{"id":438,"date":"2008-08-18T06:44:32","date_gmt":"2008-08-18T14:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gtdtimes.com\/2008\/08\/18\/the-six-dollar-gtd-system\/"},"modified":"2014-02-03T14:33:46","modified_gmt":"2014-02-03T22:33:46","slug":"the-six-dollar-gtd-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gettingthingsdone.com\/2008\/08\/the-six-dollar-gtd-system\/","title":{"rendered":"The Six Dollar Setup"},"content":{"rendered":"

NOTE:<\/strong> This article is about creating an inexpensive organizer once you have already mastered the basics of GTD<\/em>. If you are new to GTD, we highly recommend the GTD System<\/a> as the fastest, most inexpensive way to get started on the road to stress-free success:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Having a trusted reminder system is a critical success factor for GTD.\u00a0\u00a0 Given GTD is really an approach that is tool agnostic, nearly any tool will work as long as you have the right ingredients.<\/p>\n

I laughed when I read a blog recently where someone tried swiping at GTD saying that “GTD is for techies only.”\u00a0 David Allen’s roots in working this methodology, as well as my own, come from the paper planner world.\u00a0 You can’t get much more low-tech than that.\u00a0 In fact, some of the most elegant and accessible lists I’ve seen are paper ones.\u00a0 Sure, there’s the rewrite factor of paper, but electronic list managers have the “over-featured” trap to watch out for. There are pros and cons to both.\u00a0 I say, go with what works best for you.<\/p>\n

Some of the most technically savvy people I know manage their lists on paper to shift their consciousness away from all of their electronic input.\u00a0 It’s a fantastic pattern interrupt to switch over to a paper list when you stand in front of a fire hose of email and the Internet all day long. There’s also almost a zero learning curve with a paper system.\u00a0 And, if you’re building it yourself from blank paper, you have a ton of flexibility on what it looks like.<\/p>\n

So for any of you looking for a hard copy GTD system, with ingredients you can likely find around in your house or office, here’s what to do:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Go to your graveyard of old 3-ring binders<\/a> (every company has one!) and find one you like.
\n2.\u00a0 Find some divider tabs<\/a> (if you can’t find some, Post-it notes or flags will work to delineate each section.)
\n3.\u00a0 Grab a stack of blank paper from your copier or supply closet and hole punch it into the binder.
\n4.\u00a0 Download this free article on Setting up a Paper Organizer<\/a> from the GTD store and assemble the sections.
\n5.\u00a0 Populate the lists with your complete inventory.<\/p>\n

If you can’t find all those supplies at hand, even buying them from your local stationary supply store would only run about $6.\u00a0 Could you spend more than $6?\u00a0 Sure.\u00a0 You could really trick it out with a leather binder and high-quality paper.\u00a0 If you’re choosing one of the many web-based electronic systems out there, you’ll want to make it accessible from anywhere–especially when you’re offline.\u00a0 This kind of paper system would work well if you’re doing a hybrid of digital and paper.\u00a0 For example, electronic lists could be your home-base, but you print key lists to a binder for easy access and portability.<\/p>\n

Next time you walk into a meeting, notice how many people have a paper lists or printed calendar with them. It’s more common than you think. If it’s your style to do things on paper, do yourself a favor and create a great hard copy system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NOTE: This article is about creating an inexpensive organizer once you have already mastered the basics of GTD. If you are new to GTD, we highly recommend the GTD System as the fastest, most inexpensive way to get started on the road to stress-free success: Having a trusted reminder system is a critical success factor … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Six Dollar Setup”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[26,61,314,315,316],"class_list":["post-438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-productivity-tips","tag-gtdtimescom","tag-trusted-system","tag-low-tech-gtd","tag-paper-lists","tag-reminders","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Six Dollar GTD System<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kelly Forrister shares how a low tech approach to GTD can be both inexpensive and effective. 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