What made me change?
As sad as it sounds my Treo holster broke and I could not find local store that carried a replacement. Combine that with the fact that my tipping point was pretty low. "A new mobile device" has been on my someday/maybe list for quite a while now. My pump was primed for this change.
Why the Blackberry?
I have a Blackberry Tour. I prefer an exposed QUERTY keyboard. That works best for me. It is fast. Nothing to slide up. Just grab and type. My thumbs like to tango with real keys.
Additionally, my company has an enterprise server that syncs with MS Outlook. The server pushes email, calendar items and tasks to my Blackberry "over the air." The ability to push Outlook Tasks over the air was a net gain for me in this switch. The items I describe below are based on my set up with an Enterprise Server. I am not sure how it will work in a non-Enterprise server setting.
What did I do to get my GTD system up and running on the Blackberry?
(1) I set a goal: Find a way to get items in my system with the fewest number of key strokes on my Blackberry (this goes for my laptop, too). I desire speed, speed, speed... which comes from simplicity.
(2) I needed to purchase a 3rd party app. I could not figure how how the native task app on the Blackberry was sorting the tasks. I bought the application NextAction! and it solved this problem. I also bought MemoryBooster to help manage the memory on my device. You can find them in the Blackberry Apps Store.
A note on my GTD setup in Outlook:
- I use the Outlook Tasks to manage my GTD projects, GTD Next Actions and Lists.
- I use Categories to differentiate between these areas.
Project Categories: >Proj-Per, >Proj-Pro, >Someday-Per, >Someday-Pro
Next Action Categories: @anywhere, @blog, @calls, @comp-h, @comp-w, @errands, @home, @office, @travel, @wf
List categories: Birthdays, Lists, Lists-Checklists, List-Hotlists, Strengths, Wiki
(3) Here are the set up activities that I did to improve my speed
- I use Active Words on my laptop
- I use the AutoText feature on the Blackberry (found under Options/AutoText)
- I set it up so my Active Words and AutoText use the same "triggers" when ever possible. This way my brain can relax. It does not have to remember "What was that command on the Blackberry?" or "What was that command on the laptop?"
This did involve changing some of my Active Words triggers to start with $. $ + (keyword) works pretty fast on the Blackberry. You can hit the $ without needing to use the Alt key.
I will post of examples of speed keys specifics at a later date.
(4) I set up three email folders on my Blackberry
@BB (1) Proc to CAL,NA,Proj
@BB (2) Read,Watch,Listen
@BB (3) File
(5) I set up my Blackberry side keys (you set this up under Options/Screen-Keyboard)
Left side key = Search
Right side key = NextAction! application
(6) I organized my Blackberry desktop so the most frequently accessed items appear on the "home" screen - The one that shows six applications. On that screen I have:
- Memory booster
- Messages
- Gmail
- SMS/MSM
- Camera
- Calendar
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MY WORK FLOW
Example 1: Email1
(1) Hey, there is a little red dot on my email folder. I have something new!
(2) I open the email. Read it.
(3) Can I resolve it in 2 min? Answer = No.
(4) I file in my appropriate email folder on my Blackberry.
@BB (1) Proc to CAL,NA,Proj
@BB (2) Read,Watch,Listen
@BB (3) File
Once I process my INBOX to zero I have two options:
(A) Open up "@BB (1) Proc to CAL,NA,Proj" and start defining projects and next actions.
or
(B) Wait to do this until I get back to my laptop. This is my preference. I am much faster at processing on my laptop. Also, I have a goal to expend as little energy and time on the Blackberry as possible. It is a great tool, it can also be a great distraction. ;)
Example 2: Email2
(1) Hey, there is a little red dot on my email folder. I have something new!
(2) I open the email. Read it.
(3) Can I resolve it in 2 min? Answer = Yes.
(4) Do it.
Example 3: Wife, "please pick up creamer on the way home"
(1) Press my right button
(2) Move to @errand list
(3) N - to create a new task
(4) Type: Buy creamer
(5) Save
Example 4: At 1-2 grade basketball practice. What was that child's name again?
(1) Press my right button
(2) Move to Lists-Hotlist
(3) Click on basketball roster list
(4) "Oh yes, that is Oliver and his dad is Jim and mom is Mary."
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Tip: TAGGING AND SEARCH
Both the Blackberry and Laptop have great searching capabilities. I typically tag items with the names of people. For example, I tag a lot of items with my wife's name:
wife1111
I can use this to my advantage on the Blackberry. I can hit my right button (this launches the search function) to find all the items that have the tag "wife1111". The search will return all the items that have this tag. I find this very useful on both the personal and professional side. It is kind of like the @Agenda concept but a little broader. It also requires constant feed and caring or it can get out of control.
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The biggest change for me
The biggest change for me moving from the Treo to the Blackberry was the loss of the touch screen and introduction of the "little ball" on the Blackberry. It is just different. I used it as an opportunity to discover "change" again.
So to make a long story short. I made it to the Blackberry world. I am able to do GTD effectively. I am not yet a Crackberry addict but I recognize the temptation is always there.
I hope this helps someone somewhere.
Mike
