If you had an AI version of David Allen, what would you ask?

[Y_Lherieau]

I think you would be happier if you found an approach that works well for you on your own. Each Jedi must construct their own lightsaber.

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Thank you for your advice on finding a personal approach, akin to a Jedi constructing their own lightsaber. I completely agree with the importance of this journey.

Over my 15+ years of practicing GTD, I've developed an approach that works for me. Yet, it's not without significant challenges, especially in integrating GTD with my email workflow in Outlook 365 on PC. Interestingly, having audited how others manage their GTD workflows in different apps, such as Gmail and other key email applications, I haven’t found any better alternatives to date.

As I've highlighted in my thread, no matter the ecosystem we build, it doesn't seem to fully accommodate the GTD methodology seamlessly. For example, across these platforms, there are no interactive prompts when hovering over an email to guide us through the GTD decision-making process, nor is there an integrated timer for tasks that might take less than two minutes.

Additionally, when dealing with emails that involve delegation, the process becomes cumbersome. In my setup, I have to manually return to the sent folder and use the Todoist Outlook add-on to tag these emails as 'Waiting For'. An other manual step opening-up for defects along the line. This is far from the seamless flow that GTD espouses.

The intricacies of running a reference system alongside an email system also present their own set of challenges. While I use OneNote for reference, which simplifies some movements between apps, it's still not completely optimized in my case.

The challenge further extends to portability. Achieving a 100% slick GTD flow on tablets and phones is far from reality. Those of us who seek complete portability often find that a one-touch email practice isn’t feasible and that only a partial GTD workflow can be executed on these devices.

The integration isn’t as fluid or intuitive as it could be, leaving a noticeable gap in achieving a truly seamless GTD workflow.

I pose a challenge to all GTD users: Are we really applying GTD with Six Sigma efficiency in mind, aiming for only 3.4 defects per million opportunities? With tools like Outlook, Todoist, OneNote, and many more, the core principle of GTD – keeping things out of our heads – is still not fully actualized. The fundamental steps and decision-making processes of GTD remain predominantly mental exercises, which is fine after so many years of practice. It’s just that from a process standpoint, we haven’t yet optimized it.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and insights on these challenges.

 

[gtdstudente]

Let's assume that your AI has all of David's experience, and will only serve up highly relevant, high-quality answers. What would you ask?

What is best not to do in order to best 'do GTD' ?

 

[Bill Myers]

Let's assume that your AI has all of David's experience, and will only serve up highly relevant, high-quality answers. What would you ask?

I made some stupid jokes that I deleted. Then I thought I'd try to answer this one seriously. And I'm coming up empty.

I guess the reason I'd like to meet @DavidAllen and some of the other pioneers of GTD (most especially @John Forrister and @kelstarrising -- meeting both of them is still on my Someday/Maybe list and I might be able to do that sooner rather than later) would be to get to know them as people. Not in an intrusive sense, but enough to get a feel for the sorts of personalities that are driven to innovate in this space.

I got a chance to talk with John casually when I did my Slice of GTD Life interview with him. I'd say that getting a glimpse of his personality gave me some insights into GTD that were very valuable. I guess on some level I expected someone of John's caliber and accomplishments would have been more intimidating. Instead he showed me with his actions rather than his words that humility and the pursuit of GTD mastery aren't incompatible and in fact may need to go hand-in-hand. It's a lot easier to approach GTD with a beginner's mind when you realize that one of the world's foremost GTD experts approaches it that way, too.

I guess it would be very interesting to me to find out what insights I could glean from a casual, one-on-one chat with DA. Not that I think there are great odds of that happening. But it's not the kind of thing I could get from an AI, no matter how good it is.

 

[John Forrister]

I'm with TesTeq on this. The value of an AI David (or much AI) is greatly diminished without personal context. In the case of John's question on what I would ask an AI David, without personal awareness of my stuff how would AI David be much different than MS Bing?

Having personal context would help. But AI David even without personal context is way better than what search engines produce. Search results may prioritize sites with high traffic that give incorrect information. I tested this quite a bit when ChatGPT came out. Just did several searched and found misinformation in the top results.

 

[John Forrister]

John....would have been more intimidating....

Wow! First time I've ever even been in the running for that description. What I am is curious, and genuinely interested in how people get to GTD, how they adapt it, and how it helps with their lives. I'm still learning, and regularly have to go back to the basics when life brings new challenges.

