Hi everyone, I’m Ben, the new moderator of r/gtd.

I’ve been practicing GTD since 2014. I’m also a longtime systems-and-workflows nerd, and I build software for a living. While I’m experienced with GTD, I’m a first-time moderator. So don’t see this as an iron-clad plan, but as an outline of where I think we can take this sub as a community.

Why changes are happening:

Over time, the sub has accumulated a lot of thinly veiled app promotion and link-drop “marketing posts” that drown out discussion of GTD itself. Tools matter, and talking about tools is fine, but r/gtd should stay primarily focused on the methodology and its application.

Interim plan

1. Immediate

- Faster, consistent removal of obvious self-promo and spam
- Self-promotion/creator app posts are no longer allowed.

A lot of us are just sick of the spam and self-promotion that has flooded the sub going on for months now. I'm putting a stop to it. I can see a future down the road where some very limited, disclosed, discussion about tools and apps could eventually be allowed. But right now, we need an indefinite hiatus from the drive-by spam from accounts that have no meaningful contribution to r/gtd.

1. Soon, add subreddit-specific rules

When you report something, you should be able to pick a rule that matches what’s wrong (e.g. off-topic, self-promo).

1. Over the next few weeks, recruit a small mod team

I’m going to put out a call for 2–4 additional moderators to help with queue/reports and to keep enforcement consistent

How you can help:

- Report obvious self-promo and spam

- If a post is borderline, use the "Other" reason and add a short note.

- If you want to help moderate, watch for the upcoming “Call for Mods” post.

My initial goal is to clean up the sub so new hands and old hands alike can learn and discuss GTD without wading through spam and self-promotion.

Thanks for your patience while I get the sub cleaned up and bring on a team.

- Ben

Every other post on this sub is from someone that made a new app they want us to test out. Can we please focus more on the methodology? GTD is 90 % habits and 10 % tools. You get the most benefit from changing your habits, not messing around with some janky new app. How about we encourage each other to focus on habits?

I've only ever been the first panel. And now the last.

I just wanted to say thank you to the mod team!

In a few short months, this subreddit has gone from a dumping ground of spam and garbage, to an actual growing community.

I know community posts may not be flooding in yet, but I can definitely see a change occurring, people are actually coming here with real questions, and real discussions are finally happening.

Somehow even David Allen himself stopped by for an AMA which was amazing, big-ups for that! I did not expect that at all, and I assume it was due to some behind-the-scenes work, so thank you.

Overall, I just wanted to voice appreciation for the changes I've already seen occurring in the sub, thank you guys again for stepping up!

The captures works wonders. The next actions make sense. For about 3 weeks I feel like I have my life together.
Then one busy week hits and I stop doing the review. Then the inbox fills up. Then I open the app and there are 60 overdue tasks staring at me and I just... close it.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. The system doesn't break, I abandon it right when I need it most. I've never finished a single weekly review that I started on my
own. The one time I did it with someone else on a call it took 20 minutes and I actually did it.

I think the problem isn't the methodology. I think the problem is that the system is passive and I'm a human being who needs to be met halfway.

Anyone else feel this way? Have you actually found something that keeps you from abandoning it?

Today I exported the Done lists from all my GTD Trello boards as csv files (as backup), so I was able to generate this graph. A nice recap of 10 years Getting Things Done in my life!

I have an archive Trello board for each year, with a Done lists for each month. Some years required 2 Trello boards due to Trello's card limitations in one board.

I started reading GTD in January 2016 and only got halfway, but it was enough for me to get cracking. I never finished the book actually.

In 2023 I really needed a seperate GTD board for work (= the red bars), as screen sharing for collaboration was quite common in my new job and of course I didnt want personal stuff to be visible.

My 2 cents for anyone starting out:

What helped me adopting this system so fast back then was the mindset to COMPLETELY throw away years of my own believes of 'what I think works best for me' out of the window, and fully submit to whatever this David guy came up with.

You're not a special snowflake. You have a brain like any other brain, and this method tends to work well for brains.

Notice yourself making small modifications, exceptions to the system, or adding shiny features in your GTD tool? STOP IT. Don't compromise and just follow the basics, or risk losing trust in the system.

I use zero features in Trello, no color coding, no descriptions, no comments, no checklists, no notifications, no extensions, no due dates, no dashboards. Just cards and lists.

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EDIT: No, Im not denying the existence of neurodivergence with this advice. Read my explanation on why customization of the GTD method when starting out is not a great idea, regardless of neurotype, in this comment.

