Another Step on the GTD Path: Forging a Stronger Link Between Projects, Actions, and References using Obsidian Backlinks

[achieve]

Hi everyone,

I'm excited to share another update on my evolving GTD practice. Some of you might have followed my journey, starting with my first post, "Experiencing Friction with GTD After One Month," where this community gave me invaluable advice. I followed that up with a post about my first major breakthrough: learning to systematically process my inbox and finally understanding the "dynamic duo" of Projects and Next Actions.

That structured approach was a game-changer, and for a while, I felt fully in control. However, as the intensity of my work increased, I discovered that while my process was solid, my system's architecture had some deeper flaws. Specifically, I started facing these recurring issues:

1. The Project-Action Disconnect: The connection between an action on my gtd-next-actions.md and its parent project was purely mental. I had to use willpower to remember which task belonged to which project and then go hunt for the reference files.
2. My Inbox Became a Zone of Friction and Procrastination: Instead of a smooth clearing process, looking at my inbox felt like facing a wall of decisions. The sheer mental effort required to take a single item and formally re-classify it—to decide if it was a project, define its next action, and then place it on the correct list—was enormous. It wasn't a fluid motion; it was a hard context switch that my brain resisted. As a result, I would just leave things in the inbox. It then naturally devolved into a messy, de-facto action list where nothing was properly organized, and any reference material was left unfiled, lost in the clutter.
3. Stale Project & Context Lists: My Project List was getting out of sync, and my @Contexts (like @computer) had become meaningless since most of my work happens at my desk anyway.

This led me to my latest 'aha!' moment, which is what I want to share today. I've found a way to use Obsidian's backlinks to forge a direct, clickable link between projects, actions, and reference material, solving all of the problems above. It has been a massive improvement.

Here’s how the new system works.

My Solution: A Project-Centric Approach Using Obsidian​

I managed to fix this by creating a more integrated system in Obsidian, centered around project pages.

1. A Structured Action List Grouped by Project
My main Next Actions list is no longer a single, flat list. Instead, I've structured it with headings for each active project. It looks something like this:

# @[[Project Alpha]]
- Call the supplier
- Draft the email to the team

# @[[Project Beta]]
- Research new software options

The @ prefix helps me visually distinguish these as project-specific groups, and the [[Project Alpha]] is a clickable link in Obsidian.

2. The Project Page as a "Mission Control" Hub
This is where the magic happens. Clicking on any [[Project Link]] takes me directly to a dedicated page for that project. This means when I'm looking at my action list and see "Call the supplier" under "Project Alpha," I can instantly click [[Project Alpha]] to pull up all its reference notes, contact info, and background materials.

This single project page contains:

• Integrated Reference Material: All notes, links, and files processed from my inbox related to this project live here. No more hunting through a separate reference system.
• A Master Checklist: Sometimes I list all the sub-tasks for the project here as a checklist.

The Results (The "After")​

The effect has been fantastic:

• Instant Access to Reference Material: This is the biggest win. While looking at my Next Actions, I'm always just one click away from all the supporting information I need to actually do the task. The friction of "now I need to go find that email..." is completely gone.
• Streamlined Inbox Processing: When I'm processing my inbox and find a piece of reference material for a project, I simply move the content directly into the corresponding [[Project Name]] page. It’s an immediate and frictionless way to file information, which keeps my inbox clear and makes the processing step incredibly fast.
• Clarity and Intuition: I can see a project's status, its reference files, and its next actions all in one place.
• True Progress Tracking: By looking at the project's master checklist, I know exactly how far along I am and what's left to do.
• Effortless Connection: The link between a project and its actions is now explicit and automatic. No more guesswork.

This has brought back the sense of control and clarity that GTD promises. I can now intuitively see both the forest (the project page) and the trees (the individual actions).

Has anyone else tried a similar project-centric approach? I'd love to hear your thoughts or about any similar systems you've developed!

 

[achieve]

My GTD Workflow Visualization​

This diagram shows how information flows from my inbox to my project lists, and to my actionable tasks.
In fact, I use three columns to display these three markdown files on one screen at the same time.

 

[cfoley]

I have recently switched to Obsidian. For projects that have notes associated with them, I name the main note with the same wording as the project. So, if I have a project called "I can sync Obsidian to phone", then then my reference note is titled "I can sync Obsidian to phone". This means my project list can be a simple list with links:

- [[I can sync Obsidian to phone]]

My next actions are still organised by context, but I can copy and paste the link to be beside the appropriate next action if I think that would be helpful. Normally, I don't bother though, I just hit ⌘O and start typing part of the project's name.

 

[achieve]

I have recently switched to Obsidian. For projects that have notes associated with them, I name the main note with the same wording as the project. So, if I have a project called "I can sync Obsidian to phone", then then my reference note is titled "I can sync Obsidian to phone". This means my project list can be a simple list with links:

- [[I can sync Obsidian to phone]]

My next actions are still organised by context, but I can copy and paste the link to be beside the appropriate next action if I think that would be helpful. Normally, I don't bother though, I just hit ⌘O and start typing part of the project's name.

Hey cfoley, so great to see you in this thread! I was hoping you'd chime in. Thanks for sharing your setup.

It's awesome that we've both landed on a similar core principle: Project Name = Note Name. It really feels like one of the most elegant ways to leverage Obsidian for GTD.

You know, your point about using ⌘O is a real lightbulb moment for me. I use it all the time to find daily/monthly or other notes, but I honestly hadn't thought of applying it as a primary way to jump directly to a project page from anywhere. That’s such a smart, fluid way to navigate, and a very valuable tip for me, especially since I'm still new to my current project-centric setup. Thank you for that!