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Minimal ZTD: The Simplest System Possible

Recently I posted my new twist on the excellent GTD system, Zen To Done (ZTD): The Ultimate Simple Productivity System. However, reader Mark Siegal said that the system seems to complex. So I now present the minimalist version of ZTD — a way to be productive without all the fuss.

The Four Habits
1 collect. Habit: ubiquitous capture. Carry a small notebook (or whatever capture tool works for you) and write down any tasks, ideas, projects, or other information that pop into your head. Get it out of your head and onto paper, so you don’t forget it. This is the same as GTD. But ZTD asks you to pick a very simple, portable, easy-to-use tool for capture — a small notebook or small stack of index cards are preferred (but not mandated), simply because they are much easier to use and carry around than a PDA or notebook computer. The simpler the tools, the better. When you get back to your home or office, empty your notes into your to-do list. Read more.

2 process. Habit: make quick decisions on things in your inbox, do not put them off. Letting stuff pile up is procrastinating on making decisions. Process your inboxes (email, physical, voicemail, notebook) at least once a day, and more frequently if needed. When you process, do it from the top down, making a decision on each item, as in GTD: do it (if it takes 2 minutes or less), trash it, delegate it, file it, or put it on your to-do list or calendar to do later. See Getting Your Email to Empty and Keeping Your Desk Clear for more.

3 plan. Habit: set MITs for week, day. Each week, list the Big Rocks that you want to accomplish, and schedule them first. Each day, create a list of 1-3 MITs (basically your Big Rocks for the day) and be sure to accomplish them. Do your MITs early in the day to get them out of the way and to ensure that they get done.

4 do (focus). Habit: do one task at a time, without distractions. This is one of the most important habits in ZTD. You must select a task (preferably one of your MITs) and focus on it to the exclusion of all else. First, eliminate all distractions. Shut off email, cell phone, Internet if possible (otherwise just close all unnecessary tabs), clutter on your desk (if you follow habit 2, this should be pretty easy). Then, set a timer if you like, or otherwise just focus on your task for as long as possible. Don’t let yourself get distracted from it. If you get interrupted, write down any request or incoming tasks/info on your notepad, and get back to your task. Don’t try to multi-task. See How NOT to Multi-Task for more.

What the Minimal ZTD system leaves out
This version leaves out six habits: keeping a system of simple lists, organizing everything, weekly reviews, simplifying your tasks and projects, setting routines for yourself, and finding your passion.

While I think these six habits are valuable, they are not absolutely necessary for a minimalist system.

The minimalist implementation
So how do you implement this system, and what do you need? First the tools: A small notebook and a pen. That’s all.

So here’s how you implement the system:

  1. Use your notebook to write everything down as you think of it. This allows you to get things off your mind and not forget them.
  2. When you get to your desk or home, add those new tasks to your Master To-do List, which you can also keep in your notebook.
  3. At the beginning of each day, review your list, and write down 1-3 MITs that you’d like to accomplish for the day. That’s your whole planning system. You don’t need any more than that.
  4. Get your MITs done as early as possible. When you do each task, clear away all distractions and focus on doing that one task only. Do not multi-task. When you’re done, move on to the next MIT.
  5. If you complete your MITs, go to your Master List and see what’s the next most important task on the list. Do it as in Step 4 above. Repeat as needed.

You don’t really need 10 different lists, and if you don’t keep those different lists, you don’t need a weekly review. I would still suggest you set yearly goals, and add mini tasks from each goal to your Master List, but that’s optional.

Also optional: add any of the habits that are left out of this minimalist system later, if you think they would help.

Brilliant comments (28)

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Wallet Rehab - Ways to save money Says:

April 18th, 2007, 1:46 am

I love this ZTD system. It’s pretty much GTD with MTs added. It’s brilliant! (and the perfect excuse for me to review my own GTD setup.)

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Leo Says:

April 18th, 2007, 1:55 am

Hi Wallet Rehab … I’m glad you like it! Yes, I mixed in a couple other concepts with GTD, such as MITs, simplifying, finding your passion, and routines. This minimalist version doesn’t have all of it tho.

