While relaxingly (is that a word?) reading blogs the other night I found myself sidetracked. I often read the updated blogs at www.frugalhacks.com which often leads to sidetracks at personal finance and debt reduction blogs. (I even set up a Vanguard IRA for my hubby last month!)

Well, this time I kept reading about "Getting Things Done" or "GTD". After a bit I realize that this is an actual "program" and different from simply getting things done (lower case). My curiosity was piqued so I spent some time checking it out. Wow! There is a LOT of information out there on this. Here is a list of the 100 best GTD links in case you're curious.

After familiarizing myself with the program concept, I started comparing all the various free programs to help you "get things done". Again, there are a TON. And who can resist cool, free programs??!! I was impressed with Todumo and actually started setting up Nozbe before finally settling on Toodledo. (How cute is that name?!)

Now, you need to know a few things about me. I am very busy and pulled in a LOT of directions. If you're not, this may not be for you. I also receive, literally hundreds of emails each day. My inbox is usually full of 40-50 flagged emails needing some sort of response or action. I'm also pulled in several different directions. I have a family (5 kids), homeschool, lead Scouts, teach Sunday School, write and am working on home renovations to name a few. On top of that I'm a partner in Trigger Memory Systems and work full-time for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Time management is critical. According to GTD philosophy, your inbox should be CLEAN every night. WHAT!!?? The very thought made me crazy with delight and the thought of a good challenge.

I ended up staying up until 4am setting up my system and cleaning out my inbox. Would you believe at 4am it was EMPTY?! And I've been able to keep it that way all week! Amazing.

So, what's so special about these GTD programs? Basically you get EVERY thing in your head down somewhere that it can be processed so you're not carrying it all around in your head. Then they allow you to process it effectively. They pretty much offer the same basics, but I'll speak specifically about Toodledo. As you enter a task you consider it a "project" and break it into smaller steps.

Each project would be considered a folder. In my case, I made my folders, the various areas of my life. I have one for The Old Schoolhouse, Trigger Memory, Home, Personal, Health, Blog, Scouts and Spiritual. Home is home decorating/remodeling and Personal is just stuff for me (write thank-you's, mail PaperBackSwap books, sew patches on uniform, etc.)

I can then set up sub-tasks for each item. (One reason I chose Toodledo over Nozbe) For example I have a gift that needs to be taken care of. This was broken into sub-tasks as it involved a phone call to order, dropping off and picking up the item, and the actual mailing. Each is a different task.  You also give each task a "context" as you enter it. The context is where you would complete the task. My contexts are phone, computer, email, finance and errand. Tasks are also given a priority status and due date if applicable. There is also a spot for notes under each task. That's where I get rid of all the emails. I enter it as a task with the appropriate info in the notes. Now for the neat part.

Tasks can be sorted by priority, due date, folder or context. So if I plan to spend two hours on TOS work, I open that folder and plug away. However, if I'm in Quickbooks and want to take care of all finance items I click on Finance and see what's to be done. If I'm sick of the computer and want a break I can check "phone" and see where I need to call. The program also prepares a Hot List of items that are either top priority or at their due date. No longer are items forgotten or lost in a string of flagged emails. I'm a pretty organized person in general but this has made me feel so much more on top of things. It's so easy to look and see everything I need to be doing in so many different frames of reference.

Plus it's fun to check things off. I started the week with 65 tasks and am now down to 40. Makes me feel like I'm gaining ground. I've not only dealt with everything that's come in this week, but I've gained 25 items. Yay! Not only that, I found myself saying, "just one more" and enjoying clicking them off. That's opposed to my usual, "I give up" way of ending the day. Instead of ending in a feeling of defeat at what there was to do, I felt I had a handle on things and was gaining ground.

I was surprised at how many things I was "carrying around in my head" (= stress). For example, during church on Sunday I wrote down ten notes! Ten different, "Oh, I need to...." comments popped into my head. And it was a GOOD sermon! Thankfully, I wrote them on my list and forgot about them. I then came home, made each one an actionable task and added them to my list.

The one thing I don't like about Toodledo that Nozbe allowed was the ability to attach a file to a note. I've resorted to filing the files on my computer and notating where it is in the actionable note in Toodledo. Example: TMS > Graphics > Times Tales might be where I stuck a picture I need to add to the website. (I always forget, otherwise, and waste time looking) Still, it would be nice to be able to attach it to the task. I also like that Toodledo is web based. I waffled with using an Outlook add-on but decided against. My Outlook is all on my desktop. I like to "relax" on my laptop but I don't download my email there because I don't want it strung between two different computers. Toodledo allows me to log in and see what I might have in my "personal" folder to check into. Also, if I'm traveling, I have access to all my tasks and pertinent info.

Toodledo also has a Google Gadget so I have it right on my iGoogle home page. I can work from the hot list there or click quickly to the website. Another fun feature is the Scheduler. If I'm brain dead, but have an hour to spend I can click "Schedule Me" and Toodledo will tell me what to do!

Wowsers! I think this has to be my longest post ever. lol

Below are the books I'm waiting on from Amazon. Both have lots of great reviews.

 So...that's what works for me! If you'd like to see more Works for Me Wednesdays head over to Rocks in My Dryer  (I know it's only Tues, but I'm heading out for the evening and need to post early)