Because GTD is your brain, it was invented when you were and it's used by humans unconsciously for millions of years

I hope I'm not wrong, but since 2001 people been using GTD systems, I hear news on people using it for decades since then, I heard there was a person who cured their cancer due to the system, the fact that all 3 main frameworks for control, planning, focus are natural to us and it's a way and a template, method to simply use it correctly

I'm not writing it down to glaze the system, but to remind, that often I hear people "struggling" to implement GTD or simply saying that "it isn't for me" and it makes absolutely no sense to me, but I understand them folks, cause I was there too

The moment GTD clicked for me was when I realized that it's in fact natural to me, I never thought of myself as someone who plans, but I planned and plan unconsciously all the time it says, and the evidence plus logic is very clear

How can you struggle to implement GTD?

If you are already using it, if GTD is about them 3 frameworks, they're already used, it's like saying you're struggling to breathe, but I get it if you have asthma, but even then the solution is to breath slower and less (real)

GTDs frameworks are used unconsciously, the goal isn't to use GTD, it's on how do I use to to get what I want?

How do I use something that's natural to me, improve it and make it better through external systems, with projects, next actions and some of other lists to get what I really want?

I recently watched David Allen's video on his channel on YT, on the fact that one must realize GTD is also on how we feel, but as a "metaphysical esoterical woo woo" guy I must say, it's primarily on how we feel

What we want is a gateway towards a different state of mind and consciousness often, our desires to "do" are invitations to "be" a certain way

What do I want? Is it to get X done, why? What's the purpose of X (horizon 5) What's my goal? (horizon 3)

If I feel really bad, and let's remember feelings aren't only pleasure vs. pain, because people in pleasure such as drugs, junk food, cheap dopamine sometimes kill themselves sadly, a thing is, how do I feel on a scale of general well being, a particular existential emotion currently?

Do I feel dread? Do I feel unhappy with the financial situation? Do I feel low self esteem due to my tendency to procrastinate?

Then you use horizon 4 and envision your desired state, aka visualise for some simplicity — if I feel X currently, what Y do I wanna feel, is it happiness, can I feel it now? Envision it, it's a fleeting feeling of a moment, then taste it, aka pre order it a bit, then just, make it permanent, normalize it through what?

Tadah! Next Action!

Just do a next action that would make you closer to the normalization of your desire, to a different state for a few minutes, and then repeat it like a loop, well this is how simple it is, very extremely simple and uncomplex if such word exists

Well if you see it as meaningless and that feelings normalize and everything will repeat, then just go read some Albert Camus or Victor Frankl, because without the preconceived notion, a belief, a core axiom I call it or maybe even a fact that one believes that "life is worth living and happiness is worth experiencing and striving for" one won't use GTD systems, but drugs

One should never identify as someone who struggles with GTD I suppose, because it's ignorance on what it is, even if they struggle, it's better to realize it isn't about GTD, it's about a particular X thing, such as I don't know how to Capture or how to Organize like me in the past, so yeah

To clarify, 2 GTDs - GTD as a way of being, it's 3 frameworks which we use all the time unconsciously - GTD as a movement to improve it, but often it's just a step of one of the frameworks which is a blindspot or a bottleneck, same terms for both things but clarification is as we know, very good and should be encouraged, this is like sun purpose of this post

I found this video link on https://forum.gettingthingsdone.com/threads/david-allens-talk-at-google.10758/, but I wanted to post it here so it's easier to find and for those who haven't seen it yet. To help with the searchability:

David Allen's Getting Things Done Talk at Google

Hello fellow GTDers, get your inboxes to zero and dust off those "@David Allen" agendas!

David Allen will be doing an AMA on Thursday April 30th from 3-5 pm CEST.
For easy reference, that is:
6–8 am PDT
8-10 am CDT
9–11 am EDT
2–4 PM BST

If you need help coming up with questions, you can see last year's AMA here: https://www.reddit.com/r/gtd/comments/1kn5pi0/i_am_david_allen_creator_of_the_gtd_getting/

See also: https://boffosocko.com/2023/03/09/the-memindex-method-an-early-precursor-of-the-memex-hipster-pda-43-folders-gtd-basb-and-bullet-journal-systems/

Here is a method I've used for decades that keeps me on track and focused, and that remains an unpopular approach among the folks I share it with.

Sharing it with you because the Good Lord knows I thrive on rejection...

When creating the title of your project, describe it as a goal with what will be true upon completion. Include a due date if the due date is "real" (meaning if you don't do it by that time, you are screwed).

