I have a section of my planner for lists. Shopping lists, sales to watch for, books to read and movies to rent. I used GTD as a basis for my system so I don't have all those sections. I would think that the project planning would contain more of the mind map and determining all the next actions in a project while the projects/goals section is just a master list of all your projects.

I suppose my list section is a glorified "Someday/Maybe" kind of thing... since they really are that sort of thing. :)

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I have my notebook set up with five of Allen's tabs -- it's not a perfect system, but seems to work better than any other five tab system I have had -- I am using a smallish notebook 3-3/4 x 6-3/4 page size. My tabs are University Housing [my employment -- used for work specific stuff, account codes, room rates, historical information handy to have in the middle of meetings, etc.); Projects / task lists; inbox [which includes my calendar (week on left, to do's on right)]; telephone and reference / information [which includes pics of the grandkids!].

In my project/task list section I have three sub-sections, separated by a colored sheet. The first my working task list, one for work, one for home, and one for church -- and my someday list. Next is my "people" section -- discussion topics and task traking of delegated tasks (I have five people reporting to me -- and I have a sheet for my boss too, tasks he has delegated to me). Finally, sheets that are project oriented, tasks that have more than one tasky thing to do, or that are running months long, or that involve other folk.

I found Allen's suggestion to have the inbox in the middle helpful since I am using a binder -- it makes it a lot easier to use the left page. I use a snap in page finder in the calendar, so it not having a tab of its own is fine.

The only commercial forms I use are in the telephone section -- I like DayTimer's phone sheets. Everything else is DIY or (mostly) just the plain lined pages purchased cheaply at the local stationary store.

The Passionate Pilgrim

My understanding of GTD (although my usage is not so good :) - is that Someday/Maybes are projects you haven't made active yet, so I'd have a page (or more) in my Project section for those. As far as notes on the book you're currently reading, that is an active project. Notes on past books shouldn't be in your planner at all. Move those to your filing system.

My $.02

Reese
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I never finish anyth

I haven't read GTD in a couple of years but doesn't it have a Somday/Maybe category? I know I have one. That's where I would put the list of books to read. When finished reading said books I would put the notes in Reference since you might want to refer to them later.

I found some download-for-free articles at Davidco.com -- Mr. GTD himself !! One is called "Organizing a Paper Organizer"

He says “someday/maybe” goes here:

Projects/Goals
The more-than-one-step outcomes that we need to keep reminders about--the “open loops.” This section can also include the bigger-picture outcomes, such as professional goals, personal visions, values, etc. as well as the “someday/maybe” kinds of things we want to keep alive for review. This section to be reviewed at least weekly to ensure there are actions on the active projects in the system.

OK, here's the description of that section:

Project Planning/Notes
Place to hold support material for projects, themes, and topics. Project plans, project support materials, etc. To be used to capture project thinking, and for reviewing as needed to ensure appropriate next actions on the action lists or agendas.

Seems to me that Project Planning/Notes contains info on projects in motion versus Projects/Goals which seems to be more like the initial gathering.

Anyone else ?
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"I think the surest sign that there is intelligent life out there in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." (Calvin and Hobbes/Bill Waterson)

Hi.

If I had a someday maybe list, I wouldn't keep it in my planner. I'd keep it at the place where I (would) do my weekly review. For me, this would be my desk at home.

Now, I don't have a someday maybe list--I have a remarkable ability to forget stuff like that without any need to write it down to get it out of my head. And anything I might want to do tends to make itself known at the right time without any need to be on a list to remind me.

