Getting Things Done (GTD) training

Lesson 1 • Setting Up for GTD Success

Covers the physical and digital prerequisites needed before implementing GTD. Students leave with a readiness checklist and a commitment to a starter setup.

Lesson 2 • The Five Stages of GTD Workflow

Maps the complete GTD cycle: capture, clarify, organize, reflect, and engage. Students understand how each stage feeds the next to create a closed-loop system.

Lesson 3 • Identifying Your Current Productivity Gaps

Guides a self-audit of existing habits to surface inefficiencies GTD will address. Connects personal pain points to specific GTD solutions introduced later.

Lesson 1 • What Belongs in Your Capture System

Defines the scope of capture: tasks, ideas, commitments, and triggers. Students learn to recognize anything that has their attention as a valid capture candidate.

Lesson 2 • Building a Consistent Capture Habit

Translates one-time capture into a daily reflex using habit-stacking and environmental design. Students design personal triggers that sustain capture over time.

Lesson 3 • Choosing and Using Capture Tools

Evaluates analog and digital capture tools against GTD criteria of ubiquity and frictionlessness. Students select and configure tools suited to their work context.

Lesson 1 • Processing to Zero Efficiently

Builds speed and discipline in emptying the inbox completely during each processing session. Students apply time-boxing and sequencing strategies to reach inbox zero.

Lesson 2 • The Clarify Decision Tree

Introduces the GTD processing flowchart as the engine of the clarify stage. Students practice each decision branch until the logic becomes automatic.

Lesson 3 • Identifying Projects During Clarify

Explains how multi-step outcomes surface during processing and must be named as projects. Students learn to separate project definition from next-action identification.

Lesson 1 • Organizing Projects and Support Material

Distinguishes project lists from project support files and explains where each belongs. Students set up project folders that link cleanly to their next-action lists.

Lesson 2 • Building a Reliable Reference System

Covers filing principles for non-actionable but retrievable material using simple, fast retrieval logic. A well-built reference system prevents re-capture of already-processed information.

Lesson 3 • Context-Based Action Lists

Teaches how to sort next actions by context so the right tasks surface at the right time. Students design a context schema that matches their real work environments.

Lesson 4 • Designing Your Trusted System

Synthesizes all organizational components into a single, coherent trusted system. Students document their system design and test it against real workload scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Scheduling and Protecting Review Time

Addresses the practical challenge of carving out uninterrupted weekly review time. Students apply calendar-blocking and environmental strategies to protect the review slot.

Lesson 2 • Why the Weekly Review Is Non-Negotiable

Explains the weekly review as the single habit that prevents GTD system decay. Students understand what breaks without it and what becomes possible with it.

Lesson 3 • The Six-Step Weekly Review Protocol

Walks through the canonical GTD review checklist: get clear, get current, get creative. Students practice each step in sequence to build a complete review habit.

Lesson 4 • Reviewing Projects and Commitments

Focuses the review lens on the projects list to ensure every project has a live next action. Students practice identifying stalled projects and reactivating them.

Lesson 1 • The Six Horizons of Focus

Introduces GTD's altitude model from runway actions up to life purpose to align daily tasks with long-term goals. Students map their own commitments across all six horizons.

Lesson 2 • The Four Criteria for Choosing Actions

Introduces context, time available, energy level, and priority as the four filters for selecting the right action. Students practice applying all four criteria simultaneously.

Lesson 3 • Making Decisions Under Pressure

Equips students to apply GTD engagement principles when time is short and demands are high. Practical decision heuristics prevent reactive, low-value task selection.

Lesson 1 • Maintaining Project Momentum

Addresses the common failure of projects stalling between weekly reviews. Students build mid-week project check habits and early-warning signals for at-risk projects.

Lesson 2 • Defining and Naming Projects Precisely

Reinforces the GTD project definition and teaches outcome-focused naming that clarifies the finish line. Precise project names reduce ambiguity and accelerate planning.

Lesson 3 • Managing Multiple Projects Simultaneously

Provides strategies for juggling many active projects without cognitive overload or dropped commitments. Students apply prioritization and batching techniques across their project portfolio.

Lesson 1 • Measuring GTD Effectiveness

Introduces qualitative and quantitative indicators of a healthy GTD practice. Students establish personal benchmarks and a lightweight tracking habit.

Lesson 2 • Common GTD Failure Modes

Diagnoses the most frequent reasons GTD implementations collapse: incomplete capture, skipped reviews, and tool complexity. Students map their own risk profile and apply targeted fixes.

Lesson 3 • Evolving Your System Over Time

Teaches how to adapt the GTD system as roles, tools, and life demands shift. Students apply a structured system audit to identify and implement needed upgrades.

Lesson 4 • GTD as a Long-Term Lifestyle System

Reframes GTD not as a productivity hack but as a sustainable approach to a clear and intentional life. Students articulate their personal GTD vision and commit to ongoing practice.