Getting Things Done (GTD) - Todoist

Getting Things Done, or GTD for short, is a popular task management system created by productivity consultant David Allen. The methodology is based on a ... GettingThingsDone(GTD)SystematizetheclutterinyourbrainandgetthingsdoneTags:Highcommitment,Popular,TaskmanagementIntroductionWhatisGTD?AbriefoverviewCaptureClarifyOrganizeEngageReviewIntroductionWhatisGTD?AbriefoverviewCaptureClarifyOrganizeEngageReviewTakethequizGettingThingsDone,orGTDforshort,isapopulartaskmanagementsystemcreatedbyproductivityconsultant DavidAllen.Themethodologyisbasedonasimpletruth:Themoreinformationbouncingaroundinsideyourhead,theharderitistodecidewhatneedsattention.Asaresult,youspendmoretimethinkingaboutyourtasksthanactuallydoingthem.Wheninformationpilesupinyourhead,itleadstostress,overwhelm,anduncertainty.Allenobservedthatourbrainsaremuchbetteratprocessinginformationthanstoringit("yourhead'sacrappyoffice").HisGTDmethodlaysouthowtodumpallyourmentalclutterintoanexternalsystemandthenorganizeitsoyoucanfocusontherightthingsattherighttimes.WhenyourGTDworkflowissetupright,you’llbeabletoconfidentlyanswer“whatshouldIbeworkingon?”atanygivenmomentwithoutworryingthatyoumightforgetsomethingimportantyouneedtodolater.TryGTDifyou...FeeloverwhelmedbytheamountofthingsyouneedtokeeptrackofWorryaboutforgettingsmalldetailsWearlotsofhatsinyourjobandlifeStartslotsofprojectsbuthavetroublefinishingthemHaveneverGTD'dbefore(everyoneshouldGTDatleastonceintheirlives)ThisguidewillintroduceyoutoGTDprinciplesandworkflows,andwhatwethinkisthemostintuitivewaytoimplementthem.We'llbefocusingonhowtoGTDwithTodoist,butthesameprinciplesapplynomatterwhatappyouuse.ThekeytoGTDisn’tthespecifictoolsyouchoosebutratherthehabitsyouemployonadailybasistothinkaboutandprioritizeyourwork.RecommendedreadingIfyou'recompletelynewtoGTD,wehighlyrecommendreadingAllen'sbestsellingbook,GettingThingsDone,and,ifyou’reaTodoistuser,buyingtheofficialGTDTodoistSetupGuideforamorecompleteoverviewofsettingupyourGTDsystemwithTodoist. WhatisGTD?AbriefoverviewTheGTDmethodismadeupoffivesimplepracticestosystematizetheclutterinyourbrainandgetthingsdone:CaptureEverything:Captureanythingthatcrossesyourmind.Nothingistoobigorsmall!Theseitemsgodirectlyintoyourinboxes.Clarify:Processwhatyou’vecapturedinto clearandconcreteactionsteps.Decideifanitemisaproject,nextaction,orreference.Organize:Puteverythingintotherightplace.Adddatestoyourcalendar,delegateprojectstootherpeople,fileawayreferencematerial,andsortyourtasks.Review:Frequentlylookover,update,andreviseyourlists.Engage:Gettoworkontheimportantstuff.WhileGTDrequiresanupfrontinvestmentintimeandenergytosetup,itpaysoffwithconsistentuse.You’llnolongerworryaboutforgettingadeadlineormissinganimportanttask.Instead,you’llbeabletorespondtoincominginformationcalmlyandprioritizeyourtimeconfidently.Someveryspecificbutseeminglymundanebehaviors,whenapplied,producethecapacitytoexistinakindofsophisticatedspontaneity,which,inmyexperience,isakeyelementtoasuccessfullife.