GTD & Symbian – A Match Not Made in Heaven
Symbian is the preferred operation system (OS) at Nokia, and used in most of it’s E-Series and N-Series phones. It just happens that Symbian has a few restrictions that make running GTD, the popular time management system developed by David Allen, a small challenge. This has of course been extensively discussed and criticized by frustrated GTD followers, as Nokia with its 40% market share undoubtedly is a popular phone. However, in contrast to some forum posts, I actually think the challenges are small and can be easily overcome.
Nokia E71: A beautiful phone, but with it’s Symbian OS it’s not optimal for orthodox GTD.
Please always remember: successful time management is NOT about having the perfect tools and the most logical setup. It is about using your available tools in a right and optimal way, in order to get the maximum benefit. The solution is therefore simple: If you want to run GTD on a Symbian/Nokia phone, you just have to adapt. However, not too much: tweaking your system for hours and hours is a waste of time. The main GTD Symbian restrictions have to do with task management:
- You don’t have the possibility to categorize tasks
- All tasks must be assigned a due date
There is no magic bullet add-on software that would solve these issues on a Nokia. I did the exercise, don’t repeat my mistake. Do something useful instead.
Still, those really familiar with David Allen’s Getting Things Done immediately understand mr. Allen himself probably doesn’t use a Nokia for his mobile needs (he actually prefers a Palm).
Running GTD on a Nokia – The Setup
In my current work environment we are using Outlook with an Exchange server, and have Nokia phones. Let’s recap the tools:
- Email & PIM: Microsoft Outlook with Exchange server
- Phone: A Nokia E71
- Mobile email, calendar and contacts synchronization: A third party software called SmartMail. The software works great, however it does not sync tasks, which was a problem.
- Task sync: Luckily the Nokia E71 ships with Mail for Exchange, so I asked our IT guys to configure it for syncing only the tasks (which is possible). I must have caught them on an good day, as they did it. It was half an hour and voilà, sync issue solved.
And now, this is how I run it: In my Outlook based time management solution, I have both daily tasks with due dates, usually within the next 2 week time space, and tasks that would not need to have due dates (lists, agendas, projects and someday/maybe items etc.).
For tasks with a due date I actually don’t use categories, so the Symbian/Nokia works fine. Those are no problem even for the traditional Symbian Outlook setup.
For the task that would not need to have a due date, I just pick a random date on Outlook, about 6 months forward, and use the same date for the all such items. I am currently using the date 1.12. of this year (and now it is Summer). The date doesn’t matter. I will most likely use that date until beginning of November. When beginning of November arrives, I will move all items 4-5 months forward. This, of course, is most easily done in Outlook itself. The probability I would get a “real” due dated task to the same date is non-existent, as I do not set due dated daily tasks much longer than maybe max 1 month . Secondly, if that would happen, it wouldn’t matter. So what!
In my mobile phone I personally only care to look at two GTD categories: Agendas and Lists. Agendas are task items dedicated to key persons at my work, i.e. key colleagues, subordinates and of course my own boss. If something pops into my mind that I need to convey to them, I always write it in that task item’s content field. Task title wise I name them like this:
- XAGENDA: Peter (category in Outlook: Agendas)
- XAGENDA: Mary (category in Outlook: Agendas)
- XAGENDA: … you get the idea
Lists on the other hand are task items where I collect “knowledge and wisdom”. There I also keep lists I want to review from time to time, like annual goals. Regarding the lists, I have:
- XLIST: Restaurants (category in Outlook: Lists)
- XLIST: Wines (category in Outlook: Lists)
- XLIST: Work priorities 2009 (category in Outlook: Lists)
- etc
So, what’s with the X? It is simple. When I open the default Symbian/Nokia task view, I first get all the daily tasks. And I get more of them when scrolling down, in their chronological order. But if I instead press the up arrow, I arrive straight to the X-items (alphabetic sorting). So they are easy to reach. All the projects and someday/maybe items fall in between. And in my system they are the biggest categories.
Regarding the X, you could use shorter prefixes like XAG (for XAGENDA) and XLI (as in XLIST) if you would want to, but I prefer those longer ones. I almost forgot to mention: I do not use the Outlook notes items at all. This firstly because there is no mobile way to sync those. Secondly, the notes part of Outlook is crap. Luckily task items work just as well. Now and therefore, as far as I care: issue solved. Now back to work, you too!
Summary
Symbian may not be an optimal tool for puritan mobile GTD. A Symbian phone is however completely ok as a mobile companion for your time management solution. You just have to adapt a little, e.g. according to the setup I describe above.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The solution of using MS Exchange isn’t practicable, generally speaking, outside a corporate environment. A solution that syncs with Outlook would fit for small, independent businesses. And, hey, even the city of LA is now moving to Gmail, and at least there are tools that now will sync Symbian with Gmail.
I found the proposed workarounds with respect to dating and limiting the use of categories to be, well, challenging. While GTD on Symbian does require one to adapt, GTD also prefers the adaptations not actually get in the way of maintaining the trusted system. I don’t want to have, as a regular task, something along the lines of “advance date of undated tasks, in Outlook”.
Although Harri proposes some thought-provoking solutions to Symbian’s serious drawbacks, I find the use of AquaSync and AquaCalendar (by PocketTorch) to be a better solution. While not perfect, AquaSync appends Outlook categories to the subject field of calendar and task items. AquaCalendar provides a way to view tasks and calendar items through sorts and filters, on the appended categories.
I am dismayed to note that, very recently, PocketTorch appears to have shuttered its web site. Consequently, I have been encouraging SBSH Mobile, which is developing a product originally created by PocketTorce, called “Reminders”, to take over the development of AquaSync and to incorporate AquaCalendar’s views into SBSH’s calendar product.
Like many GTD adherents, I moved from the Palm OS, which I found provided PIM capabilities for superior to Symbian. But, the Palm OS was used in only lousy phones, IMHO, and so I’m stuck with Nokia and an OS which, insane as it seems to me, doesn’t acknowledge the need to categorize anything.
Anyway, there you have it. I think Nokia’s feet need to be held to the fire, over this issue of support for categories and syncing categories to desktop-and cloud-based PIMs. Nokia’s smart phones will remain to be not-so-smart, in comparison to Windows Mobile in and Palm OS devices, until this problem is addresssed.
There is a problem when editing tasks on the go i.e. lets say i have something on my calls list > the call creates a new task, say @excel. In Outlook i have usually all the project related mails etc. binded to the particular task. Now having made the call, in fe. Palm enviroment i would just change the tasks category to excel and maybe do some fine tuning on the subject line. But all the material would still be there. If i make the same in s60 enviroment, it will result the task being in wrong category when i sync back to outlook. I could of course check all the task lists after the sync, but given the amount of tasks i currently have (483) that isnt a solution.
However, thanks for the tips. Im struggling with my E90 kommunikaattorillani on the same subject. I just came across a cheap unused Treo 750 and have been toying around with it. Perfect for GTD but as i travel a lot, its a toy compared to nokias (esp. the e90 i treasure) as a phone (and all things non-PIM).
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