Notion GTD Template: Get Things Done in Your Workspace
Getting Things Done, adapted for Notion
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity methodology created by David Allen and popularized in his 2001 book of the same name. Its central promise is a calm, trusted system that holds every commitment for you, so your attention is free for the work in front of you rather than the nagging list in your head. Notion is a natural home for that system: it is flexible, database-driven, and lets you slice a single list of tasks into as many focused views as you need. This guide explains GTD’s five stages and core lists accurately, then maps them onto the free Notable Dashboard so you can run the whole method without buying anything.
The five stages of GTD
Allen frames GTD as five distinct stages of managing workflow. Keeping them separate is what makes the system work, because each stage uses a different kind of thinking.
1. Capture
Collect everything that has your attention into trusted external containers. Tasks, ideas, errands, and “I should really…” thoughts all go into an inbox rather than staying in your head. The rule is to capture first and decide later, so nothing slips through.
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Process what you captured. For each item ask: is it actionable? If not, it becomes trash, reference, or a “someday” item. If it is actionable and takes less than two minutes, do it now. Otherwise decide the very next physical action, and note whether it belongs to a larger project.
3. Organize
Put each clarified item where it belongs: next actions sorted by context, projects tracked separately, delegated items on a waiting list, and future possibilities parked in someday/maybe.
4. Reflect
Review the system regularly. The cornerstone is the Weekly Review, where you clear your inbox, update project lists, and get current on commitments so you can trust the system again.
5. Engage
Simply do the work. Because everything is already captured, clarified, and organized, you can choose your next action with confidence based on context, time available, energy, and priority.
The core GTD lists
GTD organizes actionable material into a small set of lists. Understanding them is the key to translating the method into Notion.
- Inbox: the single collection point for anything not yet processed.
- Next Actions: concrete, physical next steps you can do, ideally grouped by context.
- Projects: any outcome requiring more than one action; each needs a defined next action.
- Waiting For: things you have delegated or are blocked on, so you can follow up.
- Someday/Maybe: ideas and possibilities you are not committing to yet.
- Contexts: tags such as @home, @calls, @errands, or @computer that describe where or how an action can be done.
Mapping GTD onto the Notable Dashboard
The free Notable Dashboard already ships with a Tasks & Projects database, and that single database is all you need to run GTD. Everything in Notable is one source of truth surfaced through multiple linked views, which is exactly the shape GTD wants: one master list, many focused filters.
The Tasks & Projects database includes the fields Name, Status (Not started / In progress / Done), Due Date, Priority (Low / Medium / High), Progress (%), Project (Marketing / Sales / Management / Finance), Tags, and Assigned To. You will lean on Status, Tags, Project, and Assigned To to carry the GTD structure.
Use Tags as your GTD list and context
The built-in Tags property is a multi-select, so it can do double duty. Add tag values for your GTD lists (Inbox, Next Action, Waiting For, Someday/Maybe) and separate values for your contexts (@home, @calls, @computer, @errands). Because Tags allows several values at once, a single task can be both a Next Action and @calls. If you prefer a cleaner split, dedicate the Tags field to contexts and use a value like “Inbox” versus “Next Action” to mark the GTD stage, since the existing Status field already tracks execution state rather than GTD placement.
Build an Inbox view for unprocessed items
Create a new view of Tasks & Projects filtered to items tagged Inbox, or to items with an empty Project and no context tag. This becomes your Clarify queue. During processing you open the Inbox view, decide the next action for each item, assign a context tag, connect it to a Project value, and remove the Inbox tag. When the view is empty, your inbox is clear.
Next Actions grouped by context
Add a board or list view filtered to tasks tagged Next Action with Status not Done, then group by the Tags field so each context becomes its own column or section. When you sit down at your computer, you open the @computer group and pick from a short, honest list. Sort within each group by Priority or Due Date so the most pressing action rises to the top.
A Projects grouping
The database’s Project field (Marketing, Sales, Management, Finance) gives you a ready-made grouping. Create a view grouped by Project to see every outcome and its associated actions in one place. GTD insists each project always has at least one visible next action, and grouping this way makes stalled projects obvious: any group with no Next Action tag needs attention. You can rename or extend the Project options to match your own areas of focus.
A Waiting For view
Filter a view to tasks tagged Waiting For, and use the Assigned To field to record who owes you the item. Add the Due Date as a follow-up reminder. Scanning this list during your review keeps delegated work from vanishing.
Someday/Maybe
A simple filtered view of items tagged Someday/Maybe keeps future ideas out of your active lists while still visible. Reviewing it weekly lets you promote an idea to a real Next Action when the time is right, or drop it without guilt.
Running the Weekly Review in Notion
The Weekly Review is where GTD stays trustworthy, and Notable’s navigation hub makes the loop quick. Work through it in order: process the Inbox view to zero; scan the Projects grouping and confirm each has a live Next Action; review the Waiting For view and chase anything overdue; look over Next Actions and mark completed items Done; and skim Someday/Maybe for anything ready to activate. Because the Quick Stats row already surfaces tasks due today through a filtered rollup, you get an at-a-glance sense of the week’s load without extra setup. Do this every week and the system, not your memory, carries your commitments.
None of this requires new software or plugins. One database, a handful of tags, and five or six saved views turn a general Notion workspace into a faithful GTD implementation you can actually stick with.
