The GTD System in Action: Two Worked Examples
Theory and hacks are useful, but seeing how the gtd system adapts to real-world scenarios makes it tangible. Let’s explore how two very different professionals might apply these principles.
Manager Maria: Juggling Meetings and a Team
Maria is a department head whose calendar is a wall of back-to-back meetings. Her biggest challenge is reactive work—urgent emails, team questions, and unexpected problems. Her goal is to carve out space for strategic thinking while staying responsive to her team.
Capture: Maria uses a combination of tools. Emails stay in her inbox as one capture point. She uses a digital notes app on her phone to quickly jot down thoughts or tasks that come up during meetings. She also keeps a physical notepad on her desk for anything that arises while she’s on a call. At least twice a day, she empties the notepad and app notes into her email inbox, creating one central place to process.
Clarify & Organize: Between meetings, Maria processes her inbox using the “Two-Minute Rule” aggressively. Quick replies are sent immediately. For larger tasks, she identifies the “Next Action.” If it’s something she needs to discuss with a specific team member, it goes on her “@Waiting For” list or on the agenda for her next one-on-one. If it’s a task for her, like “Draft the Q3 budget proposal,” the project is listed in her project list, and the next action, “Review last year’s Q3 budget numbers,” goes on her “@Computer” list.
Reflect & Engage: Maria’s Weekly Review is non-negotiable. It’s a 45-minute block in her calendar every Friday afternoon. This is her time to review her projects, follow up on “@Waiting For” items, and plan her priorities for the next week. During the week, she uses the 15-20 minute gaps between meetings to check her “@Computer” list and knock out a few quick, focused tasks. She has learned that trying to do deep strategic work in these small gaps is futile. Instead, she blocks out a 90-minute “No Meetings” focus block twice a week to work on her most important projects, like the budget proposal.
Solo Maker Sam: Structuring a Proactive Schedule
Sam is a freelance designer. He has very few meetings and his schedule is almost entirely his own. His biggest challenge is fighting procrastination and staying focused on long-term client projects without the external structure of a traditional office environment.
Capture: Sam uses a single digital to-do list app as his universal inbox. Any idea, client request, or personal task gets dumped there immediately via his phone or desktop app. This keeps his mind clear and focused on the creative task at hand.
Clarify & Organize: Once a day, at the end of his workday, Sam processes his inbox. He sorts tasks into projects (e.g., “Client X Website Redesign,” “Client Y Logo Package”). He then creates specific “Next Action” items for each, like “Create three initial wireframe concepts for Client X” or “Research competitor logos for Client Y.” These are tagged with contexts like “@Deep Work” or “@Admin.”
Reflect & Engage: Sam lives by timeboxing. He plans his day in large, 90-minute to 2-hour blocks. His calendar might say “9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Work on Client X Wireframes.” During that block, he puts his phone in another room, closes all irrelevant tabs, and works only on that task. He uses a timer to enforce this focus. His Weekly Review on Friday is crucial for looking at his project pipeline, sending invoices (an “@Admin” batching task), and deciding which major project blocks to schedule for the following week. This structure provides the discipline he needs to make consistent progress on his creative work.
