Why is the Getting Things Done (GTD) system difficult to master?

If you struggle with getting things done, you are not alone.

The Getting Things Done (GTD) skillset is a hard one to master.

David Allen, an authority on productivity and author of Getting Things Done : "It can easily take as long as two years to get the practice fully integrated and consistently maintained in one’s life and workstyle".

A common struggle with most productivity techniques is the difficulty in sustaining a new practice.

It is easier to master individual behaviors and turn them into a habit. Like waking up at 5 am daily. What makes GTD difficult to sustain is that it's a collection of skills and underlying behaviors that you need to master.

Think of the time you were learning to drive a car for the first time. You had to master a bunch of skills - steering, braking, changing the gears, using the clutch.

If you tried Getting Things Done (GTD) before and failed to sustain it, it was because the underlying skillsets hadn’t yet become automatic behaviors - habits for you.

GTD includes 5 stages - Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect and Engage.

Most people say they fail at the ‘Engage’ stage which is all about the ‘doing’.

But failing to ‘do/ engage’ is a symptom and not the cause.

Imagine a car headed to its destination. The 4 wheels represent the first 4 stages of GTD. The destination is the 5th stage (Engage/do). Only if all 4 wheels are running smoothly, the car will reach the destination (the task is done).

Which of the 4 stages gets you off the GTD rails most often?