David Allen

There is usually an inverse relationship between how much something is on your mind and how much it’s getting done.

Stress-Free Productivity through GTD

"When you throw a pebble into a puddle of water, how does the water react? The answer: completely appropriately to the mass of the pebble and the force with which it was thrown." David Allen's GTD method aims to achieve stress-free productivity by maintaining control over tasks. By externalizing tasks and ideas into a comprehensive system, your brain is freed to focus on problem-solving rather than remembering. This approach helps manage both personal and professional projects effectively, reducing stress and increasing productivity.

The sense of anxiety and guilt doesn’t come from having too much to do; it comes from breaking agreements with yourself.

The more you can make your system a part of your daily life, the more you can trust it and the more effective it will be.

Decide the next action on every open loop.

The weekly review is the time to gather and process all your stuff, review your system, update your lists, and get clean, clear, current, and complete.

You must use your mind to get things off your mind.

The better you get at capturing and clarifying, the more you’ll trust your system and the more you’ll be able to focus on what really matters.

The mind is for having ideas, not holding them.

If it takes less than two minutes, do it now.

Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started.

You can do anything, but not everything.

Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax.

Your brain is great at thinking but terrible at remembering things.

You can only feel good about what you’re not doing when you know what you’re not doing.

The key to managing all of your stuff is managing your actions.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

The biggest waste of time is doing something well that need not be done at all.

The more you focus, the more you win.

Things rarely get stuck because of lack of time. They get stuck because the doing of them has not been defined.

The Five-Stage Workflow

"Through a specific and powerful five-stage workflow, you can get back in control of everything on your plate." GTD's five-stage workflow—Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect, and Engage—creates a seamless system for managing tasks. Capturing involves noting down every task or idea in an external tool, while clarifying means determining if the item is actionable. This structured approach ensures that nothing slips through the cracks, allowing you to focus on what truly matters.

The Importance of Regular Reviews

"The real crux of the GTD system is the comprehensive weekly review." Regular reviews are crucial for maintaining the GTD system. A comprehensive weekly review keeps your system up-to-date and trustworthy. This involves clearing out your collection tools, reviewing your Calendar and Next Action lists, and ensuring that all projects have a clear next action. By dedicating time each week to review and update your system, you can ensure that you remain in control and can focus on your tasks without distraction.

Externalizing Tasks

"Your brain is great at thinking but terrible at remembering things." Allen emphasizes the importance of externalizing tasks to free up mental space. By using tools like lists, calendars, and digital apps, you can offload the burden of remembering tasks, allowing your brain to focus on higher-level thinking and problem-solving. This practice not only reduces stress but also enhances productivity by ensuring that no task is forgotten.

Defining Next Actions

"Always insisting on defining a physical, visible next action can be a profoundly powerful habit that sets your projects moving forward at surprising speed." The GTD method stresses the importance of defining clear, actionable next steps for each project. This habit ensures that projects move forward efficiently and prevents stagnation. By breaking down tasks into manageable actions, you can maintain momentum and achieve your goals more effectively.

Set Up a Dedicated Workspace

Create a workspace where all relevant materials are available, and ensure it is identical at home and in the office. This helps you feel comfortable and in control, making it easier to get things done.

Use a Simple Filing System

Implement a straightforward A-Z filing system for both physical and digital documents. This minimizes the time spent searching for items and keeps your workspace organized.

Empty Collection Tools Weekly

Regularly empty your collection tools by clarifying and organizing the items. This prevents your system from becoming a bloated mess and ensures that your brain trusts the system.

GTD enables you to feel a greater sense of control over your work, which produces a sense of relaxed control, better decisions, and more flexibility when faced with changing circumstances.

If it takes you more than a minute to file something away, it’s taking too long.

Always insisting on defining a physical, visible next action can be a profoundly powerful habit that sets your projects moving forward at surprising speed.

The goal of the GTD method is to feel relaxed and in control of all your current projects, to keep track of them and make sure that they are moving forward.

When you throw a pebble into a puddle of water, how does the water react? The answer: completely appropriately to the mass of the pebble and the force with which it was thrown.

Through a specific and powerful five-stage workflow, you can get back in control of everything on your plate.

The real crux of the GTD system is the comprehensive weekly review.

Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.

You need to transform all the 'stuff' you attract and accumulate into a clear inventory of meaningful actions, projects, and usable information.

The real problem is a lack of clarity and definition about what a project really is, and what associated next-action steps are required.

I define a project as any desired result that can be accomplished within a year that requires more than one action step.

We (1) capture what has our attention; (2) clarify what each item means and what to do about it; (3) organize the results, which presents the options we (4) reflect on, which we then choose to (5) engage with.

There is usually an inverse relationship between how much something is on your mind and how much it’s getting done.

The sense of anxiety and guilt doesn’t come from having too much to do; it comes from breaking agreements with yourself.

The more you can make your system a part of your daily life, the more you can trust it and the more effective it will be.

Decide the next action on every open loop.

The weekly review is the time to gather and process all your stuff, review your system, update your lists, and get clean, clear, current, and complete.

You must use your mind to get things off your mind.

The better you get at capturing and clarifying, the more you’ll trust your system and the more you’ll be able to focus on what really matters.

The mind is for having ideas, not holding them.

If it takes less than two minutes, do it now.

Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started.

You can do anything, but not everything.

Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax.

Your brain is great at thinking but terrible at remembering things.

You can only feel good about what you’re not doing when you know what you’re not doing.

The key to managing all of your stuff is managing your actions.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

The biggest waste of time is doing something well that need not be done at all.

The more you focus, the more you win.

Things rarely get stuck because of lack of time. They get stuck because the doing of them has not been defined.

GTD enables you to feel a greater sense of control over your work, which produces a sense of relaxed control, better decisions, and more flexibility when faced with changing circumstances.

If it takes you more than a minute to file something away, it’s taking too long.

Always insisting on defining a physical, visible next action can be a profoundly powerful habit that sets your projects moving forward at surprising speed.

The goal of the GTD method is to feel relaxed and in control of all your current projects, to keep track of them and make sure that they are moving forward.

When you throw a pebble into a puddle of water, how does the water react? The answer: completely appropriately to the mass of the pebble and the force with which it was thrown.

Through a specific and powerful five-stage workflow, you can get back in control of everything on your plate.

The real crux of the GTD system is the comprehensive weekly review.

Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.

You need to transform all the 'stuff' you attract and accumulate into a clear inventory of meaningful actions, projects, and usable information.

Getting things done requires two basic components: defining (1) what “done” means (outcome) and (2) what “doing” looks like (action).