GTD with Pluto menubar. Take 10 minutes to boost your productivity

Transcription

1 GTD with Pluto menubar Take 10 minutes to boost your productivity

2 Introduction Pluto menubar is an easy-to-use tool for the management of your ToDo!s in the most effective and productive way possible. Pluto menubar is seamlessly integrated with ical on your Mac, on MobileMe and the iphone. After you ve read this book, your knowledge about David Allen s GETTING THINGS DONE will be refreshed, Pluto menubar and ical will be set up accordingly and you ll be ready to work the GTD way. You don t have to read David Allen s book Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity beforehand. A lot of the information you are about to read here is simple common sense and you might already be putting them into practical action - at least in part. However, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. That s why I highly recommend setting up and using Pluto menubar as described first, and to then read David s book (again) and last but not least, to align the system to ideally fit your individual situation. GTD distilled Here s a brush-up of David Allen s stress-free productivity method GETTING THINGS DONE. All ToDo!s in a simple and reliable system To reap maximum benefits from GTD, your system must be reliable and simple. To ensure reliability, make sure to enter all ToDo!s in your system. Don t keep anything in the back of your mind or elsewhere. If you do, your mind will still hold all of the open ends together which, in turn, triggers stress. To ensure simplicity, your system must be easy-to-handle and fast. Everything that you initially get is New Stuff. Collect this new stuff in inboxes, and then process it. Next steps to move forward This is how you can either transfer the new stuff from the inboxes into Pluto menubar or get it out of your way. 1. Start at the top of every inbox and only deal with one item at a time. Never put anything back into an inbox. 2. Decide whether the item requires further action. If so, define the next physical action and Do it right away if it takes less than two minutes, or Delegate it if possible and post a Waiting For reminder in Pluto menubar, or Defer it by creating a ToDo! in Pluto menubar 3. If the item does not require any action Trash it, or File it in your reference system, or Incubate it for review sometime in the future And don t forget: Anything that you can get done in two minutes, do it right away! Do not defer or delegate it because that would take longer than doing it immediately. To my surprise: I can get a lot more done in just two minutes then I originally thought.

3 Weekly housekeeping You ve just finished a week of hard work. New stuff still remains unprocessed in your inboxes and not every completed ToDo! has been marked as Done. GTD housekeeping: First off, process all new stuff from the inboxes. Then mark any completed ToDo! as Done. What a great feeling it is to see how much you have accomplished just a few days before. Finally, make sure to schedule the day or time for specific actions for the next week. Your system s reliability will be ensured by keeping Pluto menubar up-to-date and by scheduling core activities for the coming week. First steps to work faster Macs today work in real-time! To make the most out of this powerful speed, just use the keyboard instead of the mouse whenever possible. Essential keyboard shortcuts that you can use Mac-wide: A: Select the whole content of a folder or a file C: Copy the selection to the clipboard X: Cut the selection to the clipboard V: Paste what s on the clipboard to the cursor s location Z: Undo the last action W: Close the active window Q: Close the active application P: Open the print dialogue TAB: Switch between applications Essential keyboard shortcuts relevant for Pluto menubar: N: Create a new ToDo! N: Create a new Note N: Create a new ical Event Essential keyboard shortcuts relevant for ical: N: Create a new event T: Show today E: Show a specific date

4 Learn the 10-finger system to increase your typing speed Having used an individual typing system and switching over to the 10-finger system myself, I can only encourage you to do the same. I have combined both ways while learning how to use the 10-finger system. After some training, my fingers increasingly replaced the individual system with the 10-finger system. My typing speed dipped down by ten percent for a few days. However, my typing speed was just as fast as before only one week later and it has been improving continuously ever since. The quality of my work is now better, too, thanks to the 10-finger system. Today, I focus on the work at hand and not on the keyboard. All in all, it has been a quick win. Get a typing tool and start today! Setting up your inboxes Keep the inboxes to a minimum. I have one physical inbox at my office desk (for mails, invoices, etc.), one electronic inbox on my computer desktop (for new stuff from downloads, CDs or data sticks) and one inbox for all accounts. When I m on the road without my Macbook, I use a notebook as my inbox and when I m back at work, I process all of my notes on the Mac.

