People inside and outside the practice of Getting Things Done (GTD) often mistake the system for a way to cram more into every moment. This couldn't be further from the truth. GTD is a way to get all your todos out of your head and into a place where you can see them so that you can decide what to do with your time.
Recently I had a situation where a family member needed me. The great thing about GTD was that since I had everything in my system it was easy to move everything forward a few days (procrastinate) and know that when those things became a priority again, I would work on them.
I have been most grateful for GTD in times of crisis. When you are under stress the last thing you need to be dealing with is "did I remember to buy bananas". During a crisis it's so wonderful to be able to say "all those other things can wait" and then be able to truly let them go.
GTD also really helps when you get back to work. When I returned to work after being off for 3 days, I had more than a few emails I needed to deal with. Because of the habits I have learned, I was able to process all my email in under 10 minutes. Wonderful!
How about you? When has GTD been the most valuable for you?
By the way if you haven't read the book, order a copy of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
See also
This post also appears on CE On Time .
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