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Setup Guide
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNDERSTANDING
UNDERSTANDING THE GTD
GT D BEST PRACTICES ®
EMAIL
31 INTEGRATING ACTIONABLE EMAIL WITH TODOIST
32 TWO OPTIONS FOR MANAGING ACTIONABLE EMAIL
34 GETTING YOUR INBOX TO ZERO
CALENDAR
34 WHAT BELONGS ON YOUR CALENDAR
35 SETTING UP A CALENDAR FEED
36 REVIEWING YOUR CALENDAR
REFERENCE
36 USING TODOIST TO STORE REFERENCE INFORMATION
CONCLUSION
FINAL THOUGHTS AND NEXT STEPS
39 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Our focus with this Guide is to show you how to use Todoist ® for your GTD ® workflow. This Guide will focus
on configuring and populating Todoist for your Projects lists and plans, Next Actions lists, Waiting For lists,
and Reference.
Our intention with this Guide is to make it useful for users on any version of Todoist. We know many of you are
using the Free version of Todoist, so our primary examples will serve you well. If you are a Premium or Business
user, you will also find some more advanced tips, to take advantage of the additional functionality that comes
with that version. We do recommend the Premium or Business version, if you have the choice. It is well worth
the cost, for the additional functionality—particularly for the ability to use labels and email tasks directly to the
Inbox and lists.
If you are new to Todoist, this Guide should be an excellent starting point for you to build a solid GTD foundation
for optimizing your productivity using the built-in features. If you already have an established system in Todoist,
use this Guide as an opportunity to fine-tune or simplify, if you
have found you’ve underused or overbuilt your setup.
Be careful not to overcomplicate your
We are aware that there are many features and ways to
systems to the point where you can
configure your system in Todoist. This is not a technical Guide,
only maintain them when you are
nor will it cover all the instructions for how to use Todoist. We’ll
at your peak of mental clarity.
clarity.
leave that to the folks at Todoist to share with you through their
excellent support material.
This Guide focuses on the methods we have found work well for GTD for a wide range of people. It’s also
important to note that no one tool will handle all of your needs for GTD, including Todoist. Even with your lists
managed in Todoist, you’ll still have your calendar and email in other programs.
Whatever configuration you choose in tools like Todoist, be careful not to overcomplicate it to the point where
you can only maintain it when you are at your peak of mental clarity. It’s too easy to have a complicated system
fall apart when you’re not at your best. Your GTD tools should be complex enough to manage your workflow, but
simple enough that if you were sick in bed with the flu, you could still easily maintain them.
Don’t worry about using every available feature and add-on in Todoist. There may be more offered than you will
ever need. Focus on what makes a difference for you.
To get the most out of Todoist as a tool for your GTD practice, let’s review the fundamentals of the Getting Things
Done® approach, so you understand how the methodology and tools will intersect.
WHAT IS GTD?
GTD is the shorthand brand for “Getting Things Done,” the groundbreaking work-life management system and
bestselling book1 by David Allen, which provides concrete solutions for transforming overwhelm and uncertainty into
an integrated system of stress-free productivity.
y CLARIFY Define actionable things into concrete next steps and successful outcomes
3. Behavior Change The five steps of Mastering Workflow are second nature to you. You
You have changed
changed the way you
think and work and are achieving stress-free productivity on a regular basis. When you “fall off” you know what to
do to get “back on.”
This Guide will leap forward to the Implementation stage, by configuring Todoist as an organizing tool for your
projects, actions, and reference. Success at the implementation stage depends on your understanding of GTD.
If you are committed to GTD and experiencing stress-free productivity, don’t shortchange yourself by skipping the
“Understanding” stage.
1
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity ; Viking, New York; 2001, 2015 hardback or paperback. Available from booksellers everywhere.
y Take a course
The courses offered
offered by our global partners around the
the world are excellent
excellent primers for
for
understanding the key steps of Mastering Workflow.
Workflow.
Purpose
Vision
WHAT IS IT?
Goals
Areas of Focus
and Accountability
WHAT’S THE IS IT ACTIONABLE?
DESIRED OUTCOME?
(If multi-step)
PROJECTS TRASH
WHAT’S THE
Project Support Material NEXT ACTION? INCUBATE
DEFER IT
(review
(review for actions) Possible
later
For me to do, specific to a action Someday / Maybe lists / folders
REFERENCE
DELEGATE
day or time (calendar / tickler)
DO IT
For me to do, as soon as I can Date-specific triggers
(Next Actions lists / folders / trays) If less than 2 minutes
In communication syste
systemm and being Paper / digital – lists / folders
tracked on Waiting For list / folder
We recommend getting the full Workflow Map, with all of the GTD models, which comes as a PDF download.
Visit our online store at gettingthingsdone.com/store to learn more.
