You’re not going to find one piece of software that does everything for you; for most people, a successful system is a combination of software plus pens, paper, and other Dilbert-type tools. The secret sauce though, the ingredients that no developer can build into a tool (though I wouldn’t put it past the Quicksilver guy), are your own habits.

Look around here and you’ll see people getting it done with a plain piece of paper and a pencil; it’s not about the bells and whistles and lovely Cocoa interfaces, it’s about their methods. So if you feel like there’s a soft spot in your routine, it’s probably the old habits you’ve identified. Not to sound like a scolding headmaster, because we’ve all felt like saying, “I got yer contexts right here David Allen,” but you have to address that stuff before you start worrying about finding the Swiss Army knife of productivity software.

Most people seem to focus on finding the one application or suite of applications that support their method of doing things or encourage them to do something. They’re looking for the killer app to help them create their new life-changing routine.

But as has already been stated, that’s the wrong way to go about it. Don’t look for the greatest software application that pushes you forward and drives your GTD system. Ultimately, what pushes you has to come from within, no matter what tools you are using. There is simply no way around that.

Create a methodology that works for you first, then find the software or other tools that don’t interfere with that methodology. It doesn’t have to support your way of doing things so long as you can still do things your way using the tools you have. The true “killer app” in GTD is the app that is the best at getting out of your way. If you can hack up Palm Desktop to support GTD (which is what I believe David Allen does, or at least that’s what he’s stated in the past), then you found your killer app.

Most of the best insights of GTD are the little tricks that keep us from getting in our own way. The same applies to our tools. Use whatever doesn’t get in your way, and it will work perfectly.

Maybe great software amplifies the effectiveness of great habits.

The thing that finally did it for me was adding some “fun” to the workflow. I did as you creating my own GTD program and suddenly became overwhelmed with how well it allowed me to collect and process. I just had too much to do, and I started losing motivation to get back into it again.

So I added the ability to graduate through various “belt levels” to the program and it has made it just a little more fun to process my stuff. Now when I get to the end of my Weekly Review, it asks me if I want to generate a Productivity Report. And then it tells me what my current “belt level” is. It may seem odd but it really does make it more fun to get things done.