The Getting Things Done Method: What it is, Why you need it
What is the Getting Things Done Method?
“Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity methodology that redefines how you approach your life and work. - ”
Each day presents its own challenge to get and stay focused.
You deal with a host of to-dos, commitments, communications, and projects. If you run a business, are head of the family, or are in a leadership role, what's on your plate is even greater.
The greater your responsibilities, the more you have to keep up with. The more decisions you have to make.
You receive requests to do things from coworkers, bosses, and family members. Add in the fresh ideas you have that feel worthy of pursuit. That’s a lot of stuff coming at you fast.
Sometimes unexpected work demands pop up. Sometimes a family matter arises. And sometimes you are in a funk because, you’re human after all.
Before you know it, the day has gone by and you haven’t gotten done what you set out to do. URMPH!
We’ve all been there.
Sound familiar? Have no fear, the GTD method can help.
What follows is a unique method to help you tackle all your life to-dos and commitments with confidence.
You can upgrade your approach and systems to make better decisions, get more done, and still have time and energy to enjoy your life.
To make this jump, you'll learn the 5 key steps to the GTD method, and how to apply it yourself.
The 5 Steps of the GTD Method
“You can do anything, but not everything.”
The 5 Steps to Getting Things Done
Capture
Clarify
Organize
Review
Engage
At the most basic level, the 5 steps will help you:
get things out of your head
clarify what the stuff is (a task, project, goal, intention, reminder, new idea, reference, insight, etc..)
know what to do with each item, including where to organize and store it
decide whether or not it's actionable
If it is actionable, what the immediate next action is
clarify the desired outcome to be achieved by completing it
decide when you want it done (do it now, schedule it, delegate it, or defer it)
determine what to focus on next
Do it
With practice, you can achieve a sense of ease and flow throughout your work day. At first around small things like tasks and what to work on next. Eventually on bigger projects and aims that lead to bigger results. Results that help you go from stressed to focused, from behind to on top of your game, throughout your work and life.
The Capture Step
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
The first step is to externalize your work, meaning jot them down on stickies, record them in productivity software, or write them in a notebook.
Your mind possesses amazing capabilities to problem solve, to imagine, and to create.
But your conscious mind is only good at focusing on one thing at a time.
Once you get these items spelled out clearly (on paper or into software) you can decide what the best thing is to do with them.
Consider the thoughts that have pulled your attention and focus today. What thoughts are disrupting your ability to focus? What thoughts are contributing to a general sense of unease?
Get them out of your head by listing them out.
You can do this with pen and paper, sticky notes, a digital document, or productivity software.
All of these items you capture will go to a physical or digital intray, a single inbox for everything you need to do.
Your inbox can be:
a paper tray on your desk
a list of bullets within a digital document
or a list of items in a productivity tool such as Todoist, Clickup, Asana, or Workflowy.
Here are some examples of the kinds of thoughts and to-dos you might jot down:
I’ve got to walk the dog
purchase our plane tickets for our vacation this summer
clean out my email inbox
buy dad a gift for Father’s day
remember to close the garage before it gets dark
I forgot to get back to Jill about her project..
Pickup my room
wash the dishes
do something with the pile of physical mail on my desk
call Cindy back
The main point is to get all the ideas, thoughts, to-dos, responsibilities, reminders, and so on out of your head, and to make it a habit and personal best practice.
You can give the Capture Step a quick try right now.
Don’t worry about organizing each item at this point.
You will organize each item into a list later in the GTD process.
Just get each thought down as its own item that you can deal with.
There’s no set rule on how many thoughts and to-dos to list out. The more all-encompassing and in-depth you can do this, the more areas of your life you’ll be able to address.
If this is your first time doing an activity like this, set up what you’ll need to do a brain dump for 5-10 minutes to get the hang of it.
what you’ll need:
a clean tabletop or surface for brainstorming
a pen or pencil and paper, ideally note cards or sticky notes
a bin, tray, or container that will be your inbox for all the thoughts and to-dos you jot down
* you can also do your brain dump digitally with software
The Clarify Step
Now that you’ve emptied your head of all your to-dos, ideas, and thoughts, it's time to clarify:
what each item is
whether it's actionable
If it is actionable, what the immediate next action is
the desired outcome from doing it
Decide when you want or need it done
By going through these action steps for each item, you’ll have clarified what it is, and what action or follow-up, if any, is required to move it forward or resolve it.
The Organize Step
So, where do these items go once they are out of your head, defined, and actionable?
Now that you’ve clarified what you are dealing with, it’s time to organize it.
GTD creator David Allen covers 7🔑 Key lists to store things within for personal productivity.
Projects List - A place to list and organize all your projects.
Next Actions List - A place to list and organize all your tasks and to-dos. This list represents everything you can act on when you have time.
Calendar - A place for you to organize your schedule and day/date-specific information.
Waiting For List - a list to track items that require something to happen beyond your control to move forward.
Project Support Material -project-specific information such as docs, notes, printouts, and emails
Reference Materials - Storage for important paperwork, research, and more for reference purposes. Examples include things such as tax documents, your passport, newspaper clippings, health documents, car insurance, etc..
Someday / Maybe List - A list of ideas, intentions, and projects that you haven’t committed to yet, but might someday.
Use these 7 containers every day to get and stay organized, so you can get things done.
*Not listed is your single inbox where you first put things. Your ideas, notes, to-dos, mental open loops, reference materials, etc.
With these 7 containers, you’ll be able to organize your things to stay organized, keep your head clear, and act.
Pro Tip* - Setup the first 3 containers ( Projects, Next Actions, Calendar) as quickly as possible. They are foundational to getting things done.
Additional notes about the other 4 containers:
Waiting for list - Lets you track when you are waiting for something to happen or for someone to do something to move forward.
