Category Archives: GTD General

General posts about the Getting Things Done methodology.

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 18th October 2009

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The last week has been replaced with a blur!

I had a great time at the A4UExpo in London. It was great to meet up with so many old friends.

I was back at work for a day before going away for the weekend with my family and I have just returned.

Hoping to get some more time this coming week.

Here are my collection of links for this week.

My first link for this week outlines the Pomodoro productivity technique as an alternative to GTD. This makes good reading for anybody interested in productivity. I follow GTD but must admit that some of what works best for me in my own system has crept in to the way I get things done. This topic needs a post all on its own!
My second link is a link to a nice post titled 100 Ways To Develop Your Mind by Steven Aitchison. There are 100 little tricks to help you develop your mind, something which we all can never do enough!
My third link is a post from Productivity501 that provides a review of Virtual Assistants. I gave AskSunday a trial last year and this is something I am going to try again in the new year for a couple of projects I have. Interesting read and a great resource for people who have work that can be delegated to a virtual assistant.
My fourth link is a link to a new productivity app for the Apple iPhone called 2Do. This looks a neat little app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The interface looks nice, shame there is no desktop version to sync with!
My fifth and last link is a link to part two of a GTD Series from The Productive Organizer. The second post in the series provides information on why the author chose the iPod Touch as their GTD tool.. Great series of posts that I recommend you to check out.

Hope you all have a great week!

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 11th October 2009

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After a hectic week I am tonight preparing to visit the 2009 A4UExpo that is held over the next few days at the Excel conference centre in London.

Looking forward to meeting a lot of old friends and also hoping for a bit of inspiration to start some new projects this side of Christmas.

Here are my collection of links for this week.

My first link for this week is an old but very good post titled What is Wrong with GTD. This post was doing the rounds on Twitter so I thought I would mention it again although I linked to it in the past. Well worth a read and I would love to know your thoughts on the subject.
My second link is a link to a nice post on how to set up Evernote as a GTD system in 15 minutes. It is no secret that Evernote is a tool I use and love although I do not use it as a GTD system. Interesting yo see how the author does it. Would this work for you?
My third link is a post from Nik Agarwal titled I’m Joining the GTD Bandwagon. This is a good intro to GTD and explains why the author of the post decided to give it a shot. I always like reading this type of posts to see how other people discover GTD and their initial thoughts on the methodology.
My fourth link is a link to a nice comparison of the two leading Mac GTD Apps, OmniFocus and Things. I am a long time OmniFocus user, ever since the very early beta although I must admit that the look of Things has taken my eye quite a few times.
My fifth and last link is a link to part one of a GTD Series from The Productive Organizer. This initial post int eh series provides an overview of the Getting Things Done methodology. Great series of posts that I recommend you to check out.

Hope you all have a great week!

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 4th October 2009

PDF Productivity with iPhone and Dropbox

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iphone dropbox pdf productivity This is the first guest post that I have had on DidIGetThingsDone.com and it is written by Chris Garrett, co-author of the ProBlogger Book, speaker at many blogging and new media conferences and a genuine good guy.

In this post, Chris is going to provide an overview of PDF Productivity with the Apple iPhone and Dropbox.

Since I bought my iPod touch, and more recently upgraded to an iPhone 3GS, I have been making better use of my time by reading PDF documents while out and about. You can see more about my iPhone software productivity obsession here.

It is amazing how much spare time you actually have in a day. Think of all the times you are just waiting.

Daily commute
Waiting in line
Sat at a restaurant table
Outside changing rooms while friend or family member tries on their 20th item
Before meetings
After calling a taxi
Airport lounges
Security lines

Rather than sit and stare into space or doodle on a napkin, I have been reading ebooks, memorizing from mindmaps, and generally trying to fill the time while filling my head.

Up to now I have been getting these documents onto my iPhone using various methods such as emailing them to myself, or using an app called Files that allows you to configure your iPhone as a mini file server. Now I have a better choice, which makes moving files to your iPhone AND enabling offline storage much easier.

Dropbox now has an iPhone application!

If you do not know Dropbox, you are in for a treat. It is a free online storage space (up to 2gb, then you start paying) that allows you to sync files between computers and your online storage. It’s like a hard disk that follows you around. Now with the iPhone app you can sync to your iPhone too. And when you make the file a favorite you have instant access to the file even without an internet connection.

Go to https://www.getdropbox.com and check it out and create an account, then install the appropriate desktop application for your computer type (windows, mac and linux). When you have done that, grab the iPhone app and get logged in. Now any files you drag on to your Dropbox will appear on your iPhone – easy!

Of course my wife is not happy that I have my head down tinkering with my iPhone all the time … as yet I haven’t found an app that can help with that particular speed bump …

Do you see the iPhone as a productivity boon or a productivity pain? Please let me know in the comments …

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 27th September 2009

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Had a real busy week trying to get a new website launched for RandomStorm. It is amazing how many small issues there are to fix when you are cutting the website yourself.

