GTD meets Nokia 3100?

Hi, my name is Jonah . . . and I'm a half-assed "Getting Things Done" implementer. ;)

I started reading David Allen's book, "Getting Things Done", back in Oct. 2006 when I was starting my new job. I'd be lying if I said I've implemented the entire process fully and correctly, but I have managed to re-engineer my Exchange/Outlook Inbox for a GTD-style workflow-- and it has helped me keep tabs on things that would have otherwise fallen through the proverbial cracks. My Inbox feeds my calendar and/or the categorized Tasks list; or, if it is a task I can do in the "right now", I can drop it into my reference folders as soon as the task is completed.

The problem is, what to do when I'm away from my computer. Yes, my work computer is a laptop-- but it's a monster Dell D800. And, let's be honest, even if it were smaller and lighter, there are some times when it's not appropriate/polite to have a computer with you. (I hate people who come to meetings and spend every minute of the meeting responding to email, or on IM, or playing solitaire, or whatever it is you are doing.) Sometimes, the actual work that needs to be done involves getting out from "behind" the computer, and talking with/getting information from people in a face to face manner.

Or, after hours, when you need to run the personal errands-- like recycling the plastic bags or the old magazines. Do you really want to be carrying around a laptop computer to keep track of your @Errands task list? No, me neither.

And that's where my system breaks down a little bit. I do have this old handheld PC from Compaq, and it does sync fairly well with Outlook. Unfortunately, the battery life on it is garbage. I'm not sure exactly why, but it seems like even when it is "off," there's some background process running that drains the battery. Besides, it's still slightly on the bulky side as far as sticking it in a shirt or pants pocket.

Now, my Nokia 3100, on the other hand-- much smaller and lighter, far superior battery life. The data entry inconvenience is about the same on both the handheld PC (software keyboard and tapping stylus) and the phone (T9 software keyboard).

I've started using the SMS message editor on my cell phone as a sort of capture/recall /organize point for my personal GTD items. I first saw the idea on Lifehacker, but have been trying to come up with my own way of doing it to accommodate the phone's feature limitations and my personal work style. At first, I'd just create a new message to keep track of today's/tonight's items only, putting one item to be done on a line by itself. Instead of sending the message, I'd just save it in my archive and refer back to it as needed. The 150 character limit kept me from making the list too long and crazy-- 12 items instead of 20, for instance. Once I completed an item on the SMS message, I'd go back and edit it the message and put an "X" in front of the completed item.

The downside, of course, is that sooner of later, the combined length of completed items and items remaining to be done is going to exceed 150. That and I'm constantly seeing the completed items mixed in with the remaining items whenever I am scanning for what to do next-- which isn't great.

It turns out that the Nokia phone lets me create folders inside my Text Messages box. You can actually move messages between folders. So, instead of putting all my items on one message-- I can create a message for each to do item, and then put the message in a folder to indicate the proper context for doing that item (e.g. AtHome, AtWork, WhileOut, etc.) When the task is done, I can move it into a Done folder and get it out of the way.

Is it perfect? No, of course not-- the data entry could be easier/faster on a different phone. And the memory limits on the text messages mean that unless I'm scrupulous about erasing items from the Done folder, sooner or later I will fill the phone up completely. Also, it'd be nice if the phone could synchronize back with outlook's Task items and mark completed tasks, so I wouldn't manually have to review and update the items.

But, it's a start. And it's a work in progress, and it's a process that is undergoing gradual improvement as I learn more about what my phone can do. Who knows? Maybe I'll discover that sending email/SMS messages between my phone and my work email adds that missing link I'm looking for. Or maybe there's a data cable and piece of open source software in my future that will automate that process. The point is, it doesn't have to be perfect in the right here and now.