Getting Things Done with Tasklog

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a time management method, first described in the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by productivity legend David Allen.

Today I’m gonna show you that you don’t need any specialized software except the one you already have (right?!) to boost your productivity and reduce stress by implementing GTD directly in Tasklog.

The assumption here is that you already know what GTD is and how to use it. If not, read the book first – or at least this awesome 15 minutes summary.

Collect

The “in” list

The in list is a place where you capture all of your ideas, tasks, or pretty much anything daily life throws at you.

The goal here is to help your brain. The list is basically an ongoing brain dump. The “in” list in Tasklog is called Inbox and it’s the first thing in your to-do list.

You shouldn’t have only one “in” list. While Tasklog Inbox is perfect for client-related entries, you might as well have a paperback notebook in your kitchen collecting all house-related errands. Your second “in” list, out of many.

Process

Okay, so your Inbox is full of stuff. That’s great. Now, what are you gonna do with it?

GTD clearly says how to process your “in” folder, so we are just gonna follow that path. Go to tags and create a couple of new entries.

1. GTD/Next actions
2. GTD/Someday-maybe
3. GTD/Waiting for

We are using the GTD prefix here so it’s clear which ones are GTD-related.
Okay, so this will get you somewhere here:

Next, we need the Projects folder for items with more than one action to get done. Luckily, this level of project management is already implemented in Tasklog, so.. nuffin to do here.

To assign a project, click any Inbox item and just type the project name. If it doesn’t exist, Tasklog will create it automatically. When done, your new project will appear in the to-dos filter.

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The last category is for items you have to do on a certain date. That’s right – it’s calendar time.

Luckily, the calendar features are also already part of Tasklog. All you have to do is click an item and assign a due date.

Yeah, that’s all.

Tip: You can easily import all your to-dos into your favorite calendar app.

Context

Contexts help to quickly filter things you can actually do at any given moment in any given place.

Example
@errands for shopping and supplies related actions
@computer for emailing and blogging
@anywhere for helping someone less fortunate

You get the idea. So let’s create some context!
We will use tags (again) to accomplish this. They are the most versatile tool and won’t clash with any other Tasklog data.

The result should look something like this.

You are all set.

Really. Your brand new GTD dashboard. Take a look.

Congratulations, you made it! Here’s a Doge picture for your efforts.

How did you implement the GTD method and which software would you recommend? Tell us in the comments.