Several days ago I had a revelation about my current use of Backpack as a GTD tool and how I might use it even more effectively. Part of this revelation was spurred by an e-mail I received from Swedish reader Daniel Westergren who had some questions about my use of Backpack for GTD after reading my Productivity Whitepaper. The subsequent e-mail exchange that followed led me to some serious “getting real” about my system.
I have described my system in great detail before so I wont go into any more here. Basically, up until now, I have been using the front page in my Backpack as a “Today” page – i.e. things I would like to get done today. I have been moving by copy and paste next actions from my @Action, @Projects, ious individual project pages and @Errands pages to the front page. In other words, my own laborious “kinkless” system of next actions. One benefit to this was the very act of doing this forced a daily review of the items and projects. The obvious problem was how time consuming and counter efficient all of the shuffling around is. Basically, I was using the front page for all of my next actions and therefore would end up with duplicates as keeping track of it all was a tangled mess.
Therefore, here is what I am trying out to make my Backpack system a little more productive:
My Page Setup
Inbox (Home Page) – True to the spirit of GTD, the “home page” in Backpack has been re-titled “Inbox” and basically acts as a digital Inbox. There is one list on this page. One big dumping ground for any action item or project that pops into the head. Just what the name implies. Because it is on the home page it is easy to get to quickly (also, as Daniel pointed out when I ran it past him, easy to get to and dump things from a mobile device – those euros love their mobiles) and that is what you want for an Inbox. Very GTD. When time allows (daily review), two minute or less items are knocked off right away (per The David) and any projects are migrated to and fleshed out on the @Projects page or it’s own separate page (more on that in a bit).
@Projects – This page exists how I use it right now, with a separate list for each project, but with an added but important modification. I have added a topmost list titled Next Actions. N/As are then moved from the projects below to the NA list at the top via Backpack’s ajaxy drag and droppiness. This way, I go to that page and see right away the next actions for all of the projects on the page.
Individual Project Pages – Now I should take a moment here to clarify what the projects are on the @Projects page. That page is for smaller one-to-five step projects as to do anything else would make the page too confusing and long. Projects that are larger than that (my wedding for example) I actually break out into their own separate page as they may have multiple lists and sub projects. Another advantage to this approach is that you can use the other features of backpack like notes, attaching documents, etc. for things that are specific to that project. With that being said, I still make a next action list the first list on the top so I can see right away what I need to do. I have an example project page here: Sweetime Project.
@Someday – Like any good GTDer, you need a space to defer and to dream. The someday/maybe list is where you do that. Scan this as part of your weekly review.
OK, so here is the workflow in a nutshell…
1. Log into Backpack.
2. Process Items in the Inbox using the “Three D’s” (Do, Defer, Delegate). Move any projects to either @Projects, an existing project or a new project page as appropriate.
3. Switch to the @Projects page and process the Next Actions list at the top accordingly.
4. Switch to any individual project pages. Do the same thing.
5. Feel smug about your Org-fu.
Notes About Contexts
I myself do not use contexts that often. Mainly it is because I find most days too interrupt driven to have a block of time to work on a specific context list and Backpack does not seem well designed for them. I just do what I do, when I do them, where I can do them. That being said, I do foresee a way to make contexts a part of this system. Place them before the action to be done. This can be especially useful on project pages where you can group items on the Next Action list by context. For example:
Next Actions
Call – Bob re: Chocolate levels.
Call – Peter re: Additional flavors of creamy nougat.
Computer – Google map Tobelerone factory.
Computer – Look up Wikipedia entry for William Wonka.
Errand – Buy a box of Kit Kat bars for evaluation.
Another way to handle contexts would be to have multiple context lists on individual project pages. I suspect that will get messy quite fast but your milage may y.
Other Pages to Consider
The idea and motivation of all of this is to not only show you what I am doing but also to help spur ideas for you, the reader. Ultimately, the only system that works is one that works for you. That being said, here are some other pages you may find a useful part of your Backpack GTD setup:
@Waiting For – These are items that you delegated or deferred pending others but still need to track. It would be useful here to add who you delegated the item to and the date (i.e. “Call – Board Members re: Drop in stock price > Bill 06.27.06”). Include in your weekly review.
@Stalled – This is an area for projects and/or actions that are currently inactive or stalled for an indefinite period of time. Ditto for the review.