Btw, do you prefer the minimalist version to the full ZTD system?

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Wallet Rehab - Ways to save money Says:

April 18th, 2007, 2:58 am

Hi Leo, I’ll have to wait until the whole system is out to make a fair comparison. I look forward to seeing the whole system play out. Especially the passion part.

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Emma Says:

April 18th, 2007, 4:05 am

I like this! It’s the system I’ve been working towards ever since I started reading your blog, all written out for me. I think I’ll upgrade to the full version eventually, but for me it’s easier to master the minimalist one first. So far I’ve got the writing and processing down, and I’m working on the MIT aspect. One thing that’s working for me is keeping all incoming information starting from the back of my notebook, and all lists (of MITS and todos) starting from the front of the notebook. Once I’ve filled up a page, I rip it out so I don’t have to flip through it again. In addition to writing down stuff I have to do, I’ve also found this is a great system for brainstorming projects when I’m on the run and have a few minutes to think. I enter them from the back as well and then process them when I get home. I also have a section of the notebook for stuff I want to continually carry around with me (in my case, recipes I want to make at friends houses).

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Leo Says:

April 18th, 2007, 7:47 am

Hi Emma … I’m glad you like the system! And you might be right … I might have written this system just for you. :)

I like your simple system … it sounds like it’s working great! Remember to focus on it for at least a month, as it’s a habit change and needs constant focus until you no longer have to think about it. Keep up the great work!

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Mark Siegal Says:

April 18th, 2007, 8:15 am

I think this minimal version is a huge improvement. Far more appealing to me, at least, whether or not anybody else prefers it to the full ZTD. I’m glad to have helped prompt it.

The next most important habit, in my opinion, is finding your passion. That has a unique ability to boost productivity (and joy), without adding complexity to your system.

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Leo Says:

April 18th, 2007, 15:36 pm

Hi Mark … I’m glad you like this version. I did take what you were saying to heart, as you can see, and wanted to offer a truly simple version for people like you. And I agree with your assessment that finding your passion is truly important. I think the other habits would be valuable too, but you could always add those later if you think they’d help. Thanks for the inspiration!

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jeff Says:

April 18th, 2007, 21:47 pm

I del.icio.us’ed the first ZTD post, but this is, I think, the best part of the series yet. Perhaps because it so closely mirrors my current system, but I think the minimal system is actually closer to the real-world system that most people will use (and consequently get immediate benefit).

GTD is, for some people, overkill. And the Cult of GTD is especially scary for non-conformists. Your system is relatively gentle and, since it is already antithetical to the canonical GTD, it’s not scary to start small. I like it.

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Leo Says:

April 18th, 2007, 22:13 pm

Hi jeff … glad you like this minimalist system! Thanks for the comments. I’m trying to figure out which system people like better. Maybe I should do a poll?

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jeff Says:

April 18th, 2007, 23:24 pm

I’d say that the minimalist system is a safe first step. The beauty is, of course, that it needn’t be just a first step: it works as it is and some people don’t need to go any further.

The minimalist system does not replace the full system, and you can hardly consider focusing on one or the other exclusively. I have no plans to sacrifice my morning and evening routines. But I’ve also moved slowly, one step at a time, to get to a place where my lists and my routines and my daily lists (read: MITs) all work. For folks who are either just starting (or re-starting) a GTD/ZTD system, this is a nice place to start.

Here’s another way to look at it: this follows the advice (and yet contradicts your suggestion) in the “Forming the 10 Habits” post. There you recommend that people focus on just a handful of practices (like this system does) but then you also recommend that people just starting out should follow them in order. Here’s an alternative order: start with the four habits in the minimal system, and then grow as you see fit.

Again, the beauty of the minimal system is that it is not a “Step One” suggestion. Step one implies incompleteness whereas the minimal system is complete, just minimal.

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Leo Says:

April 18th, 2007, 23:36 pm

You’re spot on, Jeff. Thanks for the insight!

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Sarvesh Says:

April 19th, 2007, 3:30 am

Just yesterday I was fretting over how GTD is kinda complicating things. Instead of freeing my mind. It kind kept me occouped with my PDA, Inboxes and all.

