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Simplified GTD in GMail
Published on 20/02/07
by willpate
I’m a fan of the Getting Things Done working methodology, but like all processes I prefer my own simplified and slimmed down version. I also use Gmail for all my email. I love the interface, and when your first name is a dictionary word like mine is, you really need some great spam filtering.
There is already a Firefox extension for folks that want to be quite advanced about it, but if you’re just looking for a simplified version here’s how I do it.
- starred – reply asap, does not require an action that will take over two minutes
I use labels to collect emails by project and set statuses of conversations
- @action – reply, requires an action that will take over two minutes
- @wait – awaiting reply, sifted through once a week
- ideas – blog posts, thoughts, quotables
- life – in no way related to work
- Then add one label per project.
I then use a series of filters to handle stuff like:
- Applying labels of projects based on the email addresses they are addressed to, where they came from, subject line and keyword.
- Automatically archive some of those auto-labeled emails, while leaving them unread. This takes them out of the main window but increases the unread count on that label and makes it more like a traditional email folder.
- Setting some to starred right away. Some folks almost always need to be replied to asap
That's it. What Next?
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Comments on Simplified GTD in GMail
5 Responses
quincy
21/02/07
sounds good
do you just use it for emails? or do you also write yourself an email if, for example, you have a good idea for a project or a task that you want to get done ?
Ian McKellar
21/02/07
Hmm, I think I may steal elements of this for my own system. Do you archive things when you label them @action or @wait or do you leave them in your inbox?
Will Pate
21/02/07
I’ve been leaving them in the inbox, but I think I’ve realized they should get auto-archived. The inbox is most valuable to me when it’s a list of unread, unsorted items.
Chris Vance
21/02/07
I’ve recently been able to keep my work inbox clean, generally hovering at 10-20 emails. My home email account is messy though, with lots of mail in the inbox. At a certain point, like with house cleaning, if you haven’t looked at those old emails, your life probably will not improve much by sifting through them.
If someone was waiting for a response from an unread email, they probably will follow up with you again. Or, silently hold a grudge. YMMV.
I like the @action and @wait labels. I use Quincy’s thought, where I will write myself emails to note interesting stuff to check out. I have a filter for emails to and from myself which flags these messages with a label.
Ian McKellar
26/02/07
I found I can create tasks as drafts that have no addressee. It’s not as elegant as if gmail had tasks integrated with email, but it lets me have an editable item in my inbox/filters.