#Getting things done file system series#

if an item/thought isn't immediately actionable and it's not trash or reference, it goes here. Even if you digitize most of your physical documents, there will still be some stuff you either can't scan in or that will be too cumbersome (e.g., printer manual). Or, if you want to get fancy, you can scan most of your physical stuff into your computer and organize it in folders digitally. Hum, where should it go? If you have physical stuff, you can create a filing system. Since you don't want to throw this out, it must go somewhere. For example, a map, manual, or reference sheet. You might pick up something that isn't actionable but that is important. The more you throw away the less you have to Process and Organize. It's such a great feeling to get rid of something. The answer to that single question seals the fate of the idea/thing. Pick up one thing or card at a time and answer this question: Start with either the index cards or the physical stuff. Of course, so will several of your other 8 hours, but trust me when I say it's worth it. At the end of Processing & Organizing, you'll have nothing in your in-basket and all of those index cards will be gone. Processing and Organizing involves getting everything out of your temporary Collection Buckets and putting it where it belongs. 'What am I supposed to do with all this stuff? This doesn't feel like I'm getting organized! GTD should stand for Getting Things Disorganized!' Hang in there. At this point, you might start to freak out a bit. Now that you've Collected, you should have a huge stack of stuff as well as a bunch of index cards. Getting Things Done: Step 2/3 - Processing & Organizing GTD Post #2: Getting Things Done: Step 1 - Collection GTD Post #1: Getting Things Done: Introduction

#Getting things done file system series#

This article is part three of a seven part series on Getting Things Done Â® (GTD Â® ) - the time and productivity management system by David Allen.