ThinkingRock Forum

I'm having a hard time getting going I've watched the demos, but the description of 'Topics' is a bit lacking. What are they useful for again?

Any nudge of help would be great.

Hmm, I think I get it.

Topics are there to classify your actions and thoughts. Don't forget that there is an help page for each screen.

Thanks,

Claire

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Claire
ThinkingRock Analyst and Tester

The help for the topics page is not that helpful (at least for me). I don't know yet what to do with them.

As by now I managed to pair:

thoughts equals inbox
future equals someday/maybe
information equals reference
do asap actions equals @ next actions
delegated actions equals @ waiting for (what about those @ waiting fors which have not been delegated by me?)

I was not able to find a GtD eqivalent for topics. I'd really appreciate if you would elaborate what is the benefit and the rationale behind implementing the topic feature into TR

Please allow one more question. Why don't you just use the original GtD expressions as used in the GtD book?

TIA

Volker

Topics is just another way of classifying the items (personal, house, work, finance, holidays...) which is different than the context (how and where the items can be done). I find them very useful in information and future items. In actions, they help me when I am searching for an item.

Could you give me an example?

Mainly because we are not working for David Allen's company but also because we might add some functionality into TR which are not included in GTD.

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Claire
ThinkingRock Analyst and Tester

[quote]What about those @ waiting fors which have not been delegated by me?) Could you give me an example?[/quote]

Waiting for is more than delegated to. I write a letter to any authority. Now it is their turn to answer my letter. I can`t do anything but waiting for their answer. I am not in the position to delegate anything to them.

I know a new product is in the pipeline of a competitor I have to respond to once released

Volker

Ok,

how about a section in the help file showing the equivalents? This might be helpful for those who read the GtD book and wonder why you say GtD and don't find the expressions they are used to.

Or maybe even some kind of options in the preferences allowing to change the wording?

Have a nice weekend

Volker

To me, it is the 20,000-foot (6,096 meter) view that DA talks about - areas of focus.

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- Don't believe everything you think!

Hi !

I use 'topics' to indicate where I keep the all the information regarding an action or project (all the material or immaterial things that I need to complete the action).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there is another place that you can input that information (although that would be handy).

Greetings,

Guzz

I think of TOPICS as file drawers and PROJECTS as file folders and ACTIONS as papers in the file. CONTEXTS are where the action can be done (where the file cabinet is kept). So my CONTEXTS are office, home, at computer, online, call, buy, errands, and pending. then if I sort by CONTEXT, I have all the things I can do at the same time in one location grouped together. On the other hand, TOPICS groups things by category like work, family, personal, social. This helps me with an overview of the balance in my life, and related projects are kept together.

I think that is a good way to think about and use Topics.

I guess that when we designed TR I thought of Topics as just another way to categorize things - most task managers have a category field. I had in mind that they would be used to look at things that are related but may be in different projects and/or contexts.

We did not originally have any specific GTD motivation for Topics and you don't need to use them. Seemed like a good idea though to include it.

I had that same trouble, really. I think perhaps reading the book will help. However, what I think at this point is that it breaks down something like this:

Contexts are basically locations where you might be able to do things, so stuff like @computer OnInternet, @home, @work. Or they can also be general amorphous locations like 'shopping' which could indicate any number of locations.

Topics are more like collection boxes for tasks you have to do. So, for example, you may have to write a memo (Topic Work) while @work. But you may also have to buy tonner (Shopping) for Work (Topic).

Or, you may have to hit up your cow-orkers for money to buy Girl Scout Cookies from your little girl. That's a Topic "Kids" but a Context @work.

That's how I see it at least, but this is all new to me.



ASAP means you need to keep it at the top of your list, either because its short an easy to get out of the way, or because it is really important. It doesn't mean its a next action.

As for Delegate, that means I've foisted off the task on someone else and it's no longer mine to worry about.



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