GTD Wannabe

GTD Meme: Soon-to-be Killer Setup

There’s another meme going around, this one originated by the host of the Getting Things Done blog (who also organizes the Ultimate GTD Index).

I’m not going to *really* participate in this meme, because, as you know, I’m in the process of reconfiguring my Killer GTD Setup. But, I can give you a very brief glimpse at the bones of the system that I see rising from the ashes.

Hard Landscape

My favourite calendar is Remind, a Unixy-type application that I’m accessing through Cygwin. It enables me to see my calendar on my desktop, plus gives me easy access to adding events and deadlines. This last feature is due to the fact that the calendar is kept in text files, and I can make use of SlickRun to quickly input data. In addition, I can upload my calendars to Google Calendar, and then use CompanionLink (I finally got it working; more on that later!) or GooSync to sync them to my Palm.

Capturing Device

Since I’m not using my hand-rolled Perl script and text file for my Next Actions anymore, I now need a ubiquitous capture device. When at the computer, my tool of choice is a textual scratch file, again, which I access through SlickRun.

Organizing/Processing/Reviewing

This is the part of the killer setup that still has to rise from the ashes. I’ve just finished working my way through a hockey-sock full of online apps. I’ve got one right now (shhh, it’s a secret) that I’m giving an extra workout to. This app may or may not last through my testing of offline apps.

Reference

I’ve got the requisite filing cabinets and labeller at home. On my computer, my personal database/information manager/magic program of choice is EverNote. So far, I’ve got over 7000 notes of information organized there: passwords, tips clipped from the web, research thoughts, screenshots from test cases, code snippets, recipes to try, important emails, etc. etc. There’s not much that I don’t stick into EN.

Miscellaneous Tools

Of course, there are other tools that I now find indispensable. I’ve already mentioned SlickRun. I also use Launchy to start programs and navigate to file folders. Ultramon and MaxiVista for handling my three-monitor setup. AutoHotkey for all of my shortcut text-replacement tasks, including a whole set of shortcuts that let me type the date automatically for this Friday, whatever date is exactly 2, 3, 4 weeks from now, etc. Google Reader is now my preferred feed reader, so I can take my feeds with me. Plus, I’ve got other stuff, but it’s not so tied to my productivity system.

Anyway, I’ve just said more than I originally planned to, but sorry, you’re not getting any screenshots. If you’re interested, you can look at other entries that I’ve got related to GTD, Outlook, EverNote, OneNote, etc.

Finally, if you want to see who else has been participating in the meme, check out the Killer list of Killer GTD Setups.