Since you can’t always control what your mind generates, how do you manage the flood without losing ideas of value? Coaching can help you capture more, clarify at a greater efficiency, and stay organized with less overwhelm or loss of productivity.
1. Keep Capturing, But Don’t Forget To…
Capturing ideas is easy; capturing them effectively is harder. A coach can help you structure your capture process so nothing slips through the cracks and your lists stay actionable.
Quick Wins (With Coaching):
- Capture directly into your app so nothing gets lost or duplicated. Your coach can review your setup to ensure it’s optimized.
- Don’t act prematurely. Your coach helps you know when to clarify next.
- Empty your inbox daily to prevent a backlog of half-captured ideas.
- Create topic-based lists for your ideas (e.g., Gardening, Marketing, Travel). A coach can guide which categories will bring the most clarity to you personally.
🎥 Related Video: How to Get Started with GTD® Coaching (14-Minute)
2. Clarify, Clarify, Then Clarify Some More
A flood of ideas can be paralyzing. Coaching provides an outside perspective, helping you decide which ideas deserve attention and which can safely be set aside.
Quick Wins (With Coaching):
- Use a “Someday/Maybe” or “Ideas” list for non-urgent thoughts. Your coach can help you define clear criteria for moving ideas forward.
- Review your lists regularly and determine the optimal cadence for your workflow. A coach can help tailor this to your schedule.
- Turn vague ideas into specific, actionable outcomes. Coaches can help you convert abstract concepts into concrete next steps.
- Accept that not every idea will become reality. Coaching can provide accountability to let go when needed.
🗒️Related Worksheet: GTD® Workflow Processing and Organizing
3. Must Have Categories For Organization
Even with the best capture and clarify processes, clutter can still creep in. A coach can show you how to organize and maintain your system so it better supports your goals.
Folders/Tags to Consider:
- Inbox: Capture everything for later clarification
- Next Action: Tasks requiring more than 2 minutes; track in your task manager
- Waiting For: Tasks dependent on others; reminder stays in your system
- Read & Review: Articles, notes, or documents for future review
- Project Support: Active project items with attached references
- Reference Storage: Alphabetical or topic-based storage for easy access
Pro tip: If your idea lists grow too large, a coach can help you divide them by topic, timeframe, or project type to make reviews more manageable.
🎥 Related Video: Establishing a Personalized Filter for the Commitments You’re Accepting (3-Minutes)
Quote of the Week
“Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” – Greg McKeown
Every day, someone begins their GTD journey. You can be the one to introduce them by sharing this newsletter with them.
Cheers,
GTD Focus
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