If you’ve ever found your brain juggling 47 browser tabs—some playing music, some on fire—yet nothing much is getting done, you’re not alone. Most knowledge workers today operate in constant catch-up mode, drowning in emails, to-dos, and invisible mental tasks. That has left us with less focused time and more stress as information piles up in our head.
The Getting Things Done (GTD) method, created by David Allen, has long been a beacon of clarity in this chaos. It helps people manage their tasks systematically, reduce stress, and get into a state of relaxed productivity.
So, What Exactly is The Getting Things Done (GTD) Method?
Getting Things Done, or GTD, is a productivity method. It’s a system built on one powerful idea:
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
GTD helps you get all your open loops—tasks, thoughts, commitments—out of your head and into a trusted system. Once there, you clarify what’s actionable, organize it meaningfully, review it regularly, and then engage with your tasks confidently.
At its core, GTD is about reducing stress by building a clear, external system that holds everything you’re responsible for—so your brain doesn’t have to.
The GTD method remains one of the most effective productivity systems out there because it blends structure with flexibility. Whether you’re a startup founder juggling multiple roles, a freelancer with ever-shifting priorities, or a busy professional with endless admin—it works.
But here’s the challenge: GTD requires discipline. And in the real world, we don’t always have the time or energy to maintain the system manually. That’s where GTD software and AI come in.
The 5 Pillars of the GTD System
1. Capture
The first step in GTD is about getting everything out of your head and into a trusted system. Thoughts, obligations, reminders, and to-dos—no matter how small—should be captured before they clutter your mental space.
When done manually, this means using a single inbox (a notebook, task manager, or notes app) to jot down anything that crosses your mind. The key is not to judge or organize yet—just record. A random idea, an email you need to respond to, a meeting to schedule—all go into your “inbox", which can be a notebook, Notes app, or task manager like Todoist or Notion.
Tips:
Don’t filter yet. If it’s on your mind, it belongs here.
Do quick “brain dumps” once or twice daily.
Example:
“Email HR about the new contract”
“Research GTD tools”
“Reply to Alex about the project delay”
But here’s the catch: this takes effort. You need to remember to capture in the first place.
Flora - proactive AI assistant automates this step, at least with your email inbox for now, by integrating directly with it (soon it can integrate with your calendar and todo list). It passively observes incoming information, identifies items that require attention—such as emails needing replies, documents that should be saved, or meetings to follow up on—and surfaces them as tasks in your workflow. You don’t have to manually write “Reply to that client” or “Follow up on invoice”—Flora has already done it for you.
2. Clarify
Once you’ve captured everything, the next step is clarification. This means going through each item and deciding what it actually is: Is it actionable? If so, what is the very next step? If not, should you throw it away, file it as reference, or keep it for later?
Example:
“Email HR about new contract” → Actionable → Next action: “Draft email to HR”
“Interesting article about GTD” → Not actionable → Move to reference folder.
Tips:
Avoid vague tasks like “HR email” — clarity reduces procrastination.
Break multi-step projects into smaller tasks.
Doing this manually can be cognitively demanding. You must review each task, interpret what it means, and decide what to do with it. That’s where a lot of friction (and procrastination) happens.
Flora reduces this friction by pre-processing your items. For instance, it will look at an email and suggest: “You might want to reply to this,” or “No action needed.” It can even draft responses for you, so the next action becomes one click instead of deep thought. It also distinguishes between actionable items (e.g., replying to a client) and non-actionable ones (e.g., a newsletter or event reminder), helping you maintain clarity without needing to filter through noise.
3. Organize
Once clarified, every item should be parked in the right place. For GTD, this means sorting tasks into categories like “Next Actions,” “Waiting For,” “Projects,” “Calendar,” or “Reference.”
In a manual GTD setup, you’d typically use folders, tags, or project boards in tools like Notion, Todoist, or Trello. For example:
“Next Actions” might be a checklist of things to do soon.
