无论您是经验丰富的Getting Things Done GTD专家，还是刚刚开始了解GTD流程，Todoist都是迄今为止支持您的(Todoist)GTD工作流程的最佳待办事项列表应用程序。
为什么是这样？有很多原因与它的特性、布局以及默认功能自然支持您将在其中构建的GTD结构这一事实有关。(GTD)
即使您从未听说过GTD，以下内容也将包括基本的GTD提示以帮助您入门，以及如何使用Todoist来做到这一点。
注意：本文中使用的(Note)GTD的确切版本是建立在Carl Pullein和他的Your Digital Life 3.0 Online 课程(Your Digital Life 3.0 Online class)（我强烈推荐）提出的原则之上的。本文仅提供如何使用Todoist作为该系统的一部分。有很多细节我们没有篇幅在本文中介绍。
什么是完成任务 (GTD)？
把事情(Things Done)做好的原则已经存在了一段时间。您没有必须使用的固定工具或应用程序，但围绕任何方法的基本核心原则基本上是相同的。
GTD帮助您清空整天在其中游荡的一切。这可以让你的大脑真正专注于你面前的任务，而不是不断地分心。
它通过为您提供一系列步骤来工作，您每周都要通过这些步骤来保持井井有条。这些步骤包括：
- 捕捉(Capturing)随之而来的每一个想法、任务、行动项目或约会。你可能正在开会，而你的老板给了你一个行动项目。你可以在公园里散步，你想写一本书的好主意。无论何时、何地或如何 — 每当您想到需要做的事情时，您都会将其捕获到您的“收件箱”中。
- (Clarifying)通过将这些想法分解为任务、分配优先级并在您准备好尽快处理它们时给它们一个截止日期来澄清这些想法。
- (Organizing)根据优先级将任务放入您最终会得到的存储桶中来组织任务。如果您计划尽快完成该任务，您还可以将其添加到您的日历中（Todoist可以帮助您自动执行该任务）。
- 回顾(Reviewing)每个“桶”并将所有那些有组织的想法向上移动，直到最紧迫的想法进入你的日历和你的专注时间。
- 在您安排(Engaging)的时间，将您的全部注意力集中在那些最终出现在您面前的任务上。
GTD不仅可以帮助您提高工作效率和井井有条，还可以帮助您达到收件箱零(Inbox Zero)（收件箱中不再有电子邮件），因为您永远不会拖延(never procrastinate)收到的电子邮件。您将使用上面的GTD(GTD)系统立即处理所有内容。
如何构建Todoist GTD 结构(Todoist GTD Structure)
现在您已经了解了GTD的基本原理，让我们仔细看看Todoist可以如何提供帮助。
您要做的第一件事是在Todoist中创建一个新的父项目结构，其中包含用于组织各种传入任务的所有存储桶。
这些存储桶（父文件夹）包括：
- 收件箱(Inbox)：这是所有收到的想法的地方。当您收到需要执行操作的电子邮件时，您将在此处输入操作并立即存档电子邮件。如果您在会议中收到操作项，您将把该操作项放在这里。您需要采取的任何行动都会直接进入您的收件箱(Inbox)。
注意(Note)：Todoist 有一个默认收件箱(Inbox)部分，因此您不必手动创建此部分。
您将创建的接下来的几个项目文件夹是您在每天结束的澄清(Clarifying)和组织(Organizing)会议期间将项目移动到的位置。这些包括：
- 本周(This Week)：您想在本周立即处理的项目将进入该项目。当您将它们放在这里时，您还将指定一个截止日期。如果您将Todoist与您的日历集成，Todoist会自动为您将其添加到您的日历中。
- 下周(Next Week)：收件箱中您想尽快完成但不是那么紧急而必须在本周完成的项目将进入您的下周(Week)项目。不需要截止日期。
- 本月(This Month)：您想很快完成但可以等待一两个星期的项目将进入该项目。也不要在此处附加截止日期。
- 下个月(Next Month)：您最终想要完成但您知道可能等待很长时间的任务将进入下个月文件(Month)夹，没有截止日期。
您还需要为特殊任务创建两个项目。
- 反复出现的重点领域(Recurring Areas of Focus)：这些是您需要定期做的与对您很重要的目标相关的事情，例如每月参加在线课程。
- 例行程序(Routines)：这些任务可能与您的目标无关，但您必须每周完成，例如锻炼或俱乐部会议。
构建重复任务
你当然必须每天或每周都有很多事情要做。通过将它们添加到您的重复关注领域(Recurring Areas of Focus)项目中（如果它们与对您很重要的目标相关），让您摆脱这些想法。
还建议您将 Recurring Areas of Focus作为(Focus)本周(Week)的子项目。
任何重复性任务只是您生活的一部分，但并不能真正推动您的生活目标，请将它们添加到例程(Routines)项目中。
请记住(Remember)为所有这些添加截止日期并将它们标记为重复。这样，它们会自动出现在您的Today和Upcoming Todoist 版块中，而无需您做任何事情。
使用收件箱
在这一周内，当出现您必须处理的新问题时，只需将它们扔到您的 Todoist收件箱(Inbox)中即可。
这样，您就可以避免分心，并且您知道以后有时间时不会忘记处理这些任务。
每周同一时间，您将留出大约 20 到 30 分钟来处理您的收件箱(Inbox)。在此期间，只需一次完成一项，并确定完成该任务的重要性以及在什么时间范围内。
例如，我知道我最终要修复甲板，但它仍然是Winter。所以，我会将该任务移至Long Term / On Hold。
接下来，我知道我需要进行年度体检，但是这个月我很忙，如果我等到下个月再安排它，那也无所谓了。所以，我将把它移到下个月(Next Month)的项目中。
最后，我知道我想在本周完成一篇 Online-Tech-Tips.com 文章。所以我在一周中指定了一天和时间来完成它。
然后，将该任务移至本周(This Week)项目。
我能够在大约五分钟内处理我在白天 添加到收件箱的这三个项目。(Inbox)
我知道我不会忘记它们，因为它们现在在我有组织的ToDoist GTD系统中。一切都安排在一周内，我真的不需要考虑任何事情，除了在日历(up on my calendar)上出现的每项任务上努力工作。
本周管理
当您到达每周结束时，您会注意到您的本周(Week)项目最终将清空活动项目。
