How the GTD Method is Helping Me Prepare For My 2025 Goals

Let’s talk about GTD - the Getting Things Done Method by David Allen. Within the planner community, I have heard of people saying they use the GTD method for their planning needs. This is a method created (or coined) by David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity. It is in reality an entire system, but I think it works along nicely with any planner system you choose to use.

Personally, I use the Cultivate What Matters Powersheets Goal Planning System, along with my Franklin Covey planner. (Franklin Covey also has a productivity system for their planning method and they actually offer an entire free course on their website!)

The Getting Things Done Method I’m referring to is something that I’m turning into a brain dump activity. Specifically, I’m referring to the pages 116 to 120 of David Allen’s book, in Getting Things Done. This is the Incompletion Triggers list and each of the items listed helps to “jog” your memory of a task or a project left undone - something to be added to your “inbox”.

David Allen is literally talking about a physical inbox to add each idea, task or project to a piece of physical paper. I use a hybrid system that works best for me. My complete “inbox” would consist of my e-mail, my I-calendar, my planner inbox and my future planner calendar. Now I know that sounds like a lot, but here’s where the brainstorming comes in.

BRAINSTORM!!

I will literally review all of the incompletion Triggers, and review them mentally and make notes in a notebook about whether I have anything in that category. In effect, I’m treating the notebook and the brainstorming session as if it were an inbox.

The projects or tasks that result from this step are not something I need to work on immediately. I have been working with my Powersheets goal planner for four years now, and I have a pretty good grasp of what I need my goals to be for this year. My task at this point is to wrap up loose ends for the year (something that I’ve already established in my Goal Planner). In addition to that, my planner system with Franklin Covey is in a sweet spot, and all I’m doing here is looking for ideas that might trigger A.) Additional things I need to wrap up in the last quarter for 2024, or B.) goal ideas for 2025.

This project in and of itself is really my last big “project” for 2024. I need to set aside a few hours (since I have a full schedule from now until Christmas) to get it all done.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read today’s article. How do you take care of your life’s “busywork”? How do you find ideas on what your goals look like for next year?

Happy Brainstorming!

Sandra