I’ve been a big fan of David Allen and his Getting Things Done (GTD) system for stress-free productivity for years. As the saying goes? A clear mind has a full trash bin.

Unfortunately, I have an on-off relationship with time management and self-organization systems. The only constant I’ve successfully practiced for years is the Natural Planning Model that David introduces in this Tedx Talk. A truly wonderfully simple tool to define the success criteria and next steps in a task.

What is the GTD-Model?

Getting Things Done, or GTD for short, is a time management model developed by David Allen. The goal of GTD is to outsource the processing of tasks and ideas that takes place in the mind into a structured system in order to be able to concentrate on the actual work.

The GTD model is based on five steps: collect, process, organize, reflect, and engage. In the first step, all tasks and ideas that come to mind are collected and written down. In the second step, these tasks and ideas are processed by deciding what to do with them: whether to complete them, delegate them, save them, or discard them. The third step is to organize the tasks and ideas by categorizing them and prioritizing them. In the fourth step, one regularly reflects on progress and adjusts the system accordingly. In the fifth and final step, one systematically goes through the tasks and ideas and starts doing them.

This is how the Natural Planning Model works

According to David Allen, regardless of task size, the human brain works through five phases to solve a problem. When these phases are worked together, they create a whole model of how we get things done most effectively, with the least amount of effort.

The five steps are:
1. Defining purpose and principles
2. Outcome visioning
3. Brainstorming
4. Organizing
5. Identifying next actions

Quelle: Diagrammo

Getting in control and creating space | David Allen | TEDxAmsterdam 2014