---
title: "GTD Primer"
source: https://fieldbw.com/docs/tr-1/gtd-primer
---

# GTD Primer

## What is GTD?

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a productivity method created by David Allen. The core idea is simple: your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. By capturing everything into a trusted system and processing it with clear rules, you free up mental space to actually think and do.

GTD is not about doing more. It's about having a clear head and knowing what to do next.

## The Five Steps

GTD breaks down into five stages. [Task Register TR-1](https://tr1.fieldbw.com) supports all of them.

### 1. Capture

Get everything out of your head and into the system. Tasks, ideas, commitments, reminders — anything that has your attention. Don't judge or organise yet. Just capture.

In TR-1, use the inbox or the quick-capture tool. If you're working with an AI agent via MCP, the agent can capture tasks on your behalf during a conversation.

### 2. Clarify

Process what you've captured, one item at a time. For each item, ask:

- **Is it actionable?** If not, delete it, file it as reference, or move it to someday/maybe.
- **What's the next action?** Define a concrete, physical next step. Not "plan the project" but "draft the outline in Google Docs."
- **Is it a project?** If it takes more than one action to complete, it's a project. Create one and add the next action.

TR-1's inbox processing flow walks you through this decision for each item.

### 3. Organise

Put things where they belong:

- **Next actions** — concrete tasks you can act on, optionally tagged with a context (`@computer`, `@phone`, `@errands`, `@office`)
- **Projects** — outcomes that require multiple actions, each with at least one next action
- **Waiting for** — things you've delegated or are blocked on
- **Someday/maybe** — ideas and possibilities you're not committing to yet
- **Reference** — non-actionable information you might need later

TR-1 provides all of these lists. Contexts help you filter for what you can do right now given where you are and what tools you have.

### 4. Reflect

Review your system regularly to keep it trustworthy:

- **Daily review** — scan your calendar and next actions. What needs attention today?
- **Weekly review** — the cornerstone habit. Review every project, process your inbox to zero, update next actions, scan someday/maybe. This is what keeps the whole system working.

TR-1 has built-in daily and weekly review workflows. The MCP server also supports agent-assisted reviews — an AI agent can walk through your projects and flag what needs attention.

### 5. Engage

With a clear head and a trusted system, choose what to do based on:

- **Context** — what can you do where you are, with the tools you have?
- **Time available** — how much time do you have before the next commitment?
- **Energy** — are you sharp enough for deep work or better suited for quick tasks?
- **Priority** — given the above, what's the highest-impact action?

TR-1's next actions list, filtered by context, is your working view. The "today" view shows tasks you've committed to for the day.

## Key Principles

### The two-minute rule

If an action takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. Don't capture it — just do it. The overhead of tracking it is greater than the effort of completing it.

### One next action per project

Every active project must have at least one defined next action. If a project has no next action, it's stuck. The weekly review catches these.

### Mind like water

The goal is not to be busy. It's to be appropriately engaged — responding to what comes at you with the right level of effort, like water responding to a stone. A trusted system makes this possible because nothing is falling through the cracks.

### The inbox is not a to-do list

The inbox is a temporary holding area. Process it to zero regularly. Items should move to next actions, projects, someday/maybe, or the trash — not sit in the inbox indefinitely.

## GTD with AI Agents

TR-1's MCP server makes GTD compatible with AI-assisted workflows. Agents can:

- **Capture tasks** as they come up during conversations
- **Run daily reviews** to brief you on your day
- **Flag stale projects** that are missing next actions
- **Suggest next actions** based on your current context

The system stays yours. Agents interact with it through the same GTD structure — they don't replace the method, they make it easier to maintain.

## Further Reading

- David Allen, *Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity* (2001, revised 2015)
- [gettingthingsdone.com](https://gettingthingsdone.com) — official GTD resources