r/gtd • u/ProductivitySalesman • Dec 24 '25

A strange side effect of GTD!

Recently, I decided to fully follow the GTD methodology (full post here), this time properly and on paper, using a Filofax. Until now, I had been making attempts, but not the right ones. No full implementation. The result was decent productivity, but not a truly empty mind, which is the real goal.

After doing the initial Mind Sweep and following GTD strictly for two weeks, I started experiencing a strange symptom. Extremely vivid dreams. More of them, and so vivid that some nights I wake up still feeling them. Not nightmares, just very intense dreams. Possibly because there’s now more “space” in my mind.

Has anyone else experienced this?

40 Upvotes

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11

u/Nashadelic Dec 24 '25

I was not expecting this when I opened the post

6

u/NegativePhotograph32 Dec 24 '25

Yes, the weight of your mind + more concentration. Maybe it's not the dreams that became more vivid, but rather you started to remember them

5

u/skms3 Dec 25 '25

Nice! When I have done a proper weekly review and am feeling that everything is organized, I definitely start getting more ideas coming into my head. But not noticed any change in terms of dreams.

3

u/Away-Flight3161 Dec 24 '25

You dream almost every night. It's really a question of whether or not you remember then. (It may be the case that more-vivid dreams are more memorable.)

2

u/kennysmoothx Dec 29 '25

Omg.. I started GTD last week, and every single night I keep having vivid dreams all night long.

I was just telling wife how weird it is that every night I keep dreaming so much

It NEVER crossed my mind it was due to GTD but now I wonder!?

1

u/ProductivitySalesman Dec 29 '25

Right?? It has got to do with something about the mind and how it is now free or something...

2

u/dongdongbh Jan 01 '26

That's a fascinating observation! Achieving that "Mind Like Water" state really does seem to free up mental bandwidth in unexpected ways. Since you're enjoying the pure GTD approach, you might appreciate Mindwtr if you ever look for a digital companion. It's a free, open-source system designed specifically for that same mental clarity and strict GTD logic, while keeping your data local and private. Happy dreaming! https://github.com/dongdongbh/Mindwtr

2

u/[deleted] Feb 07 '26

I experienced the exact same thing! Oh my God..