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I'm sorry if I missed a previous thread about this, but I don't think too highly of phpbb's search function, which I did use in an attempt to find any prior discussions.

I'm just curious if there are any devotees to David Allen's methods described in Getting Things Done. It's developed a geek following, and since I figured I had a similar mindset as other geeks, I thought it might be helpful for me, too. So far I'm enjoying the book, which is pretty short, and I think it's ideas are already helping me, even though I haven't finished the book or really implemented the system yet.

The funny thing is that for all my love of computers, so far I'm digging my HipsterPDA—actually, I'm using this template—more than the hand-me-down Sony Clie. The speed of using a Palm is just too slow, and the thing too bulky to have with me all the time. It's really far easier to whip this thing out and jot something down. Not to mention that syncing in Ubuntu is a joke without jPilot; and jPilot, a decent program, doesn't integrate with any other program I use.

I've found it somewhat unrealistic for a sysadmin, or at least this sysadmin - I simply do not have a day I can "organize" - I have a day that is "thrown at me" and I have to react how I can. It seems primarily aimed at people who have genuine desk jobs in a managerial setting - meaning, people who schedule meetings and do "one on ones," not people who are in the thick of the fray.

I suppose it's one of the better books on organization, though - it just seemed like there were about 15 pages of content surrounded by about 150 pages of fluff. Not really my style.

I'd recommend Thom Limoncelli's "Time Management for System Administrators" if you're in the tech field and really need to manage your time better - it at least has your field in mind, and Thom is a sharp, sharp man. I have yet to finish his Magnum Opus "The Practice of System and Network Administration" which is the final word, as far as I can tell, on the subject. Thick with content. Thick.

Vogateer wrote:I'm sorry if I missed a previous thread about this, but I don't think too highly of phpbb's search function, which I did use in an attempt to find any prior discussions.

i use google to search the fourm, works a treat

I've been using David Allen's principles for quite a while now. It works great with just slight tweaking as I have a job that requires some reaction time in my typical days.

Where the DA principles help is the fact that my basic day structures are outlined with routine tasks, meetings, etc. Then when something does happen that distracts me for a bit I can come back and know what has/has not been done and where I left off at.

As far as PDAs go, that's all a personal matter as to what your preference is. Just make sure that it works for you and not against you.

Vogateer wrote: I'm just curious if there are any devotees to David Allen's methods described in Getting Things Done. It's developed a geek following, and since I figured I had a similar mindset as other geeks, I thought it might be helpful for me, too. So far I'm enjoying the book, which is pretty short, and I think it's ideas are already helping me, even though I haven't finished the book or really implemented the system yet.

I've got it, but haven't really implemented it yet. As I was reading I noticed that his philosophies are similar to what I'm already doing.

The great thing is if you write down EVERYTHING you need to do, you don't have to worry that you've forgotten something. It's also a lot easier to drop things you'll never get to when you see how much you really have to do.

I'm a bit surprised that you found it unreasonable, Snarkout, since it seems to be popular with IT people. People at work have been marveling at how clean my desk is (it was a disaster area before), and I've certainly noticed a decrease in stress.

The ideology really helped me. Like Gomer_X said, when you write down everything you need to do, you can begin to relax and stop those tasks from running around your head all day. I finally have a list that gives me a good idea of what I have to do, and I've finally been able to tell people, "No," with confidence that I really can't manage yet another task this week. The tickler file is already useful, I have the label printer as he recommends, and so far things are going much more smoothly for me.

Obviously, if you're already organized, this stuff may be nothing new for you, but for someone like me, it's been a big help. Also, it's become obvious that I'm not the only one at work that could use help in this area, since over half the people at our staff meeting perked up and started writing down the title of the book and the author. One person has already told me that she bought it, and another bought one for her husband, while another guy is borrowing my book.