—DavidAllenThoughthebasisofGTDarethesefivesimplesteps,they’renotalwayseasytoexecute.GTDdoesn’trequireaspecifictool,app,orproduct.Allendoesn’tevenmakeacasefordigitaloveranalogsystems.Ratherthekeytoanylastingproductivitysystemistokeepitassimpleaspossibleandtouseitasoftenaspossible.Yourtoolshouldbeversatileenoughtohandleyourmostcomplexprojectsyetsimpleenoughtomaintainwhenyou’relowonenergy.TherestofthisarticlewillcoverthespecificsofeachofthefiveGTDpracticesaboveandwalkyouthroughhowimplementthemwithTodoist.But,again,thesameprinciplesshouldapplynomatterwhattoolyouuse.CaptureForGTDtowork,youmuststopstoringinformationinyourbrain.Anythingthatcrossesyourmind—to-dos,events,ideas,bookrecommendations,etc—mustbecapturedandstoredimmediatelyinaninbox.InGTDaninbox,beitphysicalordigital,isavisualrepresentationofalltheinputsyouneedtosomehowdealwithonadailybasis.Yourinboxisonlyusedtocollectthechaosofyourthoughtsinordertogetthemoffyourmind.Thisisnottheplaceortimetoworryaboutorganization.InTodoist,yourinboxwillactasthedefaultplacetoholdallyourinputsuntilyouhaveachancetoorganizethem.ToaddanewtasktoyourInboxinthewebordesktopapps,clicktheplussignintherightcornerorsimplypress“q.”ThetaskwillbeaddedtotheInboxbydefaultunlessyouotherwisespecifyaproject.DoaninitialmindsweepIfyou’rejuststartingoutwithGTD,doafullmindsweepofallthe"openloops"youcanthinkof—anythingyoumightneedtotakeactiononinthefuture.AddthemastaskstoyourTodoistInboxnow.ConsulttheGTD triggerlisttohelpjogyourmemoryforcommitmentsyoumayhaveforgotten.CapturenewtasksrightawayOneofthecoretenetsofGTDistogettasksoutofyourheadandintoyourexternalsystemthemomenttheycometoyou.Todoistsyncsacrossplatforms—computer,phone,webbrowser,emailclient,smartwatch,orsmarthomeassistant—soyoucanentertasksanytime,fromanywhere.Wheneveranewtaskcomestomind,makeitahabittoimmediatelyaddittoyourInboxandworryaboutorganizingitlater.Tocapturetasksasquicklyaspossiblewhereveryouare,werecommendinstallingTodoistoryourappofchoice:AsanapponyourcomputerAsanapponyourphoneAsextensionforthewebbrowseryouuse(foraddingwebsitesastasks)Asapluginfortheemailclientyouuse(foraddingemailsastasks)BrowseanddownloadtheTodoistappsConsolidateyourinboxesYoucanuseTodoisttoconsolidateyourotherinboxes—fromemailsyouneedtofollowupon,tomessagesyouneedtotakeactionon,toarticlestoread,togrocerylists,toreferencematerialsyousaveforlater.Thefewerinboxesyouhavetocheckforopenloops,theeasieryoursystemwillbetomaintain.SenditemstoTodoistfromyouremailorteammessagingtool:UseTodoist'spluginsforGmailandOutlooktoquicklyaddemailsastasksForwardemailsdirectlytoyourTodoistinboxusingyourprojectforwardingaddress.TurnmessagesintotasksfromyourteammessagingtoolslikeTwistorSlack.Capturereading&referencematerial:Takephotosofbusinesscardsoreventremindersandattachthemtotherelevanttask’scomments.AttachfilesfromDropbox,GoogleDrive,oryourcomputertoanytasktoreadorworkonlater.ConnectareadingapplikePocketwithTodoistviaourIFTTTintegrationandhaveaTodoisttaskautomaticallycreatedeverytimeyouaddanarticletoPocket.DownloadTodoistforChrome,Safari,orFirefoxtosaveanyurltoaccesslater.UsetheTodoistshareextensionsonAndroidoriOStosharepagesfrommobileappsastasks.Attachreferencematerials–photos,documents,links,notes,orevenaudiofiles–totherelevanttasks.DivedeeperFormorewaystocaptureallyour"openloops",checkout11FastWaystoGetTasksOffYourMindandIntoYourTodoist. ClarifyNowthatyourinboxisfull,thenextstepistotransformthechaoticclutterofeverythingyou’vecapturedintoconcreteactionsteps.Gothrougheachiteminyourinbox,anddooneofthefollowing(therearemorespecificsonhowtodoeachstepinthenextsection):Iftheitemwilltakelessthan2minutes,completeitrightaway.Ifitcanbedelegated,assignthetasktosomeoneelse.Ifit'sanon-actionablereferenceitem(eg,afile,document,article,contactinformationetc.)thatyou'llneedtocomebacktolater,fileitawayinaseparatereferenceprojectorattachittothecommentsoftherelevanttaskorproject.Iftheitemneedstobedoneataspecificdateand/ortime,givethetaskaduedate.Ifthetaskisnolongerneededoractionable,deleteit.Ifataskrequiresmorethanonestep,createaprojecttohousealloftheitemsassociatedwithitandidentifytheonenextactionyoucantaketomovetheprojectforward.Makeyourtasksasspecificandactionableaspossible.Addasmuchinformationasyoucantosaveyoutimepuzzlingoveritlater.Forexample,“CallMom”mayactuallyneedtobeenteredas“CallMomtodiscussbirthdaydinner.”Or,"Taxes"couldbe"CallMarytodiscusstaxdocuments"withMary'sphonenumberandalistofthespecificdocumentsattachedinthetask’scomments(moreontaskcommentslater).Makeyourtasksasspecificandactionableaspossible.OrganizeOnceyou’veclarifiedaniteminyourinbox,it’stimetosortitintotheappropriateplace.Inreality,clarifyingandorganizingyourtaskswillhappenintandemasyoucleanoutyourinbox,butit'shelpfultothinkaboutthemasseparateactions.TherearemanydifferentwaystoorganizeyourtaskswiththeGTDmethodology,butwerecommendusingacombinationofprojectsandlabels.One-offtasksThesearetasksthattakelongerthan2minutesbutonlyrequireonestep.Forexample,"replytoJosh'semailaboutprojectpricing"or"renewcartabs".Youdon'twantthemclutteringupyourinbox,buttheyalsodon'tbelonginanyotherproject.CreateanewTodoistprojectforone-offtasksCreateanewprojectcalledOne-OffTasks.Draganddropyourone-steptasksfromtheinboxtothisprojectbyclickingonthegrey"handle"totheleftofthetasknameanddraggingittotheprojectnameintheleft-handmenu.Youcanalsodesignateadifferentprojectbytyping"#"intothetaskfieldtopullupalistofallyourprojects.Selectyourprojectfromthelistorkeeptypingtheprojectnametonarrowdowntheresults.Usethe#shortcuttoselectaprojectProjectsYou’llfindthatmanyofthetasksyouwrotedownareactuallyprojects.IntheGTDphilosophy,projectsareanyitemthatrequiresmorethantwostepstocomplete.Forexample,"paintthebedroom"isaprojectbecauseitincludesothertaskslikegettingpaintsamples,pickingacolor,buyingsupplies,preppingwalls,etc.Here'showtohandleprojectsinTodoist:Createanewprojectforeachmulti-stepprojectyouidentifiedasyouwereclarifyingyourtasks.DraganddroptheassociatedtasksfromyourInboxtotheappropriateproject.Orclickonataskandtype"#"intothetaskfieldtopullupalistofyourprojectstochoosefrom.Asyouthinkofothersteps,addthemasnewtasksinsidetheprojects.Createaprojectforanyitemthattakes2ormorestepstocompleteAreasoffocusItmaybehelpfultogroupyourprojectsbasedonyour"AreasofFocus"—theGTDtermforthevariousareasofresponsibilityyouhaveinyourlife.Theseareasareatooltodrawattentiontoyourbroaderlifegoalswhiledecidingwhattoworkonnext.Ifataskdoesnotfitwithinthescopeofanyofyourareasoffocus,itmaybetimetoreassessifit'ssomethingyouwanttospendyourtimeon.Oryoumayjustwanttoseparateyourprojectsbetween"Work"and"Personal".YoucaneasilyaccomplishthisinTodoistusingsub-projects.Here'show:Createaprojectforeachareaoffocus.Thisprojectwon’thaveanytasksinit,it’sjustforvisualorganization.Clickonthegreyhandletotheleftoftheprojectnameanddragandindentyouractualprojectsunderneaththehigh-level“Folders”youjustcreatedtoturnthemintosub-projects.