Using Tags for Review Time
Backpack has a feature that allows you to tag pages. I have started using this feature to easily do my daily, weekly and monthly reviews. Basically, every page has one or more of these tags with the exception of the front page which has all of them. Why does the front page have them all? Because that way I can click on “daily” and it drops down a list of all of the pages I should review daily. Same with weekly and monthly. Thus allowing me to easily cycle through the pages during those review times right from the front page.
Wrapping Up
I have not been with this new setup long but it seems to be working well thus far. The “rethinking” of the front page has really been a huge time saver and helped me focus on getting things out of my effed up mess of a head fast. Simple and seemless capture and collection is the first step of what GTD is all about. I then can spend time on processing them later.
As with everything here, your comments, questions and criticisms (assuming they are constructive) are welcome. It is only through such an exchange this post exists to begin with.
28 thoughts on “Backpack: New GTD Implementation Ideas”
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Do you find it a pain to delete completed actions? Or do you use some kind of CSS trick to disappear them?
I’m addicted to Backpack, but I use it for project support materials rather than actual action lists (which are on Tasktoy). I’d love to use Backpack for everything, though, if I can figure out how to make it non-annoying.
Hey Patrick,
Thanks for a great post and a thought-provoking conversation! I’m reading and writing this from my mobile, your blog is excellent for that.
l’ll be using a very similar system and look forward to continued dialogue on how it works. will respond more by email later.
Best wishes,
Daniel
Matthew – Deleting completed tasks is easy. After they are checked off simply hover over the completed item and a little trash can will appear. One click on that and it is gone with no-nag. Personally, I like to see the checked off completed items because it gives me a (sometimes false) sense of accomplishment.
Daniel – Uff da! Glad you appreciate it.
Patrick: great post, as usual.
I too use backpack. Here’s my system:
@today (inspired by you): has my six things for today, along with items to follow up on for today (pulled from my @waiting-for list) and another list of smaller tasks i’d also like to do today if possible. also, at the bottom of this page is my agendas list.
@actions: has all my context lists, including @work, @calls, @errands, etc … also has my @waiting-for list. at the bottom is my “completed actions” list, broken down each day. basically i copy my completed items to this list before trashing them … helps me get an idea of how much i did today, and i can always refer back to the list if i need to. after a week, i archive my completed actions list.
@projects: all my projects are here. i basically just list several NAs for each project. i don’t plan them out in detail, as i only worry about the next 1-3 NAs. the david was correct — that’s all you need to worry about.
@lists: this has my wishlist, reading list, checklists, any other lists, and an archive of my completed actions list.
@goals: my active goals are actually on my @projects page, so this page is a bit redundant, but i find it useful to remind myself of my goals and to break them down to next actions.
capture system is a simple small notebook. i use gmail and google calendar. i find it best to keep the system as simple as possible … it’s more likely to work that way.
leo
just to throw this out there, I use the homepage as my main GTD vehicle…but with a twist: iframes.
I have my google calendar emeded in an iframe at the top and then 3 seperate pages iframed in with scroll bars (home, work, future projects).
Works great for me.
Patrick good post.
Another idea is to create a @voiceNotes page and use voiceNotes for Backpack to leave audio messages for yourself when you’re not in front of the computer. On the road I leave myself “note to self” messages that appear in my Backpack page. Check it out at http://www.celltell.tv/backpack
I am not getting the “ajaxy drag and droppiness” of which you speak. I see that lists can be reordered, but I do not see the ability to move items among lists. Please explain!
Well, if you have multiple items on a list (and, if your lists are in fact projects you should), then when you click “Reorder” it will not only allow you to reorder and drag items around on that list but also the ones immediately above and below it.
It is for this reason I try to keep my Project lists arranged with the most active projects at the top (so I can drag and drop to the Next Action list easily.)
Hope this helps clarify.
I see now. I wonder why they limited the dragging to neighbouring lists like that. You also cannot drag items into an empty list. Hopefully they are working on this. I currently have a free account, but I’m not sure I can make this into a GTD system for myself … yet.
Sticking to Tracks for now.
Thanks for the post.
Patrick,
I have been using Backpack as part of my system for about 6 months now. It is still in refinement, but shares many attributes with your system. I am using Backpack more as a reference as opposed to a minute by minute, day to day tool. I am using a Moleskine with daily next actions that I fill out. I.E. This is what I MUST do today. I like the portability of the notebook, and it handles my low level actions and idea capturing. Backpack has all of my projects, action lists, and more. It serves as my 50,000 feet manager. I check in there as time permits, and for the weekly review. I even print mini copies of my project lists and tuck them in the back of the Moleskine following the weekly review. I round it out with Google Calendar for all of my appointments and date specific events. I print a n agenda for the coming week and keep that in the moleskine too. My system is far from perfect, but it works for me…for now. Backpack is a great tool, and your tips are very helpful. Keep up the great work.