I don't have a lot of stuff that's 'maybe' that bugs me. In fact, the only thing that leaps out at the moment is Learning Spanish, and that's only because I've actually got the wherewithal at the moment (in the form of downloaded lessons) to make that into a short term action set. But once I delete those files it will retreat again and quit bothering me, because I'll have made a decision on it. :)

Anyway, I wouldn't drag my 'maybe' list everywhere, I'd keep it sitting in my review spot. There's no need to have such a thing with me when I go to the grocery store or to the office. The ubiquitous capture device can hold that type of thing until I get back to my review spot.

shris

When I had a list of maybe/someday projects I either forgot about reviewing it periodically, or if I did, I would read through the entire list, even if the 'urgency' or 'importance' (relative) varied greatly. Since splitting the list up into single action slips and filing them into my mini tickler, I get to review these items whenever they pop up in the tickler. If I still don't want to do the project, I can make a decision on just that one job about where in the future to file it, and that may be intended as a review point. There is also a master list of projects, which I can look at whenever I want to without having to go through the tickler. If I make a double entry, its no sweat, as I can just chuck the slip when I come across it again, knowing I have dealt with it, its just a 1/2" x 2 1/2" slip of paper. Most, if not all the projects are either necessary in the long run or would make life easier in a functional way. Any 'luxory' projects like reading fiction books, I do when the urge grabs me if I have the time, and any list of things to get like books and music go in a small reference file with a 'shopping' tab. Time is a great filter. You may find the job/item is no longer important, and you can delete it, or the urge/necessety will make you act without prompt anyway. Planning should help deal with essentials, making the most efficient use of time, but not hinder some spontaneity. After just spending rather a lot of time on my uebersytem, I think I may have a look into the book 'The Four Hour Working Week', and the 'not getting things done' ideas which seem to be the latest buzz.

Well, my solution to your problem is straightforward: I have a tab that's called Someday/Maybe, in which I keep lists of projects I might want or need to do, and review it periodically. If I started planning a s/m project, there might be some notes for it there. Also, if I have a project which was on my project list but I decide to defer - I transfer the project page(s) to this someday/maybe tab.

But generally, unlike David Allen's write-up from his site (cited by an earlier poster), I keep most of my Project/Planning materials, particularly the project support documents, in separate folders away from my planner. The planner would be the size of my briefcase if I did that. The planner is, if you will, mainly for planning - it's a manager not a worker. Support materials I need elsewhere.

I, too, have another tab called Lists in which I keep a list of books I want to read or buy and so on. I have an enitrely separate notebook for notes on books I've read. Again, for me, putting those notes or any results in my planner would defeat the purpose of the planner, making it too large, and forcing me to carry notes I would not consult every day.

My current tabs and their function are-

Notes = One of my Inboxes in the GTD sense

Monthly Calendar = calendar dates 1-2 years ahead

Daily Calendar = for this month

Action Lists = actions, agendas, and waiting for lists

Weekly Planner = space for some non-GTD planning, such as time-blocking for the coming week and/or Harmony page

Health = for dieting

Finance = for expenses and receipts

Someday/Maybe = lists and project pages for s/m projects

Projects = This is the fattest part of the planner, since I have a page per project, and even simple things are projects if they're >1 step, in this I follow GTD more closely than some, I think

Goals = Essentially same as David Allen's Projects/Goals - but this is just for high altitude view, with lists of steps toward goals (which may become projects) - this is distinctly different from Someday/Maybe since it's not specific projects

Daily Lists = for daily checklist-style reminders (e.g. water plants) -- this comes and goes as I dither about whether such micro-planning is useful for me, personally

Lists = lists of books I want, shopping lists, movies to watch, borrowed library books, etc.

Contacts = just 2 pages of frequently used phone numbers, as I use my palm pilot for archival contact information

Reference = chock full of things such as schedules, instructions to get to web sites or work related forms etc.

I have too many tabs, so I'd recommend cutting down from my scheme.

I'm experimenting with keeping my Someday-Maybe's in a MindMap (using FreeMind), and printing out a selectively collapsed version to carry with me. It makes the bazillion things on the list a bit less overwhelming to have them organized, and to be able to collapse the parts I'm less interested in at the moment. I can scribble additions/changes on the printed version during the week (with extra room on the back), then update and re-print the electronic version weekly.

I'm also hacking a "tagging" system into the mind-map for things that cut across the hierarchy, for things like "Resources:Books" which could appear under any interest area. I have a branch for defining my tags, to make sure I'm consistent.

I started this recently, so I don't know yet how it will end up working, but so far so good =^)

I gave up on the someday / maybe list. Instead I keep them in a special file.....the "circular file".

--Bob