Getting Things Done GTD: 5-step workflow with Asana

Not-so-controversial opinion: Your brain isn't made to store information. That's because, when your mind is cluttered with to-dos and reminders, you have less brain power to spend on the work you actually need to do.

That's the central principle behind the Getting Things Done (GTD) method. By moving your to-dos out of your brain and into a to-do list tool, you have more brain power for the work that matters. Here's how to get started.

What is the GTD method?

The GTD (Getting Things Done) method is a five-step productivity system created by David Allen that helps you capture all your tasks, ideas, and commitments in an external system so your brain can focus on doing work rather than remembering it. The core principle is simple: the more you try to mentally track, the less productive you become.

What does GTD stand for?

GTD is an acronym for Getting Things Done, a productivity method developed by David Allen in 2001. Allen describes the GTD method in his book, "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity."

GTD is a popular time management strategy because it is easy to implement and can be powerful in practice. Even if you aren't aware of it, your brain is constantly "on" in the background, shuffling and rearranging your upcoming to-dos to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Try these 5 steps in the GTD workflow

The five steps of the Getting Things Done method set you up for success. These steps help you catalogue and organize your upcoming work in an external tool like Asana, so you no longer have to mentally keep track of to-dos. Then, once your work is organized in the GTD method, you can start completing tasks.

1. Capture

Before you can organize your work, you first need to capture it in a place outside of your brain. David Allen calls this your Inbox: a central place where any task, piece of information, or reminder goes directly. Think of it less as an email inbox and more as a processing queue for everything on your mind.

Where to capture information

If you're trying to improve personal productivity, consider using a to-do list to track your work. Alternatively, if you work with a team, try a work management platform to not only capture and track your own work, but also organize and manage your team's work.

Focus on capturing, not organizing

Don't worry if the work you capture isn't organized or well documented. The first step is simply getting your stuff out of your brain and into an external source as quickly as possible.

When capturing, keep these principles in mind:

• Capture immediately: Write things down as soon as they enter your brain to lighten the mental load.

• Add context when possible: Include documents, collaborators, due dates, or key details.

• Don't overthink it: Organization comes later in the process.

Use a virtual system

The best way to capture all of this stuff is to use a virtual system, not an analogue one.

Naturally, we recommend Asana. Asana is a work management system that organizes work so your team knows what to do, why it matters, and how to get it done.

2. Clarify

Clarifying means turning the raw information you've captured into actionable tasks with clear next steps. During this step, you'll add context, assign priorities, and determine what each item actually requires.

To clarify, make sure each item in your inbox has enough information, including:

• Actionable title: Start with a verb to make the next step clear.

• Supporting context: Add documents, files, or collaborators needed for the work.

• Project association: Link the item to relevant projects, goals, or initiatives.

• Priority and status: Note the stage, budget, estimated hours, or urgency level.

• Dependencies: Flag if this work is blocked or waiting for additional information.

Don't worry about moving these to-dos just yet. You'll move to-dos from your Inbox into the appropriate project during the Organize step.

Priority matters

As you clarify, add an associated priority to each item. Inevitably, things come up, deadlines shift, and priorities change. With a clear sense of each task's priority, you can rearrange due dates as needed so you're always getting your highest-impact work done.

Quick tasks and the two-minute rule

Sometimes, quickly completing work is easier than reviewing, prioritizing, and clarifying it. This is where the two-minute rule comes in:

• If an item takes less than two minutes to complete, do it right away. That not only removes it from your mind but also from your to-do list.

• If something doesn't fall under your responsibilities, delegate it to the right person.

Break items into multiple tasks if necessary

You may have jotted down items that represent more than just one task. For example, imagine you got inspiration to create a new ebook and added a quick reminder to your Inbox. During the Clarify step, break that initiative out into several separate tasks: "Outline ebook," "Review outline," "Draft ebook," etc.

Alternatively, if the item you captured represents an entire project or program's worth of information, use a project management tool to capture all of the moving pieces. For example, if you're working on a new product launch, track the engineering side, the go-to-market strategy, the press release, and so on.

3. Organize

While you clarify, you should also organize. During the Organize step, move items into the appropriate projects in your work management tool. By organizing and moving to-dos into their relevant projects, you turn these to-dos from notes into actionable work.