Any tool you use will take effort to keep clean and current, so that you can trust your action choices. The Todoist
application is no exception. Rest assured, the Weekly Review 2 is what ties this whole thing together, ensuring that
you have actions for all the active parts of your projects on a consistent basis, so you can trust that what you are
choosing from your Next Actions lists is current. The Weekly Review steps include:
GET CLEAR
Capture Loose Papers and Materials
Gather all accumulated business cards, receipts, and miscellaneous paper-based materials into your in-tray.
GET CURRENT
Review Next Actions Lists
Mark off completed actions. Review for reminders of further action steps to record.
GET CREATIVE
Review Someday/Maybe List
Review for any projects which may now have become active, and transfer to “Projects”. Delete items no longer
of interest.
2
See the Getting Things Done book or our GTD Methodology Guides for a Weekly Review checklist.
Sorting your next actions by context (lists 1–7 above) is recommended because when you are choosing what to do,
context will always be your first limitation. For example, if you are at work, you don’t want to be seeing (and having to
take the time to skip over) actions that require you to be at home to do. Contexts should map to the people, places,
and tools you need to get work done.
SETTING UP LISTS
Let’s set up the 10 suggested lists in a PC, Mac, or web version of Todoist now. You can always go back to customize
these later, after you’ve experimented, to discover what works best for you. We encourage you to give these lists
some time, especially if the concept of sorting by contexts is new to you.
You may find it easier to do this initial setup on your desktop device and not your mobile device.
While there are a number of ways one could set up Todoist, there is one method, in particular, we have found to
work well for all users of Todoist, which is to use the “Projects” area for all lists (available to Free, Premium, or
Business users). We found this method to be simple and easy to use, and it takes advantage of a feature that allows
emailing tasks directly to your lists. On page 21 we explore other, more complex methods (such as using Labels for
contexts instead of the Projects area) if you want to experiment with your setup. We recommend reading ahead to
page 21 before starting your setup, so you have a good overview of what’s possible.
To delete Personal, Shopping, Work, and Movies to Watch, hover and click your mouse to the right of the lists where
the ellipses (…) appear and choose Delete project from the drop-down menu:
The final Projects view will look like this, which is now a combination of your master Projects list, Next Actions lists
by context, Waiting For list, and Someday/Maybe list:
We recommend moving Projects to the top of your list view and Someday/Maybe at the bottom. Visually, this gives
a good view of Projects being a higher horizon above Next Actions lists (Calls through Waiting For). To move a
list, hover to the left of the list name, click on the handlebar icon, and drag and drop the list to a new location.
You have a number of options available when adding a new entry, including:
Clicking Add Task or pressing return/enter on your keyboard will save the entry.
USING SIRI
If you’re an iPhone user on at least iOS 11, you can use Siri to add new and view existing items in Todoist. For more
instructions and examples on using Siri with Todoist, view the helpful support doc on
doc on the Todoist website. Now, we’ll
go into greater detail about what goes on these lists.
To create an agenda for a particular person, click on the Agendas list and click the Add Task button.
Or, use the keyboard shortcut “q” to create a new list entry (what Todoist calls a Task). Click here for
here for a full list of
Todoist keyboard shortcuts.
Then, enter the name of the person or group for which you want to create an agenda (e.g., Boss, Spouse, Marketing
Team). For example:
If the Agenda entry already exists, a faster way to get to the Comment field is to hover to the right of the subject line
and click on the comment icon:
If you are a Premium or Business user, you might also find it helpful to add related files to your agenda entries.
Click on the paperclip icon or microphone icon below the “Write a comment” field to upload a file:
If you are a Free user, we recommend adding new Agenda items as individual list entries, starting with the person’s
name. Since you won’t have the Comment field available to you, this is a good alternative. For example:
Another common use of the Comment feature is when you are sharing your Todoist entries with others and want
them to be able to comment on the content. We talk more about collaboration and sharing later in the Guide.
You could easily have half a dozen people and meetings that you are tracking through Agenda lists—your direct
reports, your boss, your assistant, your spouse, the weekly staff meeting, the monthly board meeting, etc.
Again, you can also change the order of any of your list entries by dragging and dropping the entry to a new position
within the list.
If you create a list for a specific person or meeting you’ll have a little more flexibility in how easily you can add new
entries to that Agenda topic by using your shortcut keys to create a new Task or drag and drop a Task from another
list, versus going to Agendas list > Person/Meeting > Comment field.
Just be careful you don’t create so many lists that it becomes difficult to find what you need and keep them current.
Remember, Agendas are for standing items to discuss or bring to a meeting. They are not where you would go to
be reminded of a next action you have related to that person. For example, if you needed to pull together some SEO
figures for the next marketing meeting (which is also an agenda item), this list would not be your reminder to do that,
something like your “Computer” list would be.
Go ahead and add any people or regular meetings you have as new “Tasks” under your Agendas list, as placeholders,
that would make sense to you.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Anywhere list that come to mind.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Calls list that come to mind.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Computer list that come to mind.
