Re: Bonsai & GTD help

I am glad you tracked down my ebook. Please bear in mind that my ebook
outlines how *I* use Bonsai to implement GTD.

I have been using that Bonsai system, as I wrote it down, since before June
of 2007. That is a major record for me because I would rather tweak than
actually be productive!

Everything in my non-work life is in Bonsa. And I mean everything! From
birthday parties to picking up library books, it is all in there.

I don't use it for work because I have an independent work system that stems
out of my former role as a consultant, and the way the work is presented to
me. I cannot do work outside of the @Work context, so I keep it completely
separate.

Bonsai is an outliner. So everything in Bonsai is an outline. That's what it
boils down to. You can have different outlines, but I find keeping
everything in one is easiest for me.

I use the categories as contexts because it links into my Palm todo list
that way. The Areas of Focus are keywords, which are at this point, just
another way to categorize what I have going on.

Under GTD, you have projects. Every project has next actions, and each next
action has a context, which is where that next action can be performed.
Perhaps that is where the confusion is?

Example: I want to replant my front door planter. This is my project. Here
are my next actions, all of which must be accomplished to replant the
planter:
1. Discard old plants
2. Buy potting soil
3. Get compost
3a. Call neighbor to ask if I can have compost
3b. Get compost from neighbor
3c. Filter compost
4. Mix compost with potting soil
5. Fill planter
6. Buy new plants
7. Plant the plants

For contexts, 1, 4, 5 and 7 would be done @Home. 2 and 6 would be done at
the garden store, hence @Errands. 3 is a project in and of itself. 3a would
be @Calls, and 3b would either be @Home or @Errand, and 3c would be @Home.
These are my contexts, the places where the next actions have to occur.

The purpose of contexts is to limit what you are seeing  to do based on what
you have available. Thus if I am out running errands, I can stop by the
garden store and pick up what I need. But if I am at home, I don't have
those tasks nagging at me, since I can't do anything about them.

Just a word: I do not have the same categories for my calendar items, to do
items and contacts. Only my to dos are "contexts". Calendar categories and
contact categories are used to group these logically so I can find what I
need.

Does that help?

I would suggest that you try and sort out your projects like the example
above, and see if it doesn't fit in an outliner. :)

---
LJ
Simple Productivity blog
http://simpleproductivityblog.com


On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 1:35 PM, Jenifer Nelson
<jenmkconsultant-/[email protected]>wrote:

> Hi.. my husband & i have decided we like Bonsai and are anxious to get
> started organizing things.  I have listened to the GTD book on CD & also
> actually physically read some chapters over.
>  I thought i had a pretty good idea of the thought on taking everything out
> of your mind & put on 'paper' or a system.  I've started to do some in Excel
> spreadsheet, anxious to put it on the computer- finally settling on using
> Bonsai.  I saw the screen shots on Natara's website & thought it would be
> pretty easy/self explanitory.  I have read a few people's websites w/tips
> and downloaded this manual:
> http://www.simpleproductivityblog.com/files/Using_Bonsai_with_GTD.pdf
>
> Now i'm a little confused.  I thought the basics were to set up contexts
> which i thought are like categories?  In my mind, I thought i would just be
> creating 'lists' under the different contexts/categories. Then i start
> reading the SimpleProductivity manual & look at Bonsai... and you have to
> start off with an Outline?  SimpleProductivity also uses Focus Areas. (which
> i like the idea because i do like merging Franklin Covey with GTD)
>
> My questions:
> -What is the outline part on the left side of the screen?  ...how do you
> set this up/organize?
> -any suggestions for just starting off w/Bonsai & how to start off?
>  --i have about 9 context/categories (the traditional "@" contexts plus a
> couple additional ones mostly used to distinguish contacts.
>  -I want to use Bonsai for everything.. keeping track of customers i want
> to call, Spring Cleaning checklist, books to read, DVDs to watch, household
> projects.. just about everything :-)
> -anyone have any good templates? or screen shots?  :-)
>
> thanks for any help!
>
>
>
>


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