iCal & GTD
MO
this time on how to use iCal to GTD. So please, I'd like to hear how
folks are using the Apple apps to GTD, not hear things like "Yeah,
right! Good luck! LOL!". ;-)
I'm working on trying to make this happen for me, and I'm sure there
are others. So I'd love to hear suggestions and explore questions. So
far, I see very little reason why one can't use calendars as GTD
folders, and there is no reason for the 43 folders as one can just put
things on the date they belong (that doesn't mean you don't still need
real world folders). I think part of the secret in making this work
lies in knowing iCal well (e.g.: did you know you could drag a To Do to
the calendar to make an event out of that To Do? Or how to use of the
search results list?). Perhaps there is a plug-in or two that helps
extend it just enough. Clearly everything isn't going to be automated,
but then the real world folders and hipsters aren't automated either.
So let the games begin: How do you get most everything out of Apples'
apps?
Berko
my email. All brilliant and novel uses for those apps, right? Apple
doesn't have an app that does project management as such. I think it is
best to get what you can out of trustworthy apps (some would argue
whether Mail is trustworthy or not). For me OS X is how I GTD. Of
course that means using apps that run on OS X, especially Quicksilver
and OmniOutliner Pro with kGTD, but OS X is the core that makes it all
possible and very "mind like water."
If you wanted to track projects in iCal, I think the easiest way would
be to create a calendar for each project. Perhaps even group these
under a Getting Things Done group. Then, you could publish to .Mac or
another webDAV server and have "project" access when you are away. Of
course, all this is read-only. For me and many other people constantly
with Powerbook or iBook in tow, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. For
me, if something comes up that I need to input, it will never be more
than an hour or so before I have my Powerbook open and enter the data.
YMMV, particularly if you are desktop tethered.
MO
perfect organizer, which is becoming increasingly clear doesn't exist.
Or I could try to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) and try to use what's
I've got. So, here is how I set up iCal to keep everything organized
and moving forward. Please do make comments and suggestions; that's why
I posted it here. I will expand on this as time allows; I have stuff
that needs to get done now. My apologies if you are on both the 43
Folders and the Macintosh PIMs list.
I don't need 43 folders/tickler files as I can just put everything
scheduled right where it belongs. I use manual To Do sorts to keep
actions in order for Projects. When I'm ready to schedule To Dos, I
drag them to the calendar and place them where I think I'm going to do
them. After I have all the next actions on the calendar, I adjust the
time range to reflect how long I think it's going to take and I move
them around, so I don't over schedule, and so I can see the big picture
and adjust priorities. To Do list is set to show current calendar view
only.
I wish iCal To Dos would allow for recurring due dates, but because
they don't, I just reset the date when they are done (if they recur),
rather than checking the "completed" box. "Waiting For" items get
alarms for reminders of when I need to followup. I am exploring using
outline/notes/notebook to give me more depth in planning projects.
I have the following Calendars and Calendar groups(-Calendars are
designated with a super hyphen; -Groups are designated with the reg.
hyphen). I'm sure there are more groups and calendars here than some
folks would like to see, but like I said above, I'd like even more
depth. I keep the Calendar groups closed unless I need them open.
- In Bucket: This is for quick notes for what came to mind and I
don't want to sort right away.
-Appts./Sched.: This is for all appts and schedules for me and anyone I
need to keep track of (eg kids Dr. appts, field trips, school calendar,
etc.) I set up the following calendars within this group:
- My appts (include work)
- Kid 1 appts
- Kid 2 appts
- Wife's calendar (subscribed to)
- School calendar (I think I might have to publish this to iCalShare
- My Schedule (for routines, eg jogging, poker night, etc.)
- Birthdays (from Address Book)
- US Holidays (from Apple)
-Work: This is only for work related stuff, so I can turn the whole
group off when I want to. Calendars within this group include:
- Current Project A
- Current Project A1 (if I need to break it down)
- Current Project B
- General Business
- Finances
- Time sheet ( I typically bill by the hour so I need to keep track)
-Home: This includes any routine household things like:
- Shopping
- Auto maintenance
- House (eg Strome windows)
- Finances (paybills, reconcile)
-Personal Projects: This is for any projects (more than a couple of
tasks)
- Addition
- Sailboat
-Someday maybe:
- General Ideas
- Potential Projects
- Work Ideas
-Community: This is for tasks only; meetings go to my Appts./Sched.
above.
