Escaping the blackhole of the GTD INBOX

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Strategy 1 for overcoming the hidden dangers of the GTD INBOX Escaping the black hole In a previous post, I discuss the potential danger that thoughts you put into your GTD INBOX may disappear into a black hole. I will share my tactics for avoiding this potential trap. twitter.com/TfTHacker/status/1558800621905489927

Consistent reviews GTD teaches us to do a weekly review of all our stuff. I admit, through the years, I consistently failed to hold to my weekly review & paid a steep price. I sometimes hate doing it, but it's a small price to pay to keep the chaos of life under control.

To escape the black hole that an inbox can be, reviews are crucial. I do three types of reviews: + Daily review of INBOX + Weekly review of all projects/tasks + Monthly review of things marked for monthly review (otherwise, I don't look at them)

For a sustainable daily review, I have optimized it to be done as fast as possible but not too fast. When I add something to my INBOX, I assume I will see it in my weekly review. For many things, this is sufficient. They wait until I have time to give them proper attention.

However, if something is essential (time-sensitive, urgent, people-centric), I will add it to my Inbox and flag it as important. Similar to what @ottovanluchene is doing, as he documents here: twitter.com/ottovanluchene/status/1558907670681231360

Personally, if a task is important, I simply mark it as due today. Then on my work desktop, iPhone, iPad, and anywhere else, I can see it, as all of Today's due tasks are constantly in front of me. They are almost impossible to ignore.

Now, the fact that the task (INBOX thought) is marked with a due date of today doesn't mean I will always do it today. But I will process it today or tomorrow at the latest. This prevents the big ticket items from not disappearing until a future date that is too late.

Also, if I "forget" to do my weekly review, this INBOX thought isn't ignored another week. So in review: + All thoughts go into my inbox (I use a task list program as my INBOX) + A task is marked DUE TODAY if I need to process that thought before the following weekly review

It sounds so simple, but this one simple step basically assures nothing falls through the cracks. My advice to you, have a way to capture your thoughts quickly but also a way to flag those few essential thoughts that cannot be delayed from being processed.

I also liked the suggestion from @thoresson twitter.com/thoresson/status/1558817248529227776?s=20&t=dLXFp3Y_d90EdKG52tMejw

How do you avoid allowing your INBOX to become a black hole for your captured thoughts?