Getting Things Done in DEVONthink Pro
Picking up the gauntlet....
A while back I was called out
in Merlin Mann's
excellent 43
Folders
blog. Merlin asked that I explain some of the
potential of the DEVONthink
family for folks who are exploring the
Getting Things Done
meme.
Not one to let a challenge like that go by, I created this blog entry in response, to demonstrate one possible GTD approach. Let me immediately add that the clever bits shown in this tutorial were suggested by "eiron" in the very active, and very helpful, DEVONtechnologies User Forum. So thanks, eiron, and a tip o' the hat.
Historical note: I created this blog around December 2004, with whatever version of DEVONthink Pro was in beta at that time. Because of the beta nature of the software, I waited to publish the blog until DTPro went GM. Frankly, I waited long enough to forget about the blog. So there may be some changes to the application now that aren't reflected in the following...but I hope this tutorial still has some value.
Ok, here we go.
---
Create and Structure Your GTD Database
1. Create a new database (File > New Database).
2. Select the "Vertical Split" view (View > as Vertical Split)
3. Add several "Context" groups that will contain your "Next Action" items ( Content > New > Group)
4. Select all of the "Context" groups, get Info, and check "State" (Tools > Show Info...). NOTE: this critical step will make each of these folders "check-able." The ability to be checked will then be inherited by every file contained within the folder.
5. Add another group titled "Projects"
6. Within the "Projects" group, add a sub-group for each of your projects.
7. Next, back at the top level of the hierarchy, create a group for all of your reference files.
8. Finally, for good measure, import your contact database from Apple's Address Book (File > Import > Addressbook...), then drag the newly created "Addresses" group into your general reference group.
You should have now have a database structured along these lines:
Add Content to Your Project Groups
1. Select one of your specific project groups, then create a new rich text document within it (Content > Rich Text)
2. Rename the newly created document to "ProjectPlan - (YourProject'sName)"
3. In the large pane on the right, start typing in your content. You may wish to spell out the goals of the project, the resources available, deadlines and timelines, and whatever else is relevant.
4. List out the Next Action items that you think are required to meet your project's goals.
My ProjectPlan now looks like this:
Notice the underlined text. "Mom," "eggnog recipe," "Amazon": these were automatically linked to existing documents elsewhere in the database. ('Mom" links to the appropriate individual entry from the "Addresses" sheet that we imported from Address Book above.) This slick feature results from the following settings in DT Pro's preferences (Preferences > Editing):
We'll have further use for this automatic wiki-linking shortly.
Add More Content to Your Project Groups
There are two logical places to look for additional, relevant content for your projects: your existing reference documents, and the Web. Regarding the latter, DEVONtechnologies makes DEVONagent, a tightly-integrated web search utility. I'll save that tutorial for another day.
1. Open the "Search" window (Tools > Search...), then type in a relevant search term. In my case, I'll type "Christmas."
2. Click the "Results" button. My search yields 3 documents: two RTFD articles, and a webloc file.
3. Multiple-select the documents you want, then pull down the "Actions" menu and Replicate the files in your Project group (Actions > Replicate To... > Projects > YourProjectGroup). Distinct from an alias, a replicant is an additional entry in the file system directory that points to the referenced file.
Daily/Weekly Review: Add Next Actions to Context Group
1. Select a ProjectPlan, and in right-hand edit pane, select the Next Action(s), and drag them to appropriate Context group(s). In my example, the first Next Action -- "buy tree from nearby lot" -- is selected, then dragged into the "@Errands" group.
2. Dragging the Next Action into a Context folder automatically creates a new RTF file. The title of the file is same as the Next Action. The file automatically inherits the "check-able" state.
3. In the ProjectPlan document, each Next Action that has been dragged into a Context folder is automatically linked to the newly-created RTF file.
4. Feel free to annotate the newly-created RTF files. In my example, I've added a link to Google map to the local Christmas tree lot.
5. Check off each Next Action item when completed.
Daily/Weekly Review: Create a Next Actions Master List
1. Select all of the "Context" groups, then export to a single RTFD file on the desktop (File > Export > as Rich Text (RTFD)...)
