Time Management

GTD system is revolutionary invention for your time management that does not require special skills or technical equipment. All you need is self-discipline. All other you can get for free (or at small expenses) and anywhere.
In the first article of our serial, we suppose you will sign up and become users of our online GTD system (that is the main topic of the serial).

Doing things online

Advantage (and disatvantage) of web online application for time management is the fact that it is available from any computer with the internet access. Let’s call it advantage. The real disatvantage is that it is not possible to physically manipulate with stuff that our attention needs to be focused at. It is recommended to use any carton box for correspondence, small things that need to be repaired or delivered to somebody etc. We name this physicall box the carton box.

Inbox

GTD rule No. 1 is: everything goes into Inbox. The fact, that you have physicall carton box and virtual one in the online application, does not mean two GTD systems. You have one system with two Inbox-es. Since version 0.1.1 there is a possibility to insert Thing directly to its box, e.g. Next actions. Example: your watch is broken. Put the watch into the carton box and during the processing or revision you will write into online application to Next actions to find some horology to have it repaired.

Collecting Things online:

1. It is new Thing: save it to the Inbox as a new Thing.
2. It is Thing from carton box: save it to another box (Next actions, Waiting for, Someday/Maybe, Archive)

Form for collecting Stuff will show after click on Collect new thing. In the form there is the only one required field with the different name for each box. When saving Things into Inbox, the field will be named Label. Form buttons have unusual position, on the right top corner.

Other fields are optional:

1. Save to is field that adjusts box, where collected Thing should be assigned to. Some Stuff will be already in the carton box so you have to move it in the system to next box. We will mention it later.
2. In Details you can write extended information or just continue Thing label. This text is shown in lists like text messages in Gmail.
3. Contexts stickers are coloured marks that you can assign to collected Thing. Further details will be mentioned in the next part of the serial.
4. Each Thing can have defined by 5 levels of Priority: None, Low, Normal, High, Critical. They are graphically displayed.
5. Place serves for detailed information about location of the Thing.
6. Date allows to set the exact day for Thing. Things with defined date are displayed on the Plan tab. Things after the date will be striked-out and toady Things will have darker background.
7. When you set the Date, you can set the Time too.

Buttons’ functions:

1. Save and keep open – save Thing to collecting  Inbox (or to the other box) and erase form to collect next Thing. It is useful when starting or revising carton box.
2. Save and close – save Thing to collecting Inbox (or to the other box) and close the form. List will be shown.
3. Erase form – erase everything in the form. Carefully!

What’s next?

Next time we discuss Contexts stickers. Nothing terrible, just fun and colors.