The Keep:For GTDers, how do you organize projects?

Found it's a great way to organize my largish to do lists, but wondering if anyone has come up with in game "hacks" for managing a projects list, too? by morisy

I'm not really a gtder, at least not a good one, but I have found increasing use for tags lately. Also, if you use google tasks, there is a good html page posted by lordgrowl. by fragmental

The system I use is based on the GTD system but adjusted to fit my personal needs and requirements. I'll describe it just in case it helps give you any ideas.

Firstly, I don't believe that any one program will ever fulfil the complete requirements of an individual as everyone is different in how they work. I don't expect HabitRPG (or any other website/program) to cover everything, so I'll use what's useful in HabitRPG while using the useful bits of other software and systems that best suit me.

"Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it." - Bruce Lee

All the software I use are free and/or open source because I'm a cheapskate like that.

On projects, I use Evernote (http://www.evernote.com), as well as a load of filing cabinets, to store my project resources. I use Portable Kanban (http://dmitryivanov.net/personal-kanban-app/) to organise my projects with the following columns:
 * Incoming
 * To do (long term)
 * To do (short term)
 * On hold
 * In progress
 * Outgoing
 * Completed

"Incoming" are for projects I know will be coming my way but I don't have any solid information about yet. "Outgoing" are projects I have completed but not yet delivered to the person who needs it (e.g. the client or customer).

I use Google Tasks (https://mail.google.com/tasks) as my list of Next Actions. At the start of each session of work, I will check my calendar - I use Google Calendar (https://www.google.com/calendar/‎) - and the projects kanban to determine what needs to be worked on. Then I'll go through my Next Actions list and pick out all the tasks I need to do by copying them into the HabitRPG "Todos" list.

Now I have my list of tasks I need to do (in the HabitRPG Todos list), I use my version of the Pomodoro Technique to work through that list.

This is the system I'm using at the moment, but I would recommend always keeping an eye out for anything you can add, remove, replace and in any other way improve your system. Again, quoting the greatest philosopher who has ever graced this Earth:

"Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water." - Bruce Lee by LordGrowl

@LordGrowl What is your version of the pomodoro system? by fragmental

Okay, I'm going to have to break this up a bit for it to make sense (i.e. why I've done it the way I've done it). Also, this is not going to be a tutorial, just a break down of what I do. Take from it what you want; I don't believe in copying directly what other people do, but I do firmly believe in listening to what other people say and then stealing/borrowing from them what I find personally useful while discarding the rest.

Background (the "Why")

I believe in gamification as well as attempting to use behavioural addiction for a good thing. There are a few things we can do to make something more addictive, taking tips from gambling and video games.

1) Instant gratification - getting immediate rewards for winning, and not having to wait.

2) Near miss effect - the feeling of *nearly* won, even if logically untrue. Example: getting a roll of 5 on a dice when you want a 6 and thinking "ooooh, so close," even though the odds are exactly the same for all the numbers.

3) Gambler's fallacy - when you think you're more likely to win next time after you've lost several times in a row, even if logically untrue. Example: you flip a coin, get tails 5 times in a row and you start thinking "It's bound to be heads next time" even though it's still the same 50-50 chance.

4) Randomness - call it luck or chance, just something you - the player - can't control.

Gambling is addictive for many people because it includes all the elements of the above, plus many more but those are the four I had in mind when I created this. The important bit to remember is that for something to be addictive it doesn't need to be "fun". Think of people who have genuine gambling problems; they don't necessarily enjoy gambling and it could go as far as ruin their lives. But they're still addicted and still keep on doing it. So things like Randomness, it doesn't even need to make sense or be fun; there just needs to be something random you can't control.

Materials required and setting up (the "What")

I have the following apps installed on my phone:

Dice widget Countdown timer widget with custom alarm MP3 file of the Final Fantasy 6 fanfare for the alarm I also have a box or bag of treats (currently a bag of Haribo Tangfastics, which are ****ing amazing!).

