How I Get Things Done (2023)

1. I keep things as simple as possible. I use the Reminders and Calendar apps preinstalled on macOS and iOS, hooked up to my Fastmail account. (I could use my iCloud account instead, but I pay for Fastmail because my data isn’t tied to a platform account and can move with me to new devices.)
2. I add reminders as soon as I think of them. This part is really important!
3. When I add reminders, I try to make them clear and concise. Typing manually helps to solidify what I want to do, and I can spot if it needs breaking up into multiple tasks.
4. I have lists of tasks I need to do regularly — housework, grocery shopping, organisational tasks, etc. — with repeating schedules so they’ll automatically populate for the coming week and month.
5. One-off tasks go into the inbox in Reminders, while projects go into their own lists.
6. The calendar is used for things I need to do at specific times, such as medical appointments, and I keep it synched with the various organisational calendars I’ve subscribed to via my Google account. (I have Fastmail connect and synch those for me.)
7. I use due dates for reminders, but I don’t specify a time. This gives me the freedom to tackle today’s tasks in whatever order works best for me.
8. I have priorities set for recurring tasks, but I use them for guidance only.
9. I use the Share Sheet to add reminders from Safari. This works well for online courses or web pages I plan on checking out the following day. (I avoid leaving tabs open in the browser — a reminder gets seen and acted on.)
10. Wherever possible, I try to avoid having ‘someday’ reminders, particularly in the inbox. If that’s unavoidable, I’ll put those into specific lists according to purpose and review them weekly and monthly to see if any can be acted on or are no longer relevant.

This system is working very well for me! My procrastination levels are greatly reduced, and I frequently surprise myself with how quickly I can get things done once I put my mind to it.

It’s not perfect. Some Reminders features only work with an iCloud account, which is a minor annoyance. And both Calendar and Reminders can be temperamental at times when it comes to synching with Fastmail and between my devices. But overall, it does its job well and costs me nothing beyond what I pay for Fastmail.