All productivity geeks, including the Getting Things Done ("GTD") priestly class, seem to have a "system". A system is a set of tools and procedures for collecting, processing and dealing with all the tasks and other material that crosses one's (perhaps metaphorical) desk. My "system" had relied on Sandy. As fans of that application are painfully aware, Sandy died a horrible death sometime in December. While dealing with grief issues, the logical part of my brain needed to focus on finding a tool to deal with this gap in my beloved "system". I had considered using Remember The Milk ("RTM"). Well, here is my update.
The basis of RTM is the concept of tasks. Like Sandy, tasks can be tagged, have a due date, include a url and a location. While Sandy used special tags like "@todo", RTM allows you to organize tasks into lists. So being the Getting Things Done wannabe I am, I created the following lists:
- Action Items
- Someday
- Waiting On
These are fairly self explanatory. Since RTM integrates with Google Calendars, I also have the following list where I add tasks with due dates that are part of the hard landscape of my schedule:
- Calendar
Lastly, I created lists for all my major projects. The one area where RTM really shines is their Smart Lists. Basically, any search you perform on all of your items can be saved as a smart list. It is like the concept of a "view" in a database - as tasks are added, modified and deleted, the smart lists are automatically updated to include the latest list of tasks that meet the criteria defined for them. This is great for readily identifying tasks in a given context. For example, I may have any number of items tagged as "errand". These items may exist in my Action Item, Someday, Calendar, or one of my project lists. A smart list based on all items tagged "errand" immediately provides me with a list of items relevant to that specific context! If I am about to get in the car to do some shopping, I can click on my "errand" smart list and see if I can knock off any tasks while I am in that context (you can also access RTM from your Blackberry and iPhone). So for me, context, which might include things like:
- Errands
- Phone Calls
- Home Maintenance
- At The Computer
are all handled via tagging and smart lists.
Improvements
The most glaring weakness with RTM, and this as a consequence of my having been using Sandy, is the ability to send RTM a list of tasks in a single email. When I am working through my email inbox (already well integrated), I like to fire off tasks to RTM. RTM allows you to add one task per email if you update RTM that way. That's a severe limitation I would like addressed. I suppose I should spring for the pro account and submit this request. Money talks!
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Tags: Email, getting things done, GTD, productivity, remember the milk, rtm, tasks, todo lists
That’s not true. You can send multiple tasks per email. Just send it to address login++import@rmilk.com. Each line of your email will be converted to a task, and subject defines list the tasks will go to.
02.06.09 at 10:32 am
Chris, what I thought you were suggesting did not work. When I send email to login++import@rmilk.com I get a response that the email was rejected by the recipient domain (I replaced “login” with my login name!). Anyway, I looked it up: you go to your settings at RTM and click on the Info tab where you will find your “import email address” and this works as you suggested. My import email address was nearly in the format you suggested, which leads me to believe I misunderstood exactly what you meant by “login++import”. Many, many thanks for pointing this feature out to me!
02.06.09 at 4:11 pm
GTD, yeesh. Be honest: How many times have you forgotten what you were going to add by the time you logged in?
Here’s the best organizer in the world: Type your goals for the month on a piece of paper. Type your goals for the week above that. Type your goals for the day above that as well. Then above that type any appointments and the time of day above that. If you need to add an item, write it at the bottom of the page. When you complete an item, draw a line through it. Vow that you’ll only re-type the list once a day, in the evening, before bed. Poof, best organizer in the world.
04.26.09 at 3:19 am
I am currently using Things (for Mac). It syncs with an IPhone app (funny enough also called Things).
The only drawback is that it’s not a webapp so I can access it from other places than my own computer (or IPhone), but other than that I really like it.
Besides this I just stumbled upon your blog. I have recently started a blog my 4 hours workweek adventures. Currently I write alot about outsourcing to the Philippines
09.16.09 at 8:17 am
Rasmus, thanks for the comment. I have enjoyed the benefits of the cloud so much (always available anywhere) I could not imagine something non-web based for almost all my critical apps. Between my desktop, laptop and iPhone I don’t have to synch anything. I’m going to check out your blog. I too have a Philippines connection, so I am eager to see what you have going there!
09.16.09 at 9:12 am