Your mind will know when you don't trust your system

I have been in a weird loop the last couple of weeks. Install Life Balance, set up a system. Delete and try Shadow. Delete and decide to go with a Cyberpoche/Pigpog mix. Delete and repeat. I posted to the GTD_Palm list about it, as I realized the real problem was me. I was trying to impose a system because my habits weren't good enough. My mind knew I couldn't be trusted to do a good review and was afraid something would slip through the cracks. Jacques replied with a post that calmed me right down and ended with this quote:

"Tweaking is the beauty of a creative thinking : bridges old components for
new and better suited uses." (Arthur Bejack)

And at that, all the craziness stopped. I reread chapter chapter 29 in Ready for Anything (which I have to buy as I keep checking it out from the library.) And I realized that I could handle it and could be trusted with my system. So, here is what I've finally settled on. I use Pedit for my inbox (although this could easily be done in the built-in memo app. I just like Pedit and I keep my reference stuff in the p32 database so I don't have to look at it daily.) I plan my next actions for the week here, do my budgeting and keep my projects memos. I use pTools to move it into the Datebook and Todo databases. I use A5 to view it all. It helps me keep the collection separate from processing. It gives me a weekly view, which I've found that I need. When I go through my lists to move them into a form that A5 will pick up, I have the chance to rewrite them and do the processing/thinking part. There is a lot less structure than an outliner would provide and that is also something I need. All I need to do now is have Palm desktop installed on the work computer.

I can't tell you what a joy the new Zire 71 is. It is so fast. The resolution is wonderful. The fonts are so clear that I can use the small font in A5 and read everything. I still have about 5MB free space in RAM. I've ordered a 128MB card for it, as I'd like some more MP3s on the card and room for an Audible book now and then. I'm getting the M130 ready to sell. The only thing I don't like on it is Graffiti2, which is just dreadful. Fortunately, I already own TealScript, which I loaded again today. I'm also using my old Floating Point stylus. It doesn't fit in the silo but I can tuck it into the side of the case. The pictures from the camera have been very nice too. It makes my day to use this Palm.

System notes

I may still publish the Note Studio setup. I have stopped using it for now. I picked up a new Palm, a Zire 71. And it seemed to me that I've been relying on more software to get the heavy lifting done. I keep going around in circles, reinstalling Life Balance, then Shadow, then thinking of yet another group of programs to try. And I'm facing a new job with tight deadlines and lots of waiting fors to track. For now, I am leaning towards A5 to view my week and using pedit memos to track projects, agendas and waiting fors. Will try to work that up tomorrow, so that I can see what it looks like. I think this is do-able and I think it will work for me. It's tough because I really love using Note Studio. I just can't justify the cost of yet another program, when I'm letting too much slip through the cracks in the meantime.

My Note Studio system

I took a few screen shots of my Note Studio system this week. I didn't install the fonts, so you won't see the italic font I use for headers. At any rate, this is my homepage:

Notice that this is a lot closer to what Jacques is doing. It's just a half a year full of links to each week. Here's what you get when you click on This Week:

It's a pretty simple design. The nav bar across is also simple. From left to right, you have links to Work, Home, Read (browsing), Calls, Shop (or Out & About), Waiting For, Hard Landscape, Finances, Lists, Projects, Address Book, and Inbox. I use this nav bar on almost every page. I'll be adding more shots of my other screens in the next day or so. I am very pleased with this system. I've gotten rid of a bunch of extra software and it's easy to maintain. It also helps me separate collection and processing by use of the Inbox. More later.

The latest tweak

This is not good for someone who said they wouldn't tweak their system, for a month during the Weekly Review challenge. Really, I do have it down pretty much. I'd read Jacques' posts about the nav bar he uses for his Note Studio system. I was using one closer to Pam's. I decided to try making it smaller and discoverd that it made a big difference. So I went with something closer to Jacques'. I used symbols instead of words for most of the links. I decided to use :: as a divider. I wound up with a single line to link to all my main pages.

In using Note Studio, I've managed to get rid of a lot of other applications. I'm going to register this one. I'm looking forward to their Mac desktop too. There is something about being able to create a custom interface, without having to be a programmer.

The plan for this blog

I haven't had much time to work on this yet, as I've been trying to bring my Mac back into the land of the living. I'd like to try to pull together some of the systems talked about on the GtD_Palm list. Jacques does have a good site for Cyberpoche and a new site to talk about how he's using Note Studio. There is no site for info on Pigpog though. It would be helpful for me to have a reference available for those systems. I use bits from both systems. I'm hoping to rework what I'm using now. It's very functional, yet I'd like to make my own mark on the GTD systems debate.

getting things done

I decided that I really want a blog to devote to GTD. I've tried to put the information on my old pda page. I've made so many changes to my system that it's hard to make any sense of it. But now, I have the system I've wanted. I don't have any desire to change it, just to use it. That blurry picture of my Palm is my Note Studio home page. The top links are the Pam style nav bar. I've simplified it a bit. This is the page I look at to see my focus for the week. I could have gotten a clearer picture if I set this up on an emulator. And I may do that at a later date. The most important thing is that I now have a system that is completely customized for me. I can enter new links easily. And I can actually focus on DOING things now, rather than tweaking my system.