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Implementation Questions - CONTEXT?!
Richard Anderson | Jun 29 2006
I've been trying to set up a GTD system for a while and just keep hitting walls trying to figure out what to do. Collecting isn't a problem, but processing is. I can set up projects, determine next actions, and so on. The big problem I hit is context. Like many of us geeks, an @computer context doesn't work. Let me explain my life situation. I'm a college student, so a @School context would be useful (or will, when summer break ends), but I don't know what to do for other projects and things. I do web design, am teaching myself PHP, and also write - all things that have to be done @Computer - but that's most of my life. Standard geek problem. How do I contextualize stuff like "Write PHP script to insert data in DB"? I'm so lost. A Global NA list is just too much. It becomes monstrous, and overwhelming. It was overwhelming to just look at my collection list when I started - and I still haven't finished processing it. HELP! 7 Comments
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 I tend to (mis?) quote...Submitted by Paul on July 13, 2006 - 11:44am.
I tend to (mis?) quote David on contexts and other GTD aspects. "Have as many as you need, and as few as you can get by with." Yours seem reasonable to me, if they work for you. You can definitely read, research, outline, write, or ponder in the same places, but if those diverse activities each require a different mindset, then they make sense to be different contexts. The only concern I'd have is that you'll find yourself with a block of time, in, say, the library (where you can do any of these), and you'll have several lists to go through to choose the next action. Not necessarily a big deal, though. One of the hallmarks of GTD is that it lets you use your brain to choose the best action, not some arbitrary priority schema. The @Grade contect might be a good one since it's (hopefully for your students) somewhat timebound, and requires you to be with the stuff that you're grading. Although for all I know that's all on your laptop too. I think you can definitely get a nice start with the contexts you've chosen. Once you're at it a while you'll start to see if some should get the axe, and if there are new ones to add. I think the key to contexts is to try not to overthink it. I'm kind of a minimalist in this regard, at least right now. I've got @work (which means the office or my work PC wherever), @home, and @ errands. WHen I have a lot of calls to make that don't require me to be at a computer, I'll add @calls. Good luck and let us know how it goes! » POSTED IN:
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