Commit to Capture

Observation: (1) Pastor and lay leader team work depends on strong relationships and (2) strong relationships depend on doing what you say you’ll do and (3) keeping your commitments requires remembering them and (4) keeping track of your “to do” items requires an “air tight” capture system. All successful efforts begin with an effective capture system.

I’ve noticed, and I’m guilty as a lay leader, of catching one of our pastors on a Sunday with a request or finding myself unprepared to capture a “to do“ from them. In the fast pace of Sunday activities, that’s probably not the best time for us to discuss a next action, but that is the day that the most interaction occurs. A capture system solves that problem.

While there are many capture mechanisms, and I have tried most of them, my present system is based on the Getting Things Done (GTD) approach. Before I describe my system, let me mention some “runner up” systems that I’ve used that almost fit the bill for me and might fit your routine.

Some prefer to be totally digital incorporating laptop, desktop or handheld solutions. If that is your preference I recommend the applications from 37 Solutions. Entry level use is free and more expanded access is cheap. I use one of the solutions (BackPack) in my current approach, but more about that in a minute. For a straight forward “to do” list design, I recommend the Ta Da product that replicates a simple “to do” list design.

I also spent several years using the Task list along with OneNote on Microsoft Outlook. It is very effective for those who have continual access to their computer. You can of course capture on a slip of paper and enter as a Task on the computer later.

For many “GTDers” the paper approach called Hipster PDA is an effective solution which at its core design is simply a stack of index cards clipped together. My current system uses a variation this approach to capture not only my next action items but notes.

I use a modified Hipster approach with a Levenger Circa 3x5 index card punch. I print the cards on my Canon iP1800 printer which accepts a stack of blank index cards. I print templates, which are abundant if you Google Hipster PDA template, on the blank cards, punch them and insert in my Levenger 3x5 Circa notebook. I carry extra cards in my pocket in case I encounter a hallway conversation without my notebook. I use a fine lead mechanical pencil instead of pen since the writing space is small and I can change entries if the item changes.

The cards follow the GTD philosophy, arranged around the context or place I will do the action item. I have an @office, @home, @errands and someday maybe card to record actions. I use the previously mentioned BackPack from 37 Solutions to keep more extended notes on a project or other long document needs. Each BackPack page has a distinct email address so you can forward an email to a specific page to process later. On the Circa card I’ll remind myself there is more backup by recording (BP) by the action item to prompt me to look in BackPack for more details. On the BackPack site I put a key word from the card in the BackPack internal search engine which pulls up that tagged page.

For email threads that drive an action item on my Circa card I record (OF) to indicate more detail in an Outlook Folder where I have saved the email. I prefer to use Google Desktop to search my Outlook files (I use only a few folders and let Google find the documents) instead of using the Outlook search function.

The journey to an effective capture system that is designed for your personal needs begins with a strong desire to capture and execute on your commitments followed by some experimentation. Grab a stack of index cards and see how the flow feels. Take a peek at the 37 Solutions applications and play around with the free versions. Learn a little more about the capabilities of your laptop, handheld or desktop. Keep revising it until it feels right. Capture the commitment!