As a long time GTD practitioner, I have frequently been seduced by the siren song of the ultimate GTD software solution. I've used outliners, mindmaps, flat task lists, note taking software and paper-based systems. They all work for a while, but ultimately they loose their initial lustre and I end up going back to "basics". At the end of the day, I've come to realize that it is not so much the tool that falls short, but the fact that playing around with new software is far  sexier and more fun than simply cranking away at my task list.

For the past few years "the basics" for me primarily consists of Microsoft Outlook. I use it as my primary email client and to track appointments and tasks. Several years ago I came across an Outlook add-in called ClearContext which did a bang-up job of prioritizing and color-coding my email inbox. Version 1 of the software didn't do a lot, but what it did, it did well. Being able to pick out my high-priority emails, which appeared in red, significantly cut down my email processing time and ensured the most vital emails didn't fall through the cracks.

By the time Version 2 came along, the folks at ClearContext had added some nifty features which allowed my to quickly turn emails into tasks or appointments. All pretty cool, but these were features I already had  by using Netcentrics GTD add-in. I continued to upgrade through version 3 because I had become reliant on ClearContext's prioritization, but I ran it alongside the Netcentrics product, which worked better for me as a GTD workflow tool.

Recently ClearContext released version 4 of the Information Management System, and with this release I finally uninstalled the Netcentrics add-in and have moved snugly into ClearContext as my sole workflow tool. What finally tipped the scale for me was the introduction of the Dashboard, a central hub where I can view all my appointments, email messages and tasks according to project. This welcome addition was what turns CC into a GTD powerhouse.

So, I've been humming along, processing, organizing and even sometimes taking action (gasp!) on my tasks with CC as my trusted system. But it wasn't until last week that CC produced a  GTD epiphany for me. I was pursuing the Clearcontext Blog and reading Brad Meador's description of the IMS Daily Workflow. Brad makes it clear that this newly articulated model is not meant as a replacement for GTD, but rather a framework for more effective implementation of GTD.

What really knocked my socks off and has served to turbo-charge my work habits is Step 3 in the process, Succeed. After the initial review of the most time-sensitive tasks for the day in Step 1 and the processing of my in-box in Step 2, Brad suggests moving to the dashboard and working your tasks "by project". This has been a missing piece for me in the GTD puzzle. While I've been dutiful about capturing, processing and organizing my work, I often found myself stalled when it came to reviewing my task lists for something to do. I had collected so many small tasks, that I often felt little motivation to do them. What ClearContext has provided is much needed "context". When I move into the dashboard and begin quickly clicking through my projects, I inevitably find a number of small actionable tasks that I'm all too willing to tackle because I can now see clearly "why" I wanted to do it. By seeing that clear link from task to project, my motivation remains high and I'm getting much more done.

This post does little justice to what ClearContext can do. Download a trial and check out what a truly powerful and stable Outlook add-in (yes, there is such a thing) it is. Oh, and by the way, Brad Meador has repeatedly proved to be truly responsive and customer service focused.