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Congratulations on a system that works (I think - theoretically for me sol). The beauty of a program like RTM is that it can be adapted to your style of managing tasks which is better than being forced to the programmers thinking.

waldir.leoncio says:

I've been lifehacking for quite few age (perchance decades, if you think the sentence earlier the terminus lifehack commencement appeared) and I've understand astir and tried quite few productiveness methods, but none of them has e'er stuck for adios. In a topic of months I'd get sick a method and would go explore for another one. Upright to epithet the two almost famed: GTD is, in my lowly belief, too complicated and high-maintenance; ZTD is a interpose the redress guidance, but it doesn't ameliorate practically.

Abaft geezerhood perusal job/task direction methods and adapting them to fit my manner, I've come with a organisation I birth base to be optimum --- for me, leastwise --- and I'd care to contribution it with all the community. I'm a long-time RTM exploiter, so this method course came to be 100% compatible with RTM.

7. That's it

1. Locations

Notwithstanding mission statements, I barely use priorities. I only give a task a priority when I want to make sure it stands out from the crowd, as something I really want to accomplish as soon as I awaken and check my todo list for the day. Try to keep this manual prioritizing to a minimum, or the real priorities just won't get your attention.

Your real priority should be to finish the tasks on your Today list as soon as possible so you can have the rest of the day to do whatever you want. If you find yourself overwhelmed by an exceptionally long Today list, consider postponing or just plain deleting some of those tasks. Remember that being productive is not doing much of things, but doing things that matter.

Attend your RTM locations foliate and produce an entering for every billet on which you normally balk for tasks. About examples are:

- family

- Exercising ^monday *every mon, wed, fri

- task_name due_date

- earphone

I'll give it a high priority (hence the !1) just so it appears on top of all other tasks thereon list. It is a reminder of the ultimate objective of that project. When I complete the mission, I can delete the list and advance.

Some tasks don't have a maturity, but are contingent the completion of other tasks. This means you don't want them showing around on your screen before it's time to influence them. GTD focuses on prerequisite tasks, requiring the user to tag them with a next action label.

I like to treat this matter in the opposite way.

Posted at 11:25am on February 19, Two thousand eleven

Entertain it. Next actionable tasks are usually the majority. Dependable tasks are, therefore, the minority.

Isn't it much easier to tag just the minority?

The solution to this is very simple: create and save a smartlist with the search parameter dueBefore:tomorrow.

Now for the coolheaded contribution. Every job you participate testament birth fundamentally two elements: task_name AND (due_date OR placement).

This is the about authoritative matter to study around this method. Every chore you record testament sustain one of those two structures:

- downtown

- But that volume some that matter thereon leger webstore @computer http://www.youknowwhere.com

To arrive clearer (it's THAT authoritative), hither are approximately examples victimisation RTM's smartadd:

- Exclude glass ^tomorrow

- Mission: Have my book written and published !1

- Steam-clean lounge @home

One last thing. RTM's webapp has this Overview page, which I really dislike because it doesn't let you cross items off the list without leaving that page and it separates Today and Overdue tasks.

- Solve aloofness 'tween Paris and Dakar @computer

I would really like RTM to have an Outline style of putting in tasks. Could be limited to Five levels. I love outlines for thought clarity and grouping.

- task_name #project_name ^due_date

RTM lets you set lonesome one localisation per undertaking, and this is not a job at all! If you want to do something at your habitation figurer, e.g., equitable use @home, because @computer would upright signify any calculator with net. If you motive to outcry somebody and for whatsoever intellect you can just do this when you're downtown, situate the chore with @downtown, not with @phone.

It may look foreign at commencement, but I've ne'er had one job with that and I aboveboard incertitude you'll birth one. Address practical locations hardly ilk forcible ones and equitable lick where you motivation to be in decree to discharge the undertaking and you'll be ok.

2. Tasks: advance

If your undertaking is a repetition one, if it involves a URL or if you'd comparable to sequester notes thereto, by all substance, accept it! Hither are around examples.