Project References - Any resource or reference that you want handy when working on a project.
General references - Things you want or need to keep to reference at a later date and time, or for a specific purpose. Items can be physical or digital.
Someday/maybe - Intentions, ideas, and actions that you may revisit or commit to doing in the future but aren’t your current focus.
With these 7 containers, you will level up the organization of your work and your life.
“Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.”
GTD Workflow Visual
Here’s a visual workflow of the GTD Method that summarizes the Clarify and Organize steps.
The Review Step
The review step helps you understand what’s on your plate, plan your schedule, and clarify what to work on next by reviewing each list (as needed).
What activities are filling up your calendar? What work is flowing through your next action and project containers?
Reflect on your priorities and make decisions about what's most important to address.
Once a week or so, you’ll want to make sure the information in your containers is accurate and useful.
Personal systems need upkeep and proper maintenance. Having containers with useful up-to-date information is what makes them valuable after all.
It’s a crucial step that doesn’t get the limelight it deserves.
We all enjoy:
a clean house
a tidy office
an organized email inbox
Take the time to update your GTD containers with useful, relevant information you can act on.
Maintenance of your containers is a recommitment to stay sharp, clear, and on top of your game.
Entering the week with an updated, clear overview of what’s going on in your life will help you get the most out of the GTD method.
Set aside time regularly to both quick-review your lists as well as maintain them.
“ When you start to make things happen, you start to believe you can make things happen. And that literally makes things happen.”
The Engage Step
With your review done, you can select the most important task or action and get to work.
Focus on one task at a time and use your full attention to complete it.
Once finished, move on to the next task, referring back to your organized lists and schedule.
Those are the 5 steps of the GTD Process.
Now you can
Empty your head and collect all your work items in one place
Clarify what they are and what to do with them
Organize them using containers
Assess the bigger picture of what you have to do and make solid decisions about what to work on next.
Prioritizing work
”What do I do next?” is a big question we all must answer.
David Allen provides an insightful approach to prioritizing work in Getting Things Done.
Here are four areas of consideration listed in order.
context
time available
energy available
priority level
Here’s a brief description.
Define Your Context - Consider your current circumstances and what makes sense to act on now.
Assess Time Available - What can you do in the time you have available? Consider the amount of time you have to do something now and the amount of time you think it will take to complete.
Assess Energy Available - What do you have the energy to do? Consider your energy level and the amount of energy required to get something done. Creative tasks often require more inspiration and creativity than handling administrative tasks.
Decide Your Priority - Take into account your context, time available, energy levels. Decide what to do based on what your options and what makes the most sense. Consider your near term and long term goals and priorities when making deciding what to work on next.
Account for these factors when deciding what to work on next.
Here are few other thoughts on prioritizing work.
Decide your #1 priority each day and work on it first thing.
Address anything that's distracting you mentally and limiting your ability to focus.
Choose 3 items you want to get done for the day. Consider anything else as a bonus.
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
Taking Action - Make The Method Your Own
Ready to apply the GTD method? Here's how to get started.
Step 1: Empty your head by brainstorming and brain dumping what's on your mind (5 minutes)
Find a quiet and comfortable space where you can relax and focus. Take a pen and paper, sticky notes, or open a blank document on your computer.
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
Brainstorm and write down everything that's occupying your thoughts including tasks and commitments. Don't worry about organizing or prioritizing at this stage— let it flow.
Step 2: Determine what's actionable (10 minutes)
Go through your brainstormed list and identify actionable items. Note the very next action you need to take to move it forward or complete it. If the item is a project or requires multiple steps, break it down into smaller, actionable tasks.
note - If some of your items require lots of steps, this will take longer than 5 minutes. For the sake of the exercise, do what you can in a few minutes.
Step 3: Organize your list (5 minutes)
Organize your items into appropriate containers.
You can use a digital task management tool, a physical notebook, open desk space, or any system that works for you.
Here are the containers from earlier for your reference.
Projects List
Next Actions List
Calendar
Waiting For List
Project Support Material
Reference Materials
Someday Maybe List
It’s best to start with simple, clear containers like the ones listed above. You can always expand in the future.
The goal is to have all the activities and commitments you brainstormed organized.
Step 4: Review and decide on priority (5 minutes)
Now that you have your items organized, review each container and decide on what to act on next.
Consider factors such as deadlines, importance, and impact.
Circle or assign a priority level ⭐️ to a few of your most important items.
Step 5: Get Things Done (5 minutes)
Of all the actions you could take with your most important items, make a decision on how to proceed:
defer it
delegate it
or do it
If a task can be done in a few minutes, you can do it immediately (2-minute rule).
If it's a task that can be delegated to someone else, assign it to the appropriate person.
If a task requires more time than you have, schedule it for a later time or add it to your calendar.
If you've found a clear winner that's most important to move forward, get to it!
You can come back to your list and decide on how to proceed with all your tasks later.
In summary, these steps help you to
empty your head of lingering tensions, thoughts, and ideas taking up cognitive "space"
figured out what you can act on
decide what's most important to act on now
Tip - try using this process when you need to clarify what you could do next when you have a lot to get done.
Note - This light GTD exercise will get you going. To create more long-term change, try doing this process in depth to the point you completely empty your head of tasks and commitments. If you need a bigger brain dump, it’s great to take the time you need to get your head completely empty.
Do what works for you. Take pieces of this method and integrate them with your existing work habits.
Regardless of situation, the GTD method will help you get stuff out of your head and down on paper. From there, you can clarify it, organize it, review it, prioritize it, and get it done!
“The real magic of the GTD method is the strategic value of clear space. ”
Try the GTD method out today. Create mental clarity and space for higher-level thinking and decision-making across all areas of your life.