gtd-workflow

name

gtd-workflow

description

Comprehensive Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology for task and project management. Provides knowledge of core GTD principles (capture, clarify, organize, reflect, engage) AND three execution workflows (process inbox, daily planning, daily closeout) for our Obsidian-based system. Use when user wants to process inbox, plan their day, review their day, organize tasks and projects, clarify next actions, or understand GTD concepts.

GTD Workflow Skill

This skill provides two types of knowledge:

1. GTD Methodology - David Allen's core principles and workflow (universal)
2. Our Implementation - How we apply GTD in this Obsidian-based system (specific)
3. Three Execution Workflows - Daily workflows for processing, planning, and closeout

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When to Use This Skill

Trigger phrases:

• Process inbox: "process my inbox", "organize captures", "clarify inbox items", "get to inbox zero"
• Daily planning: "plan my day", "what should I work on", "help me prioritize", "create today's plan"
• Daily closeout: "review my day", "daily closeout", "how did I do today", "prepare for tomorrow"
• GTD concepts: "explain GTD", "what's a next action", "how does this work"
• Task organization: "where should this go", "is this a project or task", "how do I organize this"

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Three Daily Workflows

1. Process Inbox Workflow

When to use: User wants to process inbox, organize captures, clarify items

See: workflows/process-inbox.md for complete workflow

What it does:

• Scans inbox locations for unprocessed items
• Asks clarifying questions for vague items
• Applies GTD clarifying questions to each capture
• Determines priority (high/next/someday)
• Routes to appropriate location (projects, areas, relationships)
• Reviews all active projects (quick health check)
• Updates system state (_Context.md)

2. Daily Plan Workflow

When to use: User wants to plan their day, prioritize work, decide what to focus on

See: workflows/daily-plan.md for complete workflow

What it does:

• First: Checks inbox (prompts to process if 5+ items)
• Gathers intelligence from all active projects and areas
• Asks about context, energy, time, deadlines (GTD four criteria)
• Generates prioritized action list (must-do, should-do, quick wins)
• Creates daily plan file
• Updates _Context.md with today's focus

Key feature: Inbox scanning integration - ensures inbox is processed before planning

3. Daily Closeout Workflow

When to use: User wants to review their day, reflect on accomplishments, prepare tomorrow

See: workflows/daily-closeout.md for complete workflow

What it does:

• First: Checks inbox (prompts to process if 5+ items)
• Reviews today's plan and accomplishments
• Marks completed/partial/deferred tasks
• Captures unplanned work
• Asks about tomorrow's priorities
• Generates tomorrow's DRAFT plan (without energy/context)
• Updates _Context.md

Key feature: Inbox scanning integration - process items before closeout

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References & Methodology

Core GTD Methodology

File: references/gtd-methodology.md

Load this reference for:

• Complete explanation of the 5 stages (Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect, Engage)
• What makes a good next action (with examples)
• Projects vs tasks distinction
• Contexts and how to use them
• Waiting-for lists
• Weekly review principles and checklist
• Two-minute rule
• Four criteria for choosing actions
• Common GTD pitfalls and solutions
• David Allen's core philosophy

Use when: User asks about GTD methodology, needs help understanding principles, or wants to know why the system works this way.

Our Implementation

File: references/folder-structure.md

Load this reference for:

• How GTD elements map to PARA folder structure
• Where projects, tasks, and reference items live
• Command-to-GTD-stage mapping
• Folder purposes and usage

Use when: Processing items, creating notes, organizing content.

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Quick Overview: GTD in Our System

The 5 Stages → Our Commands

GTD Stage	Our Command	What It Does
Capture	/capture	Single quick items OR full brain dumps → inbox
Clarify	/process-inbox	Asks: Actionable? Outcome? Next action? Where?
Organize	/process-inbox	Routes to Projects/Areas/Resources (PARA structure)
Reflect	/process-inbox (3x/week)	Reviews projects + processes inbox
Engage	/daily-plan	Chooses tasks by context, time, energy, priority

Key Innovation: /process-inbox combines Clarify + Organize + Reflect in one command. Run it 3x/week for continuous system health.

