GTD Dictionary: Organization

April 11th 2007

GTD Dictionary

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Organization:

Something that has been made into an ordered whole
An organized structure for arranging or classifying
Orderliness by virtue of being methodical and well organized

GTD allows for you to organize your thoughts into actionable projects and encourages you to get everything off your mind. The mind is not an organizing tool, you can’t rely on it to remind you about things when you need it to, it doesn’t neatly put everything into neat little compartments; you need a system that takes all this content out of your mind and organizes it for you, whether it be on paper or on a laptop.

The system needs to be quick and simple to use. There is no motivation to use something that is a burden. You want to be able to take it out and write down your thoughts in seconds (yes, seconds!). If you have to wait for something to boot up, go through loads of menus to get where you want or flick through hundreds of pieces of paper then the system will fail.

Likewise, the system needs to be accessible. Thoughts can occur at any time. If you are walking down the street or sat in a cafe how are you going to make notes if your system is so cumbersome you had to leave it at home? Similarly it should not be overly reliant on technology.