Stress-free productivity does exist

In GTD we name those things we have captured and are still not processed as “stuff”. And we do it on purpose, to denote their abstract nature, since we haven’t yet paused to think what they really are—although we may have a preconceived idea. Then, when you are processing or clarifying your stuff, the key question is “Is there any action required?”

Effort justification is a cognitive dissonance that makes us value much more those things in which we have put great effort, regardless the fact that the outcome may be more or less valuable.

Every time you are learning something new, developing a new habit or running a big project, there are always moments in which thoughts invade your mind. It looks like you don’t move on, you don’t feel comfortable and your goal seems too far away.

The first thing people do when they feel overwhelmed because their life, their job or both, are turning chaotic, is making lists.

When you are processing your inbox, that is, clarifying the meaning of those things you have captured before, you will probably find some that don’t need any action right now but might need it in the future. They are actions like the following: