My GTD setup for MLO
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Till Poppels
Aug 5, 2011, 7:13:53 AM8/5/11
to MyLifeOrganized
Hi everyone,
After buying MLO pro for PC, I have now been working on a GTD-
compatible setup and want to share with you what I've finally come up
with so far. If anyone has any ideas as to how this could be optimized
(especially regarding the open questions - see below), please let me
(and everyone else) know :)
--- Outline View ---
I use top-level folders for what David Allen calls "areas of
focus" ("roles" with Covey). As of now, I have identified 7 areas that
are currently part of my life: Finances, CV work, Fun/Leisure, Sharpen
the Saw, Education, Self-Management. Additionally I have the standard
<Inbox> folder, as well as a "Someday/Maybe" folder and a "Task
Templates" folder – both of the latter hidden in To-do views.
--- Contexts ---
For contexts I use standard labels, such as "Computer" and "Home", but
I use two different "Errands"-contexts for two distinct locations I
might go to buy stuff. Also, I use the @-symbol only for people (e.g.
@Tom), because it makes the entry of the most used contexts (e.g.
Computer or Internet) faster. In addition to David Allen's "Anywhere",
I introduced the context "Take anywhere" for things that I could in
theory do anywhere, but have to think of taking them (in case I
anticipate having to wait somewhere).
--- Action Lists ---
I have various action lists set up, depending on what I want to focus
on. In general, I use the following filters in the left-hand pane (in
that order): Contexts (operation set to "Or"), Effort, Time, Advanced,
Group&Sort. This allows me to quickly adjust constraints on task
choice in the order most relevant for me (I discovered that my energy
level (effort) is more important than the time required to a task).
Here are my most frequently used views, set up via the advanced-rule
option:
* Weekly Focus *
This view is set up to show the following tasks (in that order):
starred tasks (see "Daily Planning" below); due within 7 days; weekly
goals. It enables me to see what's "on" this week and kill (what Covey
calls) "Quadrant I" tasks first, which I find very helpful.
* Active Actions (by Goal/Project/Area-of-Focus/Context) *
These views are helpful when I feel like working on Project X or am
limited to Context Y or feel like I've been neglecting Area or Goal Z.
* Completed Today *
Showing tasks that, well, I have completed today :D mainly for
personal validation and planning the next day.
* Definition Required *
This is an exciting and hugely helpful view. I set it up to show all
items that need to be defined: projects without subtasks; major
projects without Notes (see "Project Planning" below); Tasks that lack
context, time required, or effort (equals 50). With this view I can
quickly switch to what David Allen calls "type 3 actions": define my
work. Once I defined a task/project, it automatically disappears from
the view.
* Project List *
That’s right, I don’t use the Projects-option in the Outline view, as
grouping by project status doesn’t suit my weekly review. More on this
below (“Project Planning” and “Weekly Review”).
--- Daily Planning ---
I try to discipline myself to "review and preview" daily, usually
before going to bed. I go over what I've accomplished ("Completed
Today" view), compare this with what's "on" this week ("Weekly Focus"
view), and star a couple of tasks to focus on tomorrow (using one of
the "Active by ..." views). These automatically pop up in my "Weekly
Focus" view, which is the first list I look at the next morning.
--- Project Planning ---
Via Flags, I have classified all my projects as either “major” or
“minor”, mainly because my project list was rather long and I needed
some subdivision for the weekly review. Minor projects are “all
outcomes that require more than one physical action” (much in the
Allen sense), but don’t require a written definition (successful
outcome etc.). Major Projects, on the other hand, are those that do
benefit from some “ideal scenariorizing”, the results of which I write
down in the Notes. So minor projects require definition only when no
next action (i.e. subtask) has been identified, while major projects
require definition as long as the Notes section is empty (see
“Definition Required” view above). While I keep my project list as a
To-Do view, to actually plan a project, I double-click it to return to
the outline view. Here I can conveniently “ideal scenariorize” my
project in the Notes section and organize it via the outline
functionality. If necessary I create a MindMap, which I save
externally.
--- Automatic Formatting ---
I’ve experimented with autoformatting, but so far haven’t come up with
anything permanent. I format major projects to be distinguishable from
minor projects. Also, as a university student, I highlight all tasks
related to studying.
--- Weekly Review ---
Now, this really is the one thing MLO has helped me most with. In fact
I have never been able to successfully do a complete weekly review
until now. The key insight for me was to split up the weekly review
into several steps:
1. I do a quick Mind Sweep, to see if there’s anything “yanking my
chain” (items go into my Inbox folder via the rapid task entry dialog)
2. Process In-baskets: the crucial distinction here for me is between
processing and organizing. Processing just means deciding whether it’s
actionable or not, and if yes, to move it (Ctrl + M) to the
appropriate area/project in the outline.
3. Review last week’s completions and the Weekly Focus view to see if
I accomplished everything
4. Review MAJOR projects: I briefly review the successful outcome
(Notes) and review/add/modify next actions or subprojects. Also, I
identify new weekly goals for the upcoming week.
5. Review MINOR projects: I simply scan the (usually pretty long) list
of minor projects and see if they are still current. I try to identify
those that are “stuck” and figure out new next actions.
6. Review Areas-of-Focus: Collapsing the outline view (F6), I look at
my Areas one-by-one, connect to my role mission statement (stored in
Notes), and identify new projects.
7. Review Goals: I look at the successful outcomes both for short-term
(weekly + monthly), as well as long-term goals (yearly), and identify
new projects.
8. Review Vision: I look at my 5-year vision, do some visualization
and brainstorming, and come up with new goals or projects.
9. If I’ve come up with any new projects at all (mostly during steps
4-8), I switch to a To-Do view called “Projects created today” and
define them: minor or major? If major, what’s the successful outcome,
what subtasks can be identified?
10. Finally, ORGANIZE actions. Using my “Requiring Definition” view, I
go through all the actions/projects that, as a result of the weekly
review, require definition and add context, time, and effort.
This process takes me about 2 hours, even though I already notice
speed improvements through practice. At the end of the weekly review –
because it is complete - I can trust that all of my projects are
identified and defined, and that my action lists are complete and have
all the meta-data I need to later filter them in terms of contexts,
energy level, and the time available.
--- Open Questions ---
* Attachments: is it possible to attach external files (e.g. MindMaps)
directly to tasks?
* Long-term goals: as of yet, I’m not entirely clear on how to manage
long-term goals… Do you guys define yearly goals as “due by the end of
the calendar year”? What about 2-3-year goals? Do you use due dates?
* I have not yet tried the “reminder” option. Any ideas on how to use
them effectively? I was wondering if they might work as some sort of
“Tickler file”, without using due dates. Sadly, start-date-based
recurrence is not (yet) possible…
So far, so good. Let me know what you think! :-)
Till
After buying MLO pro for PC, I have now been working on a GTD-
compatible setup and want to share with you what I've finally come up
with so far. If anyone has any ideas as to how this could be optimized
(especially regarding the open questions - see below), please let me
(and everyone else) know :)
--- Outline View ---
I use top-level folders for what David Allen calls "areas of
focus" ("roles" with Covey). As of now, I have identified 7 areas that
are currently part of my life: Finances, CV work, Fun/Leisure, Sharpen
the Saw, Education, Self-Management. Additionally I have the standard
<Inbox> folder, as well as a "Someday/Maybe" folder and a "Task
Templates" folder – both of the latter hidden in To-do views.
--- Contexts ---
For contexts I use standard labels, such as "Computer" and "Home", but
I use two different "Errands"-contexts for two distinct locations I
might go to buy stuff. Also, I use the @-symbol only for people (e.g.
@Tom), because it makes the entry of the most used contexts (e.g.
Computer or Internet) faster. In addition to David Allen's "Anywhere",
I introduced the context "Take anywhere" for things that I could in
theory do anywhere, but have to think of taking them (in case I
anticipate having to wait somewhere).
--- Action Lists ---
I have various action lists set up, depending on what I want to focus
on. In general, I use the following filters in the left-hand pane (in
that order): Contexts (operation set to "Or"), Effort, Time, Advanced,
Group&Sort. This allows me to quickly adjust constraints on task
choice in the order most relevant for me (I discovered that my energy
level (effort) is more important than the time required to a task).
Here are my most frequently used views, set up via the advanced-rule
option:
* Weekly Focus *
This view is set up to show the following tasks (in that order):
starred tasks (see "Daily Planning" below); due within 7 days; weekly
goals. It enables me to see what's "on" this week and kill (what Covey
calls) "Quadrant I" tasks first, which I find very helpful.
* Active Actions (by Goal/Project/Area-of-Focus/Context) *
These views are helpful when I feel like working on Project X or am
limited to Context Y or feel like I've been neglecting Area or Goal Z.
* Completed Today *
Showing tasks that, well, I have completed today :D mainly for
personal validation and planning the next day.
* Definition Required *
This is an exciting and hugely helpful view. I set it up to show all
items that need to be defined: projects without subtasks; major
projects without Notes (see "Project Planning" below); Tasks that lack
context, time required, or effort (equals 50). With this view I can
quickly switch to what David Allen calls "type 3 actions": define my
work. Once I defined a task/project, it automatically disappears from
the view.
* Project List *
That’s right, I don’t use the Projects-option in the Outline view, as
grouping by project status doesn’t suit my weekly review. More on this
below (“Project Planning” and “Weekly Review”).
--- Daily Planning ---
I try to discipline myself to "review and preview" daily, usually
before going to bed. I go over what I've accomplished ("Completed
Today" view), compare this with what's "on" this week ("Weekly Focus"
view), and star a couple of tasks to focus on tomorrow (using one of
the "Active by ..." views). These automatically pop up in my "Weekly
Focus" view, which is the first list I look at the next morning.
--- Project Planning ---
Via Flags, I have classified all my projects as either “major” or
“minor”, mainly because my project list was rather long and I needed
some subdivision for the weekly review. Minor projects are “all
outcomes that require more than one physical action” (much in the
Allen sense), but don’t require a written definition (successful
outcome etc.). Major Projects, on the other hand, are those that do
benefit from some “ideal scenariorizing”, the results of which I write
down in the Notes. So minor projects require definition only when no
next action (i.e. subtask) has been identified, while major projects
require definition as long as the Notes section is empty (see
“Definition Required” view above). While I keep my project list as a
To-Do view, to actually plan a project, I double-click it to return to
the outline view. Here I can conveniently “ideal scenariorize” my
project in the Notes section and organize it via the outline
functionality. If necessary I create a MindMap, which I save
externally.
--- Automatic Formatting ---
I’ve experimented with autoformatting, but so far haven’t come up with
anything permanent. I format major projects to be distinguishable from
minor projects. Also, as a university student, I highlight all tasks
related to studying.
--- Weekly Review ---
Now, this really is the one thing MLO has helped me most with. In fact
I have never been able to successfully do a complete weekly review
until now. The key insight for me was to split up the weekly review
into several steps:
1. I do a quick Mind Sweep, to see if there’s anything “yanking my
chain” (items go into my Inbox folder via the rapid task entry dialog)
2. Process In-baskets: the crucial distinction here for me is between
processing and organizing. Processing just means deciding whether it’s
actionable or not, and if yes, to move it (Ctrl + M) to the
appropriate area/project in the outline.
3. Review last week’s completions and the Weekly Focus view to see if
I accomplished everything
4. Review MAJOR projects: I briefly review the successful outcome
(Notes) and review/add/modify next actions or subprojects. Also, I
identify new weekly goals for the upcoming week.
5. Review MINOR projects: I simply scan the (usually pretty long) list
of minor projects and see if they are still current. I try to identify
those that are “stuck” and figure out new next actions.
6. Review Areas-of-Focus: Collapsing the outline view (F6), I look at
my Areas one-by-one, connect to my role mission statement (stored in
Notes), and identify new projects.
7. Review Goals: I look at the successful outcomes both for short-term
(weekly + monthly), as well as long-term goals (yearly), and identify
new projects.
8. Review Vision: I look at my 5-year vision, do some visualization
and brainstorming, and come up with new goals or projects.
9. If I’ve come up with any new projects at all (mostly during steps
4-8), I switch to a To-Do view called “Projects created today” and
define them: minor or major? If major, what’s the successful outcome,
what subtasks can be identified?
