Welcome to my guide on how to boost your productivity with Getting Things Done. I already shared my experiences and tools in other blog posts. This time I have a step-by-step recipe to help you start using GTD. Grab a coffee and let’s go!

1. Read the book

You need to know how to use GTD, but most importantly - why. Only reading the book can give you a deep understanding of the author’s intent. And let’s be honest - it has about 300 pages, so three evenings and you will make it. Of course, after completing it you might decide that Getting Things Done is not for you. That’s fine, you just read a best-selling book.

2. Understand your needs

Ok, you know the theory which seems interesting to you. You want to try it out. GTD offers many benefits, but I encourage you to list the three most significant aspects of productivity to improve. For me, it would be:

• manage assignments I tend to forget about (like paint that dirty wall behind my office desk, or fix the goddamn router which disconnects a few times a week)
• have a place to store all my TODO items (that is available from different devices)
• handle complex projects (which require more than three sequential actions). Define what you are aiming at. Maybe only handling the stuff at work need your attention? Or the other way around - busy work makes you miss lots of stuff at home? Having a priorities list will help confirm if GTD works for you later on.

3. Build the scaffold

David Allen describes a physical system in his book - book notes, a drawer for incoming stuff, and optionally: a pager :). In the XXI century, I can’t imagine using a non-digital tool. Do some research and pick one: Notion, OneNote, Evernote, Excel, Notepad, Obsidian, etc. I’d recommend using the tool you already know, so you don’t spend extra time learning it. And now the funny part - built the system. One day is minimum. I’m not kidding. You need one whole day to gather all things happening around you and put them into the GTD system. And I can imagine that if you’re a C-level director, you might need a couple of days. Soo book the time you need and do it!

4. Think about edge cases

The essential point of the GTD system you build is reliability. It’s maintained through constant updates, so make sure they are happening. At this point, I’d recommend thinking about a few possible edge cases:

• what if you have a great idea during a shower? Or when driving your car? How would you put it into the system?
• what if your computer battery is empty? Would you have access to your notes elsewhere?
• security: how are you going to store confidential information? Should your wife have access to your notebook app? What about backup? Of course, you can’t prepare for every possible scenario. But it’s helpful to grasp some in advance.

5. Be consequent

Probably the hardest one. In the beginning, when your motivation is high, the new system may shine. But after some time, the first struggle will occur. You need to consequently do weekly reviews, adequately handle incoming stuff and constantly update the system. Without it, your GTD notebook won’t be reliable. At some point, you will realize that keeping your GTD notebook has some cost. It’s inevitable. The thing is: hold it as a sum of small steps. Clear an “incoming things” section whenever possible during the day, use idle moments to complete simple tasks, and choose actions based on your energy and possibilities. That’s the key to success: build your tiny habits, so the maintenance of the GTD system happens in the background, almost unnoticeable.

Summary

Applying new methods to improve your productivity is never easy. You need to change your mindset and build new habits. I hope my short list will encourage you to start with Getting Things Done and take your productivity to the next level.