As summer winds down, back-to-school season brings its usual mix of excitement and stress. New routines, school supplies, and endless to-dos can leave even the most organized parents feeling stretched thin.
This week, our GTD® coaches share practical ways to use your GTD practice to meet the season with more clarity and a sense of work-life harmony.
Start with Intention
Back-to-school can feel like a constant stream of ads, checklists, and “shoulds.” For GTD coach and first-time school parent Christina Armstrong, GTD became a way to pause, reflect, and engage.
In this video, she shares how GTD helped her:
- Focus on what this milestone means for her family
- Decide where to give her attention without feeling guilty
- Create space for meaningful routines and opportunities to show up more intentionally
Organizing the Leftovers from Last Year
End-of-year piles of your kid’s artwork and school projects can feel impossible to sort—especially when everything seems “too special to toss.”
GTD Coach Mary O’Malley shares how she applies the GTD workflow map to her kids’ schoolwork with a dual-container method that keeps the process simple and guilt-free:
- Treat backpacks like “inboxes” to process right away
- Use a short-term mementos folder to keep things organized
- Move only the most meaningful items into a fixed long-term keepsake box
- Involve your kids so they learn to clarify and organize too
Mary demonstrates how this system keeps memories alive without overwhelming your home with clutter.
Navigating Life’s Storms with GTD
Even experienced GTD practitioners can feel stretched thin when life throws curveballs. For physician, business owner, and mom of twins, Jill, coaching helped her move from “keeping up” to truly owning her practice.
In this video, she shares how GTD helped her:
- Make the Weekly Review non-negotiable, creating a steady anchor for her week
- Respond calmly to unexpected challenges, from career shifts to family emergencies
- Stay present with her family while still pursuing professional goals
Jill’s story is a powerful reminder that GTD is more than a productivity methodology; it’s a tool to build resilience, clarity, and calm when life gets challenging.
Quote of the Week
“Parenting is a lifetime job and does not stop when a child grows up.” – Jake Slope
Know someone who’s a parent and practices GTD? Share this newsletter with them.
Cheers,
GTD Focus
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