10. Finally, ORGANIZE actions. Using my “Requiring Definition” view, I
go through all the actions/projects that, as a result of the weekly
review, require definition and add context, time, and effort.
This process takes me about 2 hours, even though I already notice
speed improvements through practice. At the end of the weekly review –
because it is complete - I can trust that all of my projects are
identified and defined, and that my action lists are complete and have
all the meta-data I need to later filter them in terms of contexts,
energy level, and the time available.
--- Open Questions ---
* Attachments: is it possible to attach external files (e.g. MindMaps)
directly to tasks?
* Long-term goals: as of yet, I’m not entirely clear on how to manage
long-term goals… Do you guys define yearly goals as “due by the end of
the calendar year”? What about 2-3-year goals? Do you use due dates?
* I have not yet tried the “reminder” option. Any ideas on how to use
them effectively? I was wondering if they might work as some sort of
“Tickler file”, without using due dates. Sadly, start-date-based
recurrence is not (yet) possible…
So far, so good. Let me know what you think! :-)
Till
Andrey Tkachuk (MLO)
Aug 6, 2011, 12:55:58 AM8/6/11
to MyLifeOrganized
Till,
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful approach! Really impressive.
Maybe you can create a template with your comments in mlo and I will
publish it? Look at other templates distributed with mlo for more
information. Just an idea.
I will comment a few of your questions
1) you can use links in notes to files instead of attachment.
2) you can create context or flag indicating long term goals and
create custom view which would include predefined mlo goals plus tasks
marked with your long term goal flag(s)
I think the new tabbed interface I am working on will help you to use
your mlo even more effective ;)
Till: let me know on email if you would like to join the beta team to
test private betas.
Andrey.
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful approach! Really impressive.
Maybe you can create a template with your comments in mlo and I will
publish it? Look at other templates distributed with mlo for more
information. Just an idea.
I will comment a few of your questions
1) you can use links in notes to files instead of attachment.
2) you can create context or flag indicating long term goals and
create custom view which would include predefined mlo goals plus tasks
marked with your long term goal flag(s)
I think the new tabbed interface I am working on will help you to use
your mlo even more effective ;)
Till: let me know on email if you would like to join the beta team to
test private betas.
Andrey.
Till Poppels
Aug 6, 2011, 5:33:51 PM8/6/11
to MyLifeOrganized
Hi,
thanks for your response. The hyperlink solution for attachments is
brilliant (much better than real attachments, as they can still be
modified externally). When I got the time, I will try using flags for
long-term goals and "ongoing" projects, to give further structure to
my project list: minor (finite) projects; major (finite) projects;
ongoing projects; long-term goals.
I really like your suggestion to create a template from my setup.
However, I feel ambitious about getting it to a more "complete" level
before doing that. Will look into it, though!
Best,
Till
PS: really looking forward to the new tabbed interface ;-)
On Aug 6, 6:55 am, "Andrey Tkachuk (MLO)" <for...@myLifeOrganized.net>
wrote:
thanks for your response. The hyperlink solution for attachments is
brilliant (much better than real attachments, as they can still be
modified externally). When I got the time, I will try using flags for
long-term goals and "ongoing" projects, to give further structure to
my project list: minor (finite) projects; major (finite) projects;
ongoing projects; long-term goals.
I really like your suggestion to create a template from my setup.
However, I feel ambitious about getting it to a more "complete" level
before doing that. Will look into it, though!
Best,
Till
PS: really looking forward to the new tabbed interface ;-)
On Aug 6, 6:55 am, "Andrey Tkachuk (MLO)" <for...@myLifeOrganized.net>
wrote:
Bedrudin
Aug 10, 2011, 10:17:30 PM8/10/11
to MyLifeOrganized
Hi Till,
first I want to thank you for your detailed description. I'm using MLO
for collecting my tasks, but don't use views either than the default
active actions view. With your ideas about views that show the tasks
which lack some detail settings and therefore must be completed in the
daily/weekly review, I see a great way to use MLO help me not to miss
planning a task. You distinguish major and minor projects, this is a
good idea to me, too.
Regarding your open questions due to reminders:
* MLO reminders *
I have experimented with reminders some time. I recognized one
important thing: Its important to pay attention to a reminder.