5 Setting Pluto menubar up This is how you can set Pluto menubar up to work the GTD way: Set up the context list In order to be as productive as possible in any given situation, Pluto menubar enables you to configure contexts and filter your ToDo! list by context. You can characterize ToDo!s with a context. A context helps you to be the most effective and productive in any given situation. To add a context to the list, just click the Plus-Button. To delete a context, select it and then click on the Minus-Button. This is how it works: Imagine that you re at the airport and finally have time to make a few calls. Filter your list of ToDo!s by typing "Calls" in the search field and your list will be filtered accordingly. Now all you have to do is start making calls. In this way - out of sight, out of mind you re not distracted or irritated by the things you cannot get done while at the airport (e.g. cleaning up your garage or moving the lawn). Simply focus on the things that you can get done! Here is a list of standard contexts to get you started: Anywhere: Put ToDo!s in this context that you can do literally anywhere. For example, "Read GETTING THINGS DONE by David Allen" or "Review Andrea's ideas" (if you are doing it with a pen). Calls: Put all calls you have to make in that category. Computer: If you need a computer at hand to take action, just put the ToDo! in this category. Errands: Add all of the ToDo!s to this category that you can get done while on the road (e.g. buying some food at the grocery store or buying a present for mom). Home: Add all of the ToDo!s to this category that you do at home (e.g. cleaning the garage, sorting new books in alphabetical order, etc.). Office: Add all of the ToDo!s to this category that you do while you are in the office (e.g. meeting with the CFO, reviewing the latest investment plan). Waiting For: In this context, you can keep track of all of the ToDo!s you ve delegated to someone else and now you re just waiting for a response. Someday/Maybe: Write down all of the things you might want to do in the future here (e.g. obtain a higher degree, take a trip to Italy). You can customize these lists to fit your special needs.

6 Setting up the project list A Project enables you to group multiple ToDo!s that lead to the same goal (e.g. publish GTD with Pluto menubar, set a homepage up, buy a new kitchen). A project functions as a parameter that reminds you that work must still get done before your goal is achieved. You can see it clearly and you do not need to keep it in mind, which, in turn, minimizes your stress level. You can allocate ToDo!s, Events and Notes to a project in Pluto menubar. By filtering your action list by a specific project, you obtain a transparent overview and you are in control. Before using Pluto menubar s project feature, you need to set it up as follows: To add a Project to the list, just click on the Plus-Button. To delete a project select it and then click on the Minus-Button. After setting up the list of projects you need to allocate a ToDo! to a project by selecting the project while editing the ToDo!.

7 In sync - ical and Pluto menubar Make sure to only act on actionable items and never on new stuff. After creating a ToDo! in Pluto menubar, you have decided that action is necessary but not on a specific date or time. If something must get done on a specific day or time, just create an Event in Pluto menubar. Adding a ToDo! to Pluto menubar and more To add a new ToDo! to your list, choose the ToDo! Tab and click the Plus-Button. For speed Entry, double click on the table or use the keyboard shortcut N. Enter the ToDo! text. Optionally, you can specify a context (more details about this in a subsequent section), project, ical calendar, tags, due date and priority. After completing a ToDo!, mark it as Done in the checkbox. To delete a ToDo!, select it and click the Minus-Button. To sort your ToDo! List, click on the column header. You can sort them by Done, Title, Context/Project or Due Date. Use Drag & Drop to manually rearrange your list. Use the search field to search and filter your list by Title or Context. Switch the ToDo! View columns (Simple, with Project column, with Context column, all ical Tasks, all ical Events) using the tabs inside the ToDo! column header.

