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Ask HN: What is your trusted system for GTD?

17 points by gammabeta ↗ HN
The concept of GTD (getting things done) seems pretty powerful to me and I'd love to use it myself. Unfortunately I can't find a system I can fully trust; analog solutions seem inefficient and hard to backup but the digital solutions seem insecure. So where for analog I don't trust it to always be available I don not trust digital to only be avaialable to me. I'd love to hear what systems you use

15 comments

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duncan_bayne
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/ + http://orgmode.org/ + https://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/unison/ + http://www.openssh.com/ + https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.danielrogg... + http://www.orgzly.com/

... with all files sitting on my home server, accessible over SSH via private key authentication only, synchronised with Unison on Linux, FreeBSD and Android.

So it's not perfect. If you broke into my house, you'd have the files. Ditto stealing my phone, or loading malware onto my equipment, etc.

But it's pretty solid; I'm comfortable with the tradeoff between security and convenience it represents.

Plus, org-mode agenda view is to die for :)

https://cdn.pbrd.co/images/GFPTFEF.png

scorpioxy
After reading one blog post after the other and trying out different systems(including ones I wrote), I reverted back to simple lists of tasks. I use orgmode in emacs to manage the multiple lists with different priorities. orgmode keeps the lists in text format and is simple enough to manipulate.

Honestly, it might not be the best but it works and works well for my needs.

jskulski
Everyday, I write things down and then I do them and then I cross them off. It's really hard.
formalsystem
I really like wunderlist, put items in, sort them by rank, go through them one by one and tick them off when you're done.

Also it can sync with your phone which is pretty nice

ja27
I've struggled a lot with having _one_ system that works. The best ones for me are either a physical notebook (Moleskine style or spiral) or a stack of index cards. What's good about index cards over a notebook is that you can lay them out so they're all visible at once, can sort them how you like, and it's easy to dispose of cards when they're used up.

Digitally, I juggle Keep, Evernote and email, so no I never quite trust one system. I wish Evernote had a Keep-like dashboard where you could see multiple notes.

luketych
Get a mini binder that fits in your pocket. You can use it like a notebook, and also take the pages out and use like index cards. Took me 3 godndamn years to think of that lol.
piratebroadcast
I have been fairly happy with Things 2. A big on the pricey side but have had zero issues. I have lists of lists, including places I want to visit, movies I want to see, etc. Everything goes in there.
luketych
Go with whatever works consistently and your can trust. So don't use a piece of shit like evernote, for example. This is where paper-based systems can shine (until you can build your OWN digital system). Can't even count how many times I had a perfect digital system set up only to find one stupid little thing about it I could not change because it was not my code to change.

Ideally we would have a digital system that works with our own unique way of thinking. Until then, paper sucks but it's the best.

Why do you need to keep a backup? A good analog system doesn't need to be inefficient. If you can stumble upon the right setup it should be plenty efficient, unless you can build your own digital system.

jcrben
I'm playing with facilethings.com and zendone.com. Previously tried doit.im. But mostly I just work off of Gmail and use Evernote for reference material.
josefdlange
The Hit List [1] was my go-to when I was in school. Really painless information ingestion, and convenient means of displaying data.

Unfortunately it is not well-maintained in terms of updates... hoping it will see some love eventually...

[1] http://www.karelia.com/products/the-hit-list/mac.html

josefdlange
I stand corrected -- there has been some movement. The desktop app is largely unchanged (visually) over the last few years, which I suppose isn't necessarily a negative aspect. Feels a little outdated but still works just as well, I can attest to that after downloading and launching it just now.
SyneRyder
I need to give a plug for Toodledo, it doesn't seem to get mentioned much but has great GTD support. That includes fields for Contexts (and support for Locations), associating tasks with Goals (whether short-term or long-term) and assigning a Status (eg Next Action).

The real power though comes from memorized custom searches, that filter out everything except what you're currently interested in.

Their main product is their website and iOS app, but they also have an API & third-party developers making clients. They have an official Android app, but I much prefer Ultimate ToDo List on Android. They have a Mac menu-bar app as well, but I prefer to keep the website pinned in my browser instead. (I would LOVE a native Mac app of the calibre of Things / OmniFocus that fully supported Toodledo & had offline support, though.)

I also found an article with a more indepth look at Toodledo & GTD [2]

[1] http://www.toodledo.com/

[2] http://www.millwardesque.com/getting-things-done-toodledo/

paulmatthijs
The trick of "proper" GTD is not what to use, but what not: focus on eliminating inboxes. You've got too many.

Triage everything that comes into your (e)mailbox, Slack, whatever. It's the deciding what's actionable and what's not that makes your GTD work. Get the info you need from those inboxes into a single filing system, and stick to it.

Mine is OmniFocus, your mileage most likely will vary.

taoquay
I use Remember the Milk[1] and it has served me well for the past couple of years. I started off with the template presented in this post[2] from the RTM blog and it's a great basic implementation of GTD.

The advanced search functionality to combine items from multiple lists into a single view is my favorite feature. The keyboard shortcuts, quick entry and iOS/Android apps make it so that it's always easy to input something into my trusted system, whether I'm near a computer or on the go.

[1] https://www.rememberthemilk.com/ [2] http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/post/116665489183/guest-post...