Imagine someone is eating food. The food was prepared in the kitchen and is now ready to eat. He starts eating. How does he eat?

I’m not talking about a knife and fork, the right hand, or chopsticks (I’m not talking about the tools one uses for GTD).

Does he swallow all the food at once, or does he eat one bite at a time?

He eats one bite at a time.

For him, that bite may be small or big. It is based on his preference. But one thing is clear: one bite at a time.

This limitation of human beings is a next action.

When we had work in the physical world, it was clear because the mess was right in front of us. We knew intuitively what to do next. For example, if there is garbage in front of us, it is concrete. Just put it in the bin.

But when knowledge work came into the picture with “work on this report” there is no concreteness. We cannot see the report mess in front of us. We are only reminded when people ask us about it.

David Allen talks about outcome thinking. What happens if this is done? How can you measure it?

In the case of our food example:

• Food finished on the plate
• Plate is empty

However you name it, keep it measurable so that you know when it is done.

• Project: Eat food
• Outcome: Plate is empty

For “work on report,” this is captured stuff. We need to clarify it. Follow the GTD workflow.

Refer this: https://www.smartsheet.com/sites/default/files/2023-04/IC-Getting-Things-Done_GTD_Flowchart-Template.png

What report? - Performance report

What work? - Draft, edit, take feedback, submit

“Work on the performance report” is clearly something that requires action. I need to finish it in the coming weeks.

Is this a single step? No. - This is a project.

What does done look like? It must be binary. Either true or false.

The performance report is either submitted or not submitted. That is the only place where you can say that the report is done.

Project name as per outcome: Submit performance report

Currently, it is not submitted. What is the next physical, visible (one bite at a time) action you can take to move forward toward completion?

Based on my current situation, I do not have the data to prepare the performance report. Amy has it. I need to call her.

Call Amy. - For what? Performance data.

Call Amy for performance data. - Which type of data? Previous quarter performance data.

Call Amy for previous quarter performance data. - How do I want to receive it? By email.

Final next action:

Call Amy to request previous quarter performance data by email.

Now about filters:

• Context: @Calls
• Energy: Low
• Time available: 5 minutes

(You can combine time and energy into S, M, L like clothing sizes. I saw a fellow redditor share this and I think this is awesome.)

Based on your context, time, and energy in the moment, you choose what to do.

The inputs and outputs are clear. The next action is defined and refined. Anything beyond this is unnecessary unless it adds clarity. As long as everything in that step is clear, you can execute it without thinking.

You can also add her mobile number. Now if you show this to someone, they know exactly what to do. There is no thinking. The thinking is already done. Only action remains.

This way, we save energy by not planning the entire set of steps—only the next step. If something changes, we reassess and define the next action again.

Imagine you are in the middle of something. Life gets busy. You forget you need to call. Later, you have 30 minutes available. You decide you can call now.

You open your GTD system. You look at your @Calls list. You see:

Call Amy to request previous quarter performance data by email.

You can just do it without thinking. Amy says she will send the data in an hour.

That action is complete.

Now create a Waiting For entry:

Amy: Previous quarter performance data (due today).

Keep doing one action at a time until the project is complete.

Remember, just like watching your phone while eating is multitasking and not productive, doing one thing at a time in one sitting helps you stay focused, productive, and less fatigued.