But this is so much better. Thanks a lot for simplifying GTD for me.

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Leo Says:

April 19th, 2007, 7:01 am

Sarvesh … I’m so glad to have helped! Thanks for the positive feedback.

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Blactooth Says:

April 23rd, 2007, 10:51 am

Hey ZTD bloggers, i am a recent college grad trying to get some structure to my cluttered life. I frequently read Lifehacker and I came across GTD Gmail extensions. Somehow I came across ZTD and here I am. I have found the GTD, 43 folders to be a little overwhelming for beginners but this minimal ZTD seems a bit more manageable. I ordered a moleskin from amazon this morning. I am ready to GET ER DUN! … or ZEN ER DUN!

Thanks for all the great ideas.

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Leo Says:

April 23rd, 2007, 15:58 pm

Hey Blactooth … I wish you the best of luck using ZTD! Let us know how it works for you and how you like the Moleskine.

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Rik Says:

April 26th, 2007, 4:49 am

What’s MIT?

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Leo Says:

April 26th, 2007, 6:20 am

Hi Rik … Most Important Task (or alternatively, Most Important Thing) … see the links under “3 plan” above.

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Maxime Biais Says:

May 2nd, 2007, 10:39 am

I’m using this four habits, “focus” the most important for me because, i’m often disturbed by my environment (at work or at home). I added a fifth habit :

I note somewhere (paper / computer) what i’m doing when a “synchronous event” happens. For example, when somebody enters in my office, knocks on my door or when my phone rings. I’m also doing this when before going to lunch or sleep.

I’m using this fifth habit because, I realized sometimes after what i called “synchronous event”, I have to take few minutes (checking my todo, …) to remember what I was doing before.

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Mariana Bandarra Says:

November 27th, 2007, 17:22 pm

love it. this is just what i need to stop treading water and really move on with my tasks as a self-employed professional.

thank you so much.

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Tim Freeman Says:

February 2nd, 2008, 19:36 pm

I find that my list of interesting-but-not-yet-done tasks tends to grow without bound. Eventually it gets to the point where I no longer have time to read my todo list. Therefore I absolutely need to have a maximum number of tasks on the list, and to have a periodic task of deciding not to do things until the total size of the list is no more than the maximum. Do other people have this problem? If so, how do you deal with it?

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Steve Austin Says:

April 4th, 2008, 14:36 pm

I know you have an uncopyright (”steal my stuff!”), but do you think this deserves attribution to Minimalist ZTD?

http://www.bripblap.com/2008/brip-blap-getting-zen-things-done/

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Leo Says:

April 6th, 2008, 20:48 pm

@Steve Austin: Thanks for looking out, but I honestly don’t mind. I’m glad he mentioned ZTD, and if he wants to do his take of Minimalist ZTD, that’s OK. :)

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Brip Blap Says:

April 10th, 2008, 22:03 pm

I certainly didn’t intend for it to be a ripoff - it was my own attempt at crafting a system that accomplishes what I think are the basic tasks. I wouldn’t have mentioned ZTD if I was intending to knock it off, nor would I have been promoting ZTD on my site for months as an affiliate (and having sold several copies, too)!

Thanks for being understanding Leo - if you ever check out my site you’d know I’m constantly citing you as an inspiration and motivation for my site.

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Trish Says:

September 27th, 2008, 22:44 pm

Neat approach! What’s interesting is that successful people have been shown to use this system, and others like them. I think stats indicate that a mere 2% in society find their dreams, and that using this system has, in fact, led to their success. Makes perfect sense!

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Tim Freeman Says:

September 28th, 2008, 0:17 am

Trish, do you have a reference for those stats? It would be an interesting statistic if it could be verified, but as you know, 93% of all statistics are made up.

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adolfo Says:

December 1st, 2008, 15:11 pm

is there a nice ztd poster to download anywhere? i’d like one for the wall.

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free divorce papers Says:

June 12th, 2009, 2:55 am

I really enjoy reading your blog. It helped me achieve a lot of things towards my goals with less stress. Thank you!

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Theador Says:

July 3rd, 2009, 4:29 am

Thanks for all the great ideas. “Playstation”

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