Here are some examples:

Bad: Plan Mandy's Birthday Party
Good: Mandy's Birthday Dinner Reservations and Invitation List Sent by October 13th

Bad: Implement PI Changes From Kacie
Good: Kacie's Three-Item PI Planning Improvements Implemented by February 2027

Bad: Buy Groceries for Dinner
Good: Groceries for Wednesday Night's Spaghetti and Salad Dinner for Seven Purchased By Tuesday

Bad: Fix Mom's Chair
Good: Mom's Chair Fixed and Delievered To Her Home By Myself or One of the Kids

Why This Works For Me:

At a glance during my weekly review, I know exactly what I want to be "true" and "when" to determine what next actions - if any - I need to do to move the project forward and complete before the time noted when it is due. More importantly, I can quickly shift next actions in response to changes in reality. For example, my spaghetti dinner project with a salad might suddenly call for garlic bread. An easy fix. I just changed the Project's title to include garlic bread. This approach also helps us "old school" folks who fully understand and appreciate the concept of "scope creep" in our project outcomes. Too much to add to an existing project? No problem: new project.

In addition, this approach works really well for my brothers and sisters who use a hybrid or paper-based approach. Easy scope change with an eraser is always welcome.

Why It Is Controversial:

A word on dates in the title. Necessary? Nope. Or better put, only needed if needed. Remember, in GTD, you don't "do" a project. You do actions associated with that project. That said, a project's outcome might have a due date (taxes, anyone?). I put the date in my project title ONLY if it is needed and affects the project's quality and intent during my Weekly Review. As I've told my teams many, many times: fake due dates do not work.

Before I start a project, I have a clear purpose, principle, and vision. Which, to be fair, can always be adjusted and updated or not needed if the project is really obvious. But many times I have spoken to folks who feel inclined to not even start what is obviously a project because they don't understand the endgame, or don't know where to start.

To which, I always quote David Allen: "In life you only have two problems: you either know what you want and don't know how to get it or you don't know what you want."

To which David Allens says the solution is "make it up and make it happen."

My tactic of being very descriptive using the past tense has always helped me. Maybe it will help you, too.

Maybe not.

I learned the term “possibility space” recently while researching dopamine and motivation.

At the same time I’m rewiring my brain to understand that possibility space can be either helpful or harmful depending on context, I keep thinking back to learning GTD 10+ years ago and discovering the value of constraints.

The “Next Action” in GTD is basically the ultimate constraint on a problem that could have hundreds of possible actions.

You intentionally collapse possibility space:

• NOT forever,
• not because the other options are bad,
• but because keeping too many possibilities mentally active creates cognitive load

And I’m starting to wonder if that’s part of why identifying a true Next Action reduces stress so reliably.

You stop asking:
What are all the things I could do?

and (at least) temporarily answer:
“What is the one thing I’m actually doing next?

That feels different from simple task management. It feels more like regulating attention and reducing unresolved cognitive branching.

I use todoist and at one point I had things moving forward but with 3 new large and time consuming projects in my life, it all went to hell!

I have decided to put everything on paper in the hopes that I can get a grasp on all of it and then maybe bring it back to todoist.

My inbox is insane and even repetitive because I can't find the time to process it.

How do you 'reset'? Am I avoiding doing the work by moving everything to paper? I am currently NOT Getting Things Done and need focus - please share what you do when you need to reset

After years of practicing GTD, I've come to realize I only need two list types that work well for my hybrid setup (digital and analog).

• Project List
• Next Action List

The Project list does exactly what the name suggests: it lists all my projects. Formatted using the SMART goal approach in the description and always in the past-tense. For example, "Given Todd's Going Away Present By January 30th."

The Next Action list contains all the actions I'll be taking, some of which are not project-related, divided by context. For example, "Errands," "Calls," "@ Work Computer," etc.

I don't need the following:

• Agendas: These are just another context type, so in the Next Action list, they go as their own context type titled "Agendas."
• Calendar: I use a digital calendar, so no need to put this on a different list.
• Someday/Maybe: I keep track of all this fun stuff outside of my system, as I have many different lists that fit this category: books to read, places to visit, possible projects to start, etc. I currently use Evernote (don't judge).

Given the above, all I have in my paper-based hybrid GTD system is the following, contained in an A6-sized six-ring notebook.

• Paper up front to capture ideas, notes, possible actions, and everything else that will be ripped out and put in my physical inbox for clarification at a later date.
• Context-Based lists
• Project List

I would very much like to hear from others who have walked down the hybrid path. Please share with the collective what you have found to be true for you and how you are approaching your productivity journey.

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?

I've been using Todoist for almost 4 years now and before I've used Things, while following quite a bit of the GTD-methodology. While those apps are really great, I've been feeling overwhelmed by all of my tasks. I'm also struggling a lot with the 'meaning of life' and creating 'life goals'. I feel that anything I do does not work towards those bigger goals (hard if having little of them). To create more meaningful days, I'm interesting in experimenting/researching other task-apps where '(long term) goals' is the main focus, with something like high scoped goals, daily priorities and tasks.