 

[Bill Myers]

First time I've ever even been in the running for that description.

Well, in fairness, that was in my imagination. I'm also a Starfleet captain in my imagination. So take that for what you will.

 

[Bill Myers]

Thank you for your advice on finding a personal approach, akin to a Jedi constructing their own lightsaber. I completely agree with the importance of this journey.

Over my 15+ years of practicing GTD, I've developed an approach that works for me. Yet, it's not without significant challenges, especially in integrating GTD with my email workflow in Outlook 365 on PC. Interestingly, having audited how others manage their GTD workflows in different apps, such as Gmail and other key email applications, I haven’t found any better alternatives to date.

As I've highlighted in my thread, no matter the ecosystem we build, it doesn't seem to fully accommodate the GTD methodology seamlessly. For example, across these platforms, there are no interactive prompts when hovering over an email to guide us through the GTD decision-making process, nor is there an integrated timer for tasks that might take less than two minutes.

Additionally, when dealing with emails that involve delegation, the process becomes cumbersome. In my setup, I have to manually return to the sent folder and use the Todoist Outlook add-on to tag these emails as 'Waiting For'. An other manual step opening-up for defects along the line. This is far from the seamless flow that GTD espouses.

The intricacies of running a reference system alongside an email system also present their own set of challenges. While I use OneNote for reference, which simplifies some movements between apps, it's still not completely optimized in my case.

The challenge further extends to portability. Achieving a 100% slick GTD flow on tablets and phones is far from reality. Those of us who seek complete portability often find that a one-touch email practice isn’t feasible and that only a partial GTD workflow can be executed on these devices.

The integration isn’t as fluid or intuitive as it could be, leaving a noticeable gap in achieving a truly seamless GTD workflow.

I pose a challenge to all GTD users: Are we really applying GTD with Six Sigma efficiency in mind, aiming for only 3.4 defects per million opportunities? With tools like Outlook, Todoist, OneNote, and many more, the core principle of GTD – keeping things out of our heads – is still not fully actualized. The fundamental steps and decision-making processes of GTD remain predominantly mental exercises, which is fine after so many years of practice. It’s just that from a process standpoint, we haven’t yet optimized it.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and insights on these challenges.

I want to be clear that I'm not trying to advance any kind of "argument" here. My reply is simply an attempt to share my own personal experience.

There have been attempts to create the kind of technology you're hoping for. One was called IQTELL, a GTD-informed cloud-based solution with integrations including email. With the click of a button, IQTELL would guide you through steps for processing email, for example.

I was an early beta tester for IQTELL. Although it turned out not to be a fit for me, I thought the idea was a good one. Unfortunately, they ran into two problems. The first was technological; I remember an AWS server problem affecting their email integration caused nightmares for their users. The second was economic: it wasn't a sustainable business model, and IQTELL closed up shop years ago.

David Allen also tried, in partnership with Intentional Software, to create a GTD meta-app that would be "one app to rule them all" (my words, not his). Again, it sounded to me like a great idea. But it was abandoned because there was no way to make such a venture profitable in the current market space.

My experience with IQTELL led me to believe my habits would need to be the glue that integrated disparate apps and inputs together. And I felt it best to accept this.

At one time, I was looking for what you appear to desire: a near-perfect GTD practice (although I didn't have the vocabulary of Six Sigma to describe it). I've come to feel that accepting imperfections and mistakes is key to accepting myself. After all, as a human being I am by nature imperfect and make mistakes. I'm beginning to feel this is a feature of humanity and not a bug.

I now feel that GTD is very fault-tolerant. By implementing the habits suggested by DA, I can usually catch things that fall through the cracks. And frankly if something I fail to capture, process and organize doesn't resurface in another way, it might not have been that important after all.

I don't feel I'm abandoning the ideal of GTD by accepting what I perceive to be the reality of the human condition. I feel the ideal is in the striving, not in getting a perfect result.

 

[Bill Myers]

What I am is curious, and genuinely interested in how people get to GTD, how they adapt it, and how it helps with their lives. I'm still learning, and regularly have to go back to the basics when life brings new challenges.

That comes through. Trust me. But you are also generous in sharing your gifts with others. Your work in maintaining and participating in this forum and making it a space for people to share their experience, the Slice of GTD Life interviews you do, and your other work are great examples of this. I just felt that needed to be said as well.

 

[schmeggahead]

“What would David Allen say about how much I can trust you?”

