Focalist - Be More Productive

Getting Things Done® requires a clear mind, and a clear mind requires a trusted system to store the stuff that the mind isn't good at storing. Focalist aims to be that trusted system.

If you haven't read "Getting Things Done" by David Allen, we highly recommend picking up a copy. Understanding the logic and reasoning behind the GTD method is key to getting the most out of it.

*** Overview of GTD® ***

There are 5 basic steps (https://gettingthingsdone.com/five-steps/) at the root of GTD®:

1. Capture - collect *everything* in your inbox. A to-do, a shopping list item, a career goal, a project, a gift idea, a note to self... Anything that you might want to do or remember later must be saved somewhere other than in your head.

2. Clarify - process everything that you've captured. Collecting your thoughts into your system should be quick and effortless. It should be habitual, so much so that your inbox may resemble a stream of consciousness. Step 2, Clarify, is where you make sense of all of that "stuff", and it may blend with step...

3. Organize - put your thoughts where they belong. Put your to-do's on your to-do list, put reference material on the appropriate reference list, put your projects on your list of projects. Put trash in the trash.

4. Reflect - review your lists regularly. Take the time to tidy up your lists, check off what you've done, and flesh out some of your more abstract ideas.

5. Engage - do. The simplest part of getting things done.

*** How does GTD® help? ***

Most of us have at one point or another experienced the clarity and focus of making a list.

A simple shopping list makes a trip to the grocery store efficient. You go there, you get what you need (nothing more and nothing less), and you leave. By thinking and planning ahead, you have saved yourself the expenses of time and money wandering around the store, looking at every item on the shelves, and trying to decide or remember if you need it.

Likewise, a to-do list frees your mind from having to remember what to do, so that you can concentrate on *doing*.

GTD® takes list-making up quite a few notches. Making lists becomes a lifestyle. Think about how much less stressful shopping is if you have a list, and apply that feeling to your entire life.

If that sounds amazing, that's because it is. The simple act of taking something out of your head and putting it into a physical or virtual system that you *trust* works wonders for your stress levels. Trust is critical because you have to know with certainty that your thought is safe, secure, and easily accessible in your system, otherwise it will continue to bounce around in your head.

Soon after you begin capturing *everything*, you may see that you've had a lot more stuff floating around in your head than you may have realized. All of that stuff is a source of stress that is difficult to pinpoint for most people, and it's no wonder why... there's no point to pin down, it's a giant blob of everything in your life.

The goal is to extract that huge source of stress from your mind, contain it, and control it. And then take action. Your big collection of thoughts becomes a big collection of lists, and with the help of a few other GTD concepts your big collection of lists becomes a small, manageable set of things you can do *right now*.

*** What can Focalist do for me? ***

In addition to serving as a structured container for your lists, Focalist can help with the most difficult part of GTD - making it a habit. Focalist will remind you to do all 5 steps of the process regularly.

Focalist also implements GTD tools such as contexts and energy requirements, as well as a few of our own tricks, to help you filter your to-do's down to a short, manageable list of things you can do next.

GTD® and Getting Things Done® are registered trademarks of the David Allen Company (http://www.davidco.com).
Focalist is not affiliated with or endorsed by the David Allen Company.