What are some of the most creative, fun, or productive things you’ve done that weren’t planned or written on any list?
How valuable would it be to create more space for those moments?
Getting to the Fun Stuff
Checking off items on your lists isn’t the destination; it’s part of the journey. Those next actions help move projects forward and get things unstuck. But an important question remains: are those projects the ones you actually want to be doing?
The Gifts of the Five I’s
Most people move through GTD in five recognizable stages:
1. Inspiration
You’re drawn to the promise of GTD: less stress, more clarity, and a greater sense of control. It’s motivating and mostly conceptual.
2. Instruction
You learn how GTD works. You study the methodology and start to understand what it takes to build a trusted system.
3. Installation
You build your trusted system. Tools are chosen, lists are created, and your commitments start living outside your head. Things feel more stable, albeit a bit clunky.
4. Implementation
You actively use your trusted system. You capture, clarify, organize, review, and engage consistently. GTD works, and it can still feel rigid, like something you’re teetering on top of.
5. Integration
This is where your relationship with your lists fundamentally changes. GTD stops being something you manage and becomes something that supports you. You trust your system enough to loosen your grip. Capturing and reviewing feel more tailored to how you think. You’re no longer measuring success by how much you get done, but by how fully present you are with whatever you choose to do.
At this stage, your lists don’t dictate your life. Instead, they protect it. They create space for creativity, rest, focus, and fun.
There’s not work and life. It’s about life that includes a meaningful relationship with work
That’s exactly why David Allen wrote Ready for Anything. In Chapter 13, “You Are Not Your Work,” he reminds us that GTD isn’t about doing it all for its own sake. It’s about living life fully. Your trusted system should free you to do the things you care about, with your full focus and creative energy.
Cheers,
The GTD Focus Team
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