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GTD + PARA Integration

How We Map GTD to Folders:

GTD Element	Folder Location	Notes
Projects (multi-step)	ObsidianVault/01-Projects/	Time-bound, have deadlines
Areas (ongoing)	ObsidianVault/02-Areas/	No end date, maintain standards
Relationships (people)	ObsidianVault/02-Areas/Relationships/	Individual notes per person
Next Actions	Inside project/area/relationship notes	In priority sections
Waiting For	"Waiting On" sections	Across all note types
Someday/Maybe	"Someday/Maybe" sections	Across projects/areas
Reference	ObsidianVault/03-Resources/	Non-actionable information
Completed	ObsidianVault/04-Archives/	Done and reviewed

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Unified Task Structure

All Projects, Areas, AND Relationship notes use the SAME priority-based sections:

Section Structure (Consistent Across All)

## 🚨 High Priority / High Priority Tasks / Critical

{{Urgent/important - /daily-plan scans FIRST}}

- [ ] Task `#context/X #energy/X #time/Xm`

## 📋 Next Actions / Current Tasks

{{Regular priority - /daily-plan scans SECOND}}

- [ ] Task `#context/X #energy/X #time/Xm`

## 💭 Someday/Maybe

{{Lower priority - /daily-plan SKIPS these}}

- [ ] Task

## ⏳ Waiting On

{{Blocked items - shown separately in plan}}

- [ ] Person - What - Asked: Date

## ✅ Completed

{{Finished tasks}}

- [x] Task - Date

Benefits:

• /daily-plan knows exactly where to scan
• Consistent across all note types
• Priority determines what gets recommended
• Someday items don't clutter daily plans

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Default Areas Created During Setup

Standard areas everyone gets:

1. Career-Development.md - Professional growth, skills, networking
2. Health-Fitness.md - Physical health, mental wellness, fitness
3. Personal-Development.md - Learning, hobbies, personal growth
4. Errands.md - Shopping, errands, things to buy/pick up
5. Personal-Todos.md - Miscellaneous one-off personal tasks
6. Relationships/ (folder) - Individual notes for important people

Relationships folder contains:

• One note per important person (business partners, family, key colleagues)
• Uses Relationship Note template
• Same task structure for consistency
• Tracks discussions, commitments, waiting-on items

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Determining Task Priority (CRITICAL for Routing)

When processing tasks during /process-inbox, determine which section to add them to:

High Priority / Critical Indicators

Route to "High Priority" or "Critical" section if ANY of these apply:

1. Urgency keywords:

   • "urgent", "ASAP", "critical", "important", "emergency"
   • "need to X immediately", "must do today"

2. Timeframe indicators:

   • "today", "tomorrow", "by Friday", "this week"
   • "before [date]", "deadline [date]"
   • Any deadline <7 days

3. Blocking work:

   • "blocking", "waiting on this", "need this before"
   • Enables other work to proceed

4. Aligns with user's top goals:

   • Check Assisting-User-Context.md for user's stated priorities
   • If task relates to their #1-3 priorities → HIGH PRIORITY
   • Example: User's top goal is "grow business revenue"
     • "Follow up with potential client" → HIGH PRIORITY
     • "Research CRM tools" → NEXT ACTION

5. Time-sensitive opportunities:

   • "Sale ends Friday", "offer expires", "limited time"
   • Opportunity cost if delayed

6. High-value impact:

   • Relates to user's highest-priority business/area
   • Significant outcome or consequence

Examples:

Capture	Priority	Why
"Need to call John ASAP about Q4 budget approval"	HIGH	ASAP keyword + likely important
"Follow up with Sarah about proposal by Friday"	HIGH	Deadline this week
"Schedule dentist appointment this week"	NEXT ACTION	"This week" = regular priority
"Research new project management tools when I have time"	SOMEDAY	"When I have time" = not urgent

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Next Actions / Current Tasks Indicators

Route to "Next Actions" or "Current Tasks" section if:

1. Regular workflow language:

   • "Need to", "should", "want to", "have to"
   • No specific urgency indicated

2. Timeframe is flexible:

   • "This week", "soon", "in the next few days"
   • No hard deadline

3. Medium importance:

   • Relates to user's goals but not top priority
   • Regular operational work
   • Maintenance tasks

4. Default routing:

   • When unclear, default to NEXT ACTION (better than guessing HIGH or SOMEDAY)

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Someday/Maybe Indicators

Route to "Someday/Maybe" section if ANY of these:

1. Explicit someday language:

   • "someday", "eventually", "might", "could"
   • "when I have time", "if I get around to it"

2. Exploratory/aspirational:

   • "Would be nice to...", "interesting idea to explore"
   • Learning goals without timeline
   • "Look into", "consider", "think about"

3. Low priority:

   • Doesn't relate to stated goals
   • Nice-to-have, not need-to-have

Examples:

• "Someday learn Spanish" → SOMEDAY (explicit)
• "Might be interesting to explore AI tools" → SOMEDAY (exploratory)
• "Could reorganize filing system when I have time" → SOMEDAY ("when I have time")

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Decision Tree for Priority

Step 1: Check for SOMEDAY indicators
  - Contains "someday/eventually/when I have time"? → SOMEDAY

Step 2: Check for HIGH PRIORITY indicators
  - Urgent keywords? → HIGH
  - Deadline <7 days? → HIGH
  - Relates to top 1-3 user goals? → HIGH
  - Blocking other work? → HIGH

Step 3: Default
  - Otherwise → NEXT ACTION

When in doubt: NEXT ACTION is the safe default.

