Recently, I was challenged by one of my best friends to check out the theory of “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. I had heard of the concept before, but I had never really researched it until a couple of weeks ago. If you are one of those people who has trouble finishing tasks, organizing your thoughts, or forgets tasks throughout the day to complete, then I would seriously consider you research the GTD method. What I liked most about the plan was that there was no set formula for getting things done. The formula varies with each person, but the goal is to create a system for your life that helps you get things done. The most common way to do this is to set up inboxes for yourself. Create either virtual or actual boxes to place tasks and prioritize them by level of importance, time it will take to get done, or by time sensitivity.
I have been on a kick lately to simplify my life. There are so many new web applications out there to organize you, but all it does is end up complicating your life more than it was before. So, my GTD method involves using iGoogle, the customizable Google homepage.
Step 1: Sign in to your Google Account or Create one at www.igoogle.com
Step 2: Set up a new tab labeled “Organize” or “Get Things Done”.
Step 3: Add three different widgets. Add Google Notebook, Remember the Milk, and Google Calendar.
Step 4: Make igoogle.com your homepage on whatever internet browser you use the most.
Google Notebook allows you to jot notes down and for those firefox users, you can download the google notebook plugin that allows you to drag and drop text, photos, and charts into the notebook where it stores it.
Here is the link for the Google Notebook plugin
Remember The Milk is a cool third-party website that has a Google widget for iGoogle. The free version is adequate enough to help you manage your tasks for the day, week, or month. Google Calendar is just a simple way to for you to keep track of your appointments and other important events such as birthdays and anniversaries.
This method works for me. I wake up in the morning, double-click on Firefox and automatically iGoogle pops up with my tasks for the day, calendar, and a notebook for me to store blogging ideas, quotes, and other information that I don’t want to read right away. Another great thing about iGoogle is that you can put the Google Reader widget in there as well, so you can scan through all of your favorite blog articles and news headlines without leaving your homepage. it’s highly customizable and there are a ton of widgets you can add to the homepage.
Does anyone else use iGoogle the way that I do? Please comment about your method for getting things done. Do you have a method?
