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Getting Started: Lo-Fi or Hi-Fi?

Hi everyone

After hearing and reading a lot about GTD, I finally read the book and decided to implement it for my private and work life. To be honest, I can hardly wait to that two days I've scheduled to fill and process my in-box. What I'm struggling with is the right balance between lo-fi and hi-fi, as synchronization is somewhat limited:

  • Privately, I use a Win XP PC, which is my home base. My private mail is managed through GMail
  • At work, I use a Win XP without admin rights, i.e. I can't install anything, but I have unlimited internet access. Work e-mail is Lotus Notes R7...
  • On the road, I use a Tungsten T2 palm, which synchronizes with my work computer via Lotus Notes/XTNDConnect.

I would love to use my palm to manage my lists, because I will have it with me all the time. Since I cannot install any software at work, I'm looking for an online GDT tool that I can synchronize my palm with. However, if synchronization problems keep me from getting GTD off the ground, I would consider less technological options as well.

Any ideas or opinions? Should I go more lo-fi to make things simpler?

unstuffed's picture

My advice is nearly always...

...go lo tech (dons Pedant Pants: I can't call it lo fi, since the fidelity is excellent. Removes Pedant Pants).

Really, I'd strongly suggest that you go with paper all the way, at least until you've worked successfully with GTD for a few months.

Reasons:

1) Paper is transparent, by which I mean that there's no learning curve and no startup cost. Grab a pile of paper and you're set. No installs, no synchs, no irritations at glitchy software that won't play nice or won't do what you want, the way you want it.

2) Paper is transparent, and I'm deliberately saying this twice. This time, it's because the transparency of a paper system means you can focus on the essence of the GTD process, rather than on your implementation of it. It's also kind of a vanilla base state, which will allow you to think about how best to implement different parts of the system in electronica once you know the system.

3) It's cheap and readily available, and you can phase it out progressively, letting you set up the perfect system for you once you've got the GTD process under control, and have thought about what would work best for you.

4) Chances are you won't stick with the exact system that you start with, so start with the cheap vanilla choice that offers faster uptake and easier implementation.

That's more or less it. I should add that this advice comes from a total geek who's an ex-software developer. I luuurrrve funky tech toys, and I've been drooling over every nice GTD app that people link to (as well as the Circa notebooks). But I've tried various systems, and a paper system is simplest to learn and easiest to implement. Really. A paper system is optimal in most respects (and that comes from the also-ex-mathematician, and current and constant lazy bitch). This saddens me, since I'm deprived of lovely toys.:( Still, there's plenty more out there. ;)

Oh, and I dislike Windows boxen, with a very great dislike. ;)

 
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