Free tracks hosting at: http://tracks.brightpool.com
My organization is hosting Tracks for free and intends to keep it that way. We are rolling out a site and some modifications but there have been a few hosts sprouting up recently and we would like to get this out to the public. If you would like a free account please navigate to:
http://tracks.brightpool.com
The name will be changed shortly and there will be new features and supporting documentation.
If you have an existing Tracks install and would like to move to a hosted model please contact brightpool_at_gmail.com and we can help you move your data.
Regards,
Kevin Rosenjack
BrightPool LLC
David
Thanks for your brief description of your system
Kevin
I am sure many will be delighted with your offering. Tracks does look like a great tool but I am very happy with Backpack for now, even with the small monthly fee.
Well, I did make the plunge to keeping my to-dos on Backpack, and I’m very happy with it. I did get annoyed with having to trash-can so many completed actions, so I wrote an API script to delete them for me. APIs rule!
I’m just getting into using Basecamp, and I love your description of how to use it for GTD. I have a question though:
how do I get the home page to show lists from other pages? Just copy and paste?
Thanks!
Jennifer – Copy and paste is the only way to do it. One of the reasons I changed my system was that limitation.
I use Backpack and GTD. Here’s a little hack to make it Oh So Simple.
I have the common @ACTION page as my backpack default with a single list. (but any page will work)
I have project pages and others where I brainstorm every itemized task. Depending on the context, I use backpack lists, writeboards, html lists in the body, or just text notes. As long as the text appears somewhere on a web page somewhere (really anywhere, not just backpack) it will work.
I wrote a very simple Automator script with two steps which enables me to select the text and add it to my next actions list using the Backpack API.
I use Launchbar as well and I’ve saved my Automator script as an application called NextAction, so all I do to add an action to my @ACTION page is select the text, press Apple-Spacebar, press N, press Return. No copy, no paste, no waiting.
The workflow could be extended to remove the selected item after the process, or to extend to other source applications or other browsers.
The Automator workflow:
Step 1:
An applescript to call a javascript which gets and returns the current selection on my current page
Step 2: A shell script with my token embedded which passes the backpack api call to curl, accepting the results of Step 1 as an argument
The code:
Step 1 (Applescript Action):
set getSelection to ”
var theSel = ”;
if (getSelection) {
theSel = getSelection();
} else if (document.getSelection) {
theSel = document.getSelection();
} else if (document.selection) {
theSel = document.selection.createRange().text;
} else if (window.getSelection) {
theSel = window.getSelection();
}
return ” + theSel;
”
tell application “Safari” to return (do JavaScript getSelection in document 1) as text
Step 2 (shell script):
TOKEN=yourTokenHere;CONTENT=$1;curl -H ‘X-POST_DATA_FORMAT: xml’ -d “${TOKEN}${CONTENT}” http://yourURLhere.backpackit.com/ws/page/yourPage#here/items/add
Thanks to Jonathan Nathan for the applescript/javascript code:
http://homepage.mac.com/jonn8/as/html/SafariSelections.html
Thanks to 37signals for everything else!
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Great post! I also posted about my GTD implementation, and included a link to this post.
OK, i’m sure this is obtuse of me, but what is the purpose of the @ at the beginning of some page names?
Thanks.
The “@” makes those pages sort above others without it (alphabetically speaking).
Patrick–Thanks, and thanks for taking time to lay out your ideas here. I figured that was the purpose, but wasn’t sure. Any more elucidation of how you fine tune that? IN other words, don’t you end up with a bunch of pages with the @, all lumped together at the top. Do you further sort those into groups? If so, how?
Also, i love the idea of using tags like you do. How does that compare with linking to other pages from within “master” pages?
Thanks!
I do not sort any further than that. The @¨sign simply keeps all of my GTD related pages bunched together. I use Backpack for many non-GTD related things as well but those pages are simply sorted alphabetically.
II find using the tags to be much faster and way more flexible than grouping links to pages on a master page.
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Interesting post. I’m not a fan of Backpack though. I use Wrike and prefer their GTD system.