Backpack and GTD

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Use 37 Signals Backpack to manage GTD (Getting Things Done)

David Allen's life-changing Getting Things Done program is approaching an Internet cult.  We practitioners talk about "David" like we know him (kind of the way we do about "Seth"), we devote hours to refining our GTD technique, and we grab others by the elbow to try to explain how very, very cool this is.

 
This lens will not do that.  I assume you've already been assimilated.  Instead, this lens will talk about how to use the 37 Signals Web-based service Backpack to create a seamless, easy-to-use GTD implementation that will follow you anywhere you have an Internet connection.

What's Backpack? 

To quote from their Web site, Backpack is a simple Web-based service that allows you to make pages with to-do lists, notes, files, and images. Backpack also features a Calendar and Reminders that can be sent via email or to your cell phone at predefined times."

To put it another way, Backpack is a deceptively simple set of tools that can be combined to produce a true blackbelt GTD implementation for hardly any money and in hardly any time.

The book(s) that started it all 

On the off chance that you got here thinking it was a lens about more efficient ways to go hiking, let me encourage you to get David Allen's books.

Imagine being used to walking twelve miles each way to work and then getting a car. That's GTD.

David Allen has written two books on GTD. Which one's your favorite?

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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

More methodical, walks you through how to implemen more...1 point

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Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life by David Allen

Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life by David Allen

A collection of essays about the methodology. Folk more...0 points

Start with your GTD projects 

I'm going to assume you're already a fellow cult member and don't need explanations of the basic GTD terms. But here's a link if GTD is brand new to you and you'd like a quick overview.

You can try Backpack for free, but realistically if you want to do much with it you'll need the basic 25-page plan, which costs $5 a month. If you end up wanting a lot of pages, you can upgrade to a 100-page plan, which is $9 a month.

Significant projects should get their own page. I have a page for my Web site, one for Squidoo, one for my blog, one for each of my freelance clients, etc.

I've found that I can easily manage all of these and stick to the cheaper plan with 25 pages. If I'm getting close to my limit, I find there are things I can consolidate or dump into a Someday/Maybe page to free up some space. But since the big plan is only an extra $4 a month, if I ever found I needed the extra space I wouldn't hesitate.

Not only can you keep as many notes and lists as you like on the project page, you can upload files. For example, I always keep a backup copy of any work I'm doing for a client on that client's project page. I can access the file from anywhere in the world—view it, do some work if I like, and re-upload it for the next time I'm ready to give it some attention. I also make a note with contact information (email and phone) for my clients. Everything's kept together and easy to find.

Backpack: Get Organized and Collaborate

Now create your NA lists 

"NAs" are "next actions," and they're organized by what David Allen calls context A context is just a situation you find yourself in where you can get something useful done. "Running errands" is a context. So is "working at my home computer."

Some projects are also a GTD context. For example, when I'm in the mood to work on my Squidoo lenses, I want all of my next actions right on the Squidoo project page.

Other contexts are independent of any particular project. "Errands" are a free-floating context, as are "at my computer" and "phone calls." I find that it's easiest to group these together in logical order. I keep an "in the office" next action list on the same page as a "phone calls" list.

Backpack has a simple list functionality that lets you either delete a completed item or simply mark it checked, which moves it to a grayed "completed" area. Keeping the completed NAs around for a few days makes the act of completing them a little more satisfying.

Lists can be dragged from page to page, so if you find that a list doesn't work in a particular context, just drag it somewhere new. You can also drag NAs from one list to another.

Backpack: Get Organized and Collaborate

How big a GTD junkie are you? 

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GTD is useful, but don't go making a religion out of it

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I rely on GTD to manage everything, and I'd be lost without it

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I tried GTD but didn't find it that helpful

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All of my children's first and middle names are David and Allen (including the girls)

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I use GTD at work but not at home

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I use GTD at home but not at work

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GTD is a cult and its followers should be deprogrammed

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What's GTD?

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Create a GTD Someday/Maybe List 

This is where you store all the ideas and fragments that you're not going to act on now, but you want to save on the back burner for another day. This is a wonderfully powerful aspect of GTD, and keeps those dreams, hopes, and random wild hairs alive without muddying your mental clarity for the tasks at hand.

Again, not only can you create notes and lists, you can upload files. Scans of knitting sketches, half-finished novels, research bibliographies, whatever you like. Remember that you can easily move your notes and files to a new page if you decide you're going to make the item an active project.

Manage your Squidoo lenses (or Web site or blog) with Backpack 

Backpack is a great tool for managing Squidoo lenses, too. Create the text for your lenses in a text file or a Backpack note—you can work on your lenses any time, anywhere, and upload the text whenever you're ready. (If you do your writing in Squidoo itself, you risk losing your work if a minor software glitch happens just as you click Save.)

When you find great images for Squidoo lenses, make sure you upload those to Backpack as well. You'll be able to keep track of where you found or purchased them, and you can re-use the images on your Web site or blog without having to dig around for them.

If you have related lenses, you can keep copies of repeated material in Backpack for an easy cut and paste.

For example, I've created a Note file with the code for my module describing links to my other sites and lenses. And Backpack is a great place to store links you want to refer to often, like your blog or Web site, or the code to wrap copy around an image.

Getting organized with Backpack will let you manage notes and files for Squidoo lenses, blogs, Web sites, and all the other technology tools you like to play with. You can even create reminders of when to go back and refresh your lens so it always has great new content.

Backpack is simply the best GTD there is 

Far more flexible than the Davidco Outlook add-on, hipper than a hipster PDA, accessible from anywhere you've got a Web connection, cheap, insanely easy to learn, and faster than a speeding bullet. Backpack is the way to do GTD.

If you're trying to get organized and your system is giving you more pain than productivity, give Backpack a shot.

Backpack: Get Organized and Collaborate

If you found this useful, check out my sites and other lenses! 

remarcom.com
Remarcom is short for remarkable communication. I'm a freelance writer, editor and marketer who helps small businesses develop better connections with their customers.

The remarkable communication blog
Communication is king on the Web, but only if you do it well. Read the blog for ideas, tips, and pointed opinions on how you can communicate more remarkably.

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How to create symbols on your blog, Web site, or Squidoo lens with HTML numeric codes
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Tell me more! 

Do you GTD? Do you Backpack? Let me know about your experiences.

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  • Reply
    Tim Stringer Tim Stringer Feb 24, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
    Thanks for the article! I'm a big fan of 37 Signals services. I have been using Basecamp for many years and used Backpack as an organizational tool when I got married in 2007.

    For my own GTD purposes I find that a combination of Evernote and Things (Mac OS X) application works well. I love the fact that I can get to my Evernote information without an Internet connection...and also the flexiblity to be able to add to and access this information from just about anywhere using my iPhone or a web browser. And I find that Things is one of the most elegant pieces for software I've ever used with just the right amount of structure. It would be nice if it had a web-based interface as well - hopefully someday. In the meantime it works well to have it on both my Mac and my iPhone.
  • Reply
    raleyb raleyb Nov 23, 2008 @ 3:33 pm
    Good stuff. I love GTD and I love Backpack.
  • Reply
    fefe fefe Aug 26, 2008 @ 2:20 am
    Using backpack for Squidoo lenses sounds like a great idea! I think I signed up for the site a long time ago, now I want to try the site out again.
  • Reply
    rms rms Sep 14, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
    This is new to me. Thanks for sharing great information.
  • Reply
    lizthefair lizthefair Aug 31, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
    So I'd never heard of GTD (oh, the shame) but I'm thinking I need to check it out. Good job!
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