Why do GTD systems often fail?

If you use what you think is the best GTD system, but do not see the results, it is unlikely that the problem lies with the system, but rather the problem with the belief that a perfectly structured to-do list will allow you to do 10 times more work than your colleagues. No method of increasing productivity will be effective for you until you start thinking realistically. We will talk about this in the article.

It is impossible to do "everything" in one day

Every day you have a lot of things that you absolutely need to do today. You seem to understand that it is impossible to do everything at once, but nevertheless, with enviable persistence, you try to prove the opposite, which ultimately leads to the feeling that you have been spinning like a squirrel in a wheel all day, but you haven’t had time to do anything. Avoiding this feeling is easy - you need to prioritize. Decide what really needs to be done today and what may well wait until tomorrow. After completing a small list of tasks in a day, you will feel progress, which means that the next day you will get down to business with great enthusiasm.

You've probably already thought that it is, in fact, difficult to prioritize. It is not always possible to understand which business is more important today. In his video blog, the famous blogger Ze Frank gives this advice: write a list of all the things that need to be completed, then start reading the list from the end, listening to your inner feelings. If you understand that this point is really important, leave it; if there is even the slightest doubt, cross it out mercilessly. Start the remaining tasks from the first on the list.

Remember that there are 24 hours in a day, you are limited by this time. Having planned too much, by the evening you will be disappointed that again you did not have time. Better, on the contrary, set yourself a goal that is too simple, with which you will definitely cope. And then do some additional work. At the end of the day, you will feel like a winner, because in addition to the necessary things, you managed to do something else.

Forget multitasking and focus on one thing

It is very difficult for a person to multitask, but nevertheless, many like to do it, because this way they feel more active and productive. Every five minutes, we may interrupt some activity to answer by phone or email. Multitasking greatly distracts our attention, and here's why: every time you switch your attention from one task to another, you will then painfully return to the first, remembering where you left off.

In an ideal world, we could completely abandon multitasking, but in the real world, situations still arise when it is impossible to avoid it. In this case, it is worth making a compromise, using, for example, the technique of "tomato planning", when you focus exclusively on one task for 25 minutes, not allowing yourself to be distracted.

Work on one task, and after 25 minutes, revise the list and select the next one that currently requires your immediate attention. This will allow you to multitask but stay focused on the task at hand.

Choose and apply productivity tips wisely

There are many articles written on the topic of productivity and efficiency, new techniques and hacks are endlessly popping up, but none of these will help you unless you solve the problems described above. And even having solved them, you need to learn how to correctly and in place apply the GTD system.

As already mentioned in one of our posts, if what you do is important to you, you do not need systems, lists and reminders. It will not be difficult for you to keep in mind what you need to do. If the problem you are solving is global, then you will probably break it down into parts by writing a list of sequential tasks, but do it without thinking: "Oh, I'm using GTD!" So what are GTD systems and other productivity tips for? In order to do routine and boring things on time: paying bills, making calls, reporting. This is what you with all your soul dream to postpone for "tomorrow", which will never come.

However, any productivity system should not be applied blindly, you need to first think about how you can "sharpen" it for yourself in order to get the most out of it. GTD systems are not a magic wand to be applied by strict adherence to instructions, they are a tool that needs to be fine-tuned by learning about yourself and the way you work to make you feel satisfied at the end of the day.