2. Index the newly created RTFD file (File > Index)
Ok, that's one path through the DEVONthink application. One of the nice things about a robust app like DT is that there are so many other paths to explore. Enjoy.
Not one to let a challenge like that go by, I created this blog entry in response, to demonstrate one possible GTD approach. Let me immediately add that the clever bits shown in this tutorial were suggested by "eiron" in the very active, and very helpful, DEVONtechnologies User Forum. So thanks, eiron, and a tip o' the hat.
Historical note: I created this blog around December 2004, with whatever version of DEVONthink Pro was in beta at that time. Because of the beta nature of the software, I waited to publish the blog until DTPro went GM. Frankly, I waited long enough to forget about the blog. So there may be some changes to the application now that aren't reflected in the following...but I hope this tutorial still has some value.
Ok, here we go.
---
Create and Structure Your GTD Database
1. Create a new database (File > New Database).
2. Select the "Vertical Split" view (View > as Vertical Split)
3. Add several "Context" groups that will contain your "Next Action" items ( Content > New > Group)
4. Select all of the "Context" groups, get Info, and check "State" (Tools > Show Info...). NOTE: this critical step will make each of these folders "check-able." The ability to be checked will then be inherited by every file contained within the folder.
5. Add another group titled "Projects"
6. Within the "Projects" group, add a sub-group for each of your projects.
7. Next, back at the top level of the hierarchy, create a group for all of your reference files.
8. Finally, for good measure, import your contact database from Apple's Address Book (File > Import > Addressbook...), then drag the newly created "Addresses" group into your general reference group.
You should have now have a database structured along these lines:
Add Content to Your Project Groups
1. Select one of your specific project groups, then create a new rich text document within it (Content > Rich Text)
2. Rename the newly created document to "ProjectPlan - (YourProject'sName)"
3. In the large pane on the right, start typing in your content. You may wish to spell out the goals of the project, the resources available, deadlines and timelines, and whatever else is relevant.
4. List out the Next Action items that you think are required to meet your project's goals.
My ProjectPlan now looks like this:
Notice the underlined text. "Mom," "eggnog recipe," "Amazon": these were automatically linked to existing documents elsewhere in the database. ('Mom" links to the appropriate individual entry from the "Addresses" sheet that we imported from Address Book above.) This slick feature results from the following settings in DT Pro's preferences (Preferences > Editing):
We'll have further use for this automatic wiki-linking shortly.
Add More Content to Your Project Groups
There are two logical places to look for additional, relevant content for your projects: your existing reference documents, and the Web. Regarding the latter, DEVONtechnologies makes DEVONagent, a tightly-integrated web search utility. I'll save that tutorial for another day.
1. Open the "Search" window (Tools > Search...), then type in a relevant search term. In my case, I'll type "Christmas."
2. Click the "Results" button. My search yields 3 documents: two RTFD articles, and a webloc file.
3. Multiple-select the documents you want, then pull down the "Actions" menu and Replicate the files in your Project group (Actions > Replicate To... > Projects > YourProjectGroup). Distinct from an alias, a replicant is an additional entry in the file system directory that points to the referenced file.
Daily/Weekly Review: Add Next Actions to Context Group
1. Select a ProjectPlan, and in right-hand edit pane, select the Next Action(s), and drag them to appropriate Context group(s). In my example, the first Next Action -- "buy tree from nearby lot" -- is selected, then dragged into the "@Errands" group.
2. Dragging the Next Action into a Context folder automatically creates a new RTF file. The title of the file is same as the Next Action. The file automatically inherits the "check-able" state.
3. In the ProjectPlan document, each Next Action that has been dragged into a Context folder is automatically linked to the newly-created RTF file.
4. Feel free to annotate the newly-created RTF files. In my example, I've added a link to Google map to the local Christmas tree lot.
5. Check off each Next Action item when completed.
Daily/Weekly Review: Create a Next Actions Master List
1. Select all of the "Context" groups, then export to a single RTFD file on the desktop (File > Export > as Rich Text (RTFD)...)
2. Index the newly created RTFD file (File > Index)
Ok, that's one path through the DEVONthink application. One of the nice things about a robust app like DT is that there are so many other paths to explore. Enjoy.
Posted: Mon - December 13, 2004 at 04:29 PM
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