(Optional)Tocreateevenmorevisualseparationbetweenyourareasoffocus,assignadifferentprojectcolorforeacharea.Nestlesub-projectsundereachAreaofFocusNowyou’llbeabletokeepyourprojectlistcleanbycollapsingyoursub-projectsunderneaththeparentproject.Forexample,whileyou'reatwork,youcankeepyourworkprojectsinviewwhileyourpersonalprojectsarehiddenandviceversa.Tokeepthingssimple,finishsettingupyourGTDsystemfirsttogetasenseofyourworkflow.Ifneeded,comebackandorganizeyourprojectsintobroadercategorieslater.NextactionsThesearetaskswithaclear,concreteactionyou’lldoatthenextopportunity(e.g."EmailJamesthebudgetforofficeparty").Nextactionsareseparatefromfutureactions—stepsyou'lltakeeventuallybutdonotneedyourfocusrightnow.Identifythenextactionforeachprojectbytaggingitwiththelabel"@next". Toaddalabel,simplytype"@"intothetaskfieldandstarttypingthetaskname.Createanew@nextlabelSeeallyourtaskslabeled@nextTaskswithaduedateand/ortimeForitemsthatmustbecompletedataspecificdateand/ortime,schedulethem.Butbewarned:GTDcautionsagainstover-relianceonduedates.Onlyaddthemtothetasksthatreallyhavetobedoneonagivendateandtime.Foreverythingelse,trustyournextactionsandaregularweeklyreviewofallyourtasklists(moreonthatlater).Whileeditingatask,youcanclickontheSchedulefieldandselectadateandtimefromthecalendar.Orsimplytypetheduedateand/ortimeintothetaskfieldusingnaturallanguage,forexample,nextMondayat8am. ThesmartQuickAddwillautomaticallyrecognizeandhighlighttheduedateandadditwhenyousavethetask.YoucaneventypeinrecurringduedateslikeeveryotherWednesdayfortasksthatrepeatonaregularbasis.Typeaduedateintothetaskfieldusingnaturallanguagelike"Friday"YoucanmoveitemswithduedatesfromtheinboxtotherelevantprojectortotheOne-OffTasks projectiftheyaren'tassociatedwithamulti-stepproject.TodoistTipSyncyourTodoistwithGoogleCalendarsothatcalendareventsappearinTodoistastasksandscheduledTodoisttasksappearinyourGoogleCalendarasevents. SeeyourTodoisttasksinyourGoogleCalendarandyourGoogleCalendareventsinTodoist.AgendasSomeoftheitemsyoucaptureinyourinboxwillberemindersofthingsyouwanttobringupwithsomeoneelseratherthannextactions.Tokeeptrackoftheseagendaitems:CreateanewprojectcalledAgendas.Createanewsub-projectunderneathAgendasforeachpersonyouneedtotouchbasewithonaregularbasis.Forexample,yourbossandanydirectreports.Youmayalsowanttocreatesub-projectsforeachregularteamorprojectmeetingyouhave.Forexample,MarketingWeekly.Addtheitemsyouneedtobringupastasksintherelevantagendasub-project.Whenyoumeetwiththatpersonorcometothemeeting,pulluptherelevantprojecttoseealistofalloftheitemsyouneedtocover.(Optional)Shareyouragendaprojectswiththerelevantpeoplesoeveryonecansee,add,andevenassignitemstodiscuss.Createsub-projectsunderneathamasterAgendasprojectforeachregularmeetingyouhaveReferencematerialsReferencematerialsarenon-actionableitemsthatyouneedtosave(e.g.,taxdocuments,readingmaterial,spreadsheets,Worddocs,phonenumbers,etc).Whiletheyaren'ttasksthemselves,they’reoftenneededtocompleteatasklater.YoucanorganizethesekindsofsupportingreferencematerialsinTodoistbyattachingthemtotherelevanttaskorprojectcomments:Task-specificreferencematerialscanbeattachedtotherelevanttask'scomments.Attachtask-specificreferencematerialstotaskcomments.Higher-levelprojectmaterials(designspecs,drafts,sharedfolders)canbeattachedorlinkedtointheprojectcomments.Saveproject-levelreferencematerialsinprojectcommentsThisway,whenyou'rereadytostartthetaskorproject,you'llhavealloftheinformationyouneedcloseathand.You'lllikelyalsohavereferencematerialsthataren'tassociatedwithaspecifictaskorproject.Forexample,anarticleyousavedfromthewebforlater,afilewithimportantinformation,oragiftideaforyourpartner'snextbirthday.Manypeopleliketouseaseparatenotesapptoorganizetheirreferencematerials,butyoucanalsokeeptrackofsomeoralloftheminTodoist.Here'show:CreateanewReferenceprojectCreatenewsub-projectsunderneaththeReferenceprojectforeachtypeofreferencelist.Forexample,GiftIdeas, Birthdays,ContactInformation,Recipes, etc.MoveyourreferencematerialtaskstotheappropriateprojectbydragginganddroppingthemfromyourInbox.OrselectanewprojectviaQuickAddbyclickingtoeditthetaskandtyping"#"intothetaskfieldfollowedbytheprojectname.Tocollapseyourreferencesub-projects,clickonthegreyarrowtotheleftofyourReference parentproject.Thishelpsremovevisualclutterfromyourlist.CreatenewprojectsfordifferenttypesofreferencematerialsWaitingforTheseareitemsthathavebeendelegatedorareawaitingactionbysomeoneelse.Forexample,ifyouneedtofinishwritingablogpostbutarewaitingonyoureditortogetyoufeedbackonyourlastdraft.Identifythesetasksbytaggingthemwiththelabel"@waiting_for".Keep@waiting_fortasksorganizedinsidetheprojectstheirrelatedto,orinsidetheOne-OffTasksprojectifthey'reunrelatedtoothertasks.Labeltasksyourwaitingonsomethingtocompletewithan@waiting_forlabelSomeday/maybeManyitemsthatyoucapturewillbeideasforthingsyouwanttodointhefuture,butdon'thavethebandwidthtoworkonnow(e.g.placesyoumaywanttotravel,bookstoread,newprojectsyoumaywanttotry,ideasforblogposts,etc.).Youwanttobeabletoreviewtheselater,butyoudon'twantthemgummingupyoursystemnow.CreateanewSomeday/MaybeprojectAddallofthetasksand/oryouwanttodointhefuture,butaren'tactivelyworkingonthere(Optional)Addsub-projectsforspecifictypesof"Someday/Maybe"tasks.Forexample, youmaywanttoseparateSomeday/Maybe—PersonalandSomeday/Maybe—Work projectsReviewyoursomeday/maybeprojectswhentimeandenergyopenuptotakeonnewworkCreateaSomeday/MaybeprojecttohouseyourideasforthefutureTasksthatcanbedelegatedIfyoucandelegateatasktofreeupyourowntimeandenergy,youshould.InTodoistyoucanshareprojectswithpeople,assignthemtaskswithduedates,andcollaborateincomments.ShareprojectsandassigntaskstothepeopleyoucollaboratewithYoursharingsetupwillbedifferentdependingonyourcircumstances.Hereare3waysyoucouldsetitup:Createaseparatesharedprojectforeachpersonyoucollaboratewith(youcouldevenreuseyourAgendassub-projectsforthispurpose)Createasinglesharedprojectwithyourwholeteam(ifyouhave,you'llhaveanadditionalTeamInboxthatthewholeteamisautomaticallyaddedto)Shareexistingprojectsthatinvolveheavycollaboration