Exploring GTD-Paper notes

As you know I'm exploring GTD as a mechanism for organising my workflow more systematically (and thereby less chaotically). To that end I'm reading the book and experimenting with Thinking Rock.

In a recent leaders meeting I even found myself asking out loud, "What's the next action we need to take on this?" And I found myself doodling in my notebook trying to arrange my notes to take account of this new-found determination to know what we were going to do and who was going to do it. What I needed was a notebook, or a notepad, that had all the relevant boxes on it to help me focus on getting things like "next actions" down on paper. The problem is that I can't find one.

The only thing like it that I've come across is Action pads and notebooks. Although available to international customers, the shipping rate is too high to make it worth my while ordering some to try. So, I decided I'd have a go at setting out my own note sheet. I've called it "Thinking Paper" simply because I've tried to tie it in to Thinking Rock and I needed a name for the file. It looks like this:

It's a first draft and I'll try using it over the coming weeks and refine it as I go. Or maybe not if it works.

It has space for the project or meeting, the vision or purpose and organising/who. Date and topic are on the right. There's a large box for notes and at the bottom a box for Sub-project if there's a project within this project that needs to be developed.

Bottom right is a box for Maybe/someday. The Next Action boxes have a space for the action and for a context and waiting for. I've also included a "Do ASAP" check box and a space for a date if this is a scheduled task. Below that is space for a name if the action is delegated.

I thought I might turn it into a notebook by printing it double-sided and then using a comb binder to make the notebook. I seem to remember when I was at college you could pre-punched sheets through which you threaded a spiral binder thingy.

If you'd like a pdf version of it, leave a comment and an email contact and I'll send you one, or just email me direct if you know my email address!

You may want to visit D*I*Y Planner to look at their range of pages for all sorts of organisers.