Welcome To The GTD Thirty Day Challenge

Introduction To The GTD Thirty Day Challenge

Welcome to my Getting Things Done GTD Thirty Day Challenge. I'm pleased to put together my GTD next action plan to help you get the most out of Getting Things Done by David Allen. I am nearly a black belt at Getting Things Done but don't worry if you are not. Just get started and try and do better each day. Start at the beginning. Work to get one component of your system in shape and then work on the next.

When I first started around 2005, I didn't even know how to set up a calendar (which I am ashamed to say), and had stacks of paper and thousands of emails. Now, it's all under control and organized in my system.

I think the book gives you the impression that you can get your GTD system in shape in a weekend and all is perfect from there. But for me, it didn't happen that way. I started small with email, then moved on to my calendar and then to the other areas of my system over a period of months and years to the point where now I have empty inboxes and an empty head.

I think that's what we all want from GTD. The realization of the stress-free productivity that David Allen promised us. Our inboxes at zero. An empty and clear head. I am hear to tell you that the system does work as advertised IF you apply it. I've been a student of Allen's system for several years now and can attest to that.

What follows in the GTD Thirty Day Challenge is the roadmap I followed to get to black belt status. If you are joining me as I get started making these posts, you may not find all 30 lessons yet. Be patient. They are on my project list and will work their way into the challenge as soon as possible.

The thing about the internet is that you can't get traffic without content. And, you don't feel like putting out content if you have no traffic. For now, I am writing these posts live so the internet can find them and index them so it is possible that some of you will find them before they are complete because I don't expect anyone to find them. Surprisingly, they've already been seen around the world - see the update below.

Once the lessons are here, work your way through them. I am not going to take them away. I can't stress enough the process you should follow. Master one area and then move onto the next. Work at your own pace and don't beat yourself up about it if you struggle from time to time. Everyone does.

GTD Next Actions

1. Buy Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

2. Visit the Getting Things Done forum there. Many questions are already answered there.

3. Use the comments section below to introduce yourself. Let us know where you are from and where you are in your journey with Getting Things Done.

UPDATE: So far, I’ve had people from Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Canada, Japan and more come to these pages already to work on setting up or improving their GTD setup. I’ve even had a chance to talk with a few people and am starting to make some friends worldwide now. It’s amazing how the internet can reach so many people.

4. If you haven't signed up for my email updates, go to my Black Belt GTD Project to get on my list.

5. Follow me on Twitter: BlackBeltGTD

6. If you like what you read, click the "ShareThis" button below. It will help get the word out about the challenge.

That's all for today and look forward to talking with you again on Day 1 of the GTD Thirty Day Challenge.