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The Getting Things Done phenomenon - an update primer
Written by JakeDahn - February 16, 2007
In the last few months, the GTD (Getting Things Done) phenomenon has exploded across the net, and there are now plenty of tools, and apps that help people do exactly what they're looking for! For those of you who don't know, GTD stands for Getting Things Done, and came from a book, by David Allen, it is basically an organizational philosophy, and it has helped tons upon tons of people. As GTD spreads, people are making more and more things on the internet, to help out the folks who would like to use it.
So I've decided to list a variety of tools, that some people may like to play around with. I've come across many GTD-centric ideas, but I'm just going to list my top 5 favorites.
- Vitalist - Vitalist is a pretty cool web app, all around. It has plenty of tools, and ways to keep things updated and going. The coolest thing about Vitalist, I think, is the fact that you can update all of your lists, and projects, right from your 'smartphone'. Being able to modify everything, while you're on the go, is one of the things that GTD apps need to work on, it seems to keep things effective, you have to be able to update things at any given moment. So this is really my favorite GTD app.
- GTDTiddlyWiki - GTDTiddlyWiki is a wiki, geared specifically towards GTD. It has places, and categories, for you to categorize anything you're working on. GTDTiddlyWiki is all just one html file, you can download it, host it yourself, or you can just use it on the page linked above. There is no database behind GTDTiddlyWiki, everything is cached in your browser, making it extremely to throw up around different places on the web.
- Nozbe - Nozbe is a pretty sweet web app, which is currently in beta. It was done by the folks at http://www.apivision.com/, and it really is nice. You could make this your one stop spot, for all of your GTD recording needs. It has just about everything that you would need, and want in a GTD tool. The only thing it lacks, is a nice friendly design, but it's still a great tool!
- Tracks- Tracks is an open source rails app, which you host yourself. If you have Ruby on Rails setup on your webserver, this is really worth a test run. The ui isn't the greatest, but it sure gets the job done! It's got everything you need for keeping up with all of your projects, and the best thing is, that it's open source!
- Todo Lists - For number five, I chose to link to a bunch of todo list apps. There are tons out there, and they area extremely useful, especially when trying to use the GTD mindset. So the three that have really stuck out, to me are Stikkit, Remember The Milk, and the todo list features of Backpack. Out of the three, my favorite is Stikkit, because the design is very nice, and it's great and easy to use!
Those are my round ups, for the day. If you're interested in learning more about GTD, I'll leave you with a bunch of GTD resource links. here they are (added Digg'ers suggestions):
- http://www.kinkless.com/
- http://www.diyplanner.com/templates/official/hpda
- http://wiki.43folders.com/index.php/GTD
- http://gtdmastery100.com/
- http://smerino.bol.ucla.edu/gtd/gtd-resources.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_GTD_software
- http://mgtd-alpha.tiddlyspot.com/
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I tried to read this book, but it honestly seemed lame as all hell. I prefer to just *do* something. And I get more things done than almost anyone I know...
If you want a strategy to get stuff done... here's a hint: Do it instead of reading about it in a book. :)
It really takes a while to get into . I mean to really start with it, you have to figure out the best ways of collecting everything, and all of this other stuff.
Collection, for me, seems like the hardest part, which is why all of these web services help out, a lot.
The whole point of GTD, is to keep things organized, so when you are supposed to do something, you know exactly what to do, and when to do it, instead of floundering with procrastination.
Procastination is really a disease (as much as alcoholism at least). It's so damn hard to fight, and I think list type services like this provide a better way of organizing time but it still requires dedication from the user
Good list started. This is the year of GTD I believe. I think enough of us have been irk'd by the lack of a full fledge integrated application and they are marching. Keep watching, the best is yet to come. ;-)
To Jimmy, you read too closely, it's not that dogmatic, really. David's book is just a few easy steps to helping you swim through the chaos that should be your world. The way you implement it/apply it is really up to you, his examples don't have to be your methodologies. You can move forward by just doing, but if you don't plan with strategy you're more apt to be in rat holes than above board.
The way I try and term it to friends is this. If you are going to sleep at night and anything nags you about tomorrow, you need GTD. If you are brushing your teeth in the morning and you just remembered something you should have done yesterday, you need GTD.
-a
I completely agree with everything you said!
@Jimmy
Some people can just *do* it - you're fortunate if you're one of them...
Some people have to work harder at it, believe it or not. Not everybody is a natural. For myself, a little bit of structure can go a long way! :)
Just like many people out there I got interested in the whole Getting Things Done phenomenon recently (in my case, almost 6 months ago).
I have tried other methodologies but finally settled on GTD because it really works.
Since then I have started my own GTD blog to keep track of my own experiences with GTD and share it with others.
For those really interested in GTD resources, I have created the Ultimate Getting Things Done Index, which automatically keeps track of recent entries on many GTD blogs, but also Digg, Flickr, and so on. And it lists many many more software apps for GTD (online and offline). Check it out!
