Getting Things Done

With Apple Mail and iCal

2008-03-21

I'm new to the practice of getting things done (GTD). I am aware of most of the principles and I am aware of the plethora of GTD software for Mac OS X. A number of weeks ago I took a brief survey of the available software in this particular field and, being a newcomer to the actual practice I felt sufficiently overwhelmed by the features of each. I do realize that GTD is about more than just a todo list but, for the ultra efficient all of these applications seemed to take more time to get set up, and to use than a simple checklist. Priorities are nice, as are due-dates but, beyond that I thought I would be better off with a simpler solution.

So far, I am right. The metaphorical ticket, for me, was being constantly (or nearly constantly) aware of my list. Knowing this, and knowing that I live much of my life on my Mac I found the simplest solution I could manage: Mail and iCal. These two applications together provide the essentials that are required of a todo list. First, they make it easy to monitor your list. Second, they make it easy to access your list from two frequently accessed applications. Third, they make it exceptionally easy to add new items to my list.

I've gotten in the habit of adding every little thing I could possibly accomplish in a day. I get to as much as I can. This accomplishes a couple goals. I get a big list of things to choose from and choice is always nice. It also provides that constant reminder for even the little things, many of which I would likely forget (or ignore) during the day.

Perhaps someday I will switch to some uber-GTD software but, for now, my requirements have been satisfied. I would recommend this process to anyone who is considering tackling the daunting GTD world.