Getting Things Done: five steps to a clear head

Who should use it, and when not to

Use it when a to-do list is long, vague and stressful, after a holiday or a busy launch, or as a weekly habit. It works for individuals and for small teams who share lists.

It manages the work you've taken on; it doesn't choose your goals. For a team's quarterly priorities, see Measure What Matters.

The core ideas

Open loops. Anything you've committed to that isn't finished, at work or at home, takes attention until it's captured somewhere you trust.

Next actions. "Budget" is not an action. "Pull Q2 actuals into the budget sheet" is. Allen's question is what the very next physical, visible action is.

Projects. Any outcome that needs more than one action. Each one needs at least one next action on a list.

The two-minute rule. If it takes less than two minutes, do it now.

Lists, not one list. Next actions by context (at the computer, on the phone, on errands), a waiting-for list, a calendar only for things that must happen on a date, someday/maybe, and reference.

The weekly review. Once a week, get everything current: empty inboxes, check every project has a next action, look at the calendar, and review someday items. Without it, the lists go stale.

A worked mini example

This is an illustration. A Monday brain dump: Q3 budget; a colleague asking for the vendor contract; dentist; office move in September; idea for a team newsletter; waiting two weeks on legal's review of an NDA; board deck due Thursday; an article to read; reply yes to a lunch invitation; an old conference flyer; car insurance renewing on 30 June.

How to run a weekly review

1. Capture: write down everything on your mind.
2. Clarify each item: trash, reference, someday, or actionable with a next action.
3. Do the two-minute items now.
4. Organize the rest into projects, next actions by context, waiting for, calendar and someday.
5. Check every project has a next action, and every waiting-for item a follow-up date.
6. Look at the next two weeks of the calendar.
7. Choose where to start.

The capture and clarify weekly review skill turns your brain dump into these lists and flags what's stale.

Common mistakes

• Projects written as tasks. Without a next action, nothing moves.
• Wishes on the calendar. The calendar is for what must happen that day.
• Skipping the weekly review.
• Keeping some items in your head. The system works only if it holds everything.

Where it comes from

David Allen, a productivity consultant, published Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity in 2001, and a revised edition in 2015 to reflect a decade of changes in technology. "Getting Things Done" and "GTD" are trademarks of their owner.

This page is an independent summary in our own words. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by David Allen, the David Allen Company, or the publishers. The book's title is used only to name it. More explainers are in the business books index.

Questions

What are the five steps of Getting Things Done?

Capture what has your attention, clarify what each item means and what the next action is, organize the reminders where they belong, reflect by reviewing them often, and engage by choosing what to do.

What is the two-minute rule?

If the next action on an item takes less than two minutes, do it right away, because tracking it would take longer than doing it.

What is a project in GTD?

Any outcome that needs more than one action. Each project needs at least one defined next action, so it keeps moving.