Form
Fully implemented GTD system in a task manager with all seven lists, populated from initial capture, weekly review as recurring event, shared Projects list with owner and Next Action per project, and Areas-of-Responsibility list.
RunsheetOperations
Getting Things Done
ComplexityMedium
Time1-2 h Setup, laufend
Participants1
FormatAsync
MaturityCanonical
01
Preparation
What needs to be ready before start
Materials
Task manager (Things, Todoist, OmniFocus, Notion) or Markdown setup; physical inbox tray; digital inbox collectors (mail folders, quick-capture app); weekly time slot of 60-90 min; calendar for engage phase.
People / roles
Solo practice, one person. Optional coach or buddy for the first 4 weeks, mirroring weekly review discipline.
Pre-read
Current open loops, unread emails, notes, forgotten promises; current responsibilities (areas) and ongoing projects; preferred context term (for example @home, @office, @call).
Time needed
1-2 h setup, ongoing
Setup
Create lists: Inbox, Projects, Next Actions, Waiting For, Someday/Maybe, Reference, Tickler. Set GTD definitions as a header for each list. Put the weekly review slot into your calendar as a recurring event.
02
Core question
The one question this method answers
Which next concrete action moves the right open loop forward in the right context?
03
Flow
Marker: Sektion
| Step | Duration | Action | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
1Section 1: Capture | Initial 60-120 min, then ongoing | Put everything that consumes attention into the inbox: emails, notes, promises, mental loops. Do this once for completeness at the start, then continuously. | "Everything" means everything, including uncomfortable items (for example complete the 2024 tax return). Filtering creates guilt. Capture without judgment. |
2Section 2: Clarify | 10-20 min daily | For each inbox item, ask three questions: can it be done? If not, archive, Someday/Maybe, or delete. If yes, is it a project (>1 action)? What is the next concrete action? | A next action is a concrete physical or digital activity, not a topic. "Marketing strategy" is not a Next Action, "fix appointment with @lisa" is. |
3Section 3: Organize | 10 min daily | Put Next Actions into context lists (@call, @office, @errands, @computer). Keep projects in Projects list with defined outcomes. Items waiting on others in Waiting For with a date. Appointments in calendar. | Context lists are leverage points. At the right list, people act. If all items are in one list, people only scroll. Use calendar only for actions with concrete time. |
4Section 4: Reflect (weekly review) | 60-90 min weekly | Clear inbox, review Projects list (does every project have a Next Action), follow up on Waiting For, review next 2 weeks in calendar, scan Someday/Maybe. Review areas. | Weekly review is the core. Without this ritual the system decays within 3 weeks. Treat the review as a commitment, not "if there is time." |
5Section 5: Engage | Daily | Choose actions based on context (where am I, what can I do), available time, energy, and priority. Execute the action, tick it off, or redefine it. | Engage is not prioritization from outside, it is situational choice. If you sort the whole list again here, the method has lost its purpose. |
04
Artifact
What comes out at the end
Versioning / ownership
Initial setup note with date. Log reviews, especially structural changes (new area, new context). Use weekly reviews for system drift, not silent restarts.
Tool alternatives
- Things 3 or OmniFocus with GTD-native setup
- Todoist with projects and tags
- Notion database with status property and context tag
- Plain text in Markdown with one file per list
getting-things-done-working-template.md
Compact working template for Getting Things Done with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
Getting Things Done Working Template
Goal
Systematizes tasks, commitments, and next steps in a trusted workflow.
Context
When and for what do we use this method?
Input
Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?
Execution
Short notes along the runsheet.
Output artifacts
- Action Lists:
- Project List:
- Review Routine:
Assumptions and open questions
- ...
Decision / Next step
Owner, date, and success signal.
05
Example output
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
getting-things-done-beispiel.md
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
GTD setup — Sabine (independent tax consultant), started 11.05.2026
Tool: Things 3. Weekly review every Sunday 18:00, 75 min.
Lists
- Inbox (today 0 items after Sunday review).
- Projects (12 active): "Complete client Meyer tax return 2025," "Evaluate switching accounting software," "Payroll for three clients for May," ...
- Areas (5): Clients, own accounting, personnel, training, private.
- Next Actions by context: @call (4), @office (8), @datev (3), @errands (2), @computer (11).
- Waiting For (6): "Client Meyer response about VAT evidence, since 12.05."; "DATEV support ticket #4711, escalated 15.05.".
- Someday/Maybe (14): "Start tax blog," "Take internship," "Expand office space."
Example weekly review entry (17.05.): Inbox cleared (32 -> 0). Three projects had no Next Action, added now. Client Meyer changed appointment, calendar adjusted. Someday/Maybe entry "evaluate CRM" promoted to Project.
Engage routine: 5 minutes day start planning at 08:00, one top priority before first appointment. Long blocks for @datev list, short @call blocks in waiting time.
06
Pitfalls
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Trap
Incomplete capture
Symptom
Mental loops stay outside the system, trust decreases, the system is bypassed.
What to do
Keep quick-capture tool always available (phone app, index cards in pocket). Weekly review checks whether any loops remain outside the system.
Trap
Next action is too vague
Symptom
Lists contain topics ("Marketing") instead of actions ("Email @lisa for webinar appointment request").
What to do
For each item use verb + object + context. If unclear, treat the item as a project and define next action separately.
Trap
Weekly review is skipped
Symptom
One or two reviews are postponed and the system drifts, inbox grows to over 200 items.
What to do
Treat review time as mandatory. If missed, catch up the next day, do not skip. Use buddy discipline for first 4 weeks.
Trap
Tool hopping
Symptom
Tool changes every 6 weeks, system never stabilizes, data is lost or duplicated.
What to do
Evaluate switching only after at least 12 weeks on one tool. Treat tool changes as a project with follow-up action.
Trap
Prioritization dominates engage
Symptom
Instead of contextual choice, the team reprioritizes daily and the engage phase becomes a mini weekly review.
What to do
Engage by context, time, and energy. Prioritization belongs in review, not engage. Anyone who prioritizes every day has not internalized the system.
07
Stop criteria
Done signals checkable in under a minute
The person has no immediate capacity to invest 1-2 h for initial setup and the system does not start.
Work is mainly reactive (for example operational support), so the Next Action list collapses immediately.
Tasks are managed externally (ticket system), so GTD duplicates work.
Weekly review is not maintained, then it is not GTD but capture-only.
The person prefers time-based planning (time blocking) across context lists; GTD does not fit.
Tool selection becomes a permanent loop, so the system never comes into operation.
Finished the runsheet?
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.