(Set)每周设置一个时间（通常是周五(Friday)一天的结束，或周末的某个时间），将任务从下周(Next Week)项目移动到本周(This Week)项目中。执行此操作时指定(Assign)截止日期。
对 This Month(Month)、Next Month和Long Term / On Hold文件夹中的项目重复此操作。
记住(Remember)：如果它仍然不紧急，你不必移动它。您还可以删除您认为不再重要的任务。
记住要保持专注
这是将所有这些结合在一起并使GTD系统工作的最重要的原则。
因为您只花费一小段时间来处理所有被扔进收件箱(Inbox)的想法和任务，所以您剩下的时间是您在日历中分配的剩余时间来实际完成工作。
这意味着您在一天中仅使用Todoist中的 Today 和(Todoist)Upcoming区域（连同您的Calendar）并在一天中工作以完成和划掉这些任务。
您知道您只分配了可以在一天内完成的任务，因为Todoist 会(Todoist)自动将它们添加到您的日历中。如果你的一天已经满了，你就不能分配更多。当您的一周已满时，您无法将任何其他内容移入本周(Week)项目。
GTD之所以有效，是因为它可以让你摆脱头脑中的混乱并进入“系统”。它可以解放您的思想，让您可以将注意力集中在手头的任务上——并把事情做好(Get Things Done)。
Todoist GTD Tips to Boost Your Productivity
Whether you’re a seasoned Getting Things Done GTD expert, оr yoυ’re just starting tо learn about thе GTD рrocess, Todoist is by far the best to-do list app to support your GTD workflow.
Why is this? There are a lot of reasons that have to do with its features, layout, and the fact that the default functionality naturally supports the GTD structure that you’ll build inside it.
Even if you’ve never heard of GTD, the following will include basic GTD tips to get you started, and how you can use Todoist to do so.
Note: The exact version of GTD used in this article is built upon the principles put out by Carl Pullein and his Your Digital Life 3.0 Online class (which I highly recommend). This article only offers how to use Todoist as part of that system. There are many details we don’t have space to include in this article.
What Is Getting Things Done (GTD)?
Getting Things Done principles have been around for a while. There are no set tools or apps you have to use, but the basic core principles around any approach is essentially the same.
GTD helps empty your mind of everything that’s swimming around in it all day. This frees up your brain to really focus on the task in front of you, instead of constantly getting distracted.
It works by giving you a series of steps that you work through every week to stay organized. These steps include:
- Capturing every idea, task, action item, or appointment that comes along. You could be in the middle of a meeting and your boss gives you an action item. You could be walking in the park and you get a great idea for a book you want to write. It doesn’t matter when, where, or how — whenever you think of something you need to do, you’ll capture it into your “Inbox”.
- Clarifying those ideas by breaking them down into tasks, assigning them a priority, and giving them a due date if you’re ready to work on them soon.
- Organizing the tasks by putting them into a bucket that you’ll get to eventually, based on priority. If you’re planning to work on the task soon, you’ll also add it to your calendar (and Todoist can help you automate that).