- Zoning Brd.
- PTA
- Politics
- Fun: This is to include anything that is just fun, and I include
here things I see I might like to do (a concert next weekend, an AMC
hike, Festival. etc..). Everything in this group is colored red. If I
decide to do them, they get moved to my Appts./Sched. above.
- Music
- Hiking
- Patriot's Schedule (from iCalShare)
-Invisible Recurrring Stuff: This is a separate calendar for things
that I have setup for alarm reminders, that I don't want cluttering my
calendar (eg temporary medicine reminders, reminder to go to bed;-).
You can set Events and To Do's with alarms, and then deselect this
calendar so you don't see the them, but the alarms still work.
MO
out data I don't want to see.
Berko
what I do, although I only have around ten calendars in my iCal. How do
you track your NAs with this system? If everything has a due date
and/or priority, then it wouldn't be that hard, but if not, you have a
whole mass of NAs to contend with at any given time. Do your groups
serve as your contexts so that when you are at Work, you uncheck the
others and have only work stuff visible? It seems like it's working for
you so your system might be worth explaining in a little more detail.
MO
"How do you track your NAs with this system?"
NAs become NAs by being dragged to the calendar to give them a specific
date and time. It is dealt with very much like it would be if done
manually. I also assign an expected duration this way so I can be
somewhat realistic in what I can get done, and it will force me to make
choices this way, perhaps even delegate or cut as I see I don't have
time for everything. These can of course be flexible.
"If everything has a due date and/or priority, then it wouldn't be that
hard, but if not, you have a
whole mass of NAs to contend with at any given time."
Some calendars have lots of undated To Dos associated with them; that's
just the way life is. They get dates as needed/ as possible. I might
date one or several during reviews. Otherwise they are off the radar,
unless I want to see them. The calendar serves as my major to do list.
I do leave somethings dated on the To Do list, but these are always at
the top in dated order so I don't have to look for them or sort through
the rest.
"Do your groups serve as your contexts so that when you are at Work,
you uncheck the
others and have only work stuff visible?"
Exactly right. But in conjunction with the current calendar view. I had
to be able to easily shut off part of my life (the lists) at times,
though "Appts./Sched" group is always on as I can (and need) to deal
with what's scheduled. It's just all the other long lists I need to
shut off. I also create special contexts as well for special situations
(eg: office supply store, trips). Sometimes I just use the notes field
for lists. For example, I might tentatively schedule a trip to the
office supply store for every other Monday afternoon, and then I'd use
the notes field to list and add what I need. The note list includes a
bunch of standard things to check; before going I cross off what I
don't need. I move the shopping date to another date and time if I need
to. I use "repeat" to schedule this every other week, thus allowing the
standard list to remain the same (or I can modify it going forward each
week. If I delay the trip all the future trips can be delayed as well
to get back on two week schedule.
BTW, this works great for those tasks that should get done on some kind
of minimal schedule, like empty the cat litter every 4 days. Just
schedule it for the next time, repeat every 4 days. Then move it back
(or forward) if you do it early (or late); the repeat function will
keep the future dates 4 days apart if you move any of them, as long as
you choose "All" when asked.
"It seems like it's working for you so your system might be worth
explaining in a little more detail."
I hope the above answers help. More specific questions are welcome too.
It is hard to see what's not obvious to me. Questions and feedback also
give me ideas how to refine it.
MO
than the notes field.
MO
process, primarily because it now works wit To Dos and because of the
complete integration with Apple's apps (from their site):
Do I lose all information after the free test period?
No. The good thing about Crm4Mac is that all information is in your
Addressbook, iCal and Mail applications. When the free period is over
and you do not want to continue (which we cannot imagine), you simply
switch to the Apple applications and see all info you can expect. Of
course the linked data is hidden until you start using Crm4Mac.
Jeffrey Long
MO
Thanks Jeffrey,
Looks like you've nailed down a pretty straight forward solution.