GTD question - how to create Reference and Ticker files

GTD question - how to create Reference and Ticker files

[Varnit Suri]

Hello,

I 'm trying to implement the Getting Things Done approach using Org-mode
(like many others!). 

I 've been thinking of the best way to implement GTD's Reference and
Tickler folders in Org-mode. I have a few thoughts of my own, but wanted
to check with the community, in case anyone else has a better solution.

My solutions are pretty 'raw' - just a text file (with links, etc) for
the Reference and a Someday list for the Tickler. Anyone else has more
sophisticated solutions? Any comments are appreciated.

Thanks,
V.

Re: GTD question - how to create Reference and Ticker files

[Manish]

On Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 9:53 PM, Varnit Suri wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I 'm trying to implement the Getting Things Done approach using Org-mode
> (like many others!).
>
> I 've been thinking of the best way to implement GTD's Reference and
> Tickler folders in Org-mode. I have a few thoughts of my own, but wanted
> to check with the community, in case anyone else has a better solution.
>
> My solutions are pretty 'raw' - just a text file (with links, etc) for
> the Reference and a Someday list for the Tickler. Anyone else has more
> sophisticated solutions? Any comments are appreciated.

I also looked around for the "best way" for a long time but I guess
what fits one's mind may not fit others'.  With that said, Charles
Cave published an excellent article on the subject recently.. please
check out the Worg.  There's been discussions on the very subject in
the past.. please check out the list archives as well.

IMHO, you do not need a separate tickler file since your
agenda/project files can contain timestamped tasks and deadlines and
that's your tickler.  Someday file can also be implemented by either
using a SOMEDAY todo keyword or a SOMEDAY tag.  I keep project specfic
references within the project subtree and general purpose references
in a notes.org file with NOTES and WEBLINKS headings.  Org has excellent
search facilities as well to scan through these.

HTH
-- 
Manish

Re: GTD question - how to create Reference and Ticker files

[Friedrich Delgado Friedrichs]

[-- Attachment #1.1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1533 bytes --]

Manish schrieb:
> On Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 9:53 PM, Varnit Suri wrote:
> > My solutions are pretty 'raw' - just a text file (with links, etc) for
> > the Reference and a Someday list for the Tickler. Anyone else has more
> > sophisticated solutions? Any comments are appreciated.
---Zitatende---

Not really more sophisticated, but somewhat tried and true:

I have a few SomedayMaybe*.org files. Items in those files have the
tag "Maybe" or "Someday" (or both) and should have no schedules. I
review those files in my weekly review and make sure I regularly move
items back and forth from these files. *Any* item with a "Someday" or
"Maybe" tag should be in one of those files.

And if I want to be reminded of something on a certain date, I just
put an active timestamp into the item (with C-c .), so it will show up
on my agenda. This is already completely sufficient to implement the
43-folders technique outlined in David Allen's Book, if you regularly
review your agenda. You just set the Date to the first of the month,
if the item would go into one of the month folders, and on the first,
you reconsider the item and decide for a particular date (or to delete
it, mark as done, whatever). Just make sure you look at your *past*
agenda every day to catch those reminders, as they won't be moved
forward automatically (in contrast to scheduled items).

HTH
        Friedel
-- 
        Friedrich Delgado Friedrichs <friedel@nomaden.org>
                             TauPan on Ircnet and Freenode ;)

[-- Attachment #1.2: Digital signature --]
[-- Type: application/pgp-signature, Size: 197 bytes --]

[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/plain, Size: 204 bytes --]

_______________________________________________
Emacs-orgmode mailing list
Remember: use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode

Re: GTD question - how to create Reference and Ticker files

[Matthew Lundin]

Hi Varnit,

"Varnit Suri" <vsuri@Brocade.COM> writes:

> Hello,
>
> I 'm trying to implement the Getting Things Done approach using Org-mode
> (like many others!). 
>
> I 've been thinking of the best way to implement GTD's Reference and
> Tickler folders in Org-mode. I have a few thoughts of my own, but wanted
> to check with the community, in case anyone else has a better solution.
>
> My solutions are pretty 'raw' - just a text file (with links, etc) for
> the Reference and a Someday list for the Tickler. Anyone else has more
> sophisticated solutions? Any comments are appreciated.

The wonderful thing about org-mode is that there are many ways to
accomplish the same thing. For instance, one could have a file for
active projects and another file for someday/maybe items. Or one could
use tags to indicate someday/maybe items.

I myself use an inactive todo keyword (SOMEDAY) to remove items from my
active todo list.

E.g., 

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(setq org-todo-keywords '((sequence "TODO(t)" "STARTED(s)" "|" "DONE(d)" "WAITING(w)" "SOMEDAY(s)")))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

With this setup I do planning in multiple org files, each of which
corresponds to an area of responsibility (household, finances, work1,
work2, family, friends, etc.). Thus if I want to mark something as
someday/maybe, I simply switch the todo to SOMEDAY. As a bonus, org-mode
inserts an inactive timestamp that lets me know when the item became
inactive. During reviews, I use the agenda to look over the SOMEDAY list
and switch any important items to TODO (and vice versa).

I use the agenda view to as my tickler file. I use timestamps as
follows:

1. Active timestamps: For appointments or things that have to be done on
   a particular day.

2. Scheduled timestamps: To postpone an item until a certain date -
   i.e., make an item show up on my agenda on x date and every day
   thereafter.

3. Deadline timestamps: To mark when an item is due. I can change the
   amount of warning time with a negative interval indicator in the
   timestamp. E.g., the following will start warning me about a deadline
   ten days in advance:

,----
| * PROJECT Project due
|   DEADLINE: <2009-06-01 Mon -10d>
`----

Hope this helps,
Matt

RE: GTD question - how to create Reference and Ticker files

[Varnit Suri]

Thanks Manish and Matt.

I read Charles' recently updated article too:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/GTD/gtd_workflow.html

I think category and task tags suffice as far as creating a Tickler list
is concerned. 

The only implementation for the Reference that I could think of was to
do something similar: have a separate file with category and context
tags, and just log all info there (links, etc).

I agree - some info may be project specific and so you could have
project-specific reference files too, though searching them may become a
problem.

Any other ideas?

V.


-----Original Message-----
From: Manish [mailto:mailtomanish.sharma@gmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 10:02 PM
To: Varnit Suri
Cc: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
Subject: Re: [Orgmode] GTD question - how to create Reference and Ticker
files

On Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 9:53 PM, Varnit Suri wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I 'm trying to implement the Getting Things Done approach using
Org-mode
> (like many others!).
>
> I 've been thinking of the best way to implement GTD's Reference and
> Tickler folders in Org-mode. I have a few thoughts of my own, but
wanted
> to check with the community, in case anyone else has a better
solution.
>
> My solutions are pretty 'raw' - just a text file (with links, etc) for
> the Reference and a Someday list for the Tickler. Anyone else has more
> sophisticated solutions? Any comments are appreciated.

I also looked around for the "best way" for a long time but I guess
what fits one's mind may not fit others'.  With that said, Charles
Cave published an excellent article on the subject recently.. please
check out the Worg.  There's been discussions on the very subject in
the past.. please check out the list archives as well.

IMHO, you do not need a separate tickler file since your
agenda/project files can contain timestamped tasks and deadlines and
that's your tickler.  Someday file can also be implemented by either
using a SOMEDAY todo keyword or a SOMEDAY tag.  I keep project specfic
references within the project subtree and general purpose references
in a notes.org file with NOTES and WEBLINKS headings.  Org has excellent
search facilities as well to scan through these.

HTH
-- 
Manish