My GTD Setup After 10 Years: What Survived and What I Changed
Reading time: 10 min
What I learned after 10 years with GTD:
- A daily Top 3 list, not the full Next Actions list, is what turned GTD from overwhelming into focused. Three priorities per day, no more.
- Most context tags, filters, and extra lists do not survive real use. Six lists and four tag categories are enough to run the entire system.
- The weekly review is what holds everything together. Without it, even the best setup falls apart within weeks.
Over the past ten years, I have tested more GTD variations than I can count. Extra lists for low-energy tasks. Contexts for every possible location and device. Smart filters that were supposed to surface exactly the right task at the right time. Most of it did not survive. What stayed is a workflow that is simple, minimal, and honest about how I actually work.
This is not an introduction to GTD. If you want to understand the method itself, the five steps, the two-minute rule, the core lists, the overview of productivity methods is a good starting point. This article is something different. It is a report from the field. What happens when you use GTD for a decade, keep experimenting, and strip away everything that does not earn its place.
The setup I describe here is not meant to be universal. It is the system that works for me after years of adding, testing, and removing. If something resonates, take it. If it does not, leave it. That is the pragmatic approach.
Why a Pragmatic Setup Matters More Than a Perfect One
For me, "pragmatic" means resisting the temptation to over-engineer the system. Productivity is supposed to help you do things, not drown you in maintenance work.
I have seen colleagues, Scrum Masters for example, spend hours preparing elaborate emails for a simple 30-minute meeting that was only meant to check dependencies. The system starts consuming more time than the work itself.
It is similar in the PKM world. I have come across Reddit posts where people proudly showcase knowledge bases with 20,000+ notes and intricate visualisations. And I cannot help asking: what actually comes out of this? Is it just about maintaining the system, or does it help them create, decide, and move forward?
There is nothing wrong with doing it that way, if it works for you. But for me, productivity has always been about execution and results, not about losing myself in endless system maintenance.
Tiago Forte's CODE framework (Capture, Organize, Distill, Express) influenced me here. The last step, Express, is what matters most: producing output, making progress, creating value. If your system does not help you get there, it is not doing its job. That is the lens I applied to GTD: keep what supports output, cut what does not.
My Lists: What Survived a Decade of Experimenting
My setup still looks a lot like classic GTD, but with deliberate changes. Over time I experimented with dozens of extra lists and clever filters. Most of them turned out to be more work than help. What survived are a few lists that I can actually keep up with, day after day.
Inbox
Nothing special here. Everything that crosses my mind goes straight into the Inbox: ideas, tasks, reminders, questions. The rule is simple: if it is not in the system, it does not exist. I clear it regularly by moving items to the right list.
Top 3 Priorities
This is my biggest departure from traditional GTD.
Inspired by Oliver Burkeman's 4000 Weeks and Cal Newport's Deep Work, I created a list that holds only three tasks. These are the three most important actions for the day. Nothing else goes here. When one task is done, another can move in from Next Actions.
This small change made a real difference. It forces me to face reality: there will always be more tasks than time. Burkeman is right when he says we hope that if we plan enough, one day we will be "finished." That day never comes. Limiting myself to three priorities means I start the day with focus instead of anxiety.
In the morning, I review my Top 3 and block time on my calendar for them. Some days I finish all three before lunch. On others, I only get through one because something urgent came up. Either way, the most important work has my attention first.
Next Actions
Pure GTD. Every actionable item that is not in my Top 3 goes here. I add context tags and sometimes due dates. For example, if I need to prepare a presentation for a meeting next week, I tag it with the effort it requires and set a due date a few days before the meeting. That way it does not clutter my mind now, but I will not forget it later.
Waiting For
Also pure GTD. Whenever I depend on someone else, I capture it here and add a quick note about when and what we agreed. That way I can follow up without guessing or searching through chat history.
Tickler File
This list saved GTD for me.
Often I had tasks that were real, but not actionable until a certain date. Think of switching to winter tires in October. Or renewing an insurance policy in March. In the past I had nowhere to put these, so they ended up clogging my Next Actions or Waiting For list. A Tickler file fixes this. The tasks stay hidden until the right time, then surface automatically. I even use it for birthdays.
