Getting Things Done (GTD) is a widely popular personal productivity system created by consultant David Allen and introduced in his 2001 bestselling book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.
The core premise of GTD is simple: your brain is designed for having ideas, not storing them. Keeping track of every meeting, task, and creative thought in your head creates low-grade stress and limits your cognitive bandwidth. By offloading everything into a trusted external system, you clear your mental space to focus completely on the task at hand—a state Allen refers to as a “mind like water.” The 5-Step GTD Workflow
To manage the daily influx of information, tasks, and commitments, the GTD system uses five distinct steps:
[ 1. Capture ] ──> [ 2. Clarify ] ──> [ 3. Organize ] ──> [ 4. Reflect ] ──> [ 5. Engage ]
A beginner’s guide to Getting Things Done® | by Siobhan O’Rorke