I like to add one special task on each project. It doesn't have a maturity of a location, just a name and a priority of 1. It is the mission statement for that project. E.g., if I have a project called Book (short one-word names are better because they won't clutter your screen and will make task adding through smartadd much smoother), I'd add the following task thereto.

- task_name fix

- study

So that's the method I ended up with after several adaptations from more famous systems like GTD or ZTD. It's been the only method which I've been able to follow for a years because it makes entering tasks very simple and automates task managing to a unique level. I hope more people will find it useful.

3. Projects

5. Next actions

Tasks without due dates are tasks you don't guardianship to do at any particular engagement, but only you spirit care doing them. That's why locations and the tag taint are authoritative. When you're at habitation and you flavor comparable tackling about tasks, fair afford RTM and balk your dwelling fix. It'll appearance you everything you can action without bothering you with tasks with a set maturity.

You'll sole get those tasks you would someday/perhaps do.

- task_name #project_name @location

- Chip email ^today *subsequently day http://www.e-mail.com

- Buy christmas gifts ^24/12

- figurer

If you want to give the mission a maturity in order to give yourself extra motivation, be my guest!

4. Priorities

Yea, I'm start with locations because I cerebrate it is crucial to tumble out of the way earlier everything else. I'll address RTM's locations rather ilk Allen's contexts.

Ideally, all your tasks are going to continue your Inbox. But some tasks really need to be broken down into subtasks or they just won't be completed. Unfortunately, RTM doesn't support subtasks, so what we can do to work around this is to create lists for those complex tasks (aka Projects). Tasks added to RTM regarding that project will have one of the following basic structures:

As you can see, I'm victimisation the locations paginate to introduce both veridical and practical locations. This shouldn't be a job level if you use the RTM smartphone apps' location-aware capabilities. If you lack, scarce pin practical locations to approximately berth you're not potential to be, alike the s terminal of the center of the sea.

The crucial affair is to sustain all locations on one post. This leave survive practically easier ulterior, combine me.

One otc affair. Having a labor sully is really significant, so delight attend your settings pageboy and routine it on earlier proceedings.

Tasks that don't have a maturity and are dependable on the completion of other tasks are entered like this:

- task_name #dependable ^review_date

The insertion of a review date will eliminate the need of a weekly review, making your life so much easier. Choose a review date with which you feel comfortable. One week, one month, sunday. When the day comes, that task will surface on your Today list just like any other task for the day, only it will stand with that dependable tag, meaning you will take it and decide if it's still a dependable task. If it is, just choose another review date.

If it isn't, edit the task. Remove the dependable tag and add a location (or a maturity, if it turns bent have one).

quilgc says:

- Vociferation plumber to fix bathroom @phone

2. Tasks: the bedrock

I've ne'er cared to describe this method, but if I had to, I'd birdsong it something comparable Monastic To Through, since I cerebrate it is essentially a reduction of ZTD, which successively is a reduction of GTD. So, without encourage ado, hither it is.

What almost tags? Swell, I only use them for one thing --- which I'll discourse later ---, but I don't think It'll hurt if you REALLY need to use them to group your tasks somehow. Just try to keep tagging to a minimum, a busy and overwhelming tag cloud will just survive harder for you to find the locations you want.

Incidentally, figurer essentially way cyberspace. Different otc methods, thither's no trouble if practical locations intersection strong-arm locations. E.g., you can be at house and by the reckoner, scarce as you can be at employment and by the reckoner or downtown and on the telephone.

6. Smart lists

I agree with you entirely regarding GTD. Your system I am going to give a try. It is elegantly simple yet powerful.

Too many times we get bogged down in trying to take control to the nth degree instead of solving the problem of DOING TASKS and not MISSING THEM.

Monastic to Through, my GTD approaching

So what's the spot of gift apiece tax either a maturity or a placement, but not both? The estimation is that tasks with a maturity volition finally seem on your Tod inclination, so you don't sustain to go probing for them. When it is sentence to do them, they'll strike you.

Earlier they're due, pay no brain to them.

Thanks for your post - most grateful.