Gtd workflow

GTD Workflow Patterns

Core GTD Model

The Five Steps

1. CAPTURE  → Get everything out of your head
2. CLARIFY  → Process what each item means
3. ORGANIZE → Put things where they belong
4. REFLECT  → Review your system regularly
5. ENGAGE   → Do the right thing at the right time

Step 1: Capture

Capture Triggers (Mind Sweep)

Run this list when setting up or weekly review to capture everything:

Personal:

• Projects in progress
• Projects to start
• Commitments to others
• Things to follow up on
• Someday/maybe ideas
• Purchases to make
• Places to go
• People to contact

Professional:

• Waiting-for items
• Meetings to schedule
• Reports to write
• Emails to respond to
• Decisions to make
• Delegated tasks to track

Rules:

• One capture tool (or set of defined tools)
• Frictionless — capture must be faster than doing
• Not for storage — capture goes into inbox, then gets processed

Step 2: Clarify

The Clarify Decision Tree

Is it actionable?
├── NO → Trash / Someday-Maybe / Reference
└── YES → What is the next physical action?
    ├── Takes < 2 min? → DO IT NOW
    ├── Should someone else do it? → DELEGATE (add to Waiting-For)
    └── You should do it → DEFER
        ├── Specific date/time? → CALENDAR
        └── ASAP? → NEXT ACTIONS list

What "Next Action" Means

A next action must be:

• Physical and visible (can be started without further thought)
• Context-appropriate (what device, place, person is needed?)

❌ "Work on proposal" → unclear starting point
✅ "Draft outline for Q3 proposal in Google Docs" → can start now

❌ "Fix relationship with Sarah" → not physical
✅ "Call Sarah, apologize for last week's email" → clear action

❌ "Exercise" → vague
✅ "Put gym shoes in car tonight" → first physical step

Step 3: Organize

The Six Lists

List	Contents	Review
Inbox	Unprocessed captures	Continuously → empty
Next Actions	Physical next steps, by context	Daily
Projects	Any outcome requiring 2+ steps	Weekly
Calendar	Time/date specific + day-specific	Daily
Waiting For	Delegated items + expected date	Weekly
Someday/Maybe	Future ideas not committed to	Weekly

Context Labels (customize to your life)

@computer    — needs laptop or desktop
@phone       — calls to make
@errands     — out-of-house tasks to batch
@home        — tasks only doable at home
@office      — tasks only doable in office
@agenda:Name — items to discuss with specific person
@energy:low  — tasks doable when mentally tired
@waiting     — tracking others' deliverables

Projects List Hygiene

A project = any desired outcome requiring 2+ next actions

Every project must have:
- Clear outcome statement (what does "done" look like?)
- At least one next action on the Next Actions list

Review monthly:
- Is this still active?
- Does it have a next action?
- Should it move to Someday/Maybe or be abandoned?

Project card template:
Project: [Desired outcome stated as completion]
Due: [If any]
Next action: [Specific first step]
Waiting for: [Any blocked items]
Notes: [Context, resources, constraints]

Step 4: Reflect

Weekly Review Checklist

COLLECT (empty inboxes)
□ Process all physical inboxes
□ Process all email inboxes to zero
□ Process all digital capture tools
□ Review meeting notes from the week
□ Mind sweep (use trigger list)

PROCESS (clarify everything collected)
□ All items processed per decision tree
□ Nothing left in inbox

ORGANIZE (update lists)
□ Review calendar (past 2 weeks + next 4 weeks)
□ Review all Projects — do each have a next action?
□ Review Next Actions — still relevant? Add new ones
□ Review Waiting For — chase anything overdue
□ Review Someday/Maybe — activate anything ready?

REFLECT
□ What went well this week?
□ What's the most important thing for next week?
□ Am I working on the right projects overall?

Step 5: Engage

Choosing What to Do Now (Three Models)

Model 1: Four Criteria

1. Context — what can I do here/now?
2. Time available — how much time do I have?
3. Energy — how much mental energy do I have?
4. Priority — given 1-3, what's most important?

Model 2: Horizons of Focus

Horizon	Timeframe	Example
Runway	Current actions	Reply to email
10K ft	Projects	Launch new feature
20K ft	Areas of responsibility	Engineering excellence
30K ft	1-3 year goals	Become CTO
40K ft	3-5 year vision	Build $10M business
50K ft	Life purpose	What kind of person?

GTD Tool Setup

Minimal Viable GTD Stack

Capture: Notes app on phone (fastest friction)
Processing: Desktop app (Todoist, Things, OmniFocus, Notion)
Calendar: Google Calendar / Apple Calendar
Reference: Notion, Obsidian, or Google Drive

Todoist GTD Setup

Projects:
├── Inbox (default)
├── Next Actions (with labels @computer, @phone, etc.)
├── Projects
│   ├── Project 1
│   └── Project 2
├── Waiting For (use due dates for expected date)
└── Someday Maybe
    ├── Books to read
    ├── Trips to take
    └── Project ideas

Common GTD Failure Modes

Problem	Cause	Fix
Inbox never empties	Skipping clarify step	Time-box 30 min processing daily
Next Actions list huge	No prioritization	Limit to 10 "most important" flagged
System abandoned	Too complex	Simplify to 3 lists: Today, Next, Someday
Projects stall	No next action	Weekly review non-negotiable
Capture fails	Too many inboxes	Reduce to 2 (phone + email)