"Can you meet me in your office in, say, 20 minutes?" - Mrs Montenegra
"What time is it now?" - Lou Peckinpaw
"I can't tell you that until I know I can trust you." - Mrs. De Vega

 

[Ancamand]

I would request the AI to conduct a thorough analysis of my existing GTD (Getting Things Done) system and identify areas for enhancement. Currently, there seems to be a lack of a fully integrated tool capable of executing all GTD steps seamlessly, beginning within an email inbox. This would involve integrating a decision-making process starting with questions like 'What is this?' and 'Is this actionable?' Depending on the responses, the system would automatically initiate appropriate actions, such as starting a 2-minute timer or tagging items as 'waiting for' when tasks are delegated…

Essentially, my ask is for the AI to develop a comprehensive application, aligned with the principles and framework outlined by David Allen in his GTD app. blue print, which he shared a few years ago during last GTD summit in Amsterdam.






Essentially, my ask is for the AI to develop a comprehensive application, aligned with the principles and framework outlined by David Allen in his GTD app blueprint, which he shared a few years ago during the last GTD summit in Amsterdam. Tools like website are already laying the groundwork for such integrations, making it easier to streamline and automate tasks, improving overall productivity without additional manual effort.

It's interesting that you're looking for a fully integrated tool for your GTD system! I think the vision you're describing could really streamline the process. Automating the initial decision-making steps—like determining if an email is actionable or categorizing it based on the response to certain questions—could save a lot of time and make your GTD system more efficient.


A couple of ideas to enhance the system:

1. Inbox Zero Integration: The tool could integrate with your email inbox (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) and offer smart categorization, suggesting tags like 'Actionable', 'Waiting for', or 'Someday/Maybe', as well as prompting a 2-minute timer for tasks that can be completed quickly. This would help avoid manual sorting and bring you closer to Inbox Zero without effort.
2. Customizable Workflow Triggers: Implement customizable actions based on user input, such as automatically setting reminders or creating tasks in a task manager based on how you categorize items. It could even automatically delegate tasks and add them to a 'Waiting For' list.
3. Contextual Awareness: If you could set up specific contexts for your tasks, the AI could help determine whether a task needs a different context, like 'Home', 'Work', or 'Errands', based on the contents of the email. It would be cool if the tool suggested next actions based on your current environment or priorities.
4. Seamless Calendar Integration: To ensure that tasks get scheduled, it would help if the tool could sync with your calendar, suggesting time slots for tasks when the decision to act has been made.
5. Natural Language Processing (NLP): A key feature might be utilizing NLP to understand the intent behind an email or message, categorizing it appropriately without needing manual input. This would be especially helpful for emails that contain multiple tasks or action items.
6. Review and Reflection: Incorporating periodic GTD-style reviews within the app, where the AI can summarize tasks in progress, tasks waiting for others, and help you prioritize what's most important. This could be automated and synced with your weekly review sessions.

The combination of AI with David Allen's GTD principles could create a tool that not only supports productivity but adapts to your specific workflow. Would be amazing to see something like this developed in the future!

 

[Y_Lherieau]

Thank you so much for this thoughtful feedback—I’m really glad the vision resonated with you!

You’ve perfectly captured the direction I’m aiming for: a system that not only supports GTD but actively accelerates it by offloading cognitive load wherever possible. Your suggestions are excellent and absolutely aligned with what I’m trying to build.

Inbox Zero integration with smart tagging, contextual awareness through NLP, and seamless calendar sync are all high on my roadmap. I especially love your point on customizable workflow triggers—being able to tailor the system to personal habits and routines is key to keeping it frictionless and personal.

I’ve actually been experimenting with the OpenAI API and, with just a short Python script, it’s already possible to create an agent that reads emails, clarifies their intent, and even drafts reply suggestions. So from there, it’s really a matter of layering on the rest of the GTD workflow—processing, organizing, reviewing, and engaging.

But there is a caveat: each OpenAI call via the API comes with a cost. While individually small, when you imagine a fully integrated system with specialized bots handling different steps of the GTD process—triage, classification, delegation, follow-up—that cost starts to scale. It’s an important design consideration if we want to keep the system both powerful and sustainable.

That said, the possibilities are incredibly exciting. The idea of an AI-powered assistant that not only supports but actively enhances GTD practices is becoming more real by the day.

Thanks again for sharing these insights—they’re helping refine the vision even further!