Ep. 190: David Allen and Eric Mack on the Ultimate GTD App

17 snips

Jan 18, 2023

Guest

Eric Mack

Guest

David Allen

David Allen, the mastermind behind the GTD methodology, teams up with Eric Mack, a seasoned software developer. They discuss the fascinating journey of creating the ultimate GTD app, sharing insights from the innovative startup Actioneer and the challenges of integrating productivity techniques with technology. Their conversation touches on the balance between innovation and usability, the importance of user-centric design, and lessons from early collaborations that shaped their productivity systems. It's a compelling blend of stories, tech insights, and productivity wisdom!

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ANECDOTE

Actioneer's Origin

David Allen recounts his early tech enthusiasm and a 1993 article he wrote titled "Why PIMS Don't Work".
This article, critiquing Personal Information Management software, became the basis for Actioneer, a GTD software startup.

ANECDOTE

Actioneer's Innovation

Actioneer, co-founded by David Allen, focused on integrating digital and physical organization tools.
They even secured a patent for "capture and distribute," a feature allowing quick task assignment via keywords.

ANECDOTE

Early GTD Software Exploration

Years before writing "Getting Things Done," David Allen explored GTD software development.
Actioneer partnered with Dragon NaturallySpeaking for voice recognition, showcasing innovative features at tech conferences.

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At the GTD Summit, David Allen briefly shared a vision of the ultimate GTD app which consists of 19 pages of hand-drawn drafts of the screens he would want to use. To expand on that topic, we recorded David talking with Eric Mack about the past, present, and future of GTD software. It's a wide-ranging discussion with stories that will inform, entertain, and maybe even surprise you. It's audio only, but be sure to download the PDF of David's screen drawings as well.

You can listen to the entire conversation from July 2019 at GTD Connect®.

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