On Paper, GTD Is an Excellent Productivity Method. It's a Different Story in Real-Life

Getting Things Done (GTD) is one of the world’s most famous productivity books and methodologies. Written by David Allen, it has spawned its industry, and its acronym is the epicenter of entire communities.

GTD promises to free us from stress and increase our productivity. Still, its initial—and not so initial—complexity can be overwhelming, leading many to give up.

The method. GTD captures all our tasks and commitments in our minds, organizes them in a reliable system, and reviews them regularly. Sounds simple, but the execution is a bit more complex:

• Collect our pending tasks in “inboxes.”
• Process them by deciding on the specific actions we need to take.
• Organize them into lists and projects.
• Check the system frequently.
• Execute tasks based on context and energy.

This is a quite simple overview. To understand GTD, you need to read Allen’s entire book. It’s a dense method that requires a change in mindset.

My experience. At first, GTD seemed like a revelation to me. It’s hard not to think of it as a bombproof proposition that can only bring us closer to high productivity.

Over time, some flaws began to appear:

• Maintaining the system became a chore.
• Constant revisions became tedious.
• I felt I was losing too much flexibility and spontaneity.

The word “spontaneity” may make productivity lovers react like hyenas from The Lion King when they hear “Mufasa,” but it’s not necessarily a negative. Sometimes, you need that quick hip based on intuition.

Not just because of the distractions we consent to but because of the imposed ones: I can delete Instagram and moderate my use of X (the narrator’s voice says, “Actually, he doesn’t”), but I can’t skip a mid-morning request from my boss or a week in which a new project forces me to change my plans. GTD allows for change, but it means management time down the drain.

I decided to take a more flexible approach. And this isn’t “some kind of GTD”. Allen is categorical: If it’s not precisely GTD, it’s not GTD. No problem:

• I capture essential commitments and key ideas without obsessing over the trivial.
• I prioritize daily tasks, not weekly ones. If the latter are important, inertia will force me to consider them.
• I leave a margin of trust for my intuition.

The bottom line. GTD is still valuable and has irrefutable principles, such as externalizing tasks, but it doesn’t adapt to our style. We’re the ones who have to adapt to it. And it’s not for everyone.

Actual productivity also means knowing ourselves, our habits, and our environment. Rigidly following an external method cancels out the above, and GTD doesn’t understand nuance. It can be a good starting point, but it’s unlikely to be perfect for all of us.

This article was written by Javier Lacort and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Image | Amazon, Mockuuups Studio

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