“Projects” are outcomes that require multiple steps, like “Launch Q2 campaign.”
“Waiting For” is a list of things you’re waiting on others to complete.
“Calendar” holds time-specific tasks or meetings.
“Reference” is where you store useful but non-actionable information—like receipts or documentation.
Example:
“Draft email to HR” → Next Actions
“Client to review proposal” → Waiting For
“Plan product launch” → Projects
Tips:
Use clear project names like “Website Redesign – Q2” not just “Redesign”
If it’s not in your system, it doesn’t exist
However, this step is where systems often break. People either forget to organize, or the system becomes bloated and outdated.
Flora solves this with intelligent automation. Take emails as example, as they come in, Flora automatically organizes it into relevant folders such as "To Respond", "Important Read", "Meeting", "Follow Up", "Billing"… It categorizes emails based on context—like marking a pending reply as “To Respond”. It identifies receipts, invoices, or contracts and files them under “Billing” without you having to ask.
You still retain control, but Flora handles the structure so you don’t have to maintain it manually. Soon, as Flora takes care of your calendar and to-do list, it can handle more than just tasks from your emails.
4. Review
Even the best systems fall apart without regular review. GTD emphasizes weekly reviews to make sure your system remains current, clean, and useful. This includes:
Checking if any tasks are stale or outdated.
Reviewing projects and seeing if they’ve moved forward.
Ensuring your inbox and task lists are up to date.
Making sure “Waiting For” items haven’t fallen through the cracks.
Tips:
Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for momentum.
Use daily mini-reviews (5–10 minutes) and a deeper weekly review (30–60 minutes)
Doing this manually often gets skipped, simply because we’re busy.
Flora builds inbox review into your daily rhythm. Every day, you get a briefing with what’s pending, what’s slipped through, and what deserves attention. For example: “You haven’t heard back from Jane on the proposal—want to follow up?” or It proactively reminds you of emails that haven’t received replies.
Instead of setting time aside for a full GTD review session, Flora prompts you throughout the week—keeping your system fresh in the background.
5. Engage
The final step of GTD is the one we’re all aiming for: taking action with clarity and confidence.
When you’ve captured, clarified, organized, and reviewed your system properly, you can make better decisions in the moment. GTD encourages choosing tasks based on context, energy level, and priority.
Ask yourself:
“What’s the best use of my time right now?” Use filters to view tasks by:
Context (e.g. "At Laptop")
Energy level (e.g. "Quick Wins")
Priority
Tips:
Avoid bouncing between tasks. Batch by context (e.g., reply to emails in one go).
Use the 2-minute rule: if it takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately.
Flora helps you engage with your inbox by presenting a focused daily view with everything pre-processed: emails drafted, important tasks prioritized, calendar prepped. It reduces decision fatigue by surfacing what matters most—letting you move into flow faster.
You don’t start your day with opening your inbox and thinking, “What should I read first?” Instead, you see the next best action right in front of you.
The GTM Method + AI
= A Lighter Way to Work
Flora embodies the Getting Things Done philosophy—but reimagined for the age of AI. Think of it as a GTX system (Getting Things Done with eXecution): not just organizing tasks, but completing them before you ask.
Traditional GTD tools (like Todoist, Things, or Notion) give you the framework—but you still have to do the heavy lifting.
Flora takes it a step further.
It’s not just another GTD app. It’s a proactive personal AI assistant that actually does the thinking and sorting for you—automating large parts of the gtm method while still giving you full control.
You don’t need another GTD app. You need a system that works for you, even when you’re not paying attention.
Ready to Start Getting Things Done?
If you’ve tried GTD before but dropped off, or if you’re just starting, here’s the secret:
GTD only works if your system is frictionless.
That’s what Flora is built for.
No more forgotten follow-ups. No more 100-tab days. No more inbox stress.
✨ Try Flora today — the GTD software that gets things done for you.
