Hi all,

I'm new to this whole GTD thing. I just read the book over the last few days, and am planning on reading it again, and my hope is that it works out for me like it has for so many others. That said, I feel a bit paralyzed by choices at the moment-- do I do a digital inbox, a paper one, what sort of filing system to use, that sort of thing. So, I was hoping that I could explain my situation and solicit all of you experienced people for some advice.

I'm a graduate student, doing my PhD in English Literature. My main problem, as far as organization goes, is procrastination. In the past, I've done well with to-do lists. This is why I think GTD might work out for me. If my day is organized-- if I have task one, task two, task three, I can usually get through them; I just need to get them there in front of me.

My days are composed primarily of a few things: reading (the bulk of my time is definitely reading, especially for the next few months as I am preparing for my comprehensive exams), writing, marking, and teaching. Occasionally I have little errands to do involving students or some minor administrative duties, but I feel comfortable that I'll be able to organize these with GTD. (Action: E-mail student regarding paper topic.)

The way I am thinking of it, I am planning on blocking out time on my calendar (I use iCal at the moment) and call it "Reading." I'll set up a context that is called "Reading" and use that to filter my reading list. Ditto marking, as these are things I can do anywhere. Writing might fall under "@Computer." So far so good.

The real thing I'm concerned about, I guess, is how to go about organizing all this, physically. Initially I was drawn to electronic solutions. I have my computer, which is a Macbook. I don't necessarily work in the same place; I have some office space (basically a cubicle shared in an office with five other students), as well as a desk at home, which I use sometimes. Other times I'll go and work in the library, and still other times a coffee shop.

But, I also realized that I don't necessarily want to lug my laptop around with me everywhere. If I'm just going to read, there's no point in bringing my laptop, and its infinite potential for diversions, along with me. So maybe an electronic solution isn't the greatest. I also think I'm more likely to neglect something that I can't put physically in my hands.

So, after all of this information that is probably a bit too much for such a simple question, how would you recommend implementing GTD? A moleskine's appealing, but I think I'd need something I could move around and sort and organize myself. I was thinking of a small notecard box with dividers, but I'm not sure how that'd work out, either. A large filing drawer just seems too cumbersome, I think.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated, though. Right now I'm using Journler, and it seems alright-- I like that I can drop in files to the drop box-- but as I said, I don't know that I want to have a laptop to lug around all the time.