Thanks for this, David. I updated my GTD-related post with a link to the new page.

Well, I'm sorry to say this on your own blog, but I didn't like the page. Apart from the bulleted list, the whole text is just advertisement, IMHO.

I just finished reading the book, and I understand that you don't want to give it all away. But since that is actually impossible, even though all the information is already on the Internet, I thought you could trust the book to sell itself and give us real content in a few lines.

I like the definition from Wikipedia, but they got carried away and started explaining the "how".

Best wishes,
Tiago

I thought it was a good page. It's an accurate summary of his system and an indication that the phrase "Getting Things Done" or "GTD" refer to his rightfully copyrighted works.

Wikipedia has gone a bit far and certainly one can expect that David's own "official" definition would be more corporately styled.

I think it's exactly what someone like me who only ran across GTD on the internet a few weeks ago would have needed to see. I've learned alot while browsing the web about GTD, but it's time for me to pay for the book and do right by David.

It wouldn't hurt me either. :-)

Grammatical problem of bad agreement in the second paragraph of the definition:

"Sophisticated without being confining, the subtle effectiveness of GTD has quickly gained..."

I think you mean to say that GTD, not GTD's "subtle effectiveness," is "[s]ophisticated without being confining." The sentence could be fixed thus: "Sophisticated without being confining, the subtly effective GTD system has quickly gained..."

Next action: re-read Strunk & White!

Um, I disagree with those that think it's an advertisement. Rather, I would like to see a link to somewhere you can buy the book... Why not?

Sorry David...

I also think the page needs work.

I agree with several of the other posts that much of it is ad text.

And in a constructive vein, the part where you actually try to put some concrete bullets behind "what" the system entails...

That part is so generic is could apply to ANY time management system. GTD is responsible for the idea of writing down all tasks that come to mind? Don't think that will fly.

I wish you luck in defining GTD.

Thanks for all the comments. Will put "in the hopper." What some of you call the "promotional" sound is probably going to stay - it actually is descriptive of why GTD has become such a buzz concept, for people who come across it and wonder. And we're interested that people who try promote their "thing" as "the way to do GTD" admit the unversality of the principles, and that it IS tool-agnostic. - David

GTD has been a life changing process for me. One of the things that makes it so great is the blog discussions and the little tweaks and hacks that abound. I'll definitely link back to your site so my readers can see the official definition.

I think the blog community has really enriched your product, with things like "Hipster PDAs", Walleteers, Outlook hacks and other customizations. You might want to provide some links to some of the more popular blogs so your readers can see how popular it really is.

Keep up the great work!

John

I think it's a good first draft, and I also wondered if the way I "converted" some of my associates might be illustrative of why I'm a GTD adherent.

When folks ask me the What & Why of how I manage my productivity, I show them GTD and explain it as one of the tools on my workbench that works in concert with others (such as Covey's 7 Habits) in my approach to achieving my goals.

I've also found that they're interested in my assertion that GTD provides a principled yet flexible framework for change & improvement based on Process (the GTD Workflow), Technology (the various implementations such as paper-based planning or GTD in Outloook), Information (the "stuff" we manage but also the metadata that enables us to manage it, such as Categories) and to me the most important aspect, People (we as People only change in a sustainable way due to enlightened self-interest, and GTD has provided that for me, AND I believe GTD helps me to be better able to bring traceability to my actions to ensure they're aligned with my goals & most important values).

Perhaps it's because many of us are consultants & we use the PTIP view frequently.

My take is that just like my martial arts studies, and like Covey & the 7 Habits, most if not all of the "moves & habits" in GTD were for me already known...the magic is in using the mechanics within a cohesive whole, and that is what David has constructed for us in GTD. His method, for me, provides a principled foundation from which we can each develop an implementation that is unique to us & our needs.

I am asking that if any of you are using "GTD" in any way in your materials you include a link to that page, so it will minimize any confusion or ambiguity about what you are referring to

Can you clarify what you mean by "in any way in your materials"? My own writing does not cover your method, but users on our real-time message board do have a few threads discussing it.

Frankly, I'd just ban the term if I had to have my moderators manually insert links into these discussions. WIth 40,000 registered members, that would produce quite a burden--so I hope you're only referring to those sites that do directly publish CONTENT about GTD ...

I think the text does a very good job of making the right points. It passed the "mom" test for me. I let mey mom read it and she (finally) really understands my passion for GTD. This text provides a thorough summary of all of the key points one would need to know to make an assessment about whether the approach is of interest.

I hope you all take this in the spirit it was intended. If you're using "GTD" to further your own aims, your own goodwill, or just your desire to help the planet... that's ALL OK. If you're using it to promote anything you're doing, directly or indirectly, you'll keep the karma a lot clearer by referring to the source of that information and energy. And if you're using it to just spread the good word, there's no reason not to connect folks to the place they can also get it...

Frankly, rules show up when brains (or values) run out. Please help me with dispensing with the rules.

Hi, I'm braziliam and I have a blog about Produtivity, etc.
I think mine is the first in portuguese reffering to GTD...

David,

There's an awful lot of 'fair use' of the GTD term out there -- legitimate references to and discussions of your copyrighted materials, programs, etc. which are going to be out-of-reach of your trademark claims.

As someone who makes effort to be in thorough compliance and respect for other people's trademarks, I offer the following observations for your and the community's consideration.

Legally speaking, a trademark MUST be an adjective that that is used to describe a well-understood generic noun, i.e., "GTD system," "GTD day planner," "GTD software program," etc. One cannot trademark a standalone term such as "GTD" without leaving oneself open to legitimate trademark opposition.

In addition, to maintain a trademark requires active "prosecution" of the mark -- i.e., creating a paper trail of legal action on behalf of one's rights in that mark.

So for someone to call their blog or site a "GTD blog" would be an infringement of copyright because they would be claiming ownership rights in the trademarked description of a copyrighted system.

However for that same person to call their blog, "My Blog -- a discussion of the GTD system of personal productivity" is a legitimate fair use -- properly acknowledging the copyright in a manner that requires no further action.

To say that a tool (such as a software program or style of paper or blog or type of spiral notebook or index cards) can be used in *conjunction* with the GTD system is also a widely accepted fair use.

Yes, this is a promotional use of the term, but it is a fair one. The user is making effort to claim only the appropriate credit for his/her work, and the owner of such a mark would be wasting an enormous amount of money and goodwill attacking the the promoter of such a product in the legal system.

Additionally, there are two other points of note here:

One is that there is significant legal liability in claiming full trademark registration rights (as in using the (R) mark) when your trademark has not been finalized, approved, and published through USPTO. You should be using only the (TM) signifier until and unless your trademark has been "bullet-proofed" to avoid claiming rights you do not own.

The other is that nowhere on your site is there a trademark credit line that explains what term(s) you claim trademark rights in and the extent (geographical and temporal) to which you claim to own those rights.

Nobody can observe your rights if you don't mention what you believe them to be.

Elizabeth

(person responsible for running the business side of the Java brand of trademarks for Sun Microsystems for several years)

PS - I don't know what you are paying your trademark attorneys, but if they haven't gotten you this far, you are paying too much for poor advice!