I’ve been considering a number of additions to the existing set of templates for DIY Planner v2. The ones I’m thinking about are:
- A set of “Web Developer” templates. I can’t recall the number of times I’ve had to write down and design the same things… I might as well create a form for it.
- A “Sources” template, usually used to gather together pertinent contact people, equipment leasors, project staff, all-night pizza delivery places, etc. Sort of like a “yellow pages” for a category or project.
- A basic “Expense Report”.
- A fold-it-yourself Receipts form/envelope (this could be neat if I can make it work right).
- Project Ideas.
- Other possibilities:
- Trip Diary
- “Inventory” Control
- Various quick reference cards
- Important Numbers (simple form for police, fire, poison control, insurance, Chinese take-out, etc.)
- Simple DIY templates for OpenOffice.org (and possibly other) formats.
These are mainly vague ideas right now, and none are set in stone. There comes a time when you can have too many forms, and I want to avoid going that far. After all, nothing is preventing you from taking a Notes page and simply labelling it whatever subject you want. And sometimes, that’s far more efficient.
In addition to the new templates, some old ones are being modified, a new design will probably be integrated, and different sizes (letter-size, A4 and A5) and possibly languages will be offered (the latter being dependent upon volunteers).
Any other suggestions for templates, GTD or otherwise? Please leave ‘em in the comments or send me an email, and I’ll collate them for future consideration.
I know you don’t want to do a calendar section, messing around with dates etc. But how about doing an undated one? My planner came with a page per day undated calendar. The left side of the page was a column with time slots, right side was todo slots, with a full width section for notes on the bottom. You just need to write in the day and date on the top line.
Having the templates available for OOo (if I understand you correctly) would be *awesome* for those of us without Illustrator (or a proprietary OS, for that matter).
I just gave a friend, soon to launch a wooden boat a ‘Yacht Log’. It would seem an area ripe for organization given constant upkeep demands as well as passage planning and making. I haven’t taken time to flesh out the idea but perhaps it can spark some interest, particularly as you are closer to the heart of the martime world than most of your readers.
(PS. Thank you for the templates – they are proving invaluable to my work)
Don, I’m thinking about ones for vehicles (specifically, cars), but I’m afraid I don’t have the slightest clue about yachts. I’m in Newfoundland, and thus usually a stone’s throw from the ocean, but the closest I’ve gotten to yachts in the past few years has been a kayak.
Anthony, that’s not a bad idea with regard to calendars. Perhaps an “undated” one might make sense, at least a monthly one for now. Gotta think it over a bit, though: I’d like to come up with a unique GTD-like approach. Anyone have any ideas on this subject?
How about an exercise/fitness log with activity, date, duration (reps, miles), and intensity?
Hi!
I love the templates!!! What will be the best way to find out about updates? Should I just bookmark the Dec 22nd blog entry and just keep coming back to that? Also, as a suggestion, it might be helpful to put the version number in the title of the zip file (i.e., dj_templates1-1.zip), so when downloading it, people would know if it’s the most recent version.
I also wanted to put my two cents in about your own suggestions for templates…..I love them all!!! I also like the “new” version you’re thinking of (as shown in your screenshot).
A fitness/diet log, like someone else suggested, is an excellent idea, too.
Thanks for all of your hard work!!!!
Take care,
Kathy
I’d love to have the templates in 8.5×11 pdf’s or other transformable format – the mechanics of desk life mean that 8.5×11 is just a simpler format to get along with if portability isn’t a primary issue. I’m using the half size ones now and _love_ them. Thanks so much for your hard work!
Myrcurial