Glad to say it is just about ready to launch this week.

Here are my collection of links for this week.

My first link for this week is a great post about how to be productive by doing just three things a day. The credit for this post goes to Leo from ZenHabits who originally came up with the do three things rule. Worth a read as this theory always causes quite a few taking points amongst productivity practitioners.
My second link is a link to a post from Lifehacker showing the workspaces of nine famous people. Wow, quite shocked to see the chaos and disorganization of some of these. Also, very surprised to see the small office of Steve Ballmer!
My third link is a link to a post from TechBlogger about the The Best Sounds for Getting Work Done. I did my own post a while back covering some Motivational Songs and I released these as a Spotify Playlist.
My fourth link is a link to a nice little Twitter Video from Tom and Zig Ziglar. Nice bit of fun combining the teachings of Zig to Twitter. Watch it!
My fifth and last link is a link to a little Gmail GTD tweak that allows you to hide read labels within Gmail. Cool little tip for all you Gmail GTD users.

Hope you all have a great week!

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 20th September 2009

MindJet MindManager iPhone Application

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At long last, my prayers are answered and MindJet have today launched their Mind Mapping application for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.

I am a devout MindManager user and have been for years. Over the past few months I have been using MindMeister more and more, mainly because of the rather cool ability to syn between their awesome web app and the iPhone Application.

MindJet MindManager iPhone

I have just purchased and downloaded the MindJet Mind Manager application.

My initial thoughts are mixed. The layout and look of the application is great. I must admit that I am not so sure on the way you enter topics. You jump from the main window to a separate entry window where the details are entered for each topic. Do I prefer the much simpler on screen method as used by MindMeister and iBlueSky?

There are a lot more bells and whistles in this app over the competition. But, I normally use the iPhone as a capturing device where my Mind Maps are very basic, just capturing the key concepts. I normally refine the Mind Map at a later date on my Mac.

The transfer/sync ability is definitely not up to the same standard as MindMeister. It would be great to see the ability to sync my Mind Maps with the desktop version of Mind Manager but I am sure this will be out in a later release.

Here is a little video published by MindJet.

Mindjet for iPhone from Mindjet on Vimeo.

I know this is the first release of the software and I hope it will improve because I really do want to be able to use this and get the most out of this application.

I will be putting this through its paces over the next few days and I will return back with a more in depth review.

Looking forward to hearing any comments that you may have.

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 13th September 2009

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 6th September 2009

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Another week is over.

I have had another good week although I was only working three days of it after a great short break to Swaledale. Spent all weekend doing DIY as we are now ripping out the en-suite bathroom.

Here are my collection of links for this week.

My first link for this week is a great post titled GTD with a Baby on Board. This post is from the Glad Dads blog and it is a great post about the changes that a baby can bring, especially to your Getting Things Done methodology.
My second link is a link from Mashable that provides 5 Steps to Getting Unstuck and Pursuing Your Goals. 5 simple but effective tips on how to get out of your goal setting rut!
My third link is a link to a post from LifeHacker titled Dump Your To-Do List and Keep Your Sanity. This is an interesting post that presents the concept of ditching the to do list. Worth a read.
My fourth link provides information about 10 great ways to use Evernote. I love Evernote and use it every day. I am using it more and more after purchasing my ScanSnap scanner. This post provides 10 ways to use Evernote to your advantage!
My fifth and last link is a link to a blogger who is running a competition for the chance to win free copies of the Getting Things Done book by David Allen for signing up to his newsletter. If you do not already have the book, this is worth a shot.

Wishing you all a very productive week ahead!

Productivity, Motivation, and Personal Development Links – 30th August 2009

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This is another post brought to you thanks to the schedule facility in WordPress as I am currently in Swaledale, Yorkshire Dales and I imagine I have no Internet access whatsoever due to the remote location I am staying in.

Here are my collection of links for this week.

My first link for this week asks the question Can Humans Cope with Information Overload? This is an interesting post that poses a question based on a review of the Create your own Economy book by Tyler Cowen.
My second link is a link to 8 Great Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Just Don’t Feel Like It. We all need motivation from time to time and some of these tips hit the procrastination nail directly on the head!
My third link is a link to a post about how to Make an effective to-do list. These type of lists are very important to any productivity practitioner. It is more the act of recording that is important in my own opinion. Get those Open Loops closed!
My fourth link is the author of Phoat.com’s take on Getting Things Done. It is always interesting to read other peoples take on the GTD system. One of the things I like about GTD is how people integrate it into their lives in slightly different ways, and they all work!
My fifth and last link is a link to an interesting post titled What is Your Brain Doing While You Are Sleeping? There are some interesting topics in this post that make you think!

Wishing you all a very productive week ahead!