The GTD Question I Love

David Allen laid the groundwork for modern productivity theory when he wrote Getting Things Done in 2001. From the start Allen makes a statement that is even truer today than it was 20 years ago...

(GTD) "is not a time management system but instead is a process for bringing order and action to our typically chaotic and random individual worlds"4This email isn't a breakdown of GTD (entire sites are dedicated to the subject) but a quick look at my favorite clarifying question in the method. Once you've decided an incoming task is actionable there are 3 options...

H3. Do, Delegate, or Defer

I love this question because it's very simple to implement and clears out my current task list into other lists or collections. I plan on a full video about this to show you examples, but here's a simple workflow.

Do: but only if it takes a few minutes to-do. This part is tricky because it's easy to spend an entire day on quick to-do tasks and ignore a big project or goal you should be working on.

Delegate: if there's someone else who can do it, delegate it! For example I have been scheduling these emails in ConvertKit every day - I can delegate that to my assistant. Having an assistant is a new thing for me though, so instead I would...

Defer: add the task to the "next-up" collection in my bullet journal. I have time blocked in my calendar each week to go through these deferred tasks so they're not forgotten. If I end up deferring a few times I need to consider...

Delete: just get rid of the task and move on! You can do this more often than you think.

One big clarification on I how I manage this workflow... I don't process these tasks all day every day. I use the GAP preview to plan and protect time for what matters most through the week. The Do, Delegate, Defer, or Delete question is asked when new, unexpected tasks come up. If a new task is part of a current project then it's added to that project's task list.

Remember, I could talk about this all day - so don't feel overwhelmed by the workflow. I've spent years customizing my personal "productivity stack" and want to help you do the same. This GTD question is important to answer when faced with new information.

As you go through this week start practicing these productivity systems. Preview the week with GAP, track your time, and sort through information with Do, Delegate, Defer, or Delete.