8 Day specifics: Events If you have to get something done or need to know something on a specific day or time, just add an event to ical. Day-specific actions Some actions must take place on a certain day (e.g. call Martin before he flies to Europe). To add a day-specific action, just add an All-Day Event to your list. Then click New ical Event, choose a Calendar and check all-day. Day-specific information This, for example, could be the direction to a meeting in another city. To add a day-specific action, just add an All-Day Event to your list. Then click New ical Event, choose a Calendar and check all-day. Day- and time-specific actions These can be meetings or calls. To add a day-specific action, just add an Event to your list. Then click New ical Event, set the duration (from/to) and choose a Calendar. All of these day specifics set the landscape for a single day. Make sure to use them carefully and do not let the standard ToDo! fill your calendar up to the brim.

9 Configure Pluto menubar to be in sync with ical ical is perfect to display all of your Events and it gives you an overview of what lays ahead and what must get done next. When Pluto menubar is in sync with ical, you get the best of both: Seamless ToDo! handling and a clear overview of all the actions that must take place on a given date. You have the infrastructure that you need to be as efficient and productive as possible. It only takes two clicks to set Pluto menubar up to be in sync with ical. Just follow these instructions: In Pluto menubar s preference pane, select the Sync-Tab Check Sync ToDos! with ical to make sure your ToDo!s and Events are in sync with their defined ical calendar. 2. Check Allow ical deleting to ensure that ToDo!s and Events deleted in ical are deleted in Pluto menubar as well.

10 Focus on Today You do not have to switch to ical to get an overview. Simply click on the Today-Tab to gain a focused view on, well what else but today. Mobile list In certain cases, you might not bring your computer along or maybe using your computer in a given situation (e.g. eating out) would be inappropriate). On the other hand, it could be the perfect time to check your ToDo!-list in order to decide on what you must get done today. Thankfully, you can pull the ToDo!-list out of your briefcase that you printed out before leaving home and you can go over it while you re waiting to be served. You can also check the jobs for today by using your iphone and connecting to Mobile Me while taking the train to work. Printing out Printing your ToDo!-list out is easy. Simply choose Print ToDo!s from the Pluto menubar menu. When you re back at your Mac, make sure to update the To- Do!s in Pluto menubar.

11 In sync with Mobile Me or iphone Mobile Me To ensure that your ToDo!s and Events are in sync with your Mobile Me account, all you have to do is to configure the Apple Sync Service. Any changes you make in the online calendar are in sync with ical on your Mac and iphone. And if you set Pluto menubar up to be in sync with ical, Pluto menubar is in sync, too. iphone If you use an iphone (or ipod touch) it is easy to stay in sync with Pluto menubar while you re on the road. After enabling Pluto menubar to sync with ical, simply configure ical-sync for the iphone with the isync application. When you re back at your Mac, just start isync and Pluto menubar will be in sync. Summing up You have just refreshed your knowledge about GETTING THINGS DONE and have set Pluto menubar and ical up in the GTD way. Congratulations! You are now ready to work more productively in real-time all you have to do is get started today! Where to go from here? Read David Allen s book Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (again). After using the system as described here, you can adjust it to ideally fit your personal situation. And please let me know how I can improve, too: Your feedback is highly appreciated. Just send it to oliver@oliver-pospisil.com.

12 Additional Resources - Pluto menubar: - Pluto menubar manual: - ical: - More on David Allen and GETTING THINGS DONE Homepage: GETTING THINGS DONE: David s blog: GTD websites on the Internet: Overview: Zen To Done: 43 folders: - tools to learn how to use the 10-finger system: Typing Tutor for the Mac: About the Author Oliver works as a project manager on a wide variety of international IT projects. During his leisure time, he continuously strives to find ways to become more productive, he hikes and enjoys slow food. In addition, he is a literature, music and opera aficionado. Acknowledgements This compact book would never have materialized without the love of my life, who kept me energized with slow food and freed me from the physical housekeeping. Robin Lea Black reviewed my English. Her contribution makes this book a pleasure to read. And last but not least, my thanks go out to Michael Göbel for developing Pluto menubar, and for turning the legendary Apple fake into a valuable, easy-to-use application.