Description

What? GTD is a method for organizing to-do items developed by James Allen @Allen2015

Why? Stress free productivity. Focus. All Tasks Organized. Solve the Complexity Problem. Super popular which is evidence that this works.

GTD is a System, which means it is a set of part that work together to give you something you want (masterful organization). The parts of my GTD system are an (inbox, lists for example lists of books I might want to read, a TOC for each project I’m working on, a TOC for each roles, and so forth. )

GTD is a Methods which means that it is a (set of actions) that cause (great organization). The set of actions are (Capture, Clarify, Organize, Review, Engage)

1. Capture

Capture any and every thought that comes across your mind when the thought is aligned with an action you can, should, or might take.

Examples of Thoughts: Something you should do, an upcoming appointment, idea for something to buy, a place to go on vacation, a person you need to call back, a useful idea, a good book to read,

Write down your thought, and put this into your inbox. Do not process or organize your thoughts, simply capture them.

An inbox is something physical or digital where you store incoming ideas. There are many ways to do this. You have a good inbox when it is super easy to record a thought. An inbox can be made up of more than one thing.

Right now my inbox is made up of (bound notebook, tiny notebook I carry in my pocket, random notes, two KanBan organizers that I keep in my two Obsidian Vaults).

The end result of this action is a list of items in your inbox.

2. Clarity

Process each item in your inbox such that

1. The item describes an action you will take.

2. The item is aligned with an element of your system: it is aligned with a role, a project, a list of tasks, a list of songs, a list of books to read, or whatever.

The end result of this action is a list of processed item.

3. Organize

Put each processed items from the clarity step into the right spot into your system.

4. Review

Continually make your system better. Do this on a daily basis. Do this on a weekly basis.

5. Engage

Spend 99% of your time taking the actions that you have built into your system.

In other words, evolve your system so that it is super effective: 1. You continually get things done. 2. You have zero stress. 3. You have zero procrastination.

Resources 1. @Allen2015

2. [web article]https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/getting-things-done

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Gemni

The Getting Things Done (GTD) method, developed by David Allen, is a popular personal productivity system designed to help you achieve stress-free productivity by capturing all the tasks and projects swirling around in your head.

Here’s a breakdown of the core GTD methodology:

1. Capture Everything: Write down everything on your mind - tasks, projects, ideas, anything. Don’t worry about prioritizing or sorting them yet. The goal is to get them out of your head and into a trusted system, like a notebook, app, or to-do list.

2. Clarify: Once captured, process your list. Decide what each item actually is:

   • Next Action: A specific, actionable step you can take to move a project forward. (e.g., “Call client X about proposal”).
   • Project: Requires multiple next actions to complete. (e.g., “Plan family vacation”).
   • Someday/Maybe: Things you’d like to do someday, but aren’t actionable yet. (e.g., “Learn to play the piano”).
   • Reference: Information you need to keep, but isn’t actionable. (e.g., receipts, manuals).

3. Organize: Put everything in its designated place. This might involve different lists for next actions, projects, someday/maybe items, and a reference filing system. You can use a physical system like notebooks or a digital one like project management apps.

4. Review: Regularly revisit your lists. Update them as needed, migrate things to different categories as they progress, and ensure everything is still relevant.

5. Engage: With a clear system in place, you can finally focus on taking action and completing tasks without the mental burden of keeping everything in your head.

By following these steps, GTD aims to free your mind from the clutter of remembering everything, allowing you to focus on what truly matters and get things done productively.