Comments on: Remembering Milk

By: James

James — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:54:30 +0000

What I really need is a ‘can’t be arsed to do’ list. So I can put all the things I put on my ‘to do’ list on there and not feel bad when they don’t get ‘to done’!

I have the RTM extension running in Gmail, but often find my ‘overdue’ list is longer than my ‘to do’ list.

I guess I pretty much use my ‘high priority’ and ‘low priority’ labels in Gmail as my ‘to do’ list, along with my Google Calender which reminds me via email at 5am every morning what I have ‘to do’ that day – real things that involve leaving the computer and so on. My mobile phone is also constantly beeping with reminders I’ve set.

Sometimes I take the attitude that if I didn’t a) remember it, or b) set a reminder about it…it can’t be that important? Right? And maybe worrying about what ‘to do’ isn’t necessary?

Other times I wonder whether I need to streamline this madness, and then I’d get more done?

By: Si

Si — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:59:59 +0000

I'm still in awe over RTM after blogging about it a while back. It goes beyond a simple mash-up to create something that far more useful. It does look like they are giving Google something for free but what are they getting out of it? Knowing that RTM is a tiny operation made me shell out for a premium account. I'm hoping this'll help them continue to provide an intensely useful niche service without winding up in Yahoo or Google's trophy cabinet.

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:05:25 +0000

Pete,
I’m with Craig on this. All the fancy systems in the world will not save you if you’re just importing clutter into it.
I’m the most anally retentive person I know about this sort of shit, yet my to do list consists of:
1. a long work to do list split into week, term and dreaming
2. home to do list of longterm jobs / goals
3. post it note pad on the desk with this weeks stuff.
4. important dates to remember on desktop

that’s it.
it’s not the means that are important, it’s getting the basics sorted first.

O, and whilst i’m here, there’ s aJohn Welding exhibition review at my blog (http://rhbfictions.blogspot.com/2008/04/john-welding-drawing-city-part-1.html) and tomorrow the fpi blog should have one as well. Really, really good work.

By: Pete Ashton

Pete Ashton — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:35:14 +0000

Read the manual? I don’t think I’ve ever read a manual!

Point taken, except I don’t think I’ll get around to reading the book. But I’ll buy it anyway.

My point about how it all integrates stands though. Web apps need to be invisible.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:06:00 +0000

There, that’s you told.

By: Craig

Craig — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:52:37 +0000

Nah, the heck with all that. The one thing that GTD emphasises time and again is that your system must fit what you need. If you grab a “neat idea” like this before you get the building blocks in place there’s a risk you’ll try to jam everything into it before you really get it in your head that what you need is to clear your own head.
As you may recall, I used to be a bookseller, and was always cynical about the tosh that used to clutter MBS and Business about improving your life, but GTD is blooming great, and I thoroughly recommend just sitting down with the book, going “Oh, I see!” then scurrying off to Staples to buy a filing cabinet.
RTFM first, Pete, then see how the gizmos are supposed to work with it.