Using Digital Tools toGet Things Done

E d T e c h 2 0 0 6 - A s h l a n d

Presented by: J o h n G . H e n d r o n

Goochland County Public Schoolswww.johnhendron.net

John Hendron

CreativeMusical

Macintosh-GuruRight-Brained

Messy?In need of organization?

Yes!

Goochland County Public Schools

Instructional Technologist

Teacher Training

Instructional Design

Webmaster

PowerBook G4

Goochland County Public Schools

preK-12est. 2,200 students

5 schools

Mac OS X PlatformFaculty each have iBook G4/PowerBook

http://www.glnd.k12.va.us

Enough about me.

Let’s talk about my (dis)organization.

Will a Serenade help me?

Loose ends, disorganized tasks can cause stress.

“We need to transform all the ‘stuff’ we’re trying to organize into actionable stuff we need

to do.”

“The key to managing your ‘Stuff’ is managing your

actions.”

www.davidco.com

Can we applypersonal productivity +GTD to the computer?

To my Macintosh?

www.43folders.com

GTD Overview

5 Levels of Organization

• Collect

• Process

• Organize

• Review

• Act

Corral your E-mail

Inbox1 Respond2 Action3 Hold4 Waiting5 Archive (subfolders)

Get your Space in OrderFiling Folders(Physical) InboxFiling System (Cabinet)Paper Clips, StaplerLabel MakerSharpie PensTrash Can

Someday/MaybeReference FoldersCurrent, or Project FoldersWaiting-ForNotebook, or index cards

Action Items

• One of the keys to a GTD system is putting your tasks in new light: establish a list of action items—in concrete, discreet terms—that says what specifically you have to do, and what’s involved.

• Organize these lists by context—where you have to do them—as opposed to by project

Example Actions

• @Home

• call Time Magazine at 1-800-665-5555 to cancel subscription of Time by end of the month.

• @Desk

• make 50 photocopies of science worksheets for Wednesday’s lesson.

Example Lists

• @Waiting For...

• @Home

• @Classroom

• @Meeting

• @Computer

Using Software for GTD

SidenoteTiddlyWiki*

Instiki*iCal

QuicksilverBackpack*

Omni Outliner

Using a Notebook

A travelling journalMoleskine

Index Cards, i.e., Hipster PDA

Concept:

Don’t stress out over what you

cannot remember!

It takes practice...

www.glnd.k12.va.us/resources/gtd/

No Matter Where You are Headed...

Organize by function, not content.

GTD = Workflow

• Get everything in a physical, or better, digital format that can be manipulated

• Organize content by its need for completion, or “action”

• Organize reference material by project

• Organize actions by “quickies,” or into discreet steps in lists, or pass them along to others for delegation, or set-aside in a “someday/maybe” list

Digital Organization

• Starting a GTD-inspired workflow may start best in the digital realm—it’s simply easier to begin organization with software tools fit for the task...

• Use the conclusion of each week to collect together new ideas—open loops—and set actions for the week and days to come.