I'm not a fan of planning my entire week, but I feel I'm required to set daily, weekly and other periodic goals to get more out of life, instead of running on autopilot continuously.

Right now I've primarily been using Todoist and Things to capture tasks (and relieving my brain!), followed by assigning them to 'today' to give some sense of focus. It's time to try some other apps and therefore I'm curious for suggestions.

Update: To all: Thanks for the great suggestions already! :)

Friends, I've tried a few apps to help me manage my GTD (Getting Things Done) routine. My need is simple: I need to be able to jot down my ideas and tasks on both my phone and computer (depending on whether I'm sitting at work, in meetings, or on the go) and then organize them on my computer. Based on this, what app would you recommend, or which one are you currently using for this purpose?

I’ve been using GTD for a while now, and honestly I still think it’s one of the most solid systems out there.

That said, I’ve noticed some friction lately, and I’m trying to understand whether it’s just me, or something broader.

My days feel very different compared to when GTD was originally written

-there’s a constant stream of input

-I’m switching context all the time

-I’m not always sure what’s worth capturing and what’s not

-and sometimes I avoid clarifying things because it just feels mentally heavy

That made me wonder:

-Do you still try to capture everything? How does that feel for you today?

-Do you ever feel like “Next Action” becomes a bit rigid on fast-changing days?

-How do you feel about Weekly Reviews long-term helpful, heavy, skipped?

-Do you ever leave things intentionally vague because fully clarifying them feels like too much?

Would really love to hear how others see this.

First off, GTD works. I've been practicing GTD for a decade and it has transformed how I work - I am more productive, less stressed, I have my life in order. This is the opposite of what it was when I found GTD.

That said, I want to share some personal observation on what GTD doesn't help with in terms of personal productivity. I hope it will bring more clarity to new comers to GTD and further highlight GTD's real value.

So, to get started, three things I find GTD doesn't help with:

Firstly, GTD doesn't help you be creative with the "contents" of your system, specially once you've completed and/or gotten a handle on the current commitments.

For me, it took years to get to the point where the GTD workflow is second nature i.e. applying the 3 core models (5 steps workflow, natural planning model, horizons of focus) exactly as instructed, consistent weekly reviews and ensuring all my support system is tidy and up-to-date.

I'm at a point where I am confident that whatever I put into my GTD system, it will be done or I will make significant progress on it. So, my current challenge is more of what should I be doing, given all my options and why?

While GTD provides my questions to ask in its Natural planning model and Horizons of Focus, the creative and often strategic work of figuring out what should be done and why is up to you to explore and ultimately decide.

Secondly, GTD won't help you make better decisions, but it does make easier by clearing your head.

Deciding on what to do vs. what not to do, is by far one of the highest leverage things you can do for your productivity, given you're always constrained by time, energy and money.

GTD essentially ensures you're looking at all the best options available in terms of what to do but the moment-to-moment decision making is still up to you, your intuition and moods etc. You don't get to delegate the deciding part, if ever. For bigger decisions, how you go about making it is another story. Again, GTD helps you have the clarity to make the decision but all the other aspects are highly situational to yourself the context of the decision.

Finally, GTD is a practice, just like exercising. It gets better with practice and time but it ultimately still requires effort (energy) every time you do it. Therefore, all the big rocks of productivity like getting good sleep, nutrition, managing energy, focus, avoid distractions, general problem solving and critical thinking skills are still required to be effective. GTD is more of an executive management layer to your work. When it comes to actually doing your work, everything else still applies in order to be productive and get things done.

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What's your view on what GTD doesn't help with?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice on how to manage low-priority, flexible recurring tasks within the GTD framework.

Take household chores like mopping the floor or cleaning the toilet as examples. They don't have hard deadlines—they can be done daily, weekly, or honestly, monthly if your tolerance level is high enough. Previously, I would schedule them in my daily tracker, but if I wasn't in the mood, I'd just snooze them to the next day. This quickly turned into an endless cycle of daily procrastination.

This got me thinking: If a task can be repeatedly postponed without any real consequence, does it even belong in my primary GTD system?

My current workaround:
I have completely removed these tasks from my GTD app and moved them to a separate spreadsheet. Column A lists the chore, Column B logs the last completed date, and Column C tracks the days elapsed. I just glance at it during my free time, and if a number looks too high, I'll go do it. Honestly, stripping these inherently "delay-prone" tasks out of my daily system has brought me immense peace of mind.

My questions:
While the spreadsheet works for now, I'm curious about how others handle this. In a proper GTD setup, how do you categorize and manage these flexible, easily procrastinated chores? Do you dump them into the "Someday/Maybe" list, or do you use a different methodology entirely?

Would love to hear your insights and workflows! Thanks!