Interesting experiment - Number of active projects

[Tom_Hagen]

I sent an AI to this forum to ask what users were saying about the number of active projects. And things got interesting because:

What GTD users say about the number of projects
"Standard" according to GTD (theory + forum)
Often-cited number: 10–100 active projects
Some users provide specific numbers:
~16–20 projects → considered "few"
~50–60 projects → quite typical
up to 200+ projects for power users
Conclusion: classic GTD does NOT limit the number of projects—rather, it encourages a complete list of everything.

But... an important tension arises
Two camps are clearly visible on the forum:
The "lots of projects" camp
"I can't imagine having only 16 projects"
"I have 200+ and that's normal in my job"
The "too many = chaos" camp
Problems with browsing lists
Overload during the weekly review
The feeling of "reading lists instead of taking action"

A key problem that recurs on the forum
In short:
GTD is good at collating everything, but it doesn't limit parallel work
Result:
You have 50-100 projects
But you're actually working on... a few
The rest is "mental noise"
Brutally objective
The GTD forum shows that people naturally overload the system
Summary
Typical GTD user: dozens of active projects
Common problem: overload and distraction

What do you think? Which "camp" are you in? Are you distracted?

 

[bobusa]

I'm in the max. of 20 projects camp that are active. At least I try to keep it around 20 to be able to stay clear.

There are 3 types of projects in my view:

1. Active project that (must) have my attention and need to be completed as soon as possible.
2. Inactive projects that have my attention but cannot be acted upon. (Later option in Nirvana HQ)
3. Someday projects that do not have my attention and I do not want to act upon at this moment.

I do have e about 25 active projects, 19 inactive and 24 someday. Keeping in mind that I'm retired

Saying no to a (given) commitment is the best thing someone can do to stay clear. Most GTD'ers forget that one can say NO (to your boss!!) at the clarifying step. Using your horizons and areas of focus will give you that answer.

 

[cfoley]

I prefer a smaller list.

It's easy to write a long list of projects. It's much more challenging to curate those ideas and focus them on the kind of change you want to see in the world. I think it is worth the effort though.

 

[bobusa]

I prefer a smaller list.

It's easy to write a long list of projects. It's much more challenging to curate those ideas and focus them on the kind of change you want to see in the world. I think it is worth the effort though.

I like that perspective. What are you really trying to accomplish with that project in a bigger sense? There will be some projects that need that treatment and it could shorten the list indeed.
However, there are projects that are very simple like replace door handle that will only take a few actions. And when you're retired, like I am, there are many projects around the house that have become active. Although what you probably mean then, is to make a bigger (one) project like "Improve hardware house" which is actually a good idea.

 

[gtd solo-studente]

I sent an AI to this forum to ask what users were saying about the number of active projects. And things got interesting because:

What GTD users say about the number of projects
"Standard" according to GTD (theory + forum)
Often-cited number: 10–100 active projects
Some users provide specific numbers:
~16–20 projects → considered "few"
~50–60 projects → quite typical
up to 200+ projects for power users
Conclusion: classic GTD does NOT limit the number of projects—rather, it encourages a complete list of everything.

But... an important tension arises
Two camps are clearly visible on the forum:
The "lots of projects" camp
"I can't imagine having only 16 projects"
"I have 200+ and that's normal in my job"
The "too many = chaos" camp
Problems with browsing lists
Overload during the weekly review
The feeling of "reading lists instead of taking action"

A key problem that recurs on the forum
In short:
GTD is good at collating everything, but it doesn't limit parallel work
Result:
You have 50-100 projects
But you're actually working on... a few
The rest is "mental noise"
Brutally objective
The GTD forum shows that people naturally overload the system
Summary
Typical GTD user: dozens of active projects
Common problem: overload and distraction

What do you think? Which "camp" are you in? Are you distracted?

@Tom_Hagen

Thank you for your good post

"GTD is good at collating everything, but it doesn't limit parallel work
Result:
You have 50-100 projects
But you're actually working on... a few
The rest is "mental noise" . . . makes perfect GTD sense when any Project(s) needs a Next Action(s)
Brutally objective
The GTD forum shows that people naturally overload the system"

Again, thank you very much for your good GTD post

 

[cfoley]

I like that perspective. What are you really trying to accomplish with that project in a bigger sense? There will be some projects that need that treatment and it could shorten the list indeed.
However, there are projects that are very simple like replace door handle that will only take a few actions. And when you're retired, like I am, there are many projects around the house that have become active. Although what you probably mean then, is to make a bigger (one) project like "Improve hardware house" which is actually a good idea.

Yes exactly. I have just done a weekly review and something just like that happened. My partner and I are trying to declutter and organise the house, and we had a project for that. But we also recently got a new frying pan because the old one was banjacked, and we have another project for better shoe racks, and there is more than that besides.

I realised we are striving for a functional and organised house, so I made a project: "The house is functional and organised", and deleted all the smaller projects, adding them as a list of outcomes for this new umbrella project. I then went through my Someday/Maybe list and pasted anything related into the new project's notes. We'll have to sit down the two of us and talk it all over to see what our shared vision of wild success is here, and I think it will be more purposeful and focussed than if we treated it all as separate projects.

Looking forward to enjoying our new setup three months from now!