When one lives in a system saturated reality . . . . then the only rational response is also having systems to meet the challenge ?
If anyone knows of an comprehensive objective personal system superior to GTD as a base productivity system then in your goodness please do inform
Thank you very much
I wouldn’t claim that the 12 Week Year (12WY) is better than GTD; instead, I find value in using both methodologies because they complement each other perfectly for me. While GTD excels at capturing and organizing all aspects of life and work, the 12 Week Year enhances focus on execution, ensuring that what I’m doing moves the needle.
The 12 Week Year, developed by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington, originated in the world of sports, where athletes often use 12-week training plans to achieve peak performance. The idea is to compress annual goals into a shorter, more urgent time frame, which creates a heightened focus on execution.
One of the key elements of 12WY is its strong emphasis on vision. It guides you through articulating both a life vision and a professional vision in a very structured way. Once those are clear, the system asks you to choose a maximum of 3 professional objectives and 2 personal development goals for each 12-week cycle. Under each of these goals, you develop what’s called a “Game Plan,” which consists of carefully defined tactics.
These 12WY tactics correspond to GTD’s next actions in a way, but there’s a distinct difference in approach. In 12WY, less is more. You’re encouraged to identify the most impactful tactics that offer the maximum return on investment. For example, in my case, I’ve limited myself to a maximum of 14 tactics per week in total (not per goal). This constraint forces me to focus only on the most effective actions rather than getting caught up in busy work.
Another crucial dimension that 12WY brings is the urgency to measure progress. For each of the 3 professional and 2 personal goals, you track one leading and one lagging indicator each week. This consistent tracking helps maintain momentum and ensures that I’m making measurable progress toward my goals. If you’re new to 12WY, I would recommend starting with just 1 professional goal and 1 personal development goal to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
In my experience, combining the structure of GTD with the execution focus of 12WY has been highly effective. GTD keeps me organized, while 12WY drives me to act on the most important things that align with my long-term vision. I’ve built a tool based on the 12WY framework to help streamline the process.
Again, the best system is the one that works for you, and for me, the combination of GTD and 12WY strikes the right balance between organization and action.
