When I did a critique of GTD a few weeks back and asked my readers to contribute their thoughts, many of you complained about the complexity of the system itself and/or the difficulties in implementing it into their workflow. There are a number of examples out there of how GTD has been simplified (Zen To Done being a prime one). However do such approaches really simplify the system or do they actually just strip chunks out of it? Are there parts of the GTD workflow that can be pruned or is it already lean and trim? Please share your thoughts! I look forward to incorporating them into a future post where I will take a deep look into simplifying GTD and whether it really can be done without losing the fundamental building blocks that make it so effective. Over to you!
Ask The Readers: Can GTD Be Simplified?
April 23, 2008 Ask The Readers
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April 23, 2008 at 07:30PM
I think any system has to be personalized. A lot of the GTD contexts mean nothing to me. Almost everything I do is @computer. Luckily, at least work wise, I have very little paperwork so I don’t need any folders.
I’ve managed to dwindle it down to my personal needs. For everyday things, I keep two separate lists, one for personal items and one for work items. Both lists have a “to do” (which I try to be disciplined and keep as actions) and a “waiting for” section. I keep a separate written work list of high level ideas. I keep several Google notes lists of someday/maybe lists for personal things.
The same goes for recurring tasks. Outlook at work is good for setting up reminders of recurring work tasks and Google calendar for recurring personal tasks and reminders.
I carry a small jotter and pen everywhere to jot down anything that comes to mind at the spur of the moment when I’m away from my working lists (my ubiquitous capture device). Stuff from the jotter then gets filed onto the right list.
My home isn’t completely organized, but there is an action pile for bills and other things that need to get done. Again luckily, I don’t have too many bills that necessitate a tickler file. I simply put them in a pile by the computer and flip through them every couple of days to find upcoming due dates.
For me the more freedom, the less resistance. I use general GTD principles, but my own system is to manage everything.
April 23, 2008 at 08:42PM
Oh come on… a list of projects you are working on, a list of things you need to do (organized by context), a list of things you are waiting for. It’s not complicated. However, let’s try this new online application to give me a level of control and granularity (man, I love that word) that will allow me to micromanage for hours on end and never do anything… oh it’s all too complicated. I’d better stop, find a better system, never actually do anything… man this GTD sucks!
April 24, 2008 at 01:02AM
Yeah, I think people over-analyze it as well. The principles of GTD are great. For me anyway there are two main principles – get stuff out of my head and into a trusted source and be able to capture ideas anywhere.
April 24, 2008 at 09:44AM
Sure, GTD is very often made more complicated by people over-analyzing it or using it to track everything. But that isn’t necessarily what I am referring to with this question (though you do make a very good point). I’m talking about features like contexts (there are a lot of people who disagree with them), the vertical map and the actual GTD workflow (inbox, two minute rule…). As Matt said, it can be broken right down into two main principles but does that mean all the other principles are fluff?
April 24, 2008 at 11:24AM
I see. Well I use the workflow to process my inputs and find that I can’t simplify stages of this. I find contexts redundant other than putting things I need to buy on a traditional shopping list. I don’t use the two minute rule pure and simple. As far as the vertical map goes I don’t use actual horizons of focus as laid out in GTD, however I do have my own way of laying out my longer term vision. Without some way of looking at this longer term vision I think GTD will just overwhelm you doing hundreds of unfocused tasks (which it’s great at) without a guide to what is actually important. So vertical map or something similar is needed and stripping this out would just be asking for trouble. I stopped using the someday/maybe list as it got far to long and unfocused. Now it’s either a project to do now, scheduled for a specific date or deleted.
April 25, 2008 at 03:26AM
I think this is a good question. I believe I kept all the principles of GTD in tact, so the answer is that yes, it’s possible. One question I’d like to see you write about is whether some of Allen’s principles can be simplified or eliminated. For example, process and organize can be merged – they’re never disconnected in reality. Tiny example, though.
Finally, thanks very much for the link!
April 25, 2008 at 03:30AM
The habits of GTD are difficult to form and that should be a red flag. We can’t blame Allen for the general human difficulty of forming new habits – that’s an ongoing issue. But I’d love to see an analysis of how we might apply structuring our environments to make it easier to do the right thing. One example is emptying daily our inboxes. Thoughts?
FYI I attempted a list of GTD habits here.
April 26, 2008 at 02:48PM
Firstly, thanks for the link!
In regards to your question about whether such approaches simplify or just take bits out of GTD, I don’t think it matters whether chunks are missing, merged or over-used.
In order for a system to be effective it has to be simple and easy. No one will use an overly complicated system as it’ll be ineffective and we’ll give up with it.
As long as you’re happy and you can get along with whatever method you’ve chosen, does it really matter how you go about it?