The Getting Things Done (GTD) Method (David Allen)

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The Getting Things Done (GTD) Method (David Allen)

For those of us who are struggling to tackle the flow of everyday to-dos and get the control of life's overwhelm, the Getting Things Done (GTD®) method can be useful. David Allen, the inventor of this time management methodology described GTD as "a total work-life management system that transforms overwhelm into an integrated system of stress-free productivity". In order to start implementing GTD, you have to follow a 5-step process which is briefly described below:

1. CAPTURE: Capturing what David Allen calls the "open loops" is the first and foremost important step in GTD Method. By "open loop" he meant anything that is spinning around your head for some time and needs something to be done from your part in order to close the loop. In everyday situation, all our to-do list items are open loops but also our passions, dreams or any information that is not a task in itself but can be an important one in the future. Capturing all these scattered pieces and placing them in your "IN" box is the first things done in GTD.
2. CLARIFY: In the second step, take each item from your "IN" box and clarify the meaning of each item based on:
   
   • Whether the items are actionable or not?
   • If actionable, what's the next action? Who's responsible for the action?
   • Can it be completed within 2 minutes or not?
3. ORGANIZE: Based on the information from Step 2, now you have to organize actionable and not-actionable items in predefined lists. GTD Principles says don't list an item if it requires less than 2 minutes to complete; such item should be done right away. For the other items there are 5 lists as below:
   
   
   
   1. Next actions – If the item is an actionable list, what is the immediate next step for the task to complete.
   2. Waiting for – If the item is actionable by others before you, delegate it and keep a list for them to track in the future.
   3. Projects – If the item requires more than one action to complete, they should be in Project list.
   4. Someday/Maybe – If the item is not actionable right now or you aren't sure about the action right now, but you may need it in the future.
   5. Reference – If the not actionable item has only reference value.
   
   One thing to note is however that if any task/item needs to be done in a particular date or time, only then it should be in placed in a calendar outside of the list.
   
4. REFLECT: The #1 mistake people make when applying GTD is they don't review it regularly. Therefore, things get piled up and the system breaks. Thus GTD recommends to review the items in various lists and calendars at least once a week. As time changes, items in your GTD system should also reflect changes. Do whatever is required to update the list in your weekly review.
5. ENGAGE: The final step, as you can guess, is getting the things "done". You already have put a great effort to take the open loops out of your head and have set up a trusted system to place each of them. Now you have a clarity, a direction and more control over your life chores. You will probably notice the power of "a mind like water" in you work days and as your days progress, you will find your head filled with a lot more ideas than ever. Don't make the mistake to save them in your trusted GTD system because "Your brain is for having ideas, not holding them" (David Allen).

Have you ever tried the GTD method? What is your opinion? Did it work for you? I would be happy to hear any thoughts and experiences!
Sources:
"GTD in 15 minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done", Hamberg.
Brad Bonham, "How to Get Started with Getting Things Done (GTD®) Immediately".
"GTD 101: The Beginner's Guide To Getting Things Done", Asian Efficiency

		Comments by date▼ Comments by rating Rating
		2 Anonymous
	Getting Things Done (Allen) Note that unlike some other time management approaches, which focus on top-down goal-setting, GTD works in an opposite direction. Allen claims that it is often difficult for individuals to focus on big picture goals if they cannot sufficiently control the day-to-day tasks that they frequently must face. By developing and using a trusted system that deals with day-to-day inputs, an individual can free up mental space to begin moving up to the next level.

		1 Sashi Rao Management Consultant, India
	GTD Method Does not Prioritize It is a good overall approach. However, it should bring in the concept of categorizing all the listed items into their priorities. One well known method is to create a 2X2 matrix along their urgency and importance dimensions. Another dimension that can be added if practical is the associated cost with each item.

		3 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Why the GTD Method Does not Prioritize @Sashi Rao: I believe the whole idea behind GTD is to work the other way around (compared to the usual time management approach of distinguishing and prioritizing first what are the most important and urgent tasks. Instead, GTD starts with making more room in your mind by closing the many open loops using the 5 step approach as described. After you did this (note GTD should not be a very lengthy task), you can then proceed to the usual time management matrix, prioritizing the important tasks while your mind is no longer crowded and clouded. We might perhaps say that GTD, seen as a whole, is a time management activity you do before you proceed to prioritizing.

		2 Sashi Rao Management Consultant, India
	GTD Method and Prioritization Thanks, I have seen the comments to my views on using the importance and urgency dimensions. I think a key consideration will be how long or involved will be the GTD process time. Some extremely urgent tasks could supercede even the time taken to go through the GTD process.

		2 Rufat Jahangirov Management Consultant, Azerbaijan
	GTD is not About Getting Things Done GTD is nicely packaged in a comprehensive framework. But in practice, it adds such a significant planning and organization overhead through which it becomes more about Getting Things Organized, but not necessarily Done.

		1 Full Name Analyst, France
	GTD in an Everyday Situation I finished reading and have been taking notes to summarize... Less than 30 minutes later, so many things I wanted to see done were done, and I worked on my projects and how to organize and achieve them. So, I don't know about a professional use, but it instantly worked for me today, at least!

		0 Munadil Shafat Student (MBA), Bangladesh
	Great Feedback on GTD @Full Name: It's really great to know that GTD worked for you. Just wondering, have you finished reading the whole book? Will be really happy if you clarify......

		2 Dominique Fredregill Coach, United States
	GTD is Great and - Like All Systems - Has its Limitations A consultant who worked with and for David Allen himself said, "The whole system works perfectly if your brain works exactly like David's does." That's why it's so important to adapt the system to fit...

		3 Chapados CEO, United States
	Additional Loops to GTD I have found several other sorting activities to be helpful: Doable or Not Doable rather than actionable or not actionable - all not doables need to be reviewed to determine if they can be made in...

		1 Munadil Shafat Student (MBA), Bangladesh
	Insightful Sorting Ideas @Chapados: First of all, thanks for joining in this discussion. I have found your ideas very insightful. Will surely recall it for repeated, intermittent and unique items in my To-Do list....

		2 Cecilia Calderon Kohler Accountant, Chile
	Metodo GTD: Ten Key Points of Time Management (Piqueras) In all methods or techniques to perform good time management, according to César Piqueras, there are ten key points to take into account: 1. Plan the day at the start in 10 minutes: before starting a...