- Reviewing each “bucket” and moving all those organized ideas up the ladder until the most pressing ones make it into your calendar and your focus time.
- Engaging your full attention on those tasks that have finally made it in front of you, at the times you’ve scheduled.
Not only does GTD help you get more productive and organized, but it can also help you get to Inbox Zero (no more emails in your inbox), because you will never procrastinate on your incoming emails. You will process everything immediately using the GTD system above.
How to Build a Todoist GTD Structure
Now that you know the basic principles of GTD, let’s take a closer look at how Todoist can help.
The first thing you’ll want to do is create a new parent Projects structure in Todoist that contains all the buckets for organizing your various incoming tasks.
These buckets (parent folders) include:
- Inbox: This is where all those incoming ideas go into. When you get an email that requires an action, you’ll put the action in here and archive the email immediately. If you receive an action item in a meeting, you’ll put that action item in here. Anything that you need to act on, goes directly into your Inbox.
Note: Todoist has a default Inbox section, so you won’t have to create this one manually.
The next few project folders you’ll create are where you’ll move items into during your daily end-of-the-day Clarifying and Organizing sessions. These include:
- This Week: Items you want to work on immediately, during the current week, will go into this project. When you put them here, you’ll also assign a due date. If you integrate Todoist with your calendar, Todoist will automatically add it to your calendar for you.
- Next Week: Items from your Inbox that you want to do soon, but aren’t so urgent you have to get them done this week, will go into your Next Week project. No due date required.
- This Month: Items that you want to do fairly soon, but can wait a week or two will go into this project. Don’t attach a due date here either.
- Next Month: Tasks that you want to do eventually but you know can wait quite a while will go into the Next Month folder without a due date.
There are two more Projects you’ll need to create for special tasks.
- Recurring Areas of Focus: These are things you need to do regularly related to goals that are important to you, like taking an online class every month.
- Routines: These are tasks that may not be related to your goals, but that you have to do every week, like exercise or club meetings.
Building Recurring Tasks
You certainly must have a bunch of things you have to do every day or every week. Get those out of your mind by adding those into your Recurring Areas of Focus project (if they’re related to goals that are important to you).
It’s also recommended that you include Recurring Areas of Focus as a sub project of This Week.
Any recurring tasks that are just part of your life but don’t really drive your life’s goals, add them to the Routines project.
Remember to add due dates to all these and mark them as recurring. This way they’ll automatically pop up in your Today and Upcoming Todoist sections without you having to do anything.
Using Your Inbox
During the week, as new issues come up that you have to deal with, just toss them into your Todoist Inbox.
This way, you avoid getting distracted and you know you won’t forget to deal with these tasks later when you have time.
Every week at the same time, you’ll set aside about 20 to 30 minutes to process your Inbox. During this time, just work through one at a time and decide how important it is to do that task, and within what timeframe.
For example, I know I want to fix the deck eventually, but it’s still Winter. So, I’ll move that task to Long Term / On Hold.
Next, I know that I need to have my annual medical checkup, but I’m busy this month and it won’t really matter if I wait until next month to schedule it. So, I’ll move that to the Next Month project.
Finally, I know I want to get an Online-Tech-Tips.com article done this week. So I assign a day and time during the week that I want to get it done.
Then, move that task into the This Week project.
I was able to process these three items that I added to my Inbox during the day in about five minutes.
I know I won’t forget them because they’re now in my organized ToDoist GTD system. Everything is assigned for the week and I don’t really have to think about anything except working hard on each task when it comes up on my calendar.
Managing This Week
As you reach the end of each week, you’ll notice that your This Week project will eventually empty of active items.
Set up a time every week (typically the end of the day Friday, or some time on the weekend), to move tasks from the Next Week project into your This Week project. Assign due dates when you do this.
Repeat this for items in the This Month, Next Month, and Long Term / On Hold folders.
Remember: You don’t have to move the item if it still doesn’t feel urgent. You can also delete tasks that you’ve decided don’t matter to you anymore.
Remember To Stay Focused
Here is the most important principle that brings this all together and makes the GTD system work.
Because you’re only spending small blocks of time processing all the ideas and tasks that get tossed into your Inbox, you’re left with the rest of the time you’ve assigned in your calendar to actually get work done.
This means using only your Today and Upcoming areas in Todoist during your day (along with your Calendar) and working through your day to finish and cross off those tasks.
You know you’ve only assigned tasks you can get done in one day, because Todoist automatically added them to your calendar. If your day is full, you can’t assign more. When your week is full, you can’t move anything else into the This Week project.
GTD works because it gets the mess out of your head and into the “system”. It frees up your thoughts so you can focus your mind on the task at hand — and Get Things Done.
