Things changed when I went freelance.  I used to commute to an office and keep regular work hours; now my office is wherever I am, and my work hours are whatever I dictate.  While this has let me accomplish a lot more, it’s also poking holes in my old paper day-planner system.

The core principle of GTD is “get it out of your head.”  That is, keep your information externalized so it doesn’t add to your mental stress.  The paper system completely defeated me there, as it was easily misplaced, and none of it was searchable (if I have to memorize where I wrote down Mr. Johnson’s project information, I might as well just memorize it).

So, this past weekend, I made the switch to a digital organization system.

GOING GTD

If you are new to GTD, I recommend you check out Black Belt Productivity’s series GTD Primer.  And while this post will be primarily Mac-oriented, the principles are cross software boundaries, and I’ve also included some good links for Windows GTD at the bottom.

I created my GTD system from a synthesis of resources I found on the web (not the least of which is Leo Bautaba’s excellent book, Zen To Done).  Here are the principles of the system I use:

• Get it out of your head. Every deadline, email address, and “to-do” item goes on a To-Do list, to be scheduled.
• Keep the system easy and accessible. Be a diva about your organization: it has to fit your style and your needs.  That means the instruments need to be within reach whenever you need them.
• Be flexible. Even if I weren’t already juggling Stranger Things, being a freelancer means staying flexible to accommodate clients.  I need a scheduling system that I can tweak as my situation changes.
• Top-of-mind awareness. This advertising term hits my needs exactly: I need to constantly be able to refer to my schedule, to make sure I’m on track at any given moment.

You can guess, my system is begging for digital organization (especially #3).  In the past, I’d hesitated, because being tied to a computer (even a laptop) seemed very unwieldy.  But with the addition of my iPhone, suddenly organization has gone mobile.

Here’s how my system works, in short:

• I receive tasks and notes either through email or phone, and keep them in one of two spaces (paper notes to myself or digital notes on my TextPad or iPhone)
• Deadlines and information are later transferred to my iCal’s To-Do system, where they’ll either be scheduled in iCal (and given a due date on my to-do list) or held there with no date until I schedule them (upcoming projects). Scheduled items get transferred to my iPhone’s iCal for when I’m on the road.
• By using different calendars for different aspects of my life, everything is color-coded automatically and I can tell at a glance what my day will consist of.
• I use Geek Tools to generate a daily schedule on the left side of my Mac desktop, based off the daily items in my calendar and on my iCal to-do list.
• To keep everything clean and tidy, I utilize one of the Spaces on my Mac strictly for iCal and my tidy desktop, so with a single keystroke, I can review or change my schedule, without having it clutter up my workspace all the time.

I don’t worry as much about “contexts” (different to-do lists based off where they need to be done: email, at the office, phone calls, etc) since I’m always near a computer or my cellphone, and that’s all my office is anymore.

As items are completed, I note them in iCal with a “//”.  To-Do items are simply checked and they disappear from the list a week after they’re completed.

A WORD OF WARNING: it’s not unusual for people obsessed with productivity to become the least productive.  Getting organized is not about rearranging your whole life to fit a system, it’s about finding a system that fits your life.

GeekTool links:

* The tutorial I used to install GeekTool and get it running with iCal.
* Lifehacker’s introduction to GeekTool
* The Windows-equivalent to GeekTool: Samurize

GTD Resources:

* Mahalo.com’s GTD recommendations
* GTD wallpaper (This would give me a complex, but you might enjoy it)
* Randy Pausch’s excellent seminar on Time Management
* Beginner’s Guide to GTD from ZenHabits.net
* Also from ZenHabits.net: a Massive GTD Resource
* GTD on Windows
* GTD with Microsoft Outlook
* Setting up Outlook for GTD (43Folders)

There’s no one right answer for time management. I’m fascinated with how other people manage their day, and am constantly snicking little bits from everyone. Post your methods down below, and I’ll probably steal a bit from you, too.

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