Here are the steps to stress-free productivity that GTD recommends:
CAPTURE every commitment in your life in a trusted place outside your head (like a software program or a piece of paper)
CLARIFY exactly what each commitment is, the desired outcome of fulfilling it, and only the very next action required
ORGANIZE reminders of these actions in a Project List
REFLECT on your list on a weekly basis to make sure it’s clear, current, and complete
EXECUTE on your actions by making intuitive decisions about what to do next, trusting your system to not let anything fall through the cracks
The Project List Mindsweep
The Project List Mindsweep is extremely valuable for anyone, whether you’ve never heard of GTD or have been a dedicated practitioner for years. Most people couldn’t give you a full inventory of their projects if their life depended on it. Yet they also tell you they have too much on their plate, and “don’t have the bandwidth.” Without a comprehensive Project List, you can never know how much capacity you really have.
But GTD asks us to adopt a much smaller definition for what qualifies as a Project: “any outcome you’re committed to completing that requires more than one action step.”
Step 1: Capture
Do a Brain Dump
Don’t judge. Don’t filter. Don’t try to clarify, process, organize, or categorize them as you capture them. That happens later.
Use the Project List template for this step. We’ll organize and clarify the list of projects you come up with in later steps.
Here are some common places to look:
Your mind
What’s worrying you? Identify that as a Project. Name it so you can tame it. What’s taking more mental bandwidth than it deserves? What activities aren’t you making consistent progress on that could benefit from a bit of structure?
Example: “My back hurts” → Schedule doctor’s appointment to diagnose back pain
Calendar
Look a few weeks into the past on your calendar: what do you need to follow up on? What do you need to finish? What Projects do you want to create to follow up on events that already happened?
Peer into the future: what will you need to plan or prepare? What goals do you need to set? Who do you need to catch up with?
Example: “I need to figure out what we’ll do at that team off-site” → Plan team offsite agenda
Next Actions (To Do) list
What things are you already doing that are actually part of a bigger project you haven’t identified yet?
Example: “I need to follow up with that house cleaner” → Contact house cleaner and schedule weekly cleaning time
Agendas
What about communication? Are there any actions that you’ve already scheduled with people that are part of a bigger project?
Example: “I need to call Linda back” → Develop sales campaign with Linda
Briefcase/bag/wallet/purse
What things have you saved because they remind you to take an action? What have you kept because you need it for a project?
Digital environment
Look at your computer desktop, downloads folder, documents folder, bookmarks, emails, and open browser tabs. What are you keeping around because it is part of a project that you can name and organize?
Example: PDF article on desktop → Read draft article and give feedback to co-author
Processes or procedures
Which processes in your work or life could be more efficient, streamlined, or purposeful? What do you do regularly that takes too long, is too difficult, or you haven’t thought through?
Example: Grocery shopping → Collect list of staple food supplies and set up recurring deliveries on Amazon Fresh
Creative opportunities
What would you like to learn, develop, build, pursue, start, explore, or play with as a project?
Example: Flyer for improv class → Look up and schedule improv class
Competence building
Are there skills you’d like to learn? Which hobbies would you like to start? What kind of project could advance your career, or make your life more fun or interesting?
Example: Email confirmation for online course purchase → Complete online course on Python
Don’t worry about the exact outcome of each Project you identify at this stage, or whether you’re actually committed to it. Don’t let anything keep you from writing down something that might possibly be a Project. Also, don’t fret over how you name them.
You might finish this step with a Brain Dump that looks something like this. Yours will probably be quite a bit longer.
Schedule doctor’s appointment to diagnose back pain
Plan team offsite agenda
Find house cleaner and schedule weekly cleaning time
Develop sales campaign with Linda
Follow up with potential contractor from conference
Package up and mail document to business partner
Read draft article and give feedback to co-author
Collect list of staple food supplies and set up recurring deliveries
Look up and schedule improv class
Complete online course on Python
Step 2: Clarify
Refine your list
In the previous step, you got every potential project off your mind and onto a list, where you can view it objectively. Now it’s time to do another pass and clean up your list to make it more clear and actionable.
Continue using the Project List template for this step, moving items from the Brain Dump section to the Project List section as you clean them up.
Some options to consider:
Delete anything that is obviously not a Project
Sometimes you need to write a thing down to realize it’s not something you’re committed to or truly interested in. Delete and let it go.
Move “someday/maybe” projects to the bottom of the list
Move anything you might be interested in doing eventually, or you’re not sure you want to do, to the bottom of the list.
Merge projects that are tied to the same outcome
Delegate any appropriate Project
Step 3: Organize
Identify the outcome or intention for each Project
Rewrite your Project titles to make clear how each Project leads to its desired outcome
Write the outcomes/intentions you’ve identified for each Project in the second column, and the time frame or deadline in the third column.
Begin every Project with a verb that describes DONE: finalize, submit, deliver, complete, send, clarify, organize, update, implement, resolve, submit, reorganize, design, roll out, install, set up, publish, complete.
If you find yourself using verbs like manage, oversee, ensure, or maximize, it’s probably an ongoing Area of Responsibility, not a Project. An Area of Responsibility is an ongoing part of your life in which you’ve committed to a certain standard, like Health, Finances, Apartment, or Productivity. These are also important to keep track of, but don’t belong on your Project List.
Review your GTD lists weekly
Look over your entire list from a bird’s eye view, and ask some fundamental questions:
Does this list fully represent my priorities, interests, values, and long-term goals?
In which Areas of Responsibility do I have too many Projects? Not enough?
Are there important outcomes or goals that don’t have any Projects targeted at them?
Am I spending time or attention on something that has no clear outcome or goal?
If anything is unclear, ask yourself, “What am I really trying to accomplish here?” or “What‘s the point of doing this?”
With this whole inventory in front of you, are there any Projects you want to kill, postpone, renegotiate, or clarify?
Bonus step: Prioritize your list on the Project level
Prioritizing individual tasks or pieces of information as they arrive can be exhausting because we’re trying to decide several things at once:
Is this important?
Is it urgent?
Does it belong to a Project that’s important?
Does it belong to a Project that’s urgent?
Is this an insignificant detail, or a crucial one?
You can eliminate a lot of this decision-making by pre-prioritizing your work on the Project level, instead of at the task level. Sort the list from highest to lowest priority, according to how much of your mental bandwidth each Project should be taking up in any given week. Doing this weekly will help make the granular decisions during the week much easier.
Step 5: Execute
Regain control and be more productive
With a clear Project List in hand, you are ready to execute on your tasks without having to remember which balls you have in the air. The goal of GTD is for stress, tensions, and obstacles to trigger new projects, instead of emotions.
If you do this review from a more calm and balanced perspective, away from the chaos of the workday, you’ll find it easier to maintain perspective throughout the week. You’ll start thinking less like an individual project manager, and more like a project portfolio manager, balancing all the risks and rewards of your project portfolio as a whole.