The Basics of GTD:
David Allen’s Getting Things Done Productivity System

David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) productivity system is incredibly powerful and highly effective, but it can become complicated at times. Let’s break down the basics of GTD.

Photo Credit: miranda.granche

In David Allen’s popular book, Getting Things Done, he says that his main purpose is, “Teaching you how to be maximally efficient and relaxed, whenever you need or want to be.”

In fact, the subtitle of the book is “The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.” That’s the goal: getting your work accomplished and achieving your goals, day after day, without stress.

The Two Main Objectives

At the heart of the Getting Things Done model, there are two main objectives, two focal points that guide every strategy and method.

#1: Capture All Things That Need to Get Done

Many of us, myself included, have so many thoughts floating around in our heads that we can’t focus on our current task or remember what we are trying to store in our conscious mind.

At the heart of GTD is the brain dump, intentionally getting all of your thoughts, ideas, and to-dos into a trusted system, instead of relying on our brains to store information.

Find a system you trust and get all of your thoughts out of your head — all day, every day. I use Nozbe as my task manager and Google Drive as my file and documents manager.

The Getting Things Done book is a little outdated. It refers to physical files as the primary location to store new information. However, it’s easy to see the structure in place and apply it to whatever tool you choose to use (digital or physical).

#2: Control the Inputs So You Can Focus in the Moment

Whether we realize it or not, we are always allowing information, emotions, and ideas (or inputs) to flow into our minds. When we learn to control the inputs we are better able to focus on our current task.

Make it a practice to turn off inputs you don’t want (TV, Facebook, phones, etc.) and turn on only the inputs you need right now for your current objective.

Five Stages to Deal With Work

According to David Allen, no matter what kind of work you do, there are 5 basic stages to manage the chaos and execute our tasks.

#1: Collect Things That Command Our Attention

You begin by collecting new information, tasks, emails, ideas, conversations, and other inputs that are vying for our attention. This is where you put new information into your favorite note-taking application as a brain dump, or onto a notepad during a meeting.

#2: Process What They Mean and What to do About Them

After the meeting, the brainstorming session, or after reading the latest email, then you figure out what matters and what doesn’t. You process the information and decide what actions need to be taken, if any at all.

#3: Organize the Results

Most often, there are only a few items that truly matter, and those float to the top of your list. This step is critical in determining priorities and eliminating distractions or nonessential tasks.

#4: Review the Results and Make a Decision

At the top of your list are the few results that need to be acted upon. This is where you decide what you will do and what you won’t.

#5: Execute Your Choice

Any task that takes less than 2 minutes would be acted upon right away and everything else would be scheduled or added to a project list. The “doing” stage usually requires a lot less effort when you have successfully completed the 4 previous stages, determined your highest priorities, and given yourself plenty of time to execute what matters.

My 3 Favorite GTD Strategies

When you read the book, you will quickly see there are dozens of possible strategies and principles at play. I chose my top 3 to highlight here because they are the most actionable and, in my world, the most effective.

#1: 2-Minute Rule

As I mentioned in Stage 5, any task that pops up and can be handled in less than 2 minutes, should be dealt with immediately. That last thing you want is a to-do list with 100 tasks when most of them can be checked off with little effort.

If it won’t take long, do it now.

#2: Weekly Review

I previously wrote about the weekly review (read the article here) because it is my absolute favorite GTD strategy. The weekly review is a process where you meticulously examine ALL of your projects and current commitments. That might sound arduous, but believe me, it’s the most effective use of your time each week.

Plan to spend 1-2 hours a week to review your entire life and watch how it changes your ability to discover your true priorities and let everything else go.

#3: In-Basket Zero

You have likely heard of Inbox Zero, which most people apply to their email. But, In-Basket Zero is more comprehensive, as it applies to every in-basket in your life, physical or digital.

All of us have in-baskets everywhere: our email inbox, voicemail, and even the back seat of our car where we put boxes, groceries, or children. The goal of In-Basket Zero is to have a plan to clear those baskets on a regular basis.

I previously wrote about Equilibrium Zero, a term I coined to encompass all of the Zeros in my own life. You can read those articles here.

What’s Your Favorite GTD Strategy

I know I only scratched the surface here, so I would love to know which GTD strategies are your favorites. Be sure to contact me and let me know how GTD has improved your productivity.