Brief summary

Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen is a system for personal productivity and task management. It helps to clearly structure commitments, capture open tasks, and free up mental space. The GTD system organizes projects, tasks, and ideas within a reliable framework. The goal is a state of mental clarity in which decisions can be made efficiently and priorities can be set confidently.

General ideas

• Stress usually arises from poorly managed obligations to oneself.

• Clarity means knowing what should be achieved and what should not.

• To let go of thoughts, goals must be clarified, next steps defined, and transferred into a reliable system.

• The focus is on managing the next concrete actions.

  
  

• An open loop is an obligation that has not yet been fully managed. For example, "I still have to take out the trash."

• One result is a clear definition of what "finished" means.

• An action item specifically describes what "doing" looks like and what needs to be done.

  
  

• Horizontal management connects different types of projects. Vertical management advances specific projects.

Contents

The five steps of the workflow

The work process is divided into 5 steps: Caprue, Clarify, Organize, Reflect and Engage.

Capture:

All thoughts, tasks, and ideas are written down. Everything that demands attention belongs in a collection system. The goal is to clear the mind and gain an overview of outstanding commitments. This relieves the brain and promotes clarity. Open loops cause thoughts to constantly wander back to them. When you have a reliable system that takes care of such tasks, this burden can be lifted from your mind.

Important rules:

• Every open loop must be detected.

• Always keep a data collection tool readily available.

• Process the recorded data regularly

Clarify:

During the clarification phase, the points gathered during the initial assessment are processed and the objective of each point is defined. Each point is addressed individually. The next action step is then determined.

For each point there are 3 possibilities:

• Do:

  Do it yourself. The two-minute rule: Anything that takes less than two minutes gets done immediately.

  
  

• Delegate:

  All tasks that take longer than 2 minutes and can be delegated should also be able to be done by someone else. Waiting For List: A list of tasks that have been delegated and for which you are waiting for a response from others. It helps you keep track of delegation.

  
  

• Defer:

  Anything that takes 2 minutes or longer and can only be done by one person is planned. These tasks are collected in calendars and to-do lists and tackled systematically.

If no action is required, a decision is made as to whether the item is waste, reference material, or a "maybe" idea. Items that are not feasible are sorted into:

• Trash : for useless or irrelevant things

• Someday/Maybe List: A list for ideas that are not currently feasible.

• References for useful information are stored as a reference to the respective project.

Organize:

Reminders and tasks are stored in clear structures. Organization is achieved through lists and folders.

• Projects:

  A project is any deliverable that requires more than one action. Projects are managed in a project list. The project list serves as an index of all active projects. Supporting information is stored separately in "Support Material Files".

• Next steps:

  
  

  Calendar: Used only for time-sensitive information or actions. Only events, appointments, and deadlines are noted there. To-dos should only be noted in the calendar if they absolutely must be completed on that day.

  Next Actions List: All tasks not listed in the calendar are collected here. The lists can be further subdivided into categories if needed. A "Waiting For" list helps keep track of delegated tasks.

  Memories are sorted according to context, e.g., "At the computer", "In the office", "At home". This allows for efficient decision-making depending on the location or situation.

  A "tickler file" serves as a reminder for future tasks. This is achieved by creating reminder folders by month, which are checked regularly.

  
  

  Non-Actionable Items:

  All elements that cannot be directly implemented are classified into one of three categories.

  • Trash: Useless information is deleted.

  • Incubation: Ideas or potential projects are moved to "Someday/Maybe" and regularly reviewed.

  • Reference: Project-specific information is kept separate from the project plan. A general reference system is created, possibly with separate repositories for larger projects.

    
    

• Checklists:

  Checklists serve as reminders to ensure that everything has been considered regarding a topic. They are used to track things more consciously or to facilitate decision-making. Commitments are translated into projects, and then next steps are defined. Commitments are also categorized according to areas of responsibility.

Reflect:

This step is for reflecting on one's own work. Lists, plans, and checklists are regularly reviewed here. Daily brief reviews keep the system up to date.

In addition, a comprehensive "Weekly Review" is conducted weekly.

• Weekly Review: All new items are collected. Lists are reviewed and updated. Completed tasks are removed. Collected tasks are processed through the "Clarify" process.

  
  

• The review is characterized by three phases:

  • Get Clear: gather all new items, empty your header and inbox.

  • Get Current: Check calendars, action lists, project lists, agendas, and maybe lists.

  • Get Creative: identify new projects, ideas, and priorities.

Engage

When there is clarity, intuition can serve as a basis for decision-making.

The 4 criteria for decision-making:

• Context: Are resources available?

• Time Available: Is there enough time?

• Available Energy: Is the energy sufficient?

• Priority: Does it bring the greatest benefit?

3 steps for daily work:

• Define work , see new tasks, and process them in the GTD workflow.

• Perform defined tasks: Edit calendars and action lists

• Doing undefined work: prioritizing unexpected tasks based on the four criteria

The horizons of work:

Allen describes six horizons within which the work can be viewed. They describe all the steps from general principles and vision to projects and the actual tasks that need to be completed to achieve one's goals.

0. Actions: Specific tasks that can be carried out immediately.

1. Projects: Multi-stage tasks that are listed on the project list.

2. Areas of responsibility: Thematic fields in which obligations exist.

3. Objectives: Medium-term results within one to two years.

4. Vision: Long-term focus over three to five years.

5. Purpose and principles: Fundamental orientation, values and motivation.

The Natural Planning Model

Effective planning follows a natural process. Problems arise when this process is interrupted.

Steps of natural planning: Define purpose and principles; Visualize success; Gather ideas; Structure according to priorities and sequences; Determine next actions.

• Purpose and principles: Clarity about what is to be achieved and why. Establishing standards of conduct to build trust in execution.

• Vision: To clearly visualize the desired result.

• Brainstorming: Collect all ideas unfiltered. Organize thoughts using mind maps.

• Organization: Sorting ideas and condensing them into actionable elements.

• Next actions: Break down each step to the point where a clear action is defined.

Implementation in practice

1. Setting up your workspace: A clear, functional space makes it easier to focus. Allow two to three days for setup.

2. Setting up the data collection system: Invest approximately six hours to structure the system correctly.

3. Clarify actions: Approximately eight hours to think through all existing tasks.

4. Create a reference system: Store information in alphabetically ordered folders. Use topics, people, or projects as organizing criteria. The goal is to correctly categorize each document in less than a minute.

Mastering the system

1. Consolidate the basics: Establish a recording habit; clearly define and implement action steps; actively use calendars, action lists, and waiting lists; conduct weekly reviews; apply the two-minute rule

2. Gain control over your work: Keep track of tasks and time

3. Integrated life management: Developing an individual system that maps all projects and responsibilities; building trust in the system to be able to react flexibly to new situations.

4. Focus, direction, and creativity: Clarity and structure create space for creativity and new ideas.