Tickler

GTD (Getting Things Done)

Tickler file - perpetual calendar.  Replay for humans - place a card in the calendar at about the right time.

It is sad that physical index cards are often easier to do stuff like this with than computer software.  Most calendar programs think that an event occurs, and recurs, only on spcifgic dates and with a specific frequency.


I once had a PalmPilot PDA calendar program that understidd stuff like allergy shots: the reminder appeared after the minimum spacing e.g. 14 days, being more intensive as you approached the maximum spacing, say 28 days, and automatically rescheduled itself with the same spacing relative to when you actually said that you got your shot.  I.e. T[n] = T[n-1] + dist(14,28).  Not T[n] = T[0] + n*21 +/- 7.   It makes a big difference.


It's sad that paper index cards work better than software. Perhaps I can write, in my copious spare time.

I'd like to have the good stuff that computers bring: search, cross indexing, the ability to be filed in more than one category.


Key things: defer.  Don't even show it on the ToDo list until such and such a time. Date

Defer:

Standard Perpetual calendar
* to a day 1-31, in the rotating days of month
* to a month Jan-Dec,. in the rotating months of year

Not so standard:
* to this afternoon, evening, next morning, lunch
* to the weekend

Precise date and time - sure, maybe.


I would like to keep one rotating tickler file, but I need to separate work and personal.  SW should allow that.  But for now, using paper index cards, I don;t crate a tickler file for each.

Now/Soon/Someday is often as much as I can be bothered with.


We may want to be able to defer, and not think about, certain actions.  But we may also want to be able to recall a deferred action - e.g. "Tell me the next thing I have to do wrt my personal computing environment - my mind is too slagged for real work.  I don't care if it has been put off to a date in the future."