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Allen doesn’t even make a case for digital over analog systems. GTD doesn’t require a specific tool, app, or product. Though the basis of GTD are these five simple steps, they’re not always easy to execute. Some very specific but seemingly mundane behaviors, when applied, produce the capacity to exist in a kind of sophisticated spontaneity, which, in my experience, is a key element to a successful life. Instead, you’ll be able to respond to incoming information calmly and prioritize your time confidently. You’ll no longer worry about forgetting a deadline or missing an important task. While GTD requires an upfront investment in time and energy to set up, it pays off with consistent use. Review: Frequently look over, update, and revise your lists.Įngage: Get to work on the important stuff. Add dates to your calendar, delegate projects to other people, file away reference material, and sort your tasks. Organize: Put everything into the right place. Decide if an item is a project, next action, or reference. Nothing is too big or small! These items go directly into your inboxes.Ĭlarify: Process what you’ve captured into clear and concrete action steps. The GTD method is made up of five simple practices to systematize the clutter in your brain and get things done:Ĭapture Everything: Capture anything that crosses your mind. The key to GTD isn’t the specific tools you choose but rather the habits you employ on a daily basis to think about and prioritize your work.
TODOIST FILTERS AND LABELS HOW TO
We'll be focusing on how to GTD with Todoist, but the same principles apply no matter what app you use. This guide will introduce you to GTD principles and workflows, and what we think is the most intuitive way to implement them. Have never GTD'd before (everyone should GTD at least once in their lives) Starts lots of projects but have trouble finishing them When your GTD workflow is set up right, you’ll be able to confidently answer “what should I be working on?” at any given moment without worrying that you might forget something important you need to do later.įeel overwhelmed by the amount of things you need to keep track of His GTD method lays out how to dump all your mental clutter into an external system and then organize it so you can focus on the right things at the right times. When information piles up in your head, it leads to stress, overwhelm, and uncertainty.Īllen observed that our brains are much better at processing information than storing it ("your head's a crappy office"). As a result, you spend more time thinking about your tasks than actually doing them. The methodology is based on a simple truth: The more information bouncing around inside your head, the harder it is to decide what needs attention. If you’re interested here is the “End of day check” filter:Īllows me to quickly scan my INBOX and tasks with date deadlines.Getting Things Done, or GTD for short, is a popular task management system created by productivity consultant David Allen. ((p:PROJECTS & & (no due date | 14 days))) & how flagging PROJECT items with allows you to work from a list the hides all the later tasks. Learn more about filters here, but this is the filter I describe above: This combines the PROJECT items (but only those tagged with so you only see ones you can do), with the regular ACTIONS (if they have due dates only those for the next 14 days are listed), and excludes anything flagged Sorted by due date, this makes a great list of priorities to work from.įilters are best set up using a PC/Mac, but will synchronise and work great on your phone/tablet too. This is the key part, look at the filter for “Work Actions. Some of these are simple, based on TAGS such as “Phone calls” lists all items with the tag. It is really worth knowing how to use filters. NOTE: This article makes more sense if you read Todoist- My setup first, as you will see how I group my tasks for easier management.
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You can effectively do the same thing with Todoist by careful use of filters. Some task managers, notably Omnifocus, have a date field that hides a task until it can be worked on.
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