Getting Things Done is an awesome productivity framework. But it’s just a framework. It provides instructions and rules, but everyone must adjust them to personal preferences and needs. So did I. Let me share what tools and notebook structure I came up with to implement GTD.

Tools

There are two pieces of software on which I run my GTD system. Since the very beginning, I’ve been using OneNote as the main tool to keep my GTD stuff - notes for projects, current assignments, incoming messages, etc. It works well on desktop, web, and mobile, so it’s easily accessible on all devices. Data synchronization between them also works quite nicely.

Besides that, I use the Mail app for macOS for handling email communications. I try to keep my inbox empty - twice a day I check my email and immediately decide what to do with each new message. Usually, they are archived or converted into the next action that is added to OneNote.

Structure of notebooks

I use three notebooks in my OneNote: main Notebook, Work, and Knowledge. The main Notebook is the biggest one and is… the main one. I use it on daily basis for every occasion. It is divided into sections:

• Incoming - one page with new things that appear; those are cleared very fast
• Current - actual todo list, divided by contexts (Home, Phone, Outside, Waiting, Todo)
• Projects - list of projects which requires more than a few steps to be completed; some of them stay there forever (like Personal Development, Finance, House) and some are short-living like Vacation Trip, DDD Course, or Learning React
• Maybe someday - feeling guilty for not doing something? Put it here. I have a list of books to read, sports I could start, things to buy, places to visit, skills to learn, etc.
• Notes - lots of pages for storing information. Very different stuff here: a list of inspiring quotes, checklists, instructions on how to brew the perfect coffee, a list of responses to LinkedIn job propositions, and much, much more. Simply: a piece of information that I might need at some point.
• Archive - huge bucket of pages that are not needed anymore. All finished projects land here. All information is not relevant anymore or is just outdated.

Work notebook is pretty similar but much simpler - the main point of it is to keep track of my Todo list and current assignments. The rest of the information is stored in Jira, Confluence, and Notion, which are managed by my company.

The last notebook, Knowledge, is the place I keep lots of knowledge that doesn’t have to be accessible on daily basis. I keep notes from books I read, and ideas from the most interesting articles or conferences.

Weekly reviews

I try to make a full review of my system every week. And you guessed it - I have an exact checklist of how to do it:

• start easy - listen to your favorite music to introduce the creative mood
• brainstorming - add some ideas to the ‘incoming’ section (at least 5, I want to be creative, right?)
• check my calendar - last week and next week. Maybe some event requires action? (like buying a present for my mother’s birthday)
• Review OneNote notebook - the fundamental part of the weekly review, usually takes about 1,5 hours. Go through each page in Notes, Maybe later, Projects, Current and Incoming. Skip Archive sections.
• In the first week of the month:
  • sum up finances from last month, and plan finances for the current one
  • check bills to pay
  • make computer backup
• Computer cleanup: check email, install software updates, empty trash, clear Downloads folder, clear browser tabs
• Optionally: create a backup of my phone, and install the update.

I tend to spend Sunday or Monday evenings doing a weekly review. This way I prepare myself and clearly define my priorities for the upcoming week.

There is also a simplified version of the weekly review in case I’m short on time (it takes about 30 minutes):

• check calendar
• review Projects, Current and Incoming sections from the OneNote notebook
• computer cleanup.

Summary

My current setup for Getting Things Done is battle-tested. Notebooks have a structure that is proven to be working for years, all information is easy to find and the system is open for modifications. But I can imagine that you can build a working GTD system in a completely different way (I’ve read that some people use Excel sheets).

P. S. Don’t miss my other blog posts about GTD:

• biggest benefits of GTD
• my reflections after using GTD for 10 years