Getting Things Done

CHAPTER 7
| ORGANIZING: SETTING UP THE RIGHT BUCKETS
WORKFLOW DIAGRAM—ORGANIZING
139

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PRACTICING STRESS-FREE PRODUCTIVITY |
PART TWO
The Basic Categories
There are seven primary 
types 
of things that you'll want to keep
track of and manage from an organizational perspective:
•
A "Projects" list
•
Project support material
•
Calendared actions and information
•
"Next Actions" lists
•
A "Waiting For" list
•
Reference material
•
A "Someday/Maybe" list
The Importance of Hard Edges
It's critical that all of these categories be kept pristinely distinct
from one another. They each represent a discrete type of agree-
ment we make with ourselves, and if they lose their edges and
begin to blend, much of the value of organizing will be lost.
If you put reference materials in the same pile as
things you still want to read, for example, you'll go
numb to the stack. If you put items on your "Next
Actions" lists that really need to go on the calendar,
because they have to occur on specific days, then you
won't trust your calendar and you'll continually have to
reassess your action lists. If you have a project that you're
not going to be doing anything about for some time, it must go onto
your "Someday/Maybe" list so you can relate to the "Projects" list
with the rigorous action-generating focus it needs. And if something
you're "Waiting For" is included on one of your action lists, you'll
continually get bogged down by nonproductive rethinking.
All You Really Need Is Lists and Folders
Once you know 
what 
you need to keep track of (covered in the
previous chapter, on 
Processing), 
all you really need is lists and
140
The categories must
be kept visually,
physically, and
psychologically
separate.

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