It would be good to briefly describe what the two different types of task management is and why you would want to do any of them. This topic is very much related to What does it mean to get things done. Here we are talking about know what we have to do and keeping track of ideas so that they do not slip your mind. Once this was describe to me as having a personal backlog like a product backlog from Scrum.
Over the last few years I have used both GTD, getting things done and bullet journal. At this stage I think I can give a view of both of them looking at both the good and the bad. The first thing that I feel I need to point out is they are both good just suited to different use cases.
What is meant by use cases? Right now I am in a very different place than when I first really started to manage what I required to do. The every day work flow plays a big part in which one might suit you best.
Bullet Journal
The website has a very nice tag line which does give an idea of how powerful it can be. The main focus is to have a hand written journal with your tasks in it. It recommends that you use a dotted page book with page numbers.
Every layout is created by you. If you want a calendar you create it by hand, same with the week and day views you might want. This seems like madness but it works. How are you to find time to manage your tasks if you can find the time to write down the dates in the month. Time control is the methods most under rated feature but first we need to know the basics of how I used it. That to is one of the points I loved about this method as you have a blank book you can do what you want or don't want.Purpose Powered Productivity
The mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system
The layout I used would be at the start of a month I would create a new spread of that month. First page would be a list of all the days, here important meetings or events would get add over the month. Second page would have a "To Do" list, this list would be items that were carried over from the last month or new ones for that month. Items got added to the list during the month if they were some thing needed to remember. When it came to the day to day use, each day got add as needed (night before or that day) and a day took as much paper as needed. Each day would have a list of tasks that you want to get done.
So why as simple as that does it work. It is because you have to hand write all your tasks out each day. After a while if you keep coping a task from day to day month to month you ask is this even worth doing if I can't seem to get it done.
This is why the time control is most underrated feature. To manage your time you have to decide that yes this task is worth doing. While I was in college and working full time the one thing I could not waste was my time. So if your time is in short supply then a bullet journal could be the life line that you need. I know for me it was what got me to all the family events and never under pressure to complete college assignments.
Pros
The good bits
Time Management
The less time you have the better this works.
Task Focus
Over time the list of tasks to be done is that only which is truly required.
Flexibility
The methods change to suit you. Don't need a week overview, don't have one.
Easy To Start
To star all you need is a pen and paper. Yes a hard back journal is nicer.
Cons
The bad bits
Getting Started
With having to create all you own layouts. Getting started can hard especially if your life seems busy enough to need some solution.
Need Time Pressure
Works great with time pressure and deadlines. Once life is slower it becomes harder to focus with it.
Flexibility
As the pages are design by you, some time you can spend to much time changing designs over getting the actual tasks done.
GTD "Getting Things Done"
Getting Things Done is a frame work to with the aim of getting ideas and tasks into a central place. There are steps you should cover and has recommended steps to follow. This style works by having many list which are create based on location.
With the list being based on the location that you are in, you are meant to have the most appropriate task a hand. For example you could have a list that is for when in town. On this list you would have things you need to pickup form a shop but also tasks like getting your passport photo taken.Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.
All tasks should be categorized to be something that you do sooner or put off till later. And even wont do. Every week you are mean to review your lists and update them as required. Every task should have enough information to understand what needs to be done. If the information is short then you would want add in more details during this review.
The review time is also when you gather the task from the sources of information there may be. For example the sticky notes that are stuck on the desk. All this information should be transferred into a central location.
From what I have seen when using it you really need to be using list part of the framework in a digital format. While you collect tools are are everything from stick notes, emails, books and other tools. It is super easy to collect all the information that may other wish being stuck in your head.
Pros
The good bits.
Information Collection
When done right you collect a lot of information that might be laying around.
Long Term Projects
The weekly reviews keep reminding you of projects you may sometime want to take on.
Place Driven
You always have a list of task that can be done for the location you are in.
Cons
The bad bits.
Blending Work & Personal
Making good use of the lists means work and personal life's have to blend.
Getting Started
I took a work course which was ~6 hours long. It is not easy to get started with.
Digital System
You not going to be able to mange this in a notebook. Your going to need a solution that will sync across different devices.
Conclusion
When looking at these two method of staying organized I can't help but prefer the bullet journal even tho I know this style does not work for me currently. GTD is far better with time lines are not the driving factor and suit my situation currently. What really gets me is the how GTD expects work and personal life's to be one and the same. This make it very hard to switch off.
Comparing the two also shows one big difference. Getting started for GTD and the flexibility of bullet journals. GTD wants you to buy guides on how to start, while bullet journals you get a blank book and make your own design.
Going forward I would not be continue with GTD but also bullet journal does not meet my needs. What has happened is the a middle ground has being found and this I will go over in a later post.