adhocOryoucoulduseacombinationofallthreeapproaches.QuickTip:Youcansearchforallofthetasksyou'vedelegatedusingthequery"assignedby:me".It'sahandylisttoreferenceduringyourweeklyreview.ContextsWithyourprojectlistsinplaceandyourtaskssorted,you'renowreadytotacklecontexts.InGTD,contextsidentifytools,places,orpeoplethatyourequiretocompleteagiventask.Inotherwords,contextsallowyoutofocusonwhatyoucanactuallygetcompletedgivenyourcurrentcircumstances.Forexample,ifyouareatyouroffice,youdon’twanttowastetimesortingoutallthenextactionsyouhaveathome.Followingtheprojectapproachwelaidoutabove,theeasiestwaytoaddcontextsiswithlabels.GTDrecommendsthefollowingcontexts:Computer/internetHomeOfficeErrandsCallsAnywhereYoucanalsoaddothersthatwillhelpyousortyourtasksquicklybasedonyourcurrentcontext.SomepeopleliketoaddanEmailcontextsotheycantakecareofalltheiremailsatonce.Othersaddlabelsfortheamountoftimeataskmighttake.Forexample,ifyouhavejust15minutesbeforeyournextmeeting,it'shelpfultobeabletoidentifyallthetasksyoucoulddoquicklywithan@15_minlabel.Formostpeople,it'smoreusefultocreatean"Offline"labelratherthanan"Internet"onefortasksyoucandowhenyoudon'thaveaninternetconnection.CreatelabelsforeachcontextIt’stemptingtogooverboardandstartcreatinglabelsforeverything—resistthetemptation.ForyourGTDsystemtowork,youneedtobuildahabitofaddingthecorrectlabelstoeachandeverytask.Thefewerlabelsyouhavetochoosefrom,theeasieritwillbetoremember.Toaddalabel,gotothelabelssectionofyourleft-handmenuandtapthe“+”button.Youcanalsoaddalabelwhileeditingoraddingataskbytyping@intothetaskfield.Allyourexistinglabelswillappearinadropdownmenuandtheresultswillnarrowdownasyoucontinuetypingthetaskname.Andifthelabelyouwantdoesn'texistyet,you'llhavetheoptiontocreateanewonetoaddtoyourlist.EngageHereiswherethetimespentclarifyingandorganizingyourtaskspaysoff.Yoursystemisnowfullofconcrete,actionableitemsorganizedintologicalcategories,readyforyoutojumpin.You’llseethatallofthelabels,projects,andduedatesaddedinthestepsabovehelpyouquicklyanswerthequestion“WhatshouldIbedoingrightnow?”atanygivenmoment.Thetimespentclarifyingandorganizingyourtasksmeansthatwhenit'stimetoengagewithwork,youhavefewerchoicestomakeandfewerreferencematerialstofind.Todecidewhattodonext,youcanseeupcomingtaskswithduedate,sorttasksbylabel,orcreatefilterstoseeyournextactionsbasedoncontext.TodayandUpcomingviewsWhenyou'rereadytositdowntowork,clickonTodayintheleft-handnavigationmenutoseeanytasksthatyoumustcompletetoday.OpenUpcomingtoseewhat'scomingdownthepipelinethisweekandanyweekinthefuture.SeewhichtasksyouneedtogetdonetodayUseUpcomingviewtovisualizeandplantheweekahead.ViewNextActionsandContextsvialabelToviewafulllistofnextactionsacrossallyourprojects,type"@next"intotheQuickFindbaratthetopofyourTodoist.SearchforalabeltoviewalloftheassociatedtasksSeeallyournextactionsfilteredbyareaofresponsibilityYoucanalsoquicklysortyourtasksbycontextbyselectingagivenlabeltoseealltheassociatedtasks.Forexample,ifyousearchfor@errands,you'llseealistoftaskswiththe@errandslabelthatcanbecompletedwhileyou'realreadyoutandabout.Toseealistofallthetasksyou'rewaitingonsomethingtocomplete,searchforthelabel@waiting_for.Youcanalsoviewallthetaskstaggedwithaspecificlabelbyclickingonthelabel'snameinthelabellisttotheleftofyourTodoist.CreatemorecustomtaskviewswithfiltersTherealGTDmagichappenswhenyoucreateyourowncustomtaskviewsinTodoistusing