It cleared away so much noise that I consider it the single biggest improvement I made to my setup. Before the Tickler, future tasks either distracted me in the present or got forgotten entirely. Now they show up exactly when they become relevant.
Someday/Maybe
My safety net for ideas and "one day" projects. Anything from "renovate the kitchen" to "try that new restaurant." There is no pressure here. Once a week I review it and sometimes move items into Next Actions. More often I just let them sit. Knowing they are captured frees me from the fear of forgetting.
How Is This Different from Standard GTD?
Three things. First, the Top 3 Priorities list does not exist in classic GTD. It is my way of forcing daily focus instead of working from an ever-growing Next Actions list. Second, the Tickler file solves a gap that classic GTD does not address well: tasks that are real but not yet actionable. Third, I do not maintain a separate project list. Instead, I use project tags (explained below) to keep everything in one system while still being able to filter by project when I need an overview.
My Context Tags: What I Kept and What I Pruned
Contexts are one of the most powerful ideas in GTD. They make sure you see the right tasks at the right time. Over the years I experimented with dozens of them. At first it felt exciting to have a tag for every possible situation. But very quickly, tagging became more work than doing. That is why I now keep only a few contexts that truly add value. Everything else was pruned away.
Location
I use #home, #office, #onthego, and #laptop. The first three are obvious. The #laptop tag evolved naturally, because some tasks really need a larger screen. I never used #phone. I tried it, but I never once filtered for tasks I could only do on my phone.
People
Tags like #mywife or #colleagueX are extremely helpful. During the week I collect small things I want to discuss with a person. Instead of interrupting them each time, I batch all the points into one conversation. At home, this saves my wife from constant small questions. At work, it makes one-on-ones much more effective.
Effort
I estimate tasks roughly as #15min, #2h, or #6h. It is not about accuracy, only about seeing at a glance if I have a quick win, a medium chunk, or a full-day task ahead of me. I used to have more options like #30min or #4h. They did not make a difference. Simplicity wins.
Projects
Instead of maintaining a separate project list, I tag project tasks with #P-ProjectX. All tasks still live in my main lists, but I can filter by project when I need an overview. This avoids duplicate lists and the constant moving of tasks between them. The naming convention with "P-" makes it easy to add new tags, since all project tags appear together.
And that is it. All other context experiments, like #lowenergy or #highenergy, looked clever but never added real value. Pruning was essential. Cutting back to the few contexts that matter keeps the system light and usable.
My Daily and Weekly Rhythm
A system is only as good as the rhythm that keeps it alive. For me that rhythm is a mix of small daily habits and a simple weekly review.
How a Typical Day Looks
Every new idea or task goes straight into the Inbox. I try not to hold anything in my head for long. Throughout the day I sort items into the right lists and add tags if needed.
In the morning I check my Top 3 Priorities. These become the anchors of my day. Once I set them, I block time in my calendar for Deep Work on each of them. If more gets done later, that is a bonus, but the Top 3 are non-negotiable.
During the day I work directly from the Top 3. When one is finished, I pull the next most important item from Next Actions. Urgent requests or shifting priorities sometimes change the list, but the point is that focus stays on the few things that matter most.
The Weekly Review
On Sundays I spend about 15 minutes going through all lists. In theory you are supposed to block 30 minutes for this. In practice, once the habit is established and the system is clean, it takes less. My steps are always the same:
Empty the Inbox and file everything into the right place.
Review the calendar, looking back at the past week and forward at the next one.
Clean up Next Actions by removing anything outdated and adding missing steps.
Review project tags to see progress and capture new tasks.
Check Waiting For and Someday/Maybe, reactivate what is ready or delete what is no longer relevant.
This is also when the Tickler shows its real value. A task like "switch to winter tires" suddenly reappears in October. It was invisible before, so it never distracted me. Now it surfaces at exactly the right time. This single feature eliminated the frustration I used to feel with GTD when future tasks cluttered my present lists.
The daily rhythm keeps me focused. The weekly review keeps me in control. Together they make the system sustainable instead of overwhelming.
