Use the GTD method to improve efficiency

Preface

In recent years, with the development of work and side projects, the number of tasks to complete each day has been increasing, and a backlog of work has accumulated. My mind is constantly filled with various things, leaving me feeling chaotic. This not only leads to low efficiency but also easily triggers anxiety.

For this reason, I have been constantly searching for suitable project management tools and have also read some related books. However, many methods are complex and difficult to put into practice quickly.

Until I came across the "Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology" while surfing the internet.

What is the GTD Method

GTD stands for Getting Things Done, a productivity methodology first proposed by David Allen in 2001. Allen describes GTD in his book as: "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity."

There is a very insightful statement in the reference materials: Your brain is not meant for storing information. This is because when your mind is cluttered with to-do lists and reminders, there isn't enough mental capacity left for the work that truly needs to be done.

GTD is a very popular time management strategy because its implementation is simple and its effects are powerful. Even if you are not consciously aware, your brain is constantly "working silently" in the background, shuttling back and forth, rearranging your various upcoming to-do items to ensure nothing is missed. Whenever you add a new task to this jumble of items, your brain needs to consider everything on this memo and re-prioritize your work based on the new task.

Quick Practice of GTD

The illustration in Minor Magazine's article is quite good.

If this article merely repeats concepts that have been covered extensively in other articles, it wouldn't be very meaningful.

Many articles start from scratch, but those who wish to try GTD are often overwhelmed by a large number of to-dos.

The first step is to go through all your current tasks. At this point, tasks may only be kept in your mind—start by putting them all into the inbox.

It might not be possible to record everything all at once; that's okay, just continue adding to the inbox whenever you remember something.

Next, replace the habit of scrolling through short videos or information feeds with checking your to-do software. Sort tasks from the inbox into different lists. For more detail, you can also set priorities for each task.

Then, work on tasks based on the different lists. This way, you only need to focus on what's in front of you.

Key Points

Keep Your Todo List Close at Hand

While working, please keep your todo tool open at all times so you can easily view, modify, and add tasks.

When you're not working, jot down any ideas on your phone and add them to your todo tool immediately. (That's why choosing a cross-platform tool is so important.)

Atomic Tasks

Every todo task should be broken down as much as possible. Tasks beyond a certain size lose their meaning. For example, "develop a personal website" should be converted into a project containing many sub-tasks, such as:

• Determine the website theme
• Research the tools needed for website development
• Determine the technology stack
• Set up the project
• ...

Try to refine each task to the smallest possible unit. This way, you'll have the motivation to complete them.

Choosing a Tool

Following the principle of "don't waste time choosing tools," to get started with GTD quickly, I directly used "Microsoft Todo," which I had previously used as a memo app.

It's not particularly smooth, but it works okay.

You can't set task priorities directly, but you can drag to reorder, so I treat that as the priority. Additionally, you can set subtasks for each task, which conveniently allows you to convert a task into a project. When a specific task within a project becomes too complex, you can easily promote it and organize it into a new project.

I had previously considered kanban tools like Trello, but the free version has too many feature limitations—it doesn't even have a calendar. With Todo, at least I'm more familiar with it, so in the end, I decided against it.

Looking ahead, I might even consider developing a tool tailored to the GTD method. However, the GTD method isn't perfect; it just suits me well at this stage. It's hard to say—what if my efficiency improves further in the future?

To summarize my advice for those who want to try this method: if you haven't used similar tools before, you can choose a kanban tool like Trello. It's very intuitive and straightforward, making it easier to get started than Todo.

How's it going now?

The image shows the interface of my todo software. Over the past five days, starting from last week, I have already used GTD to make many optimizations to my workflow.

This software allows adding task lists and folders. Before starting GTD, I had been using it for a while, so I had accumulated many other tasks.

For practice, I created a "GTD" folder and added three lists within it. Currently, I mainly use two.

"Tasks" serves as the inbox. All tasks are first added here without much thought, and then sorted out gradually.

If something can be done immediately, I don't put it on any list; I just do it right away and check it off.

If it can be completed within a few days, I put it into the "Come Back Later" list. If I'm not motivated to do it right now, I put it into the "Future Possibilities" list.

Since I had many lists before, I also categorize the tasks. Development-related ones go into "Short-Term Plan - Development," and writing tasks are treated similarly.

Although it looks similar to before, I have now broken down the tasks in more detail and added due dates, which has greatly increased the likelihood of task completion...

In short, I'll keep trying.

What's Next?

GTD is just the first step

Once tasks are recorded, the amount of work I can do each day becomes quantifiable

The next step in planning, I believe, is time management

I can use the "Pomodoro Technique" to arrange the disposable time each day

Decide how many Pomodoro sessions each task will take, which will help better schedule all tasks

I might even add a schedule to all current tasks

This way, the open-source projects and articles that need updating will no longer be "whenever I have time"

I've already purchased the tool "Spirit City: Lofi Sessions" on Steam

Once everything is ready, I can start using the "Pomodoro Technique"

Reference Materials

• Having trouble finishing things? Use these 5 steps to master the Getting Things Done (GTD) method - https://asana.com/zh-tw/resources/getting-things-done-gtd
• Learn to use GTD for task management in 10 minutes - https://sspai.com/post/40172