Getting Things Done

Key Concepts

GTD Objectives

• “(1) capturing all the things that might need to get done or have usefulness for you—now, later, someday, big, little, or in between—in a logical and trusted system outside your head and off your mind; 

• (2) directing yourself to make front-end decisions about all of the ‘inputs’ you let into your life so that you will always have a workable inventory of ‘next actions’ that you can implement or renegotiate in the moment; and

• (3) curating and coordinating all of that content, utilizing the recognition of multiple levels of commitments with yourself and others you will have at play, at any point in time.” (p. 4)

Identify and capture

“...you must first identify and capture all those things that are ‘ringing your bell’ in some way, clarify what, exactly, they mean to you, and then make a decision about how to move on them.” (p. 14)

Start with a bottom-up approach rather than with purpose and vision

“You’ll be better equipped to undertake higher-focused thinking when your tools for handling the resulting actions for implementation are part of your ongoing operational style.” (p. 22)

Put everything into your system, so that it is reliable

“...you’ll need to get in the habit of keeping nothing on your mind.” (p. 20)

“...the more complete the system it, the more you’ll trust it.” (p. 51)

The Weekly Review

• “Gather and process all of your stuff.

• Review your system. 

• Update your lists.

• Get clean, clear, current, and complete.” (p. 51)

The Natural Planning Model

• Defining purpose and principles

• Outcome visioning

• Brainstorming

• Organizing

• Identifying next actions

Organize your list with buckets, at minimum

• As soon as possible, organized by context—e.g., Calls, Errands, At Computer, Team Meeting, At Office, At Home, Anywhere, Agendas, Read/Review

• Waiting For

• Someday/Maybe

• Special temporary categories (e.g., Christmas planning, While on vacation)

Quotables

“People think a lot, but most of that thinking is of a problem, project or situation—not about it.” (p. 16)

“Almost all of the to-do lists I have seen over the years...were merely lists of stuff, not inventories of the resultant real work that needed to be done.” (p. 19)

“...the key to managing all of your stuff is managing your actions.” (p. 20)

“To a great degree, the highest-performing people I know are those who have installed the best tricks in their lives. ...The smart part of us sets up things for us to do that the not-so-smart part responds to almost automatically, creating behavior that produces high-performance results.” (pp. 85-6)

“When in doubt, throw it out. When in doubt, keep it. Take your pick. I think either approach is fine. You just need to trust your intuition and be realistic about your space.” (p. 128)

“Many people use the inevitability of an almost infinite stream of immediately evident things to do as a way to avoid the responsibilities of defining their work and managing their total inventory.” (p. 213)

“As Steven Snyder, an expert in whole-brain learning and a friend of mine, put it, ‘There are only two problems in life: (1) you know what you want , and you don’t know how to get it; and/or (2) you don’t know what you want.’ ...there are only two solutions: Make it up. Make it happen.” (p. 268)

“...uncompleted tasks take up room in the mind, which then limits clarity and focus.” (p. 278)

“So, a significant hallmark of progress in the path of mastery at this stage is that very transition point when issues and opportunities galvanize GTD practices instead of causing its user to abandon them.” (p. 294)