Task List v. Calendar

[DerekS]

I am working through GTD (Again). I like the idea of collecting stuff
and getting it into a pile to process however I am having trouble with
deciding between the calendar (google in this case) and a task list
(RTM).

If the item is timed and dated it falls on the calendar, ie. Lunch
with Ruby tuesday at Noon

but for reminders, RTM is quite the cats meow... can send text/email/
both to remind of things to do... the issue with that is for a
reminder from RTM to work, it needs to be timed and dates, making it a
calendar item....

not sure if I should use both or one... or neither...

looking for ideas I guess...

thanks

Derek

[Jim Barrows]

I don't think it's a question of which one is better... I think it's a
question of what works for me.
I currently use goocal and vitalist myself. I put all tasks in
vitalist, and then if I need to schedule one, I copy it over to
goocal. Yes I have it in both places, it's annoying.
The real problem is that calendar and tasks are not two separate
things. They are two different views into your time. If you schedule
more tasks then you can get done in a day, that's not good scheduling.
That's assuming of course all of your appointments and tasks are
known before hand. Adjusting as you go is occasionally not a result
of bad prior planning.
Do what works for you, and makes sense. Stay away from the Task list
OR the Calendar, and embrace the power of AND.

--
James A Barrows

[Derek Schauland]

I like that idea... as I look at both calendar and RTM constantly... however I am looking for a way to make them work together... but the alerts from tasks (like "hey check voicemail") work best if sent to cell in case I am not @ desk, but I like RTMs SMS reminders better, which requires date/time info and should be kept in calendar...

both can be used both ways I think but Im not sure how to embrace them...

--
Derek Schauland

2008 Microsoft MVP

[Jim Barrows]

Again, embrace the power of and, and adjust.
It's not unusual for me to get several alerts for one thing. One from
goocal, one from vitalist. One from the blackberry itself. Sometimes
annoying.. sometimes a good reason to tell someone "Hey, i really need
to get going... they're getting upset." I never explain that "They"
are the atuomatons that are doing as I have directed :)

--
James A Barrows

[Derek Schauland]

Thats an interesting way to see it...

So rather than have 1 reminder for each, let them come in as they do and manage as needed

[Jim Barrows]

On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 9:59 AM, Derek Schauland
<de...@derekschauland.com> wrote:
> Thats an interesting way to see it...

It's lazy, and allows me to see what works for me best. In general I
don't have a lot of overlap between theses two things, so it doesn't
bug me. If it bugs you... fix the parts that need to, leave the rest
of it alone.

>
> So rather than have 1 reminder for each, let them come in as they do and
> manage as needed

Yepper. Things that get repeated will be the one's you'll probably
fix. Take out the trash on Tuesday and Friday Morning, both have only
one reminder. 2 weeks of 3 reminders going off within seconds of each
other got annoying. My get haircut reminder, eh. Didn't care.

--
James A Barrows

[John Winstanley]

GTD is very clear - you use BOTH Calendar AND a List.

 

The calendar is for your hard landscape - meetings you attend, place you have to be. Things that happen on a particular day and/or at a particular time

 

Your Lists contains all you Projects and all your Next Actions.

 

John

2008/9/12 Jim Barrows <jim.b...@gmail.com>

[Jim Barrows]

Yes, but with goocal, you can do both, sorta... and with a RTM, you
can do both, sorta.
His question was which tool. I suggested both tools, and never mind
the overlap, unless it gets annoying.

--
James A Barrows

[John Winstanley]

I think you are painting your self into a corner! :^)

 

Have you considered using gcal and rtm seperatly - there is no need to link your Hard Landscape and your Projects / NA lists

 

John

2008/9/16 Jim Barrows <jim.b...@gmail.com>

[Derek Schauland]

Currently RTM and GCal are only related because they are tabs in the same browser window.

The place I have trouble is deciding when something is calendar and when it is a task or NA

suppose I have a task that I need to do... ie change backup tapes

well if this is an action, but I want to get a reminder to do it, RTM requires date/time to send the reminder out.  I use reminders for some of these actions in case I am away from my desk and/or in the middle of something.

