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Ask Slashdot: Life Organization With Free Software?
BigZee writes "For many years, I've used a page-a-day diary as both a planner and a method for taking notes. While not perfect, it's proven to be an approach that's worked fairly well for me. Conscious of the limitations, I want this to become more electronic. In principle, I want to be able to use my Nexus 7 for this function. There are some limitations: My workplace uses MS Outlook. However, I am not able to use Evernote (or similar) on my workplace machine. This limits possible integration along the lines proposed with GTD. What I want is to be able to take notes that are organized by date as well as being integrated to a calendar (preferably Google). Additionally, I want to be able to prioritize my work along lines similar to GTD. I'm not averse to spending money for the right software but prefer to use free software where possible. Can anyone suggest what could be used?" The above-linked Wikipedia page lists some relevant Free software as well as closed-source options. If you use such organizing software, though, how do you use it, and how well do you find it works?
http://www.activeinboxhq.com/index.php/ works with GMail to bring GTD into your email. It works really well, but if you're stuck on outlook then it might not be suitable for you. You can use it for free or pay for more features.
You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
Your planner and notebook dont run out of batteries, work when (mostly) wet, are readable in sunlight, and offer many advantages over electronic forms. Analog is sometimes better than digital.
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I have been using Google Keep. https://www.google.com/keep While not great it is adequate. Integrates with google account, although better integration with calendar would be cool. Works with google drive. Posting because some organizations are more open to letting you use google apps. Google keep is relatively new and seems not a lot of people have found it. Here is a pretty good review of Google Keep. http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/google-in-the-enterprise/five-things-worth-noting-about-google-keep/
Yes. If your company already runs Microsoft products, One Note will work, can sync to SkyDrive, has Apple and Android clients, can be viewed and edited on the web (via SkyDrive). There are arguments of Evernote vs OneNote, but both are considered best of breed. Since your company limits you to OneNote, the choice is made for you, but it's a good product.
It's really a "geek only" tool but emacs org-mode is great for me for organizing my work. The big plus is that the format is plain text so you can use version control to manage it. I use drop box and leave the files on there. I usually use one per project and then a master file.
Here's a specific guide to using it with GTD: http://orgmode.org/worg/org-gtd-etc.html
The vast majority of the ones I have are just the standard Blueline hard-cover black lab books you can buy at any Staples or even Wal-Mart.
Occasionally I'm stuck and can't find one of those, and end up using the store brand, there's not a whole lot of difference. You can stick those little Post-It tabs onto pages you need to find quickly.
Just a hard-cover, notebook with ruled pages and a 3/4" or so margin at the top and a ruled margin on the left. Not the ones with the perforated pages to be torn out or the coiled binding, the ones with the fully bound pages which are meant to stay put and a pressboard/cardboard cover. Most of them seem to be around 192 pages or so, and are about 9 1/4"x7 1/4" (23.5cmx18.4cm).
Draw a line from the previous day, write today's date, and get on with it. Always keep a few extra ones on hand for when you reach the end of the one you're working on.
Slap a label on the spine, put 'em up on your shelf. It really is about as low tech as you can get, but it's been how I've kept notes for a very long time.
I've heard them called engineering notebooks, lab books, scientific notebooks. They're pretty common and easy to find, and several different companies make more or less the exact same thing.
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