My New PAA
I have a new organizing system. Today is T+6 days since implementation. Here are some thoughts.
So there is this system that is pretty popular with the kids these days. Apparently it is also popular with business types as well. The system I speak of is Getting Things Done, based on a book written by David Allen. The system is complex and hard to explain in its entirety, but pretty easy to grasp as a general concept. Basically the whole thing hinges on you writing things down as they come to you: lists, ideas, doodles. Anything that is taking up room in your brain – write it down. Theoretically this will allow your brain to concentrate on real things that need to be done now and not focus on remembering things that need to be done later.
After you write things down there is process you follow to move things from lists to actually “getting things done.” Here is an insane flowchart that explains the process. As you can see (if you looked at that flowchart) it is a lot more complex than writing things down. But it all starts with writing things down.
I haven’t actually started the backend of the system – the parts where you categorize, organize and delete tasks. I also haven’t figured out how to handle big projects that are a giant collection of tasks. Apparently those are broken down into “next actions” – the thing you can do right now to get you closer to finishing the project. Actually one of my tasks right now is to figure out a system for organizing long term goals and projects. Heh.
As with any system, it’s left up to you, the user, to figure out how to implement the system into your life. Here is a big hint about getting a system to work for you: don’t be annoying. If the tools you choose to use to get organized are annoying, hard to use, cumbersome, expensive you are going to fail. I mean, maybe you won’t fail, but I feel like you will. My PDA is an example of a tool I tried to use that failed. I had this PDA. It is to my knowledge the thinnest PDA ever made by man. It was bare bones to the max, sacraficing gizmos and gadgets for SUPREME PORTABLITY. People, I am talking 0.4 inches thin here. It was practically two demensional. But you know what? As thin as it was, you couldn’t sit down with it in your pocket. So that meant either, into the bag it went – never to return – or it never left the cradle on the desk. For me lesson #1 was:
If you can’t get at it, you won’t use it
The second thing for me was ease of use. Although PDA’s are known for there super sweetness factor they really aren’t that easy to use. Sure it is easy to check your calendar, check your contact list, check your todo list. But add something in there? PDA’s might as well be read-only devices – the grafitti system is slow and hard to use. So lesson #2 for me was:
If you can’t use it while driving, it’s too hard
So what am I using now? Well, one of these. It’s actually called a Hipster PDA. It took me all of two minutes to build my HPDA and I had all of the parts laying around my house: a stack of 3×5 notecards and a black binder clip size small. I went a little crazy and put a colored note card in there to separate between used and unused cards. I also keep one card upside down at the bottom of the stack that I use for my “Today’s Tasks.” This lets me flip the whole thing over and jot down a quick task without shuffling through my cards.
I will admit, it is pretty awesome. Paired with this tiny pen that I got for my wedding, it can go in my back pocket and I never notice it. I AM SITTING ON IT RIGHT NOW. That satisfies rule #1. Because it goes with me everywhere and is so easy to use – pull out, scribble, put away – it is about as un-annoying as you can get. You can totally use this while driving. I did it on the way to work today. NO LIE.
There are still some things I need to figure out, mainly that back system a couple paragraphs back. I’m not really sure how I will keep track of things like “build deck” because that will consist of many many tasks. I don’t want to cary around fifty notecards with me at all times just so I can know all the tasks necessary for deck completion. I also need to decide how to distinguish between things that get there own notecards and things that just get an item on the “Today’s Tasks” card. But that is ok, it’s an evolving system. I’ll let you know how it goes.
let me ask this….
ok so lets say you need to do something on a certain. like go to the dentist. what do you do about that? like there is no calendar function in this roganization. while i see it as a good thin. i mean how do you set up dates for things and what not?
— havoc | @
sooo the “gettings things done” system is “write crap down so you don’t forget it”?
please, tell me, what is the 4th habit of highly successful people?
-midas
ps: you had a broken link that was making half the article not show up, but i fixed it ;-*
— midas | @
That concern, Havoc, is unnecessary because Max will never EVER go to the dentist. He is waiting for all his teeth to fall out so that he can buy titanium ones that will be drilled into his skull.
(Also, are you in town this weekend?)
— i heart dorks | @
yes maura i will be in town this weekend. is there a party?
ok after thinking about how to organize my life here is what i have come up with….
i made a hipster pda it is not complete because i need to get some different colored index cards. but…. on the front is my list of to do’s. mostly filled with school projects. then i am going to make a section that is for long term. like max’s deck thing. at the top of the card it would say deck. and then a list of tasks that needed to be done for it. this works for various projects. then on the back much like max that card is for misc things that need to be written down right then.
i also am going to carry my small graph paper moleskin. for any old reason. i have a list of things i like. a list of ad agencies i like so i can apply to them when i am done with school. and a list of cds i want. (which right now is just NWA, public enemy, and the chronic).
as for contacts and calander. i use my ipod. i sync it with my calender on my mac and my address book. and since i pretty much take my ipod everywhere i always have my contacts and what not. i also use it as a hard drive and i have ltos of school projects for my design classes saved on it.
bada bing bada boom.
also i just came up with all of this today. but i feel like it will work best for me.
— havoc | @
No, there’s no party but midas will be in town so I wanted to know if you were around to HANG OUT/play board games.
— i heart dorks | @
oh i will play some board games. i love board games. and i dream of playing these games from cheap ass games you guys are always raving about. straight glow stick style!
— havoc | @
here are some calendar type .pdf’s that you can print out on card stock to make a 3×5 card for yout deck.
Also, I am totally up for playing games, Deadwood is a lot of fun. So is James Ernest’s Totally Renamed Spy Game. Although I had a lot of alcohol and sudafed when I was playing that one.
— MaxPower | @
deadwood was the best
— nic | @
We need to play the game that takes 45 seconds.
— RMSzero | @
I must say that my favorite game is the one that takes 45 seconds, even though I made fun of it. I wish I were playing it right now.
— Valeree Lynn | @
val did you play it? are you converted to its ways now?
— RMSzero | @
Oh I played it. But no one will want to play with me because I become a real jackass when I win.
And yeah, Deadwood is the best. The thing is though most of the games are really annoying when you start to play them because you have no clue what’s going on. Once you understand them, they are the most fun ever. I heart CheapAss Games.
— Valeree Lynn | @
Well, we have to do it tonight or on Sunday because midas and I are having Valentine’s Day on Saturday and Max & Val are hanging out with Max’s mom.
— i heart dorks | @
well i am down for tonight. i have to work on a project on sunday
— havoc | @
I’m down for tonight. It will give me an excuse to look at my NEW PLACE.
I need a digital camera I think, so I can share it with everyone.
Maura also let me say that you are perfectly welcome to go to http://www.capitalone.com/careers/ and see if you see anything you want. You never know, there’s quite a variety on there. If you do find something, apparently since I know you, that improves your chances. I mean, they just got “very honorable mention” for best workplace in richmond in style I think, or something.
But if you don’t want to, that’s fine. It’s definitely big and I don’t like the sometimes evilness. No one fights though ever, I will say that.
— RMSzero | @
I want to play tonight too but I am currently dying a horrible death. But at least I’m not at work.
— Valeree Lynn | @
val you need to drink lots of vitamin C so that you can be living a wonderful life by later.
okay back to SPREADSHEETS
— RMSzero | @