Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a productivity framework developed by David Allen and popularised in his book of the same name. Getting Things Done has instructions for capturing and organising tasks.

The GTD system is based on five key steps:

Capture: Any time you think of a task that you can't or won't complete immediately you should capture it in one of your task inboxes. Collect all the tasks, ideas, and commitments that come to your mind or require your attention. Write them down or store them in a digital tool to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Our brains are for having ideas, not for storing them. Capturing tasks will ensure that you don't forget about them and if done consistently it will alleviate that nagging feeling of wondering if you forgot something or what you forgot because you know that you can just look through your task management system to find it. Capturing tasks should be quick and easy whenever you think about them so you can get back to the thing you were otherwise working on when you thought of the task.
Clarify: Process each item by determining whether it requires action. If it does, decide on the next actionable step. If it doesn't, either discard it, archive it for future reference, or put it on a list to review later. Tasks that were captured in a hurry may not always be written in a very clear way. They should be clarified so you don't have to deliberate over their meaning or how to approach them later on.
Organise: Sort the actionable items into appropriate categories or lists. These could be based on context (e.g., at home, at work, errands), priority, or project. Assign deadlines or timeframes where appropriate.
Review: Regularly review your lists and projects to ensure that you're working on the right tasks and that nothing is being overlooked. Weekly reviews are recommended, but the frequency may vary depending on your needs.
Engage: Focus on completing the tasks you've identified as important and actionable. Choose tasks from your lists based on context, time available, energy level, and priority.

Getting Things Done is a very popular productivity framework. Many apps or services for task management can be adapted to GTD, and some are even built around the framework.

The 2-minute rule

The GTD system is intended to be useful for keeping track of any kind of task that one may encounter. However, many tasks are quite small so it can easily take longer to complete the steps outlined above than to execute the task itself. Therefore the GTD system also includes the 2-minute rule.

Every time you consider a task, before capturing it, estimate how long it will take. If you think that it will take less than 2 minutes to complete and can be done immediately, you should simply do so rather than capturing it.

External resources

The book Getting Things Done by David Allen
Summary of Getting Things Done by Todoist