A Beginners Guide to Getting Things Done (GTD)

You may or may not have come across the term GTD also referred to on the internet as Getting Things Done. Despite of how much you know about this subject, chances are this is something every working human being goes through in one way or another. There are some amazing benefits you can reap by getting good at Getting Things Done – GTD. Keep on reading if you’re interested to know more about this subject.

Most people think of it as a productivity hack, but it makes a lot more sense to think of it as a priceless life skill. Or a life skill that will give you mastery over all aspects of your life. Let’s explore some of the benefits, obstacles as well as how you can start learning this life skill.

Below are some benefits of becoming great at Getting Things Done

• You start achieving more every day and keep heading towards your goals
• You spend less time procrastinating and being distracted
• Your chances of getting hired is a lot more as people trust someone who gets things done
• Your self-confidence grows
• You are more likely to start and run your own business
• You find more opportunities to make money
• People believe and trust in what you have to say, as you have achieved solid things in life
• You can redefine what success means to you and truly live it

However, some of these almost ALWAYS seem to be in your way.

• Procrastination: You find yourself trapped in the belief that the task you want to finish is difficult, scary, or uncomfortable.
• Distractions: You tend to switch to other tabs, apps, or any other possible content you could access just to escape from the seemingly uncomfortable task in front of you.
• Laziness: This one’s a classic. I think this is a very common reason why people put off tasks for later which rarely gets done. You might feel physically or mentally tired and just put important things for later.
• Perfectionism: This is one that kills productivity. The majority of people I know never get started on things because they do not think that the conditions to get started are perfect or are just scared of putting out any work people can see thinking about how others will see the shortcomings of their work.

So how can you start to be ahead of these negative voices in your heads and start reaping some of those benefits? 

• Getting started: This is the most important first step you need to take. Without this step, there will NOT be any further steps to follow along. Brainstorm whatever idea you decide to work on or which task you need to start and start with the smallest sub task required to start this task and get onto it. For example, if you are procrastinating to do your meditation, just take your cushion and sit down first.
• Prioritize: Depending on how big your goals and ambitions are, you might have several different tasks you need to work on. Learn to pick ONE most important task for each day and first do that. After this is done you can focus on multiple smaller tasks. This will keep you on track and motivated.
• Focus sessions: This is a very effective way of making sure you’re giving in the focused hours of work on the most important task as well as other tasks. This method is also known as the Pomodoro technique, where you keep a timer from anywhere between 10 – 40 minutes of undistracted focus time. Switch off all other tabs, mute app notifications, or put your phone on silent and give this dedicated time to the assigned task.
• Having a task list: If you do not have a task list you pretty much have everything in your head which is draining a lot of energy just to remember what needs to be done. So, it would save you a lot of time and energy to have an organizer to enter all your tasks. This way you just need to revisit this list every day and ensure you’re working on them. I use Todoist – a free web tool that is very simple and clean.
• Meditate: No matter how organized and productive you are, you will always be faced with challenges such as uncertainty, procrastination, distractions, etc. These are the moments you need to hold your fort up the most. Simply sit down for meditation and observe all thoughts that reflect negativity, imperfections, and shortcomings. Be still and present through these thoughts. Over time you will start to see that these thoughts only have the power you give them.
• Review and Reflect: At the end of each day, review and reflect on how you spent the day and contemplate on how you can be better the next day. Day by day, you will see that you come up with new interesting ideas that you can try to move towards your life goals.

If you are serious about working on achieving your life goals, GTD is the single most important life skill that you can learn. Like everything else, start your journey towards Getting Things Done small. Start with implementing a few of these steps and implement more as you progress at your own pace. Learn, try out new ideas, and take action. Nothing can stop you from achieving your life goals.