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Status Values We Use

inbox → next → active → waiting → done → archived
  ↓              ↓                   ↓
someday ←---→ deferred         cancelled

Status meanings:

• inbox - Just captured, not clarified
• next - Ready to work on, has defined next action
• active - Currently in progress
• waiting - Blocked by external dependency
• someday - Maybe later, not now
• done - Completed
• archived - Completed and filed away

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Tags We Use for GTD

Context Tags

#context/computer, #context/phone, #context/office, #context/home, #context/anywhere

Based on GTD context concept. See gtd-methodology.md for explanation.

Energy Tags (Our Enhancement)

#energy/high, #energy/medium, #energy/low

Not in original GTD, but critical for ADHD-friendly workflow.

Time Tags

#time/5m, #time/15m, #time/30m, #time/1h, #time/2h, #time/4h+

Used for task selection and daily planning.

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How /process-inbox Works

This command does the heavy lifting:

1. Scans inbox - ObsidianVault/00-Inbox/Daily/ and Fleeting-Notes/
2. Applies GTD clarifying questions - Uses methodology from gtd-methodology.md
3. Routes appropriately:
   • Actionable → GTD (projects, tasks)
   • Knowledge → Obsidian-mastery skill (permanent notes)
   • Reference → Filed in Resources
4. Reviews all projects:
   • Checks for next actions
   • Archives completed projects
   • Identifies stalled items
5. Updates _Context.md - Current system state

Run 3x/week = continuous review. No separate weekly review command needed.

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How Workflows Coordinate

/capture Command (Capture Stage)

• Creates inbox items
• Doesn't clarify or organize (that's for processing)
• Low friction - just get it out of your head
• Still a command: Signals "capture mode" for frictionless entry

Process Inbox Workflow (Clarify + Organize + Reflect)

• Uses GTD methodology for actionable items
• Hands off to obsidian-mastery skill for knowledge items
• Combines processing with project review
• Triggered by: "process inbox", "organize captures", etc.
• Also called by: Daily plan and closeout workflows (if 5+ inbox items)

Daily Plan Workflow (Engage Stage)

• First: Checks inbox, prompts to process if needed
• Reads active projects
• Applies four criteria (context, time, energy, priority)
• Generates prioritized action list
• See gtd-methodology.md for four criteria model
• Triggered by: "plan my day", "what should I work on", etc.

Daily Closeout Workflow (Reflect Stage)

• First: Checks inbox, prompts to process if needed
• Reviews what was accomplished
• Updates project completion status
• Prepares tomorrow's focus (DRAFT plan)
• Triggered by: "review my day", "daily closeout", etc.

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Integration with Zettelkasten

GTD handles execution. Zettelkasten handles knowledge.

During processing (/process-inbox):

• Item is actionable? → This skill handles it (GTD)
• Item is knowledge/insight? → obsidian-mastery skill handles it (Zettelkasten)

Both can apply to same item:

• Extract action items → GTD projects/tasks
• Extract insights → Permanent notes
• Link them together

Example: From meeting notes:

• Action: "Schedule follow-up meeting" → GTD task
• Insight: "Customer prefers async communication" → Permanent note
• Both linked to the project

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Key Principles for Implementation

From GTD methodology:

1. Every project MUST have a next action
2. Next actions must be physical and concrete
3. Organize by context for efficient action selection
4. Review regularly to maintain trust
5. Use two-minute rule during processing

See references/gtd-methodology.md for detailed explanations and examples.

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Workflow Summary

Our system implements full GTD with 2 commands + 3 workflows:

Commands (User-Invoked)

1. /setup - Initial configuration (one-time)
2. /capture - Get it out of your head (Capture stage) - anytime

Workflows (Model-Invoked via This Skill)

3. Process Inbox - Clarify, organize, review (Clarify + Organize + Reflect stages)
4. Daily Plan - Choose what to work on (Engage stage)
5. Daily Closeout - Daily reflection and prep (Reflect stage)

Key Innovation: Daily plan and closeout workflows automatically check inbox first and prompt user to process if needed. This ensures inbox zero before planning or reviewing.

That's it! Simple interface, powerful GTD methodology underneath.

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Based on Getting Things Done by David Allen See references/gtd-methodology.md for complete methodology reference