(2.1.3) Collect all and then process them

I explain the rough overview of Getting Things Done for those who did not read the book yet. If you already read it, you can skip to the next section.

In GTD, after gathering what you care about, you process them. It is important that the phase of gathering and the phase of processing them are clearly separated. Instead of thinking while gathering, we first grasp the overall picture of how much we have. (*3)

In the phase of processing, for each thing you collect, ask the following questions:

• What is this?
• Do I need to take action for this?

If you think you need to take action, ask another question:

• What kind of results do I want?

In other words, you need to clarify the goal. After that, ask another question:

• What is the concrete action to take next?

In this way, you finally make the thing into a form of task.

After that, you classify the task according to concrete actions to be taken. I introduce them roughly.

• Categorize things that do not need action as garbage, materials, and holding
• If next actions are multiple, it is a project.
• If you can do the next action within 2 minutes, do it now.
• If you should not do the next action by yourself, leave it to others and put it in the waiting list.
• If you should do the next action on a specific date, write it on a calendar.
• If it does not fit to any of above, it goes into the list of action you should do next.

By processing in this way, the actions you should do become clear. After seeing the whole picture of the action, you choose one task from them and execute it.

Footnote:

*3: Here I explain the ideal state to make the story simple. However, in reality, the time constraint effects. Allen says it is ideal to secure two days.

*4 Trying to do something too complicated from the beginning increases confusion with the overhead of thought. Simple is better than complex.