Setting up an organizational structure

Each time you arrive at an item in your inbox, clarify it and add any additional context, then move it out of your Inbox and into the appropriate project. If you haven't already, set up projects to house your various initiatives. We recommend:

• A project for all of your actionable work, sorted by priority

• A project for notes or reference materials

• A project or tool to track personal and team goals

• A project for initiatives you don't have time for but want to revisit in the future (your "someday/maybe" list)

• A project or section for blocked work

• A team project for shared information and meeting agendas

Organizing is a critical part of the GTD method, but the exact organizational system you set up is up to you. In Asana, everything assigned to you automatically appears in your My Tasks. You can create additional sections to organize high-priority work due today, this week, and longer-term work.

Clearing your Inbox

We've all saved to-dos as "unreads" in our inbox to get back to later. But these things take up mental space and aren't actually productive. Instead, turn each to-do into an actionable task and move it to the appropriate project immediately.

At the end of the Clarify and Organize steps, your Inbox should be empty. Everything should have been moved to the appropriate project or working doc so that next time you check your Inbox, you're reviewing and prioritizing brand-new tasks.

4. Reflect

The GTD method isn't a set-it-and-forget-it method. Instead, you need to frequently review your tasks and reprioritize if necessary. Understanding each task's relative priority helps you reschedule your work and easily juggle shifting priorities.

When to Reflect

The Reflect step can be a slippery slope. The last thing you want is to constantly check your Inbox, since that cuts into your focus time.

We recommend reflecting twice a day: once in the morning to set priorities, and once at the end of the day to prepare for tomorrow. Avoid over-checking, as constant review defeats the purpose of lightening your mental load.

The weekly review

The weekly review is an essential component of the GTD system. Set aside time each week to:

• Clear your inbox: Process any items that slipped through during the week.

• Review your calendar: Check upcoming commitments and deadlines.

• Update project lists: Add new tasks and mark completed ones.

• Clarify priorities: Ensure you're ready to start the next week focused.

5. Engage

The Engage step is where you get most of your work done in the GTD method. You've cleared your mind and organized everything you need to do. Now all that's left is to, well, get things done.

What to do when

There are no strict rules or guidelines for what to do when. If you prefer this sort of structure, pair the GTD method with other time management techniques, like the Pomodoro method.

Four considerations for Engaging

If you aren't sure where to get started, run through the four Engagement considerations first. Then, select the task that's most appropriate for your current situation.

1. Priority: Which tasks are the highest priority? What do you absolutely have to get done today?

2. Context: Similar to the way our brains can't multitask, it's also best to do similar tasks at the same time. This is the methodology behind time blocking. Getting all of your emails done at once helps you get things done faster because your brain is already in that context.

3. Time available: How much time do you have right now? Ideally, select tasks you can do in the time you have available so you don't have to stop halfway through.

4. Energy available: How are you feeling? It's important to consider not only your theoretical capacity, but your actual capacity. If you're not feeling up to a big task, do something slightly lower priority to build momentum.

Using work management to implement the GTD method

The GTD method works best when paired with a work management tool that can store and organize all your information. Your brain isn't built for this, but the right tool is.

Look for a tool that lets you:

• Capture personal, project, and program-level information in one place

• Store non-actionable reference materials alongside tasks

• Track work that other team members need to complete

• Connect tasks to broader goals and initiatives

Instead of storing that information in different places, the GTD method helps you input and organize it into one tool. Naturally, we think Asana is a good option. Asana brings the GTD method to life by organizing your work and reducing your mental strain so you can complete your high-impact work on time.

Pros and cons of the GTD method

The Getting Things Done method is just one time management strategy. Like all time management techniques, it has its pros and cons. The strategy you choose to implement depends largely on which skills you want to improve with time management.

The pros

The GTD system is easy to set up and flexible to use. It:

• Reduces the cognitive load and mental strain that comes from trying to remember everything that's on your plate.

• Eliminates multitasking so you have more time to be in the flow.

• Builds a central source for all information, even non-actionable information.

• Provides a clear sense of the work on your plate, making it easy to reprioritize or reschedule if necessary.

The cons

Before you get started with the GTD method, here are some limitations to keep in mind. The GTD method:

• Takes time to set up. If you're not already using a task management system, create one to document all of your work.

• Can be too flexible. The GTD method only helps you organize your tasks; it doesn't help you schedule your weekly or daily work. If you struggle with this, pair the GTD method with time blocking or timeboxing.

Get things done with Asana

The Getting Things Done method is easy to implement and flexible, reducing strain on your brain and helping you get higher-impact work done. Although this method requires up-front effort, it'll become second nature with time and practice.

To get started with the GTD method, try Asana. Plus, download the Asana mobile app to capture everything you need on the go. Ready to boost your productivity? Get started today.

Frequently asked questions about Getting Things Done (GTD)