Here is a prototype 3×5 Note with Rollabind bindings. I used the 3×5 grid template from D*I*Y Planner which is 4-up, and then used a paper cutter to produce each note card (you can see I need to improve my technique!). Finally, the note card was punched with a Rollabind punch. I’m using the travel punch, and I needed to align each card at the top. If you are using the travel punch with stiff cardpaper, you are limited to using one card at a time. I might spring for the desk punch if the volume and frequency of binding punches warrants the price. I use these cards to jot down notes relevant to a specific topic or event. These will typically get processed for Next Actions or filed in an 8.5×11 Rollabind notebook.

The folks at Black Belt Productivity are assembling a powerhouse of GTD experts to share their “Mind Like Water” experiences with us via a series of articles. Emory, Matt, Jason, Punkey and pooks are on my BlogLines list and I’m really excited for the opportunity to learn from their experiences as well as get introduced to the other folks.

Technorati Tags: GTD

EverNote is collecting handwriting samples in order to improve their recognition technology and is offering a free version of EverNote Plus in exchange for a sample of your handwriting. Details on how to submit the sample are provided here. It took me less than 20 mins to write the sample sentences, scan the sheet and email the JPG file to them, and I received an email with instructions on how to download the software within 24 hours.

If you use EverNote (the free version) and have been looking to purchase EverNote Plus (which provides support for pen-enabled devices, handwriting recognition, shape correction and other features) here is a great opportunity.

Technorati Tags: EverNote, Notes

My approach to getting things done has changed for the better since I first encountered David Allen’s methodology just three months ago. I literally stumbled on David Allen’s website by the act of following some links that started with a Google Search for Levenger Circa products. A few jumps later I was at D*I*Y Planner, reading a post where someone had used the abbreviation “GTD” and had linked back to http://www.davidco.com.

Advance the clock about three months…

A friend showed me this amazing t-shirt folding technique and I’ve been trying my hand at it.
The motion brings to mind Tai-Chi: mimimal, graceful and purposeful movements. I’d write more, but I just heard the dryer buzzer go off - and I need more practice!

Technorati Tags: lifehacks

This week I had the opportunity to complete a lofi GTD Weekly Review in the analog domain. I’ve never thought of the terms “LoFi” and “Analog” as perjoratives - I have great respect for people who invent and use these techniques and technologies. Anyway, my new laptop had a defective power supply that took out the mainboard, battery and a bit of my hard disk so I’ve been without a computer for a couple of days. Everything important could be retrieved from servers and backups, and I had my recently synced my PocketPC PDA to guide me through the day. If you’ve been following my personal journey with GTD you’d already know that I use FreeMind to capture my Projects and Someday/Maybes. I had a hardcopy available, so that was not an issue either.

Recently, I had the opportunity to thank a group of people. I decided to do it the old-fashioned way: I purchased a box of thank you cards. Each of the twelve notes were handwritten with my trusty fountain pen with a personalized message, and each note was hand delivered to the recipient with reinforcing verbal appreciation.

I can’t tell you how much better it felt to do it this way. Sure, it took a little longer and cost a little more than sending an impersonal email but it was well worth it. Many recipients were quite surprised to receive a handwritten note, and a few said that it made their day! When I read John Jantsch’s perspective on the power of hand-written notes, via Brad Isaac’s Achieve-IT! blog I made a commitment to myself to do this more often.

Levenger got it right! They sell their rings in packages of 22 - enough for two 8.5×11 notebooks. Rollabind sells their binding rings in packages of 30, just three rings short of making three 8.5×11 notebooks. Reminds me of when I buy hotdogs and hotdog buns!

How about a hipsterPDA bound using Levenger’s Circa or Rollabind binding rings? John Ayers posted a picture of a prototype here. Not as convenient to carry around in one’s hip pocket as the original concept due to the size of the rings, but one advantage is the ease of scanning through the cards. John’s prototype could be housed in the Levenger Circadex leather pocket address book which uses 4.5×2 inch cards, and these go on sale one in a while for less than $10. A neat concept!

I’d like to see a 3×5 index card implementation using the D*I*Y Planner HipsterPDA 4-up templates with enough of a margin so that the punch holes do not intrude on to the printed page.

If you are a gearhead who has eyes larger than one’s pocket book, and you like to get multiple projects started at the same time, then you probably have a basement, garage, attic (or all of the above) stacked with “stuff”. In a sense, this stuff is akin to the inventory of a business - there is probably a certain level at which the business can sustain itself, but when inventory grows out of bounds there is a negative impact to the bottom line. Extending the inventory analogy a little further (please bear with me): your yet-to-be-used stuff has a half-life, it is depreciating, it has consumed some amount of your discretionary income and maybe has curtailed your ability to use that cash for other projects. Furthermore, the half-life of most technical gear is very short. If you live on the bleeding edge of
technology you are paying top dollar for your gear, and so the high dollar investment in conjunction with the short half-life is a double whammy.