If you’re like most knowledge workers, your brain is full of ideas, projects, and dreams you hope to get to someday. Without a system for managing them, your lists can quickly become crowded.
Enter the Someday/Maybe list! It lets you hold onto possibilities without letting them weigh you down, giving your mind the clarity and space to focus on what truly matters.
Someday/Maybe Overview
Where do you put the ideas you can’t act on right now, or maybe not anytime soon? Some you may never get to, but you’re not ready to let go of the possibility.
Knowledge workers often drown in “idea flux.” Capturing every thought in your lists feels satisfying in the moment, but when those items can’t be turned into next actions, your lists become cluttered and burnout follows.
GTD® practitioner Robert Talbert shares how moving 80% of his “can’t do right now” tasks into a Someday/Maybe list gave him clarity and breathing room.
Don’t think of Someday/Maybe as a graveyard for ideas, but as a safe storage space you can revisit when the timing is right.
Organizing Your Someday/Maybe’s
Do your Someday/Maybe lists leave you stressed instead of inspired? Many of us keep a running inventory of ideas, projects, or dreams that we’ll “get to someday,” only to feel crushed under their weight during weekly reviews.
In this video, GTD coach Christina Armstrong shares how she keeps her lists manageable and useful:
- Separate by timeline and type – Keep short-term items that are likely to happen in the next six months in your active project lists, organized by categories like To Buy, To Research, or To Ponder. Longer-term dreams, like books to read or experiences you hope to pursue someday, can be kept in a separate list and reviewed less frequently, such as monthly, quarterly, or even annually.
- Put paused projects on hold without losing context – Move them into your Someday/Maybe list as subprojects to retain notes, agendas, and progress so you don’t have to start over.
- Prevent list overload – If your list is overwhelming, sometimes the best move is to declare “bankruptcy” and start fresh.
- Be ruthlessly honest – Regularly check which items you are truly likely to pursue and let go of the rest.
Spotting Hidden Projects
Ana Maria Gonzalez sees it all the time: people bury “projects” in their systems without realizing it. A draft syllabus sitting in your email. A recurring frustration with team meetings. A half-captured travel plan in your notes. Each one is actually a project in disguise, and until it’s defined, it quietly drains your energy and focus.
In this video, Ana Maria shares how to:
- Spot projects hiding in your inbox, calendar, and even your frustrations
- Use the Someday/Maybe list as a pressure valve, so no ideas get lost even if you can’t act on them now
- Turn vague reminders into clear, actionable projects so they stop unconsciously weighing you down
Quote of the Week
“Creativity is associative memory that works exceptionally well.” – Daniel Kahneman
Know someone who is feeling weighed down by too many ideas that can’t be acted on in the near future? Share this newsletter with a colleague.
Cheers,
GTD Focus
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