David Allen's GTD method is a personal organisation reference. Applied to a developer's daily work, it helps manage information overload, maintain a clear overview, and never let anything fall through the cracks.
Alongside agile approaches, when you want to apply focus and productivity principles to personal organisation, David Allen's GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology is particularly powerful. Its main benefits: better management of information overload and the ability to maintain a clear overview of all pending actions.
The core principle: empty your mind
GTD rests on a simple but powerful idea: your brain is designed to have ideas, not to store them. Every uncaptured task consumes mental energy in the background. The method is about externalising everything occupying your mind into a trusted system — and not thinking about it again until it's time to act.
The processing pipeline
GTD proposes a standardised processing pipeline for every task entering your scope, regardless of input channel: direct request, email, support ticket, project follow-up. Each input is captured, clarified (is it actionable?), organised (project, next action, reference), reviewed regularly, and executed at the right moment.
For developers
In software development, interruptions are constant: urgent bugs, colleague questions, unplanned meetings. GTD provides a framework to avoid being overwhelmed. Contexts (in a meeting, at the computer, travelling) allow you to work on the right tasks at the right time, without a costly decision each time. Combined with Scrum, GTD applies to personal organisation where Scrum handles team coordination.
David Allen's book Getting Things Done is the essential reference. Available in print, digital and audio formats. For a lighter version, Leo Babauta's Zen to Done offers an accessible entry point.