It’s hard getting organized, especially when your goals are varied and diverse. I’ve been trying out several GTD (get things done) systems to help me in my own quest.

Pen and paper is well enough, but since I wanted something clean—that old clean slate feeling—I’ve opted for something computer. I looked at both software and web interfaces. I can actually say now that I am a bit more organized.

Remember the Milk is a free web-based service with optional paid upgrade. It’s simple, to the point. I like lists. RTM is all about lists. You can create as many as you like with options for due dates, tags, and notes. I like the daily reminders and the weekly planner. You can tweet yourself, email yourself or others, or have a tool on your desktop to add tasks. No excuses for it not making the list. Besides, the logo is cute.

I also wanted a calendar. RTM can export my tasks, so I have synchronization between the two. The calendar part was a bit different. I had trouble locating one that serves my needs. I wanted a clean interface, simple. I don’t want to have to read a manual to figure it out. I like color-coding my categories. It’s a nice visual for seeing how I plan my day.

My choice was Mozilla Thunderbird with the Lightning extension. I open my email and there it is. I go to my tasks and there they are. I have my color-coding for my calendar.

I have to say that since using there two interfaces, I’ve made vast improvements on my organization. It motivates me to get it done.