setup guide · 7 min
A calm GTD setup in 15 minutes
Set up capture, triage, one goal, one project, and one task—without a complex system.
Published August 3, 2026
NoticeDecideDo
You do not need every GTD list before you begin. Most systems fail because they ask for a tidy model of your life before they have helped you do anything. Start with five things.
- Inbox: One fast place for every incoming thought.
- Triage: A recurring moment to decide what inbox items are.
- One goal: The outcome you are trying to move.
- One project: The current chunk of work toward that outcome.
- One next task: A concrete action you can start today.
Capture freely. Triage weekly. Let structure appear when real work demands it. A system should earn its complexity.
The system is working when you trust that a thought can leave your head, land somewhere safe, and return only when you are ready to decide it. More categories do not create that trust. Regular decisions do.