Therefore use them wisely, because if there are too much, you will
ignore the popup that lists the reminders and let it open all the
time. But if you have it closed, than it pops up to foreground if
there is an actual reminder. You can than handle it immediately and if
you complete the action or dismiss the reminder, then the popup closes
and will reopen to foreground if there is the next reminder.
These MLO reminders show up on my smartphone in the MLO app.
* Outlook reminders *
Additionally to MLO reminders, I use my Outlook reminders for upcoming
meetings or doctor visits or other things I have to remember. These
reminders show up on my smartphone, too. I synchronize my Outlook
calendar with my smartphone.
* App on smartphone reminders *
For things its very important to think of at a specific time (e. g.
before leaving the office take the notebook with me because I have a
customer meeting next morning and will not enter the office before it)
I use a reminder app on my smartphone which rings at a specified time
and will re-ring in a one minute later intervall till I confirm it. It
has a secondary alarm two, which is very loud and long so I won't miss
it.
What do you think about this? Is it helpful? The way I decide where to
create the reminder (MLO or Outlook) is not sharply defined, but
whether I take one of these two OR the app on my smartphone is clear
to me.
Regards
=======
Bedrudin
=======
first I want to thank you for your detailed description. I'm using MLO
for collecting my tasks, but don't use views either than the default
active actions view. With your ideas about views that show the tasks
which lack some detail settings and therefore must be completed in the
daily/weekly review, I see a great way to use MLO help me not to miss
planning a task. You distinguish major and minor projects, this is a
good idea to me, too.
Regarding your open questions due to reminders:
* MLO reminders *
I have experimented with reminders some time. I recognized one
important thing: Its important to pay attention to a reminder.
Therefore use them wisely, because if there are too much, you will
ignore the popup that lists the reminders and let it open all the
time. But if you have it closed, than it pops up to foreground if
there is an actual reminder. You can than handle it immediately and if
you complete the action or dismiss the reminder, then the popup closes
and will reopen to foreground if there is the next reminder.
These MLO reminders show up on my smartphone in the MLO app.
* Outlook reminders *
Additionally to MLO reminders, I use my Outlook reminders for upcoming
meetings or doctor visits or other things I have to remember. These
reminders show up on my smartphone, too. I synchronize my Outlook
calendar with my smartphone.
* App on smartphone reminders *
For things its very important to think of at a specific time (e. g.
before leaving the office take the notebook with me because I have a
customer meeting next morning and will not enter the office before it)
I use a reminder app on my smartphone which rings at a specified time
and will re-ring in a one minute later intervall till I confirm it. It
has a secondary alarm two, which is very loud and long so I won't miss
it.
What do you think about this? Is it helpful? The way I decide where to
create the reminder (MLO or Outlook) is not sharply defined, but
whether I take one of these two OR the app on my smartphone is clear
to me.
Regards
=======
Bedrudin
=======
Philb
Aug 16, 2011, 1:12:44 PM8/16/11
to MyLifeOrganized
Till,
Thanks very much for sharing your methodology. I think your file
would make a great template if you are comfortable doing that.
Cheers,
Phil.
Thanks very much for sharing your methodology. I think your file
would make a great template if you are comfortable doing that.
Cheers,
Phil.
LeeZ
Sep 6, 2011, 5:59:26 PM9/6/11
to MyLifeOrganized
Till- Agree with other feedbacks; your content on GTD implementation
is very informative and much appreciated. I too would love to see
your setup as a template, should you choose to share it with us.
Also, I am most interested in your Action List for "Definition
Required". A great view, and one that I'd not seen discussed
elsewhere. I'm very eager to understand the specifics of how you
defined this particular view. How do you display projects without
subtasks or tasks without notes??
Regards,
Lee
> > view), andstara couple of tasks to focus on tomorrow (using one of
> > Till- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
is very informative and much appreciated. I too would love to see
your setup as a template, should you choose to share it with us.
Also, I am most interested in your Action List for "Definition
Required". A great view, and one that I'd not seen discussed
elsewhere. I'm very eager to understand the specifics of how you
defined this particular view. How do you display projects without
subtasks or tasks without notes??
Regards,
Lee
>
> - Show quoted text -
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