Inbox – here is where you initially drop anything and everything that needs to be organized in the system.

Once you have the basics, you can “tweak” the system to customize it to your needs, but start with these basic tabs: You will then have access to one of the most powerful management systems ever devised, no matter where you are. Store your GTD Notebook on OneDrive, so you can access it from anywhere, and link it to your smart phone, tablet devices, home and work computers.

Each task or action item, no matter how small, becomes a separate page on that tab. Those “Buckets” are easily organized as tabs inside of a OneNote Notebook. It can take a while – hours or even a few days – to get everything in the first time, but once you do, GTD relies on a simple decision making system (“Do it, Delegate it, or Defer it”) and a handful of defined “Buckets” which hold all your projects and tasks, no matter how small, and the supporting information you need to perform them.

When you get everything out of your head and into a simple, functional and trustworthy system – so that your mind is free to focus on DOING the work, rather than trying to remember what to do – even an overwhelming amount of work becomes manageable. The core principle of “GTD” is that anything stored in your head is a source of stress and anxiety, and destroys productivity. If you’re a GTD user, or think you want to give it a try, OneNote is a fantastic tool – especially for Microsoft Office and Office 365 users. The system was designed when paper was king…but its principles are simple and technology has made them even easier and more powerful.

Applications, products and whole communities of users have sprung up around it, making Getting Things Done (GTD) one of the most popular organizational systems around. David Allen’s “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” was first published in 2001, and updated in 2015, and has remained a best-selling business “basic” for all of that time.

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