Machine-translated from the Korean original. Read the original

Why Is GTD Fundamental?

Contents
Winslow Homer, "The Veteran in a New Field", 1865
Winslow Homer, "The Veteran in a New Field", 1865

Let me derive GTD from the lifecycle of work itself.

Because it starts from that lifecycle, GTD remains useful even in the age of AI.
The reason is that GTD begins with the very nature of work.

I'm confident this is an argument you won't have seen anywhere else.

Deriving GTD

Let's start with a lifecycle of work everyone can agree on.

Suppose my hair has gotten long and I suddenly decide I need a haircut.
First, a task is created, as shown below.
And that task is completed once I actually get my hair cut.

1
Creating the taskI need a haircut Doing the taskactually getting the haircut

But deciding I need a haircut doesn't mean I can act on it right away.
I have to decide when to go, which salon to book, and what cut to get.
This process is GTD's clarifying step.

2
Creating the taskI need a haircut Clarifyingwhen, which salon, what cut Doing the taskactually getting the haircut

Once a task is clarified, you can decide whether to move forward with it.
For instance, if I want to grow my hair out a bit longer, I shouldn't cut it right now.
I need to wait until it grows to a certain length.
This is how you judge whether a task can be done now, or is something you'll do soon.

3
Creating the task
Clarifying
❓ Should I do this?
1. No
2. Yes
Doing the task

If you decide not to do it for now, it falls into one of the following:

  1. Trash (no need to do it)
  2. Someday (you'll do it at some unspecified time)
  3. Reference material (something that can't be "done")

Reference material may seem out of place here, but that's because GTD doesn't distinguish between tasks and material at the initial capture stage.

If you decide to do it, the next question is: what is the next action?

4
Creating the task
Clarifying
❓ Should I do this?
No
Yes
Trash
Someday
Reference
So, what's the next action?

From there, it's sorted as follows:

  1. If it takes two or more actions, it's a project
  2. If it takes less than two minutes, do it right now
  3. If it has to happen at a specific time, it goes on the calendar
  4. If someone else should handle it, delegate it
  5. Otherwise, it's a next action

For projects, you keep asking what the next action is.

In the haircut example above, since I need to let my hair grow out a bit, let's say I'll revisit the situation in a few months — so it goes on the calendar. (Of course, it could go under Someday instead. That comes down to personal preference.)

5
Creating the task
Clarifying
❓ Should I do this?
No
Yes
Trash
Reference
Someday
❓ What's the next action?
Projectmultiple steps
↻ repeat next action
Do it nowunder 2 minutes
Delegate itif someone else does it
Calendartime is fixed
Next actioneverything else

Each stage of this workflow maps onto a step of GTD:

  1. Creating the task -> Capture
  2. Clarifying -> Clarify
  3. Sorting the tasks -> Organize
  4. Doing -> Engage

GTD in the Age of AI

I'd say the trickiest part of GTD is precisely the clarifying step.
AI can certainly do a good job of organizing, and it can even carry out certain tasks.
But the biggest bottleneck is still clarifying, I think.
My hope is that going through the clarifying process together with AI will let us work through our tasks faster.

Graph
Graph