development firm known for creating simple applications that don’t try to do everything, but that do a few things very well. They already offer a project management system called Basecamp and a free list tool called Ta-da List.
I am especially looking forward to Backpack, which at its core is a personal information manager, because I have recently become a huge fan of GTD and 43 Folders. Therefore, I could really use one simple web-based application to manage both my personal and professional information. Backpack is supposed to allow me to do just that. Backpack should allow me to organize many of the things things I need access to on a daily basis, all in one place including text, notes, lists, pictures, due dates, and emails.
