Getting Things Done (GTD)

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a way of organizing all the things a person has to do. The method was made by David Allen. He has written a book about this subject, with the title of his method.

The Getting Things Done method follows a simple rule: by writing down all tasks your mind is free to focus on the task at hand. In this way, the mind does not have to remember all the things he still has to do.
— Wikipedia in Simple English

I like ideas of GTD productivity system (or framework). I not read the book (TODO need read I think), but I use daily GTD method. This method allow getting things done better way than just allow things to happen.

Gtd allow to organize messy ideas/tasks, and you start actually doing and track them. This will reduce stress and free up your brain time.

General ideas/concepts, which you write in lists, which provide proven system to work with tasks:

• Inbox list.
• Next actions list.
• Waiting list for, aka blocked tasks
• Projects list, or context
• Some day/maybe list

You need to review this lists regularly.

Inbox

Inbox is where you can QUICK as possible add all your tasks, ideas, temporary data, etc… Using Taskwarrior I can add task through special scratch window, bind to s-grave keybinding.

Using Inbox lists, I’m reducing brain time to remember all these things.

Outside of home/PC I use special lists files, which I’m editing in Markor.

Processing

General tips:

• Process items from oldest to newest.
• Follow workflow (see below) to understand how to work with items.
• Next action needs to be a physical and visible action, you pre-process task while review inbox and leave small chance to avoid task.
• next or “as-soon-as-possible”, task which you can do now (or anytime). If you’re not planning do this task, you need to move them into wailt list or someday list.
• wait or someday, task which you can’t do now, but you need to do it in the future. Taskwarrior allow hide this tasks from next list, but you can see them by using task list all.
• If the action requires more than one action it’s recorded in the projects list as well.
• Delegated or blocked (wait) task must be marked with current day, to calculate how long task is blocked, and maybe you need to remind someone about it.

GTD workflow

Projects

It’s very hard to work on very big task, so you need to split them into small tasks and save them as project lists. These lists have project title and optional description. Make sure you have at least one next action in your project list, otherwise project will be become stuck. If they stuck, maybe you need to move whole project into someday list.

Contexts

Contexts are “tags” you put on the items on your next actions lists saying where the action can be done, or what equipment you need to perform it. An action can be “tagged” with a context in several ways; the easiest is probably to simply have different next actions lists—one for each context. Modern software can implement context based on your location or simple commands to switch your context.

It is common to prefix contexts with a @ symbol.

Examples of contexts are @home, @computer, and @office.

Examples of actions and their contexts

Action	Context
Buy more rainbow-colored dog food	@city or @store
Play Gothic 1	@computer
Smile to a stranger	@everywhere
Discuss with boss	@boss

The “some day/maybe” list

This list simply contains ideas and projects you might want to realize at some time in the future. Example: you want to read some big cool book, but you’re reading already some other book, and haven’t time to it, and someday you will start read it and move task from someday to next list.

This list should be reviewed weekly along with the rest of the system as described in the weekly review section below.

Calendar

Calendar items have the highest priority. It’s sort of next tasks, but with specific timestamp field. Unusually these items are very sensitive to time.

Weekly review, critical factor for success

Weekly review is sort of maintenance of your GTD system. Like database maintenance tasks.

I like to right down all my weekly tasks on Sunday, when I have free time.

Reviewing task requirements:

• Make sure each project has at least one next action (projects maintenance).
• Make sure that each action on your next actions list is actually something you want or need to do if you have the time during the coming week. Be honest with your self and decide do you want work with it or move into someday list.
• Look through your someday/maybe list and see if some projects/actions should be moved to the list of current projects/the next actions list. Don’t forget about next task requirement in projects.

Trigger lists, question which you ask yourself to recall things:

• Boss
• Co-workers
• Projects started, not completed
• Projects that need to be started
• People I need to get back to
• Roommates
• Family
• Friends
• Promises
• Outside people
• Phone calls
• Text messages
• Delegated tasks/projects
• Waiting my reply
• Reports
• IRL
• Mentoring
• Pet projects
• Readings
• Meetings
• Content I want to create
• Content I want to consume
• Financial check
• Rent
• Food
• Clothes
• Billings and Utilities
• Completions critical to projects
• Ordered items tracking
• Travel
• Health
• My help needed
• Professional improvement
• Future Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Repair

When working through your trigger list, put anything that you remember in your in list to be processed afterward. One goal of this to find some tasks outside of inbox list.

Research directory (in wiki)

It’s containing some materials which I want to read when I have free time. Only the things you actually want to read when you have the time should be put in this folder. In this directory each note have links to external article or book, which I can read (outside of PC, they are available through OPDS).

Tickler file

This strangely-named concept is simply a collection of 43 (physical) file folders. Why 43? Because that means that you can have one for each of the 31 days of a month plus one for each of the 12 months of the year. If you’re reaching for your calculator now—just trust me on the number 43.

This sort of calendar, but with much fewer restrictions. Each day/month you check tickler files (for current day) and decide what to-do with these tasks. You can schedule it again or move into next list. It can be used as reminder system, to send messages to yourself in the future.

Tickler file requirements

• Tickle items should only be visible on (and after) the day you need to see them.
• For every tickle item, you should know why you get it in your inbox (again).
• For every tickle item, you should know when you put it in your tickler system.
• The transaction cost of using a tickler system should be as low as possible.

To-do

• Джедайские техники, Максим Дорофеев

References

• GTD in 15 minutes. Actually taken more than few hours from me 🙂. But this material is very good, and I filled this note mostly from this article.