{"id":160882,"date":"2018-01-26T12:51:54","date_gmt":"2018-01-26T11:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zenkit.com\/blog\/mastering-the-most-important-step-in-gtd\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T04:22:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T02:22:29","slug":"mastering-the-most-important-step-in-gtd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenkit.com\/ru\/blog\/mastering-the-most-important-step-in-gtd\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering the Most Important Step in GTD\u00ae"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"How<\/p>\n

Getting Things Done \u00ae can be a complex thing to learn. Once it clicks, you feel amazing and productive, but getting to that point can be difficult. Even if you\u2019ve found the perfect tool<\/a> for following it through, there are many pitfalls along the way and mistakes that are easy to make as a beginner, and even advanced GTD-ers can sometimes stumble!<\/p>\n

\"gtd<\/p>\n

Here I\u2019ll outline the biggest problem most users come across, and how to fix it.<\/p>\n

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Writing Next\u00a0Actions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yup. Writing effective next actions is the hurdle most people fail at. The issue is that it seems like such a simple thing to do, but in order to be effective<\/em>, it needs to be done well.<\/em><\/p>\n

What defines an effective next action? It should be a physical<\/em>, visible<\/em> action that contains enough information to encourage you to complete it. It should not just act as a simple reminder.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at an\u00a0example:<\/h4>\n

\u201cGTD article\u201d <\/strong>vs. \u201cWrite 1000 word article about GTD mistakes by Friday\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a clear distinction between the two. The second is very clear about what needs to be done, by when, and it\u2019s very easy to get started.<\/p>\n

The first, \u201cGTD article\u201d, leaves a lot of unanswered questions. If you looked at this item on your Next Actions list a few days after you added it, you might not remember what it was you\u2019re actually supposed to do! Are you supposed to write it, edit it, or assign it to someone? What topics should it cover? Does it have a due date?<\/p>\n

When something like this appears on your list, you end up wasting time figuring out what your task is, rather than getting it done! You end up stuck where you should be able to move forward.<\/p>\n

This happens when you\u2019ve not done a proper job of processing <\/em>or clarifying <\/em>the item earlier on. Remember the basic steps in GTD<\/a>: Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect, Engage. Something like \u201cGTD article\u201d reads like an item in the Capture stage, where you\u2019ve had an idea and just stuck it in your inbox to get it out of your head.<\/p>\n

Processing or decision-making is part of the second stage\u200a\u2014\u200aClarify. This step is needed to make sense<\/em> of the items you\u2019ve captured. If you\u2019re at the Organize, Reflect, or Engage step, and still have decisions to make, it means you haven\u2019t processed well enough.<\/p>\n

\"diagram<\/figure>\n

Remember this decision tree? If you\u2019re looking at something on your Next Action list, and you don\u2019t know what it is you\u2019re supposed to do, then you\u2019ve skipped a step somewhere further up the chain.<\/p>\n

A good rule of thumb is if you need more clarity<\/em> move up<\/em> the chain. If you need more action<\/em>, move down<\/em> it.<\/p>\n

\n

How to Write Better Next Actions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are a few tricks you can use to make sure you\u2019re writing effective next actions that will spur you to get things done.<\/p>\n

Pretend you\u2019re motivating someone else to do it<\/h3>\n

When you\u2019re writing the next actions for yourself, it\u2019s easy to get lazy because you think you\u2019ll remember your own tasks. Using quickly jotted-down notes might work if you\u2019re able to get to them that day, but if it’s a few days or even weeks later, you might not remember what you meant in the past!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n

When you\u2019re trying to motivate someone else to do the task, you tend to write them well. You take the time to explain exactly what\u2019s needed, by when, who it should be given to next, and any other pertinent details. Doing this ensures first that it gets done the way you intended it to, and secondly, that the person you\u2019re assigning the task to understands what\u2019s needed and doesn\u2019t waste their time trying to figure it out or bothering you for the details.<\/p>\n

Do yourself a favour and write your own tasks that way, too! Future you will appreciate it.<\/p>\n

Add a\u00a0verb!<\/h3>\n

If there\u2019s no verb in your task, then you\u2019ve not made it actionable<\/em>. Verbs change the structure of the task: \u201cGTD article\u201d becomes \u201cwrite GTD article\u201d. Looking at it, you immediately know what <\/em>needs to be done.<\/p>\n

Even though \u201cwrite GTD article\u201d is still a little bare-bones, at least you know that you\u2019re not supposed to edit, read, publish, or save it! The only decision you need to make now is how <\/em>to get it done.<\/p>\n

\"poster<\/figure>\n

Action or\u00a0project?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Verbs are also super helpful when you\u2019re trying to figure out if something should be the next action, or if it actually needs to be a project. Thinking of a verb causes you to ask \u201cwhat action do I need to take to do this?\u201d. If the answer is another task, then you\u2019ve just found yourself a project. (Remember, a project in GTD is defined as a task that takes two or more steps to complete).<\/p>\n

An example:<\/strong> Perhaps you don\u2019t know all that much about GTD, but you\u2019ve been tasked with writing the article anyway. Asking \u201cwhat action do I need to take to write a GTD article?\u201d will return the answer \u201cresearch GTD\u201d. You might also need to add \u201cwrite GTD draft\u201d and \u201cedit GTD article\u201d to that list.<\/p>\n

Does it have a due\u00a0date?<\/h3>\n

If a next action or task has a distinct due date, you should always add it to a calendar. However, for visibility, it’s much easier to also include that due date in the name of the task. e.g. \u201cWrite article about GTD mistakes by Friday\u201d. Even if the task is sitting in your calendar already, the \u2018by Friday\u2019 tacked on the end helps you see at a glance which items in your Next Actions list should be tackled at a specific time.<\/p>\n

Is there anything I need to\u00a0know?<\/h3>\n

The example at the top of this article, \u201cWrite 1000 word article about GTD mistakes by Friday\u201d, includes a qualifying detail\u200a\u2014\u200a\u201c1000 words\u201d.<\/p>\n

Including this information helps you to quickly determine exactly <\/em>what goal you need to reach in order for the task to be \u2018done\u2019. Adding task details to your next action helps you define what the outcome should be, as well as helps set limits on your efforts. If the article only needed to be around 1000 words, but you ended up writing 3000, then you\u2019ve spent energy overreaching the scope of the task, when you could have used that time and energy to tackle the next thing down the list.<\/p>\n

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Practice! Practice! Practice!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Like anything, writing good Next Actions comes with practice. Remember to always ask yourself the questions used for processing:<\/p>\n