Thanks for the tip about the bullet list--I was being dumb;)

I've been testing different systems of keeping a GTD-style "next action" list and none has worked well for me given how I generally work (I give each system three weeks to see if I can get it to become habituated). I really wanted the analog system to work, but it just doesn't (mostly because my handwriting is horrible and I hate looking at lists where crossed off items are jumbled with non-crossed off items). The Palm also doesn't work for me as a next action list keeper for various reasons that have been discussed by folks elsewhere--screen too small, too cumbersome to input, I forget to look at it.

Since I've been using ICal for reminders with good success (particularly in conjunction with MailTags), I thought it might work for me to use ICal for next actions--doing it as follows: A "hard" calendar--this is the meetings, hard due dates kinds of things-- and, since it's a separate calendar, it keeps its hard edge. I have a calendar for reminders (basically like a tickler). Then, I have a calendar group for next actions where each context is a calendar (right now I have five: Read, Write, Home, Internet, Correspond--this will need to be tweaked a little, but mostly works). I can turn that group on and off depending on what I need to look at. When I"m looking at the "hard" landscape, I turn that calendar group and the reminders off. I keep the project lists, someday list, vertical views etc. somewhere else--not tied to the calendar at all, except occassionally as a linked file.

I see the threat of the whole thing turning into sand rather than stone, but so far, it's been working to really keep the two calendar groups in complementary distribution so that when one is checked, the other is unchecked.

The only piece that wasn't working was being able to generate a single list from the next action calendar group--and now that piece is solved.

I've toyed around with the various outliners, but I honestly don't have the will at the moment to learn new software--I'll keep poking with them probably, but if I can get the system to work using only a physical inbox, a moleskine, ICal, Mail and a texteditor, I think it'll all work pretty well--we'll see in three weeks, I suppose.