{"id":5441,"date":"2017-11-03T15:05:45","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T15:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zenkit.comblog\/how-to-set-up-gtd-in-zenkit\/"},"modified":"2023-01-24T11:01:12","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T10:01:12","slug":"how-to-set-up-gtd-in-zenkit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenkit.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-set-up-gtd-in-zenkit\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Set-Up GTD in Zenkit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"How<\/p>\n

After last week\u2019s introduction to GTD<\/a>, I\u2019ve been playing around with how to get it working really well in Zenkit<\/a>. It\u2019s a pretty simple system that relies on one master collection, some project collections, and favourites. While this system isn\u2019t 100% perfect (what is?), it\u2019s as close as I can get it for now and it works pretty well!<\/p>\n

\n

How to Implement “Getting Things Done” in Zenkit<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The backbone of my Zenkit GTD<\/a> is a single \u2018master\u2019 collection (mine has been very originally named \u2018GTD\u2019, but you can call it whatever you want). In the collection, I set up each of the lists as a label in a label field so I can view them as separate lists in Kanban:<\/p>\n

\"gtd<\/figure>\n

Inbox<\/h3>\n

The Inbox list is where I add everything that comes to mind. I keep a Zenkit tab open at all times, so finding the list and adding to it is quick and easy.<\/p>\n

To make getting tasks from my email into Zenkit quicker, I\u2019ve set up a Zapier<\/a> Zap that sends all emails marked with a \u2018GTD\u2019 label to my \u2018Inbox\u2019 list in my Zenkit collection. This makes it super quick to triage my emails\u200a\u2014\u200aif I see something that needs to get done, I just add the label and it automatically lands in my GTD inbox.<\/p>\n

As I process my inbox, I move things to the appropriate list so I can start working on them. Once a task has been completed, I remove the context tag (more on that later) and move it to \u2018Done\u2019. While \u2018done\u2019 is not a true GTD list, it\u2019s a great place for me to look back on all I\u2019ve completed over the last week. During my reviews, I archive all the items in the done list for a fresh start next week.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick reminder about how to process your GTD inbox:<\/p>\n

\"diagram<\/figure>\n

Next Action<\/h3>\n

This one\u2019s also fairly self-explanatory. When I determine something is a Next Action<\/a>, I add it to the next action list, and if possible, I add a context tag, priority label, and more info in the description if needed.<\/p>\n

Calendar<\/h3>\n

When something has a distinct due date, I move it to the calendar list. I set up two different date fields to deal with calendar entries. The first is fairly obvious, it\u2019s the date field for tasks that are due on a certain day\u200a\u2014\u200ai.e. the tasks that land in the \u2018calendar\u2019 list. This is the date view I choose to open my Zenkit calendar with and I have also synced this date field with my Google Calendar<\/a>, so I can quickly access my tasks on the run.<\/p>\n

\"calendar<\/figure>\n

Waiting For\u2026<\/h3>\n

The second date field is used specifically for items in the \u2018Waiting for\u2026\u2019 list that need a reminder. I set the date that the thing was added to the list, and then I set a reminder for \u20182 days later\u2019 (or whatever time period is appropriate), to follow up with the thing I\u2019m waiting for.<\/p>\n

\"reminder<\/figure>\n

Projects<\/h3>\n

Luckily for us, Zenkit is pretty awesome at project management. Whenever a new thing becomes a project, I create a new collection for it and add an item of the same name to my Projects list in the master collection. I add the link to the project collection in the project item, so I can quickly navigate to it when I need to.<\/p>\n

Now, when you do your reviews, you\u2019re supposed to move a task from your project list to your Next Actions list. While you can do this using the \u2018move item\u2019 feature<\/a> in Zenkit, I find it a bit tedious to move items out of my project collections and into the main collection since I\u2019d rather see my whole project in one place. When I need to add an item to my Next Actions list, I add a context tag to it. That way, I see it alongside all the other next actions in the favourites lists.<\/p>\n

\"screenshot<\/figure>\n

I like to keep project collections really simple. I have \u2018to do\u2019 and \u2018done\u2019 labels set up, then tag to-do\u2019s with a context tag when they\u2019re next up. Once a project has been completed, I archive all the items in it and delete the collection. This is one extra step to add to my review, but I find it quicker than moving each thing.<\/p>\n

This is something you can tweak to match your work style. Maybe moving items to your main collections makes sense to you, or maybe you keep projects separately as I do.<\/p>\n

Someday<\/h3>\n

My someday list is another separate collection. It\u2019s full of things I\u2019d like to do but that don\u2019t belong on the Next Actions list.<\/p>\n

References<\/h4>\n

Lastly, I have created a separate team, imaginatively called \u2018References\u2019 where I keep different collections for things I need to reference. For me, most of these things are recipes and useful articles\/research pieces I keep for work.<\/p>\n

Contexts<\/h3>\n

The addition of My Favorites<\/a> was a GTD game changer for me. I\u2019d tried to use Zenkit for GTD in the past, but it was fairly unsuccessful, since using a label field then filtering for items with that label was cumbersome and un-intuitive (and annoying to do on a run to the shops!).<\/p>\n

\"office<\/figure>\n

Then we developed Favorites and a lightbulb went off. Favorites are the perfect way to manage contexts, since all the items are already in a convenient list, and easy to access no matter where you are.<\/p>\n

\"my<\/figure>\n

I only have a few favorites tags: office, home, and \u2018on the move\u2019. While I could add context tags for objects and people, I find that since I have my phone on me 24\/7, it\u2019s not really necessary. Additionally, although adding favorites tags for energy levels or priority would be an option, I prefer to mark them with labels, and stick to my location-based contexts with favorites tags, since they\u2019re my most important contexts. Locations are mutually exclusive, but priority depends on the location (for me at least), so I don\u2019t see the need for a separate list there.<\/p>\n

As you can see, there is a lot of room to play around here, so you can very easily make it your own and change my system to suit your preferences better.<\/p>\n

\n

Areas to Improve<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As I said earlier, this system isn\u2019t 100% perfect yet. There are a couple of features I\u2019d like to see added to Zenkit to make this a more seamless experience:<\/p>\n