Once you install the GTD add-in and restart Outlook, you will notice a set of additional buttons on the toolbar matching those in Figure A

FIGURE A

These new buttons integrate Getting Things Done into Outlook.

Using these buttons, you can easily process every message in your Inbox:

• Delegate lets you assign a message to someone else and keep track of its status.
• Defer turns a message into a Task that Outlook will remind you about at a later date and time.
• Action turns a message into a Task (more on this in a bit).
• Someday puts a message into the Someday folder so you don't lose track of it even though you aren't taking any action on it right now.
• Snooze moves a message into temporary storage and returns it to your Inbox later.
• File lets you classify a message and move it into a folder.

Note that you can process messages one at a time, or select multiple messages to process simultaneously.

About tasks and applying the Getting Things Done system
A key element of the GTD system is creating next actions. These next actions are Tasks in Outlook. When you create a new action using the GTD buttons, you will see a dialog box like Figure B.

FIGURE B

Converting stuff into next actions is at the heart of the system. Click picture for a larger image.

You can specify the type of action to take, Associate the action with a specific project and adjust other aspects of how the task is created. The GTD add-in comes with a predefined list of action types that corresponds to the GTD system, making it easy for you to work within the system. Similarly, the add-in comes with a collection of custom views that match up with the GTD system to make working within that system more efficient.

As you can see, to get the most out of this product, you will want at least a passing familiarity with the Getting Things Done system, as it applies to working in Outlook. To get that familiarity, we strongly suggest that you take the online tour of the add-in listed at the end of this article. There you can find much more detail about the concepts behind the product than we can fit here. You can even download a 45-minute webinar narrated by David Allen and Dean Hering (VP of the company that programmed the add-in) explaining in more detail how everything plays together.

Conclusion
The GTD add-in is a useful tool for Outlook users hoping to ride on top of the flood of stuff that permeates our lives. With the add-in and the Getting Things Done system, you can turn Outlook into the control center for everything you need to do, whether on the computer, or out in the real world. Even if you don't implement the full Getting Things Done system, the ability to categorize and organize your mail and tasks can make a real difference. My Inbox is empty and I know the next action required to move each task forward. Can you say the same?

The GTD add-in does take a bit of getting used to, and has a few minor problems or limitations (only one Category per item, occasional need to use the Update Tasks Button with PDAs, care required when there are existing tasks). Despite these minor issues, this is a solid product that earns a rating of 4 out of 5.

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

Joe is a ZATZ associate editor. Prior to this job, he was customer support manager for the FileFlex database engine.