I have to be one of the few geeks out there who hasn’t read Getting Things Done by David Allen. I’ve read up on explanations of how the system works, I’ve looked into multiple types of systems that various people use and I think overall, I have a pretty good understanding of what GTD is all about.

The key component is to make it a habit. Your system could be as simple as emptying your pockets and going through them daily, or as complex as writing notes in a little pad attached to your wallet that you review nightly. It doesn’t matter – you just need to get some kind of rhythm going. The GTD methodology relies heavily upon this idea. If you have a system outlined and you get into the habit of performing it, then you won’t need to worry about forgetting to do it. This isn’t something that can be learned, you just need to start doing it and not stop. After about a month of repetitive action, it becomes second nature – which is exactly what you want.

Get an Inbox!
This is the first step in my system. Whenever I get home I empty out my pockets and place it into a little letter tray that I bought at Ikea. It isn’t necessary; I just wanted to dedicate a section of my desk for this task. It’s not the most important part of my system, but it’s the building block. Bits of paper, flash drives, my cell phone, wallet and my notebooks all go into my inbox. Once they’re out of my pockets I don’t have to worry about it.

Review
This is the most important step in any GTD system. Reviewing the items in my inbox happens when I sit down to relax for the day. The only way I can really relax is to make sure that all my work is done for the day. So I get home, Inbox my pockets, change and then return to my workspace to go through my inbox. Often times I find that the actions can be completed immediately, if so, I’ll get them done right away. My flash drive, for instance, normally contains files that I want to transfer to my PC at home. So I’ll plug in my flash drive, do what I need to and then move it back to my inbox. Most times simply seeing an item in my inbox will remind me of what I need to do. If an action needs someone else’s input, I’ll fire off an email right away. If an action requires me doing something at a future date, I’ll make a note of it in my calendar. This review happens daily to ensure I don’t miss anything. Sometimes I have nothing to do, but that doesn’t matter. The act of looking through my inbox is something that has become a habit for me. I do it even when I didn’t have a physical inbox, I just allocated a section of my desk for it.

Capture Points
My works tends to happen at a desk with a computer in front of me. As a result, I need to have tools available to me to capture things when I need. I keep a simple pad of graph paper and a pen from Grand and Toy on my desk. When I have an idea, I write it down or sketch it out. The pad of paper holds my thoughts for the evening. Apart from that I use Evernote as a capture point for the web. When I’m browsing a website and see something I want to save, I’ll just clip it. It doesn’t need to be an action, it could just be something I want to save for later, perhaps a link that I want to share. I also keep a phone (a land line!) and right next to it some post it notes. The pink post its are for things that I have to do, the yellow post its are notes that I have to give to other people. When a post it is done, I stick it to my shelf, right above my computer right in my line of sight.

Preview
At the end of the evening, I before I call it a night, I look through my capture points and figure out what I need to do for the next day. I keep a small hardcover moleskin with me at all times to keep track of to-do lists and things I want to remember while I’m out. Any to-do items get recorded on their own page with a little empty box next to it. Once I go through my capture points, I’ll sit for a few minutes and just think about anything that I want to get accomplished the next day. The hardest part about this is keeping it real. When I first began, I used to keep outrageous timelines (i.e. finish in-place editor demo) and found that a lot of my to-do items never got done. As you spend more time entering to-do lists, you’ll learn how much free time you actually have and you’ll be able to break down your tasks to fit it.

My system isn’t perfect, but it works for me. It isn’t something that took a lot of time to work into my routine and it has become something that I can do without thinking about. There is still some room for improvement, however. I don’t have any way for me to store physical documents for extended periods of time, for example. While this isn’t a major issue, it is something that will come up. I know this because every so often, I will take time out of using my system to review my system itself. I try and see if there are things I can add to it or take away to streamline the process. Sometimes, I find that this monthly review of my system really keeps things in check. It helps me ensure that my system is exactly right for me, which is important if I want to get things done.