Time and Priority arrangement

[Guest]

Hi,

I'm new to GTD, and I have some questions.

GTD is about collecting and processing tasks -- I collect tasks, and process them, and then decide what to do in Next Actions.
However, here is the thing, how can I make sure I have enough time to finish these "next actions" on time?

For example, I have to finish a report next week, and I have 5 related actions for this "project".
1. Should I mark a due date on this project?
2. Should I make a plan about when each sub-task (or single action) should be done before next week, so I can make sure I can deliver the report on time?

It seems there is no "step" in GTD to handle this issue. GTD collects a lot of actions, but GTD doesn't care about "when" the sub-tasks should be done. These sub-tasks will leave in the Next Action List, and I don't know if I have the right progress -- for example, what if the last task takes 2 days to finish, but I don't finish the other 4 tasks before the "Deadline - 2days", which means I might not be able to finish the last task on time?

Thanks.

 

[marcia]

I would put the deadline for the project on your calendar. Add more deadlines for the related actions based on your best estimates of how much time is needed for each step. You can continue to track the project in your action list. Having the deadlines on your calendar will give you a head's up of what needs to be done when.