Three years ago my life was spinning out of control. I was making promises to people I couldn’t keep. I was committing to projects I couldn’t complete. Worst of all, I didn’t know it until it was too late. I’ve got news for you, the bottom of the rabbit hole is not stacked with pillows, rather it’s a cold and unforgiving granite floor. My tasks were piling on top of me, burying me in my proverbial productivity grave. My only choice was to dig out or die. I found myself at Borders, flipping through David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I put it down quickly. Everything I read was common sense. “Write your tasks down and review them often.” “Start a todo list and trust it.” Blah blah blah, it had to be nonsense. It turns out that it wasn’t nonsense at all. Common sense was the secret to it’s power and David had put together a system so nearly perfect that it still holds true over 10 years later. Fortunately for me, I solved the puzzle. I’ve been a devoted GTD practicianer ever since and I would love to share some of the things with you that I’ve learned along the way.

1. This constant,
“
unproductive
preoccupation with all
the things we have to
do is the single
largest consumer of
time and energy.
Kerry
Gleeson

6. $800

10. $0.00

13. $1.05/hr

15. Hello

16. GTD

17. GTD
Collect Life’s Random Inputs

18. GTD
Collect Life’s Random Inputs
Define the work to be done

19. GTD
Collect Life’s Random Inputs
Define the work to be done
Organize tasks for efficiency

20. GTD
Collect Life’s Random Inputs
Define the work to be done
Organize tasks for efficiency
Do Stuff

23. Driving
Listening to
Podcast
Mmmm...
Donut.

24. Driving Gasoline?
Gara
Schoolbus...
Po
Mmmm...
Donut.

25. Driving
Garage Doo
Gasoline? Police
Mmmm... Sta
Donut.

26. Driving
Traf
Garage Door?
Police ahead
Mmmm...
Standup
Donut.
Lat

27. Driving Garage Door?
Traffic! La
Police ahead
me
Standup?
Mmmm...
Donut.
Gasol

28. Driving Garage Door?
Traffic! La
Police ahead
me
Standup?
Mmmm...

29. Driving Garage Door?
La
Traffic! me
Standup?
Gasoline?
Mmmm...

30. Driving
Garage Door?
Traffic! Mmm
Don
Late for
meeting... Standup?

31. Driving
Garage Door?
Listening to Polic
Podcast
Traffic! Standu
Mmmm...
Donut. Late
meet

32. Driving
Garage Door?
Listening to Polic
Podcast
Standu
Traffic! Late
meet

33. Listening to
Podcast
Garage Door?
Driving
Polic
Late for Standu
meeting...
Traffic!

36. Work
“ extends to
fill the time
allocated
Parkinson’s Law

51. Action

52. Action
Do it right now ( <2min )

53. Action
Do it right now ( <2min )
Delegate it to the right person

54. Action
Do it right now ( <2min )
Delegate it to the right person
Defer it to a better time

55. Action
Do it right now ( <2min )
Delegate it to the right person
Defer it to a better time
Determine place & time to do
it

56. No Action

57. No Action
Store in Reference File

58. No Action
Store in Reference File
Throw it away

59. No Action
Store in Reference File
Throw it away
Someday/Maybe

61. Deposit paycheck
at bank @errands

62. Renew Car
Registration

63. Renew Car
Registration
1.Lookup process/price of registration
@computer

64. Renew Car
Registration
1.Lookup process/price of registration
@computer
2.Lookup echeck location @computer

65. Renew Car
Registration
1.Lookup process/price of registration
@computer
2.Lookup echeck location @computer
3.Take car for echeck @errands

66. Renew Car
Registration
1.Lookup process/price of registration
@computer
2.Lookup echeck location @computer
3.Take car for echeck @errands
4.Get cash from ATM @errands

67. Renew Car
Registration
1.Lookup process/price of registration
@computer
2.Lookup echeck location @computer
3.Take car for echeck @errands
4.Get cash from ATM @errands
5.Go to DMV @errands

68. @offic

69. REA

70. REA

73. Fancy
Anniversary
Dinner

74. Purpose

75. Envision
Outcome

76. Brainstorm

77. Organize

78. Identify Next
Actions

85. GTD

86. GTD
Collect Life’s Random Inputs

87. GTD
Collect Life’s Random Inputs
Define the work to be done

88. GTD
Collect Life’s Random Inputs
Define the work to be done
Organize tasks for efficiency

89. GTD
Collect Life’s Random Inputs
Define the work to be done
Organize tasks for efficiency
Do Stuff

90. Q&A

91. Mac Windows Web
eProductivity
Omnifocus VitaList
(Lotus Notes)
Things Outlook ToodleDo
The Hit List FusionDesk NirvanaHQ
SmartyTask

92. Thank
@JoshWalsh
MadeForPeople.n