A Quick Refresher on GTD – TPW440

David Allen's GTD system includes important concepts and tools for a productive life. This week we're reviewing the fundamentals of Allen's system.

Reminding ourselves of the fundamentals of David Allen's GTD productivity system

When I was working on last week’s episode about getting things done when you don’t feel like it, I kept thinking about the meaning of “getting things done” in the productivity space--or at least a significant meaning of it. Obviously, “getting things done” is a generic phrase that we all use to talk about, well, . . . getting things done. Doing things that we need or want to do. 

But in the productivity “industry,” it has another more specific implication, which is to the productivity approach developed by David Allen in his book by the same name. In many ways, Allen’s system--often referred to as “GTD”--forms a foundation to most other approaches, methods, systems, and tools that have developed over the years for facilitating productivity. 

I tend to think anybody who listens to this podcast knows about that. But I realize that might not be the case, and anyway it never hurts to revisit those things we have learned, so I thought it made sense to do a quick review of what this method or approach actually consists of and a few thoughts on implementing it.

Getting Things Done

GTD is a productivity system developed by David Allen that helps you capture, clarify, organize, reflect, and engage with tasks effectively. (Read the book Getting Things Done to understand the method in detail and how you can apply it to your life.) The GTD method aims to help individuals effectively manage their tasks and responsibilities, ultimately increasing productivity and reducing stress. Here are the basic principles of the GTD system and how you can implement them in your own approach to productivity.

1. Capture everything: Write down all your tasks, ideas, and commitments as they come to mind, in a notebook or an app. This prevents you from forgetting important tasks and helps reduce stress by decluttering your mind. 

* Mind sweeps: Conduct regular "mind sweeps" to identify any outstanding tasks, ideas, or commitments that may not have been captured. This practice helps ensure that your system remains up-to-date and comprehensive. 

* The Two-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately instead of adding it to your list. This helps keep your task lists clutter-free and allows you to make progress on simple tasks without delay. 

* Capture tools: To successfully capture everything, choose tools that work best for you. Some people prefer a physical notebook, while others opt for digital tools like note-taking apps (e.g., Apple Notes, Evernote, Google Keep) or task management apps (e.g., Todoist, Trello, and so many others). It's essential to have a capture tool readily available to quickly jot down tasks and ideas as they arise.

2. Clarify your tasks: Once you've captured everything, clarify each item by asking yourself, "What is the outcome I want to achieve?" and "What is the next action needed to move this forward?" This helps you break down big projects into smaller, manageable tasks.

Inbox zero: GTD encourages processing all incoming items (emails, notes, messages) to maintain an empty inbox. For many of us, so much information and so many communications are constantly coming in, that a truly empty inbox might not be realistic,