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The common recommendation is 30 minutes, and that is a reasonable estimate when you are starting out. Once the system is established and you review consistently, it takes closer to 10 to 15 minutes. The key is not the duration but the consistency. A short review every week beats a thorough one every few months.
Separating Work and Personal Life
One choice that made my system much calmer was separating work and personal life into two different accounts. Both accounts use the exact same structure: the same lists, the same tags, the same workflow. The difference is only in the content.
I used to keep everything in one account and tried to filter views so that I only saw work or only saw private tasks. In theory it sounded efficient. In practice it never worked. Sooner or later, a work task would pop up while I was planning my weekend, or a personal reminder would appear during a busy workday. Instead of focus, it created distraction.
With two accounts, the boundary is clear. At work I only see work. At home I only see personal tasks. Nothing overlaps. The mental load is lower and I can give each area my full attention when it is time.
The Tool: Why I Use TickTick (and Why It Does Not Matter Much)
GTD is tool-agnostic. You can run it on paper, in Todoist, in Things, or in any modern task manager. What matters is the workflow, not the app.
I personally use TickTick and have done so for years. It gives me exactly what I need: reliable sync across all devices, powerful filters to combine lists and tags, and solid formatting options for tasks and notes. I pay for the premium version, but everything I describe here also works with the free plan.
The reason I mention TickTick is not to say "you should use this app." It is because abstract descriptions of productivity setups can be hard to imagine in practice. Seeing how the system looks in a real tool makes it easier to grasp. But any modern to-do app will work if you set it up in a way that supports your workflow. The key is to make the system light, clear, and sustainable.
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No. GTD works with any tool that supports lists, tags, and reminders. Paper works. Todoist, Things, TickTick, and Asana all work. The system is in the workflow, not the app. Pick whatever you are most likely to actually use every day, and resist the urge to spend weeks researching the "best" tool before you start.
What I Would Tell Someone Starting GTD Today
If I could go back ten years and talk to myself before I started, I would say three things.
First: start with the absolute minimum. One inbox, one next-actions list, one waiting-for list. That is enough for the first month. Do not research what other people do. Do not set up 30 context tags because someone on Reddit says they are essential. Just start capturing and processing. The gaps in your system will reveal themselves through use, and that is exactly when you should fill them.
Second: add things slowly, one at a time, when you notice a real problem. I added the Top 3 list because I felt overwhelmed by a long Next Actions list. I added the Tickler because future tasks kept cluttering my present view. I added people tags because I noticed I was interrupting colleagues too often with small questions. Every addition was a response to something that was not working. None of them came from reading about what other people do.
Third: the weekly review is everything. Without it, the system falls apart. It does not matter how elegant your lists and tags are. If you do not sit down once a week and look at the whole picture, trust erodes, tasks slip through the cracks, and you end up back where you started: keeping everything in your head.
GTD manages your tasks and priorities. It tells you what to do and when. For organising the knowledge and reference materials behind those tasks, it pairs well with a Second Brain or personal knowledge management system. GTD is the action layer. PKM is the knowledge layer. They solve different problems, and they work better together than either does alone.
My workflow is not perfect, and it is not meant to be. It is simply the setup that has proven sustainable for me after more than a decade of experimenting, pruning, and adjusting. Most days I end calm, not overwhelmed. And that, more than inbox zero or a perfectly tagged system, is the real measure of success.
If it works, it works.
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Over-engineering the system before they start using it. They research apps for weeks, set up elaborate tag hierarchies, and design custom filters before they have captured a single task. The system should grow from use, not from planning. Start minimal, notice what is missing, and add one thing at a time.
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Yes, and I would argue they complement each other. GTD is a task management system. It answers the question "What do I need to do?" A Second Brain is a knowledge management system. It answers the question "What do I know, and where did I put it?" GTD tracks your commitments and actions. A Second Brain stores the notes, references, and ideas that inform those actions. Using both means you have one system for doing and one for knowing, without trying to force either into a role it was not designed for.
Sources
Allen, D. (2001). Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Penguin Books.
Burkeman, O. (2021). Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central Publishing.
Forte, T. (2022). Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential. Atria Books.
