Recently, 37 Signals released a major update to Backpack, their web based organization tool. Frequent visitors to this site know that I love me some Backpack. I have written about it several times before. Moreover, I have written about how…

About a year ago, I wrote a very long whitepaper that outlined my Getting things Done influenced productivity system (some might even call it exhaustive) . A little something I deemed Org-Fu. That being said, like many things, systems change….

I ran across this great compile on ZenHabits blog . Below is a snipit of what you will find there. The

While there are a million GTD apps out there these days, Actiontastic is really starting to stand out from the rest. While it wont switch me away from my system, it is clean, simple and very easy to pick up…

As regular readers know, I recently switched my “Moleskine of Choice” from the Pocket Ruled to the 18 Month Weekly Planner. One of the principal reasons I wanted this planner as soon as it was anounced and eagerly awaited it’s…

Thanks for taking time to put down what works for you. A very helpful collection indeed!

I too have been experimenting with a number of systems over the years and done much tweaking. There are a couple of things I wanted to share with you and others who read your great whitepaper:

1. I have found interruptions to really cause problems with my ability to focus on tasks and projects and then to try to refocus after the interruption. In today’s environment, many of us voluntarily place ourselves in an interruptive setting – such as by auto-checking email frequently and monitoring IM (Interruption Messenger). I’ve found it useful to admit that these things cause me to lose focus and helpful to create props that quickly allow me to get back to what I was doing with minimal thought.

I find it useful for the prop to be physical/tangible rather than digital. For example, a 3×5 card with a sentence or the name of the project you are working on. Placed visibly by your computer, if the phone rings or you need to walk away, you can immediately glance and refocus to jump back into what you were doing with minimal time lost trying to remember. A focus (or REfocus) card is also a great reminder to manage your call or interruption and get off to return to what you were doing rather than going off on a new tangent.

I suppose one could create a @FOCUS page in Backpack too, that you’d click on when you were trying to get back on track, but I’d think it would be harder to keep current than a single index card, torn in half and tossed when done or flipped over and re-used to get your maximum 59 cents worth…

2. You and many others I see are using many different apps, each with its own role. I agree that using what works best is key, but personally find it a challenge to remember that one thing is going to be in this app, another in that app etc. I know there is no one-size-fits-all solution and not sure if I’d want one, but it is a challenge for me to go to so many sources and/or switch between them, especially when I am mobile.

For example, you use the Pocket Moleskine for collecting. I currently use the large Moleskine graphed and have tabs for frequently used phone numbers area that I refer to several times a day, including when I am away from my computer, so while I can see how NUTDC would be a useful tool (and I’ve used it), it doesn’t replace my quick-refer list.

Same thing with passcodes and logins. You did not mention it here, but what app do you use to track passwords and logins?

Finally, is this a WordPress template you’re using for this blog or a custom design? I like it. Cheers from Portland, Oregon.

See here for more information on my take on Yojimbo:

http://patrickrhone.com/journal/archives/2006/08/200.html

Vivian – Thanks for the tip. That is one of the reasons I really want to give the Circa a go. Wouldn’t be so bad if I could just let go of my lust for the leather cover one.

Patrick Rhone has a lengthy, interesting post on how he Gets Things Done. Interesting stuff, I might parrot some of his ideas, particularly about “vertical mapping”. However, while I do love my Moleskine for some things, I doubt I’ll move away from my T