I have three Habits set up in HabitRPG:

"Completed pomodoro" set to Easy "Pomodoro (roll of 5!)" set to Medium "Pomodoro (ROLL OF 6!!)" set to Hard

Instructions (the "How")

Roll 6 dice. The total is the number of minutes your pomodoro will last for. (Randomness) If it's less than 20 minutes, roll again until you get a number of 20 or higher. When the pomodoro is over, the victory fanfare will sound. (Instant gratification) While the fanfare is still going, roll one die for a random reward (Randomness): After collecting the rewards, roll 3 dice. The total is the number of minutes rest before the next pomodoro.(Randomness) For the rewards:

If you roll 1-4, select the normal "Completed pomodoro" (instant gratification) If you get a 4, you also get a kick of the Near Miss Effect ("Ooooh, that was so nearly a 5.") When you get 1-4 several times in a row, you'll start getting the Gambler's Fallacy too. ("Oh, come on! It's GOT to be a 5 or 6 next time!") If you get a 5, then you get to select "Pomodoro (roll of 5!)", worth 1.5 times the HabitRPG reward, and pick a treat from the treat box/bag. If you get a 6, then you get to select "Pomodoro (ROLL OF 6!!)", worth double the HabitRPG reward, and a treat.

by LordGrowl

Wow. Impressive. Consider my question answered.

New question. What widgets do you use for dice and countdown?

by fragmental

Dice widget: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.obnsoft.dicewidget&hl=en

Countdown widget: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.dimond.countdowntimer&hl=en

I use that particular countdown widget because it's the only one I've found where you can select which channel you want the alarm to sound from. I wear a pair of Bluetooth headphones so I can listen to music while I work; with that particular widget, I can set it to sound through the headphones instead of the standard loudspeaker.

It also works great when paired up with Rocket Music Player (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jrtstudio.AnotherMusicPlayer&hl=en) because Rocket Music Player will automatically pause when the alarm sounds and then automatically continue playback once the alarm ends. I couldn't get this to work with Winamp, my previous music player of choice.

I hope that helps. =]

Edit: As for the dice widget, I don't think it really matters which one you use. I just use that one because it's the first one I came across. How different can dice widgets be? They're just dice.

by LordGrowl

Right, a few notes on how I use my personal kanban, but I've reworded it so it applies for individual tasks and not full projects.

(Summary at the bottom if you don't want the wordy version)

When I get a new task, I think to myself "Do I have enough information or resources to actually get started with this? Do I even know what the end result is supposed to be?"

If I've merely been told about something I need to do but I can't actually get started yet, then I put it in "Incoming".

If it's something I can do and get started with whenever I want, I think about the deadline. If it's ages away and I don't have to worry about it any time soon, then I put it in "To do (long term)". If the deadline is pretty close, then I put it in "To do (short term)".

Okay, now I have my list all the things I need to do, and I've also organised them into how urgent they are. I look at the list of tasks, pick a few that I intend to do right now and drag them into my "In progress" column. Now I start working on them.

If at any point I realise I need to put a tasks on hold - maybe it's a task I'm doing for someone else and I need some more information from them before I can continue working on it - I drag it into the "On hold" column.

I continue doing all the tasks in my "In progress" column and, when I finish one, I can drag it into "Outgoing" or "Completed".

"Outgoing" is for all the tasks I'm doing for someone else that I've finished but I haven't given it to that person yet. For example, maybe I'm fixing my friend's computer and, while the computer is now fixed, I haven't actually given it back to my friend yet. So I move that task into "Outgoing" until I manage to return the computer to my friend.

"Completed" is stuff that is 100% finished and I don't have to think about it any more. This includes stuff like the computer in the above example; as soon as I have returned the computer to my friend, I don't need to worry about the computer any more, so I can move the task from "Outgoing" into "Completed".

As I'm finishing my tasks and moving them from "In progress" into "Outgoing" or "Completed", I take a look at my two "To do" lists and move new tasks from there into my "In progress" column to make sure I always have something to do, and I always know exactly what it is I'm working on without worrying about forgetting or getting confused.

So, a bullet point style summary:

When you have a new task to do, create a card for that task. Do you have everything you need to get started? How urgent is the task? Take a look at your list of things to do and move some cards into "In progress" Get to work on everything you've got in the "In progress" column When you finish a task, do you still need to give the product to someone?
 * If no, then put the card in "Incoming" until you do have everything you need.
 * If yes, you have everything you need and you can get started whenever you want, then next question:
 * If it's not urgent, then put the card in "To do (long term)"
 * If it *is* urgent, then put the card in "To do (short term)"
 * If yes, you need to give the product to someone, move the task card into "Outgoing" for now
 * If no, you're 100% done and everything's all finished, then move the card into "Completed"

by LordGrowl

migrated by JiggerD (talk) 03:07, January 20, 2014 (UTC)