Perhaps I am going at this the wrong way... things with due date/time go in calendar and plain ol things that need to get done go in RTM

[Jim Barrows]

Not what I was suggesting either :)

If you schedule a task to be done, then you would have a copy on RTM
and goocal. Gets annoying to have 2 reminders for the same recurring
scheduled task. So... at that point... you get rid of one.
Otherwise... it probably doesn't matter.

And yes synching your tasks with your schedule is a need. A big one.
Your tasks fit in between your schedule, and so you need both to be in
synch. You don't want to have too many tasks to fit into one day.

--
James A Barrows

[Jim Barrows]

I think you're trying to separate things out too much. Some tasks can
be scheduled. Those should be. Doesn't mean they aren't tasks,
doesn't mean they aren't calendar items. Just means that they're
both.
That's why I suggested you embrace the power of and.. :)

On Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 9:20 AM, Derek Schauland

--
James A Barrows

[John Winstanley]

Again,

GTD is clear - if something happens on a date or on a regular schedule then it goes in your calendar as hard landscape.

For example I have to carry out my 'service delivery reviews' on all my billable work projects on the 17th of each month. These take about an hour and have several NA within that time frame.

There is no point having a set of 5 NAs in my to do list and hoping I look at the list on the right day - so I schedule 1 hour on the 17th of each month and the reminder pops up at 10am and I do it (today as it happens!)

Under no circumstances should you be putting items in both your to do list and hard landscape - this will only lead to early insanity!

Also in GTD NAs do not have dates or reminders set on them - they are a list from which you pick and choose what to do based on time avaliable, energy avaliable and context.

If you want to be more rigid in you implemenation I suggest you read Do It Tomorrow by Mark Forster

http://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-Other-Secrets-Time-Management/dp/0340909129/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221637092&sr=8-1

[Derek Schauland]

John -

Thanks for the input.

Seems hard to grasp the idea of the little reminders muddying up the calendar. GCal for appointments, like meeting with the Bobs at 5:00pm, makes sense, but to add items like change tapes 2pm, clear spam filters AM at 8am and PM at 2pm seems out of place.  They truly are next actions the reminders are just that because sometimes I get in the middle of something like a meeting and forget about the tapes.

It is true they do not need to be changed right then but the bzz bzzz reminder is sometimes helpful

Derek

[John Winstanley]

Then maybe you can off load these to something like remember the milk (rtm) www.rememberthemilk.com and set sms reminders for these tasks?

I do this - all my itsy bits errands go to rtm to keep my calendar and N/A list clear of all my 'honey-dos'


John

2008/9/17 Derek Schauland <de...@derekschauland.com>

[Derek Schauland]

John -

Am using RTM for tasks... works quite well.  If the reminders between it and GCal could be integrated to use one system then things would be perfect.

So then the NAs are managed in RTM with most just sitting until I work on them and the ones needing reminders being split out?

I have a list @ RTM called Calendar.  This list is all the reminderable Action items I have.  Other lists are Action lists

Derek

[John Winstanley]

Now I see what you mean. But I don't see why there is a need for intergration between your gCal reminders and your remindable actions in rtm.

[Derek Schauland]

I suppose convenience... ie one tool for all reminders.

I did remove the connection between the two (the RTM addon for gmail/cal)/

[John Winstanley]

I never got on with the rtm addon in gCal but I keep it in gmail - though mostly just so I have my NA list available - very little of my gmail leads to NAs

 

Personally I think I would just live with the separation - for me it is no biggie.

[Derek Schauland]

I am starting to see that as a good thing.  I think getting the methodology down is the toughest part and leaving tools alone...

[John Winstanley]

Too true - I'm certainly guilty of tweaking my system when I ought to be cranking widgets

[Derek Schauland]

I am going to try to be traditionalist on some of the items... hard landscape things ie. Do this at 10am tuesday are on calendar other things that just happen daily with a "hey you..  don't forget" reminder are in RTM with sms reminders

[John Winstanley]

sounds ideal - and very similar to my set-up