Keep op GTD-ing because it really works! ;)
-gtdfrk
Reading blog you would think that GTD is about using good software. I am however always happy to add more potential ideas and opportunities to my GTD options. Having read the book and implemented as much GTD methods as I can for now I would point out GTD is not about software and links. Its about not using your brain and your memory as a storage device for tasks and ideas .Its about making sure you WRITE STUFF DOWN and get it OUT OF YOUR HEAD in such a way that you will effectively use those notes to Get things done. It is also about not creating barriers to doing this and to helping to do this. For example one thing I took away from GTD was that if something is not easy to do or pleasant to achieve then you will put it off. From this I learnt that much of my paper piling habits were because I could not file and put away letters and printed material easily and without it being a chore. Similar experiences of GTD are that the large pile of DVDs by the side of the DVD player are caused by the fact that the place to store DVDs was actually on the shelf several metres away from the player ,so I was reluctant ( yep lazy ) to just put them back . So please if youve no experience of GTD or the ideas then take time to read the book and realise that it is not exclusively related to software and applications. I do hope this helps , the Pod casts of Merlin Mann , 43Folders and the Book by Dave Allen have been damned useful to me and I would commend them to every professional self employed geek out there today.
please, for the love of god, proof-read your fucking posts.
Thanks - can you help me by pointing out the error?
I don't know about them but I thought finishing the last three bulletpoints made you sound like you were cheerleading a bit. Good list of pointers though.
Finishing them with exclamation points that is. :)
Check the end of the GTDTiddlyWiki paragraph. It's extremely... what? :)
Seems what's going on is that people are spending more time organizing and trying to get organized than just getting the things done in the first place. It isn't rocket science. Wake up, make a list, check things of the list.
Oh yeh, and why do you think that? Have you actually read into GTD (besides this page)? Have you read people's comments on WHY it helped them out? Did you actually THINK before you SPOKE? Next time, make sure you have a good reason to criticize before you do. Theres a good reason why just making a line by line list is not as powerful as some of these other methods and programs.
Ignorance is a disease, don't spread it.
Great list. You should also check out David Seah's Personal CEO series at http://davidseah.com. Although this is not a software for GTD, the templates and documents are very useful IMO.
Your links are all software-centric. There are very good paper-based GTD systems worthy of mention, such as www.nextactioncards.com and others.
Every time I turn around there's more and more GTD-related web gadgetry, and it generates more buzz than Anna Nicole. I'm a total sucker for something to help organize me, and I've been on a quest for the right tools like they were the holy grail, but I've gotta admit, I've been reluctant to jump on this particular bandwagon. I briefly looked at the website; it just seems so COMPLICATED!!!
I guess my million dollar question is, what makes this particular system THE one? How is it different from say, "The 7 Habits" series, or any others of the gazillion organizational, personal/effectiveness/time management systems out there?
Getting things done isn't really all that complicated. its really all about Collecting(your ideas) and Processing them (do it if you can, defer it if not). All you NEED to GTD is lists and a calendar.
The real bottom line with GTD (for me) is achieving higher levels of thinking, if you aren't thinking "I need to pick up coffee" your mind can concentrate on bigger things.
Check this out also:
http://www.gtd-php.com/
Works very well for me!
Thanks for the list -- I'm going to go check out the first on your list, as I would really like to have something that works when I'm away from my PC.
If you're an OS X user, and don't mind a desktop app -- Midnight Inbox is worth a look. It's still a bit early to pay for, but the GTD implementation is very solid, the interface is extremely nice, and its real-time integration with Mail.app and iCal is very helpful.
But I would honestly tell anyone who is interested to not completely move their GTD system over to the 1.0.5 release currently posted - it's too buggy to move all your data into just yet. Wait for the next release, due in a week or so.
Next, OmniGroup (maker of some wonderful apps for OS X) is currently working on a GTD app, called OmniFocus. No idea when it is coming out.
Thanks for the list!
-Doug
ReviewHub.com
"Thousands of gadget reviews, indexed by manufacturer and category"
I have a couple of problems with some of the suggested tools. First is that a person would have to be out of their minds to store important/confidential information on some third-party server. It makes as much sense as a doctor using Hotmail for doctor-patient e-mail. You just know something's going to leak and you will regret it. The second is accessibility by handicapped people. I have bad hands (RSI) and I have older relatives with severe arthritis. Using a computer is a bit of a challenge but with speech recognition, I manage. Most web-based applications are actively hostile to speech recognition users. Telephones are actively hostile to people with bad hands or vision problems.
Writing is also a problem. I'm good for about a page a day of barely legible scribbles. So how does one get things done when your hands or eyes don't work?
Looking forward to your insights.
--- squeak
I do the whole GTD on paper, lists and a calendar.. (and some files) But you really don't NEED to use a computer. That being said, there is a lot of really cool GTD software out there.
I use Toodledo.com to manage my tasks and it does most GTD stuff quite nicely.
I am one of those GTD-ers that got caught in the action in the last few months. This is the reason I started my own blog at www.edragonu.ro, not only to talk about GTD, but because I could! Practicing GTD gave me a lot of free time and clarity, so I got time for other things... And, from several months of practice, I can only say that this is a process, not a software. You can do it with pen and paper. And still getting great results...
http://www.betabug.com is DE tool for managing tasks and bugs online!
We've just added some cool stuff to Nozbe:
- you can re-arrange your contexts, add new and even assign cool icons to them
- you can share your projects with others to co-GTD with other people and share the GTD cult :-)
- special inbox and file sharing will be added next week.
Thanks for this post and thanks to all who have tried Nozbe :-)
For your interest, I've posted a mindmap / flowchart of the GTD system here.
Keep an eye on Propel'r - a web based GTD project management app. It aims to bridge the gap between traditional project management and GTD.
I use Thinking Rock with great success. http://www.thinkingrock.com.au/