In the previous post I talked about how you might be able to use spreadsheet software, without too many frills or complex formulae, to get started using the GTD methodology. Now it’s time to summarize the big “takeaway” points of GTD so you can take the system and adapt it to your needs. The Principles … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: Conclusion →

Last time we looked at implementing a calendar in 43 physical folders. This time, we’re going to look at implementing all of GTD using no specialized software: just a spreadsheet and a calendar. For the spreadsheet, I’m going to use the one from LibreOffice because unlike That Big Famous One™ it’s free, and unlike That … Continue reading “Getting Things Done” in a spreadsheet →

We’re near the end of this series. In the last post I looked at a few questions you might face when starting out with the GTD methodology. Now it’s time to talk about implementing a perpetual calendar using file folders. See, David Allen is big on the notion that you can implement GTD with just … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: 43 Folders = 1 Calendar →

All right.  In the previous post we discussed the all-important Weekly Review. Now that we’ve laid all the theoretical groundwork in terms of processes and “bins”, let’s talk about some decisions that you’ll make in setting up and maintaining your system. Personal vs. Professional Should I use one single system for both my professional and … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: Some decisions →

In our last post we looked at the Calendar, one of the most essential components of the system, and the “Waiting For” list.  We’ve covered all the different basic components of the system now. Next we talk about the most important ongoing process to make GTD work: the Weekly Review. Why review? Face it: You’re … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: The Weekly Review →

It’s been a few weeks!  Last post we talked about how projects break down into next actions, and how Next Actions should be classified by the Context in which you can do them, so you’re not always looking at every single thing you want to do when you’re not in a situation where you even … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: The Calendar and the “Waiting For” List →

Last time we started to talk about “clarifying”, figuring out what some piece of “stuff” means to you.  We talked about Trash, Reference, and the Someday/Maybe list.  Now we’re going to talk about what happens when something is actionable. This “episode” of the series is big. It contains one of the most clever tricks of … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: Projects, Next Actions, and Contexts →

A couple posts ago I covered the complete workflow summary, and then I told you lots of things about capturing stuff.  Now we’ll talk about the “clarifying” steps, where you decide whether something is: trash, someday/maybe, reference, or actionable. Is this thing trash? Very simple: If you’re not sure if something is trash, then it isn’t (at least … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: Clarifying →

In our last post we gave you a summary of the whole GTD process.  Now let’s talk about what might be the most important step, the first one: capturing.  If you get good at just capturing, even if you’re not great at organizing what you’ve captured … you’ll be ahead of lots of people.  (But don’t … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: Capturing →

Okay. I can write a lot more about the details of each of these things, and I probably will.  But I’m gonna start by summarizing the core workflow of GTD. When you are confronted with “stuff”, you need to figure out what needs to be done with it.  What is “stuff”? I’ll quote David Allen … Continue reading “Getting Things Done”: The workflow →