Getting Things Done: Revisited

Dr Elizabeth Blakelock

Hello, and welcome back to Bethcast: Periodically Productive. I’m Dr Elizabeth Blakelock and today, well, this one’s a favourite—because we’re talking about Getting Things Done, or GTD, and honestly, whether any of it actually works for those of us living outside, uh, tech-bro LinkedIn land.

Dr Elizabeth Blakelock

The three pillars of humanist productivity are: Authenticity over perfection - integration. Connection over individualism - community. Sustainability over burnout - resilience. So if we are taking integration, community and resilience seriously, what do we make of this productivity classic?

Dr Elizabeth Blakelock

So, let’s start with the idea David Allen calls “open loops.” If you’ve ever finished a long day and then two hours after bedtime remembered you forgot to reply to that school email, yeah, that’s an open loop. GTD says, get it all out of your head—every task, promise, and, like, odd bit of life admin—write it down somewhere you trust. It sounds so basic, but I found, especially as a solo parent, it actually validated why I felt so exhausted all the time. Mental clutter is a thing! Constantly tracking tiny jobs is draining, especially when you’ve got, y’know, absolutely none of the backup you might want. I remember when my daughter was tiny—I mean, she barely gave me enough time for a cup of tea, never mind a thirty-item checklist. So I started this, um, really wobbly version of GTD—just one list for capturing bits and bobs, and one little “next actions” list for the real priorities. Weekly review if I remembered—or, honestly, if I had the energy. Sometimes that was enough. It made things feel lighter, but it also felt, I dunno, authentically me—not “perfect productivity woman.” But let’s be honest, the full GTD system? It wants to go big. Lots of lists, reviews, a near-military timeline. It can be overwhelming, especially if your brain likes to take its own path—if you’re neurodivergent, dealing with chronic pain, or just, you know, utterly knackered. That pressure to perform GTD perfectly can sneak up on you; it turns into another productivity contest, which is the exact thing I was trying to avoid. I think the strength of GTD, for me, is that it names cognitive load—you don’t have to be ashamed you’re tired! But making GTD kind to yourself, that’s key. Good enough is actually good enough.

Dr Elizabeth Blakelock

That brings me to something GTD only sort of nods at—connection. So there’s this “waiting for” list, right? It’s where you record stuff you can’t move forward on because, well, you’re waiting for someone else. And that does help. It means you’re tracking, not forgetting, things that depend on colleagues or, in my case, the school SENCO or a doctor’s appointment. But—here’s the big but—the system doesn’t really get into power dynamics. Like, the original GTD sort of assumes everyone can just renegotiate priorities or say no in meetings. Sorry, but most modern jobs don’t work that way. I mean, if you’re in a rigid hierarchy, or someone’s always checking when you’re online, renegotiating isn’t always an option. When I worked in consumer advocacy, we’d spend lots of energy not just organising the to-dos, but figuring out who actually had the decision-making clout—where did we need collective support, not just a personal to-do? So I started adding this mental step to my own list: I’d ask, “Okay, can I do this myself, or does it need a conversation? And—crucially—do I actually have permission or is this a challenge that needs backup?” Sometimes getting things moved meant building alliance or seeking power together, not just lone action. The official GTD kind of skips over that: it’s all about individual control. But so much of real work, especially in caring professions or advocacy, is about negotiating with, well, the system. And let’s not forget—when your job runs on Slack or Teams, someone else often decides what’s urgent, not you. The classic GTD framework doesn’t really prep you for presenteeism, constant surveillance, or the fact that you can’t always say “no” and keep your job. Where was I going with this? Oh right—so, GTD does help you see interdependence, but it definitely doesn’t have all the answers about power and permission. Sometimes, getting things done means building team or collective permission first.

Dr Elizabeth Blakelock

Now, let’s dig into the bit that might matter most for those of us managing too many tabs open, both digitally and in life—burnout and boundaries. Capturing every single task on a list, and then breaking it down, can feel—at first—like a little weight lifts off your shoulders. But here’s the rub: GTD helps you track more, but it doesn’t actually reduce the number of things flying at you. Especially in jobs where you’re always reachable—emails, Slack, DMs—the work never really stops, does it? When I started working in digital-first campaigns, the urge to just process more and more became overwhelming. I mean, you can make as many lists as you want, but your inbox still fills up while you’re sleeping. So, I had to figure out where my boundary was. For me, it was Slack windows—set times when I’d check and respond, and then, a hard shutdown at the end of my workday. Otherwise, I’d find myself half-listening to bedtime stories with half an ear on notifications—a recipe for burning out, not being present. GTD gives short-term relief, but doesn’t magically erase the pressure to work faster and do more. The best lesson I’ve learned, honest, is that sometimes you need to name the real workplace constraints. In big campaigns, you quickly realise some things are structurally impossible: you won’t solve systemic overload by better prioritisation alone. It isn’t personal failure if you’re drowning—it might be that the system is just built to overfill your plate. So, I say: pair GTD’s best bits—a bit of capture, a bit of reflection—with strict attention boundaries. Maybe that’s a digital sunset, or just “do not disturb” on your phone. And above all, don’t beat yourself up if your energy comes and goes. Sustainable productivity isn’t about being perfect; it’s about making room for, well, being human. That’s all for today—I hope this gave you a few ideas for shaking the perfectionism off GTD and making it work a little better for actual life, not just inbox zero fantasies. Thank you for joining me here on Periodically Productive—a small space for big reflections. Until next time, I hope your hours are filled with purpose, and your days are shaped by what matters most to you. I’ll see you next time.