I managed to make pretty much all the mistakes he lines out in the book, keeping actions written on the same page as my project list instead of separating them, not acting on things or filing them right away, keeping incomplete to-do lists, putting down things I'd like to get done on my daily calendar instead of things I have to do, using a horrible clunker of a filing cabinet, all that stuff. I'll try not to become a wild-eyed cult-like follower of his stuff, but it's been a big help for me.

I guess I should have pointed out that I already had a to do list that follows, basically, what his formula is. The problem is that when you work for an organization similar to the one I do, your list ends up becoming a huge pile of "someday maybe" that is extremely important, but you cannot gain any traction on. The only time things move off of that list is when something fails and all of a sudden there is a shitstorm that requires everyone to drop their pants, grab their ankles, and focus 100% of their effort on the situation that should have been addressed months if not years earlier. Otherwise, I'm usually juggling at least 20 MUST DO RIGHT NOW tasks, and dealing with the fact that my peers are either badly untrained, idiots, or both. All the while, of course, ignoring the TODAY list. I already know, generally, what I need to do, and if I don't it's because someone didn't tell me about an upcoming project. The problem is having time or ability to get things done, not being too disorganized to know what *needs* to be done.

For this corporate environment the make-a-list lifestyle is more or less useless. I think it's a great system if you have a task-based job or your main function in management - I don't think it works so well otherwise.

Vogateer wrote:I'm just curious if there are any devotees to David Allen's methods described in Getting Things Done.

The funny thing is that for all my love of computers, so far I'm digging my HipsterPDA—actually, I'm using this template—more than the hand-me-down Sony Clie. The speed of using a Palm is just too slow, and the thing too bulky to have with me all the time. It's really far easier to whip this thing out and jot something down. Not to mention that syncing in Ubuntu is a joke without jPilot; and jPilot, a decent program, doesn't integrate with any other program I use.

Now this is a topic! I have not read nor do I fully understand the Getting Things Done system. However, perhaps the important thing is to have a system that organizes and works for you. Through the years I have gained organizing skills, and these little things have built into my system.

Now I will say that since putting into place the hipster-pda with the Unix CLI programs calendar, remind, enscript, and wyrd I have been happier, more productive, and more organized than ever. I don't use the DIY templates, but have put together a killer hipster-pda in the following way.
1. I have a weekly calendar that is kept up to date in wyrd, printed using remind piped to enscript for a one week calendar that I can fold and staple to a 3x5 card.

2. I made an extended calendar section by using calendar piped to enscript to print out a full year calendar which I cut up the months and pasted onto 3x5 cards. In the extended calender you put a box around the day when something is scheduled, and then write the appointment on the back of the 3x5 card. (Those get entered into wyrd which this gets printed at the beginning of each week to give me my week long calendar.)

3. I bought a pack of 3x5 with 5 colors of lines. I use these for todos. I found that my life todos can be divided into 5 different areas home, work, work publications, volunteer organization, and computer hobby. These different color cards keep track of my todos

4. I converted a 8 1/2 x 11 directory that I have made up with all my important numbers and addresses, and I print off every once in a while to 3x5 size pages. This gets printed and glued to 3x5's. Now I have my address book from my Palm with me (however it does make the hipster a little thick so I have that as a separate hipster with the bulk of my directory and just a few pages I use often in the hipster.)

5. I have 5-10 blank 3x5 for notes, messages, ideas, and anything else.

6. I hook all these together by putting a single punch through the upper right side in landscape (left handed so works best for me) and then put a ring through all the cards, and a rubber band wrapped around it so I can keep a pen with it at all times.

7. Finally I have a 3x5 card holder to file the blank cards and completed weeks, and months. It also has a section "inbox" for cards that need to be acted upon or the information needs to be forwarded to someone else or stored on the computer. It has a section "outbox" just for historic back up of cards that have finished their useful service.

I have tried the Palm and loved it. I have even tried a PocketPC 2003 and it is a love / hate relationship. I have gotten none of them to work right with Linux, but my hipster-pda interfaces perfectly.