Determining the Actionability in Your In-Tray

Join us for GTD Café on December 8, 2025, as we tackle one of the most pivotal moments in your Getting Things Done practice—deciding what to do with what you’ve captured. During this session, we’ll walk through how to determine what’s actionable (and what’s not) when something lands in your in-tray. If you've ever felt stuck staring at a pile of notes, emails, or random thoughts, unsure what to do next, this discussion is for you. We’ll help you build confidence and speed in clarifying incoming items so your system flows.

🎄🕎 SPECIAL NOTE: Immediately following this session, all attendees are warmly invited to stay for Personal Productivity Club’s community-wide virtual holiday party! We’ll wrap up our productivity session and roll right into some well-earned festive fun. Come for the GTD, stay for the celebration!

IMPORTANT: All GTD Café virtual meetups happen inside Personal Productivity Club. Please join Personal Productivity Club/GTD Café (https://www.personalproductivity.club/share/Y-sL9x4h5bvbRtIB?utm_source=manual) and you can RSVP to the event there and access the meeting link!

Please log in a few minutes early to get your audio/video working, mix-and-mingle, and complete the Challenges Forum signup form so we can start promptly.

0. Joining the Virtual Meeting Room & Mix-and-Mingle (5:45 PM - 6:00 PM ET)
You will join this Meetup via Zoom.us, a free, Web-based meeting and phone conferencing software. You need a working microphone and speakers on your device, preferably with a stable high-speed Internet connection. Headphones are recommended for the best experience.
To join, click the event Zoom link and enter your name when prompted. If you’re new to Zoom, download the Zoom Client for Meetings:
https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting
Or the mobile app: https://zoom.us/download#mobile_app
Need help? Visit: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting

I. Introductions + Challenges Forum (~6:05 PM ET)
A. Introductions – Briefly introduce yourself, your professional background, GTD experience, and a recent productivity win.
B. Challenges Forum – Bring one specific productivity challenge to the group. We'll crowdsource ideas to help you move forward.
Complete the form here before we begin:
https://forms.gle/4Eg73yoKmig75Qqf6

II. GTD|REFRESH: Determining the Actionability in Your In-Tray
In this GTD|REFRESH session, we’ll focus on the second step of the GTD workflow—Clarify. Specifically, we’ll walk through how to determine whether each item in your in-tray is actionable, and if so, what to do about it. This is where confusion often creeps in—but it’s also where you create the greatest clarity.
We’ll cover:

• The key question: “Is it actionable?” and how to use it as your first filter
• The two-minute rule and how it accelerates decision-making
• Distinguishing between reference, trash, and incubation items
• How to identify the next action and the desired outcome
• Common sticking points—like vague inputs or multitask items—and how to break them down

Bring a few items from your own in-tray if you'd like to practice, or just listen and take notes!
Also, bring your copy of Getting Things Done (https://amzn.to/3c8jKNA) by David Allen to reference.

III. GTD Resource Sharing (7:20 PM ET)
Share a book, article, tool, or tip that’s helped your productivity or GTD practice.

IV. Announcements / Closing Remarks (7:25 PM ET)
Then stick around for our virtual holiday party starting right after! 🎄🎁✨