# Getting Things Done > The art of stress-free productivity Total time spent: 22 hours and 19 minutes. ## Verdict _Getting Things Done_ by David Allen is no doubt the "Bible" of productivity -- GTD has almost become a synonym of it. The key ideas in GTD are definitely relevant today, however, some of the practices in this book are not. This book: - Focuses too much on organizing physical documents, file cabinets, post-its, etc. In 2023 storing these materials electronically and syncing them through cloud makes much more sense - Aims for the business people. For example, for college students, in most of cases, there is no one to _delegate_ your stuff to. There aren't many meetings and emails, either. Besides the content, David Allen also made this book enjoyable through his profound writing skills. In conclusion: - If you are briefly surveying tricks and techniques to boost your productivity, there's definitely **NO** need to read this book thoroughly. - However, if you are a big fan of productivity, (or, you're an addict to productivity pornography,) this book is **ABSOLUTELY WORTH READING**! When everybody's talking about _GTD_, being the one who has really read _GTD_ feels kinda nice, isn't it? ## General Ideas > [!danger] The real problem > > The real problem is a lack of clarity and definition about what a project > really is, and what associated next-action steps are required. When we think _of_ a project, we are not actually thinking _about_ it, this leads to mental burden. > [!abstract] Two basic components of GTD > > Getting things done requires two basic components: defining (1) what "done" > means (outcome) and (2) what "doing" looks like (action). The major change is to getting things all out of your head, to properly manage our ==internal commitments==! "Your negative feelings are simply the result of breaking those agreements -- they're the symptoms of disintegrated self-trust". > [!quote] Power of Forgiveness > > It is the act of forgiveness that opens up the only possible way to think > creatively about the future at all. -- Father Desmond Wilson To prevent broken agreements with yourself: - Don't make the agreement. - Complete the agreement. - Renegotiate the agreement. > [!abstract] Five steps of mastering workflow > > 1. _Capture_ what has our attention; > 2. _Clarify_ what each item means and what to do about it; > 3. _Organize_ the results, which presents the options we > 4. _Reflect_ on, which we then choose to > 5. _Engage_ with. [GTD Workflow Processing and Organizing Diagram](https://gettingthingsdone.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/workflow_map.pdf)  > [!caution] What is our mind for? Our mind is for _having_ ideas, not _holding_ > them! > > This idea is backed by scientific research, see > [[building-a-second-brain|Building a Second Brain]] for more elaborations. ## Capture We need to gather 100 percent of the "incompleteness" by capturing. > [!warning] Energy-Consuming Incomplete Tasks > > A task left undone remains undone in two places -- at the actual location of > the task, and **inside your head**. Incomplete tasks in your head consume the > energy of your attention as they gnaw at your conscience. -- Brahma Kumaris Three requirements to make the capturing phase work: > - Every _open loop_ must be in your capture system and out of your head. > - You must have as few capturing buckets as you can get by with. > - You must empty them regularly. > Emptying the contents does not mean that you have to finish what's there, it > just means that you have to decide more specifically ==what it is== and ==what > should be done with it==, and if it's still unfinished, organize it into your > system. Key idea: we need an ==_in-tray_== for everything. The initialization of such in-tray is called a _mind sweep_ -- in which you "write out each though, each idea, each project or thing that has your attention, on a _separate sheet of paper_". > [!caution] Know everything you're not doing > > You can only feel good about what you're not doing when you _know_ everything > you're not doing. ## Clarify - No action required - Trash. - No action needed for now, something might need to be done in the future -- Incubate. - Potentially useful information -- reference. - Actionable - Do it -- if it's less than 2 minutes. (==Two-minute rule==) - Delegate it. - Defer it. > [!important] The Power of Next Action > > Always ask yourself (and others if you work together): _What's the next > action?_ ## Organize > [!note] Definition of _Organize_ > > Being organized means simply that _where something is_ matches _what it means_ > to you. - Projects list. - Next-action list(s) and categories. - Someday/Maybe list. - Calendar - Time-Specific Actions - Day-Specific Actions - ==No other items allowed!== "You need to trust your calendar as sacred territory, reflecting the exact hard edges of your day's commitments." - Other non-actionable material goes into _reference_. See [[building-a-second-brain|Building A Second Brain]] for more info. - Organize by _context_, e.g. at home, at computer, etc. > [!quote] Power of NOT to do > > What lies in our power to do, lies in our power **not** to do. -- Aristotle ## Reflect > [!tip] Empty your mind > > You have to use your mind to get things out of your mind. > > You must be assured that you're doing what you need to be doing, and that it's > OK to be _not_ doin what you're not doing. The Weekly Review: a critical success factor to the GTD system. We need to keep the lists relevant and keep the contents off of our mind. ## Engage > [!caution] Be comfortable with what you're NOT doing. > > Every decision to act is an intuitive one. The challenge is to migrate from > _hoping_ it's the right choice to _trusting_ it's the right choice. > > The key is feel as good about what you're _not_ doing as about what you _are_ > doing at that moment. _Work_ means =="anything that you want or need to be different than it currently is"==, not just the opposite of _life_. - _The Four-Criteria Model_ for choosing actions in the moment - Context - Time available - Energy available - Priority > Always keep an inventory of things that need to be done that require very > little mental or creative horsepower. Have some easy loops to close, right at > hand. - _The Threefold Model_ for identifying daily work - Doing predefined work - Doing work as it shows up - Defining your work - _The Six-Level Model_ for reviewing your own work - Horizon 5: Purpose and principles - Horizon 4: Vision - Horizon 3: Goals - Horizon 2: Areas of focus and accountabilities - Horizon 1: Current projects - Ground: Current actions > [!info] Horizontal and Vertical Action Management > > - Horizontal control maintains coherence across all the activities in which > you are involved. > - Vertical control manages thinking, development, and coordination of > individual topics and projects. > [!note] Trust Yourself > > Trust your heart. Or your spirit. Or your gut, the seat of your pants, your > liver, your intuition. > > Trusting yourself and the source of your intelligence is the most elegant > version of experiencing freedom and manifesting personal productivity. ## Project Planning > [!tip] _The Natural Planning Model_ > > 1. Defining purpose and principles > 2. Outcome visioning > 3. Brainstorming > 4. Organizing > 5. Identifying next actions - The value of thinking about _why_ - It defines success. - It creates decision-making criteria. - It aligns resources. - It motivates. - It clarifies focus. - It expands options. > [!quote] Worrying? > > Let our advance worrying become our advance thinking and planning. -- Winston > Churchill ## Quotes > [!quote] > > It's not what we have in our life, but _who_ we have in our life, that counts. > -- J. M. Laurence > [!quote] > > Nothing is really new in this high-tech, globally wired world, except how > _frequently_ it is. > [!quote] Everything that causes you to overreact or under react can control > you, and often does. > [!quote] > > Thing like a man of action, act like a man of thought. -- Henri Bergson