Tame Your Gmail in 5 Easy Steps with David Allen's GTD

By Dominic Wolff
Copyright © 2014 Vanessa Johnson

Tame Your Gmail in 5 Easy Steps with
David Allen's GTD
5-Steps to Organize Your Mail, Improve
Productivity and Get Things Done Using
Gmail, Google Drive, Google Tasks and
Google Calendar

Organize Living Press
Atlanta, Georgia USA
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted for resale or use by any party
other than the individual purchaser who is the sole authorized user of this information.
Purchaser is authorized to use any of the information in this publication for his or her
own use only. All other reproduction or transmission, or any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any informational
storage or retrieval system, is prohibited without express written permission from the
author.
DISCLAIMER:
While all attempts have been made to provide effective, verifiable information in this
Book, neither the Author nor Publisher assumes any responsibility for errors,
inaccuracies, or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional.
This Book is not a source of medical information, and it should not be regarded as such.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard
to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is
not engaged in rendering a medical service. As with any medical advice, the reader is
strongly encouraged to seek professional medical advice before taking action.

Table Of Contents
1. What is GTD?
2. GTD with Gmail
3. Google Tasks
4. GTD with Google Calendar
5. GTD with Google Drive

Introduction
You know those days when you retire from a day at work and feel like you might as well
didn’t go because you hardly accomplished anything? You know the ones – those days
when you lagged behind on your to-do list or tried to be productive, but felt like you could
have done more. A common lament is, “At the end of my day, I feel compelled to do just
one more thing because it feels like I didn’t do anything at all.”
We all put things off at one point or another. Even if you’re the most organized person
who ever lived, this will happen when you’re in a bind or experience a difficult life crisis.
Stay-at-home parents tell me they go to bed at night, but don’t remember what they did
the entire day. We sometimes even delay decision-making until the last minute and wind
up having no choice but to select a random option, or at best, the least undesirable.
Procrastination is a bad habit and kicking it is an exhausting challenge, especially if it has
become a persistent trait.
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David-Allens-ebook/dp/B00JLB2ZX4

What is GTD?
Our technology affords us to choose from a vast selection of online tools, apps, and
software applications to manage and reduce the strains of multitasking and busy
schedules. A simple Google search for “top task management tools” will result in
thousands or even millions of listicles (list + articles) about these programs.
Choosing a productivity system can be tricky, because we all want something tailored to
our specific needs. So why do I want you to choose Getting Things Done? Anyone can
simply make a run-of-the-mill to-do list, right?
The simplest answer is because it covers all the steps in the task management process:
documenting, recalling, planning, arranging, organizing, and execution. GTD is, at the very
core, a simple system, and yet, it’s complex enough to simplify your biggest project, and
flexible enough to be tweaked to fit your own working and living situation. I’m not
exaggerating when I say that you will feel a refreshing blast of relief about your work,
school, or home life that you’ve never felt before.

GTD with Gmail
No other online application is as important to me as an email client. I’ve used plenty of
email programs, from AOL to Hotmail to Outlook, but none of them can match the
functionalities of Gmail – the webmail application to end all webmail applications.
This Google product is very easy to use, it’s 99% secure from threats, is a one-stop access
point to other Google services, offers impressive storage space, and even provides free
SMS credits. Gmail has been a favorite among many as a channel for communication,
whether for personal or business purposes, or whether you’re a tech geek or a
technophobe.

Google Tasks
Google Tasks lets you create lists of things to do, due dates, and notes. You can even put
Gmail messages into Tasks.
Using Google Tasks
Select “Tasks” from the Gmail button in the upper left. The Tasks window will then appear
in the bottom right corner of the screen. Just start typing in the window to create tasks.
Hit “Enter” on your keyboard to type another item or click the “+” button at the bottom.
Click the small arrow next to the minimize button to pop the window out and access it
from your taskbar.

GTD with Google Calendar
Why do we use calendars? As much as I want to answer this question with profound
insights about the finiteness of life, the simplest answer is that we want to keep track of
dates, schedules, and appointments as we go through our day. What if you miss a birthday
or anniversary (again) because you forgot to look at your calendar? What if you can’t
remember the schedule for a job interview? Calendars can help you avert such life crises
and remember significant events. Digital calendars, in particular, provide advanced note
taking functions so that you will never forget anything.

GTD with Google Drive
Google Drive is a repository of files where users can store, access, and share documents
anywhere, and I mean anywhere – by phone, computer, and Internet. It works offline, too.
It’s just like a hard drive, except that documents can be accessed online by anyone who
has permission, and files are stored in the cloud.
Side note: In case you didn’t know, cloud computing is a kind of technology where
information is kept online and is available anywhere where there’s Internet connection.
The cloud has been around since the ‘90s, and email is one of the earliest examples of
cloud computing. It was in 2006 when Google offered a whole slew of office suite
programs in the cloud to users, and that was the start of what later on would become
Google Docs.

About the Author
Dominic Wolff is an author, business owner and traveller (or as he likes to call it, a globe
trotter). A native from Idaho, Dominic became interested in the mechanics of business from
a very young age. From those early days of selling candy bars to running a multi-state
company today, Dominic has always been on the lookout for systems that would improve his
productivity and allow him more free time to enjoy his hobbies.
He frequently writes articles about personal productivity for business publications. He
believes that having a structure in place for work and life can mean the difference between
being in control and merely coping.

Tame Your Gmail in 5 Easy Steps with David Allen's GTD

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Tame Your Gmail in 5 Easy Steps with David Allen's GTD