The Gateway to Stress-Free Productivity: Getting Things Done

The 5-step process of implementing GTD in your work

The Getting Things Done (GDT) method relies on different lists to systemize all the thoughts and ideas in your brain. It makes use of 5 simple steps that allow you to catalog your tasks, prioritize what’s important, and ensure consistent performance.

Here’s a brief overview of each step.

1.  Capture

The first step is simply writing down whatever comes to your mind. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? Be it about your project or anything else going on in your life, whatever thought flashes across your brain, needs to go on the list.

You don’t even have to worry about the format, how and where you’re writing it down, or the chaotic nature of it at all. At this time, your priority should be to simply store the information. The most you’ll need to do in terms of organizing your notes is to create vague categories about whether your thoughts relate to your work life or are personal.

Turning the work of writing your thoughts down into a habit might seem a bit difficult at the start. But it’s not that hard. You could carry a small notebook around or use the notes app on your phone, which you take everywhere. Taking the first step might be a tedious task, but you’ll notice the difference as soon as you start.

2. Clarify

Now that you’re done with the easy part, let’s move on to what drives the GTD method. This quick but essential step is the driving force behind GTD. It’s time to make sense of all the chaos you’ve written down and determine which tasks deserve to be at the top of your priority list. To do this, just ask yourself the following questions about each task to determine what exactly you need to do:

• Is it actionable? – This is the fancy way of asking whether you can do something about the thing you’ve written down. If nothing can be done, then it doesn’t need your attention today. Depending on what you’ve written, you can take one of two actions: delete it if it’s absolutely useless or store it somewhere for future reference. If the task is actionable, then GTD requires you to break it down and see how many steps it requires. This way, you’ll be able to distinguish between small tasks and multiple-step projects that need to be handled separately.
• How long will it take to complete? – It’s understandable if you’re struggling with a task that can take hours to complete. Not everyone can concentrate and remain productive for hours on end. But if it’s something you can do in 2 mins, then you should stop procrastinating and get it done immediately. The burden of increasing your to-do list with small inconsequential tasks is simply not worth the hassle. These small tasks generally include things like replying to a quick email, forwarding relevant data, checking the progress of something, or sending something personal like a birthday wish.
• Can I delegate it to someone else? – Delegating a task to someone else is one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself. You can move a delegatable task to a separate list to keep tabs on it. Assign a due date, make notes, and document the person you are delegating the task to in order to stay on top of things. For tasks that can’t be delegated, the next logical step is to organize them according to priority.

3. Organize

The next step is to put things where they belong. Generally, this step takes place simultaneously with its predecessor, but treating it as separate will help you understand what needs to be done.

The GTD method doesn’t specify how you must characterize and organize your tasks. The categories and labels you use depend on your preferences and applications. Just remember that anything requiring multiple steps will be a project, and every task must take more than 2 minutes to complete. Anything that will take less time than that needs to be done right away.

4. Review

Another important step for effective implementation of the Getting Things Done method is the weekly review. Your tasks, priorities, and focus are not set in stone. They are constantly shifting, and a weekly review allows you to keep your lists up-to-date.

Starting with the GTD method can involve some effort on your part. A weekly review allows you to quickly make changes as required. After all, capturing and organizing 15 tasks is a lot simpler than dealing with 150. Without regular reviews, GTD will have the opposite effect to the one envisioned on your productivity. You might even end up slipping without regular reviews.

5 – Engage

The final step is to start working on things that are on your plate. The Getting Things Done method allows you to create a perfect system that you can rely on. Simply focus on your work and keep going back to the previous steps to maintain peak productivity and progress toward your goals.

5 popular tools that work well with the GTD technique

The best thing about the GTD method is its versatility. You don’t need any elaborate tool to get started. A simple notebook will suffice. However, managing a record of many lists and tasks will quickly overwhelm you. A versatile and scalable productivity tool is your best bet if you want to get the most out of the GTD technique.

The following 5 productivity tools support the Getting Things Done method and will help you remain in control of work.

1. Kissflow Project

Kissflow Project is a natural choice for any productivity enthusiast because of its excellent features and intuitive interface. The comprehensive project management suite supports multiple productivity techniques including the GTD method. Its multiple views, Kanban boards, task management capabilities, and tracking features let you create and organize multiple lists separately and stay in control.

Key features and highlights

• Multiple views
• Task organization, and delegation
• Advanced collaborative features
• Project tracking and task management
• Automated reminders
• Advanced reports

Pricing

• Starter ($7/user/month)
• Professional ($12/user/month)
• Enterprise (custom pricing)

2. Todoist

Todoist is a simple app designed to change the way you handle your to-do lists. For GTD, it takes a simplistic approach and allows you to create and organize multiple lists simultaneously. You can add additional details like the due date, and context to your tasks to further simplify work.

Key features and highlights

• Manage multiple lists
• Set reminders, due dates, and delegate tasks
• Automated management of recurring tasks
• Create projects, manage task dependencies, and track progress

Pricing

• Basic (Free)
• Pro ($3/user)
• Business ($5/user)

3. Asana

For implementing the Getting Things Done method in your work, you need a management tool that can record and manage heaps of information and present it intuitively in an organized and easy-to-understand format. Asana can do that for you. It’s a complete management tool that has everything you need to keep your team productive.

Key features and highlights

• Advanced project and task management
• Real-time data and analytics with detailed reports
• Project tracking
• Task delegation, dependency management, and custom workflows
• Pre-made templates for team collaboration

Pricing

• Basic (Free)
• Premium ($10.99/user)
• Business ($24.99/user)

4. Zenkit

Zenkit is another popular project management tool that comes with advanced capabilities to handle projects and workflows for your team. It features a simple interface and separate solutions for project management, task delegation, and team collaboration. Zenkit’s advanced task manager is a great solution for GTD as it allows you to manage multiple lists, add context to tasks, and easily make required changes.

Key features and highlights

• Advanced suites for projects, collaborations, and task management
• Automated reminders
• Manage recurring tasks
• Switch between multiple views

Pricing

Zenkit offers a multi-level price package depending on the service you take. Zenkit’s task management suite (to-do) offers the following price packages:

• Personal (Free)
• Plus ($4/user)
• Business ($19/user)

5. Evernote

Evernote is a popular note-taking tool that allows you to integrate the GTD method seamlessly with its intelligent task management features. You can create multiple lists, add notes, references, reminders, due dates, and context to your tasks on Evernote. It integrates with your calendar and allows you to access everything from any device at any time.

Key features and highlights

• Calendar integration
• Task management
• To-do list
• Cross-platform accessibility
• Notes, annotations, and other contextual items with tasks
• Pre-designed templates for common situations

Pricing

• Basic (Free)
• Personal ($7.99/month)
• Professional ($9.99/month)

Want to take your productivity to the next level? Give Kissflow Project a spin

The Getting Things Done (GTD) method is one of the many productivity enhancement techniques out there. It’s simple, effective, and is a great place to start if you are struggling to juggle different responsibilities and meet your deadlines.

But why stop at GTD only?

The Getting Things Done method is only a start. There are multiple ways to ensure that you and your team are consistently performing at full potential without overwhelming yourselves with stress. The modern fast-paced environment requires you to maintain your competitive advantage by being quick on your feet and make informed decisions.

For that, you need an advanced management tool that’s easy to understand and powerful enough to handle all your ongoing work.

Kissflow Project is a perfect choice as it checks all the boxes when it comes to productivity and collaboration. It has several advanced features that are designed to help a non-project manager with little to no training stay on top of things and maintain effective control.

Kissflow Project offers numerous pre-made templates to help you set up your projects quickly and get started with work. These templates are designed to simplify and consolidate all your functions effectively.

That’s not all, Kissflow Project also comes with an unmatched collaborative interface and the ability to grow with your team. Want to avoid the hassle of outgrowing your existing tools and changing them every few years. Shift to Kissflow Project.

Experience productivity like never before. Get started with Kissflow now!

More Resources

• The Ivy Lee Productivity Method: A Definitive Guide for Better Productivity
• What are some of the productivity killers and how to face them
• The Task Batching Method: A Definitive Guide for Better Productivity
• The Eisenhower Matrix: A Definitive Guide for Better Productivity
• Eat the Frog Method: A Definitive Guide for Better Productivity
• Why Pomodoro technique is the go-to productivity technique in 2022