filters.Filtersareessentiallysavedsearchesthatsortyourlistwithoneclick.Youcanusefilterstosearchfortasksbasedon:DuedateLabelPriorityProjectDateataskwascreatedAssigneeKeywordsOracombinationofsomeoralloftheaboveTosetupanewfilter,gototheFilterlistatthebottomofyourleft-handnavigationmenu(afterProjectsandLabels),thenclickAddfilteratthebottomofthelist.Giveyourfilteranameandaddthesearchqueryyouwanttosee.SetupcustomfilterstoviewyournextactionsbyAreaofFocusSeeallyournextactionsfilteredbyareaofresponsibilityForGTD,themostrelevantlabelswilllikelycombine"@next_action"withanareaoffocusoracontext.Forexample,tosetupafilterforallthenextactionsyoucandoatwork,usethequery"##Work&@next_action".ThiswillshowalltasksinyourWorkprojectandassociatedsub-projectsthatalsohavethe@next_actionlabel.Orcreateafilterfornextactionsthatcanbefinishedattheofficeusethequery"@next_action&@office".Themostusefultaskviewswilldependonyourspecificneeds,butthesearesomeofthemostcommonusefulones:FilterQueryShowsyoualistof:@next_actions&today Allnextactionsandalltasksduetodayacrossallofyourprojects @next_actions#Work AllnextactionsinyourWorkprojectandallofyourworksub-projects @next_actions&@Home Allyournextactionsyoucandoathomeacrossallofyourprojects @waiting_for Alltasksyou'rewaitingonsomethingtocompleteacrossallyourprojects @email Alltasksthatinvolveemailingsomeonesoyoucancompletethemallatonceandminimizethetimeyouspendinyouremail Addyourmostimportanttaskviewstoyourfavoritessothattheyappearatthetopofyourleft-handnavigationmenuaboveyourProjectslist.Simplyright-clickthefilter,label,orprojectandselect“AddtoFavorites”.Thefilterwillthenshowupinyournavigationpanel.ReviewEachweek,setasidetimetolookoverallyourlists,organizeyourtasksandkeepyoursystemrunningsmoothly.Thereviewhelpsyouadapttochanges,refocusyourattention,identifynextactions,andreflectonyourworkflow.DavidAllenhascalledthisweeklyreviewa"criticalfactorforsuccess"becausefrequentreviewofyoursystemwillensurethatyouaren’tjustdoingthings,butthatyouaredoingtherightthings.Togetstarted,import Todoist’sGTDWeeklyReviewtemplate intoyourprojectslist.Thistemplateincludesallofthestepsyou’llneedtocompleteyourrevieweachweek.Customizethetemplatebyaddingsub-tasksortaskcommentstoholdthelistsofallyourinboxes,yourcurrentareasoffocus,ortotrackreflectionsonyourweek.ImporttheGTDWeeklyReviewtemplateintoyourTodoistScheduleyourweeklyreviewbysettinguparecurringdateinanytaskfield.Simplyenteryourdateasnaturallanguage,like“everySundayat5pm,”andTodoistwillautomaticallyrecognizeandscheduleitwhenyousavethetask.WhattoreadnextTheweeklyreviewisapowerfulproductivityritualregardlessofwhetheryouGTDornot,sowewroteastandaloneguideforhowtorunyourweeklyreview. There'sareasonwhymillionsofpeoplearoundtheworldswearthatGettingThingsDonechangedtheirlives.WhilestrictGTDisn'tforeveryone,you'reboundtopickupahabitortwothatwillhelpyouworrylessanddomore.Everyoneinterestedinbeinglessstressedandmoreproductiveshouldtryitatleastonce.GiveitashotandseewhichaspectsofGTDworkforyou!LauraScroggsLauraisafreelancewriter,PhDcandidate,andpugmomlivinginMinneapolis,MN. FindmoreproductivitymethodsExploreonyourownNotsurewhichmethodtostartwith?Getapersonalizedrecommendationbasedyourpreferencesandgoals.TakethequizSystemistFollowTodoist'sfounder'spersonalproductivitysystemObjectives&KeyResults(OKRs)Setrigorousgoalsthatalignbig-pictureprioritieswithday-to-dayactionsWantmorein-depthproductivityadvice?EmailGetourAmbition&Balancenewsletterdelivered.Youdon‘tneedato-dolistapp.Buttherightonehelps.Todoistissimpletouseyetflexibleenoughtofitwhicheverworkflowyousettleon.TryTodoist