ERRANDS This holds reminders of things that you need to do when you are are “out and about” (e.g.,
(e.g., take something
something
to the tailor, buy something at a store, etc.). If you are likely to think of more than one thing to do or get at one of
those locations (like the hardware store), you can make “Hardware store” the Subject and put your running list of
things to get/do there in the Comment field (requires Premium or Business version).
OR
If you travel quite a bit for work, you might consider having two errands lists—one for things you could do anywhere,
in any city, and one for errands that need to be completed where you live.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Errands list that come to mind.
HOME This list is for next actions that have to be done inin your home environment
environment (e.g.,
(e.g., gather
gather tax receipts, repair
the cabinet door, organize old hard copy photos, etc.)
etc.)..
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Home list t hat come to mind.
OFFICE These are the next actions that require you to be at your office, such as calls that you have to make from
your desk because of the materials or equipment (like your laptop) you need for the call, purging old printed files,
scanning documents on the office scanner, etc.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Of fice list that come to mind.
Typically, we suggest adding the date you started waiting in the description of the item. This can be helpful when
deciding when it’s time to follow up again if they have not responded. When you add this date, by default Todoist
will activate the Smart Date Recognition feature, which will assume you mean for this to be a due date. You would
need to turn off this smart recognition under > Settings > Preferences to not have the date you enter recognized
in this way.
However, you may find that smart date recognition is more valuable to you than capturing the date you started
waiting and you want to leave it on. Smart date recognition can be very useful when adding new items ( see this
article on Todoist website).
website). We encourage you to weigh your options and how you think you may use it, to see if you
want to keep it enabled or not.
The Waiting For list should be reviewed as necessary (at least once a week in the Weekly Review), triggering
appropriate actions on your part to follow up, light a fire, or just check the status.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Waiting For list that come to mind.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Someday/Maybe list that come to mind.
If you are a Premium or Business user, any notes you have about the project, also known as your project plans/
project support, can be added to the Comments field for each project on the list, as well as uploading relevant files.
While this Comments field may not be robust enough to capture all of your project details, and it may not make
sense to transfer everything to this location (such as all of the emails also related to the project), it will be useful for
quick bullet lists of notes, files, milestones, and “future” actions you want to capture. The current next actions and
waiting fors for the project are not tracked in this Comments field but on those lists.
If you are a Free user, without access to the Comments field, you can use the nested/sub-task approach we explained
earlier in the Agendas section to capture project support. For notes like this, a trick for getting your entry to appear
without a checkmark to the left is to add an asterisk (* plus one space) before the subject line text. For example:
“* Notes about Tahiti…”
Once you save the entry, the asterisk disappears, and Todoist adds the item as an entry without the checkmark
to the left.
Remember, the recommendation is that project support only holds future actions, project plans, notes, and support
future actions,
material. Current next actions on a project are instead tracked under the correct context list.
Current next
Go ahead and capture any new projects for your Projects list that come to mind. If you have more project planning
to do on the project, or need to add more details to t he project plans, add that as the next action on a context list
(e.g., Computer, Office, Waiting For, etc.) now as well.
USING LABELS
If you are a Premium or Business user, you can also use labels for a specific project and search on that label.
For example, you could label the project, and all of the related next action and waiting for items. Then, when you
search on that label, you can see everything related to the project in one quick view.
To add a label to an entry, type the label name in the subject line, starting with the “@” symbol. If the label does
not currently exist, you will be prompted to add the new label.
If the label does exist, typing the @ symbol and the first letter of the label will display your list of existing labels
to choose from. Select the correct label and then save the entry.
Be careful that whatever additional criteria you add for creating new entries, like creating and adding labels,
do not become a burden or requirement. You may find labels useful for one project, but overkill for another.
It’s easy to let a feature like labels become unwieldy, so watch it carefully to ensure it’s helping your productivity
and not hindering it.
Rest assured, the Weekly Review is what ties the whole thing together, ensuring that you have actions on all the
active parts of your projects on a consistent basis, primarily based on those project support materials, so you can
trust that what you are choosing from your Next Actions list is current. You’ll find the Weekly Review checklist
earlier in the Guide, as well as the Getting Things Done book,
book, and in our Methodology Guides in our online store.
store.
To change the list assigned to an entry, simply drag it from one list and drop it in another. For example, to move
a next action from the Calls list to the Waiting For list, drag it from the Calls list to the Waiting For list:
“Due this week” view can be particularly useful if you have due items:
all is also a great way to see all of your list entries in one view.
View all is
Some users like to create filters for specific projects. While this is possible for Premium or Business users, we found
using the keyword search to pull project data together much simpler and easier than customizing Filters.
The next few pages describe an alternate way to consider structuring your lists if you’re a Premium or Business user
and have more features available to you.
USE PROJECTS VIEW FOR EACH PROJECT AND USE LABELS FOR NEXT ACTION CONTEXTS:
With this method, because it incorrectly assumes all next actions are related to a project, you will also need to create
a fake project called “---“ or “Single Actions” to represent one and done actions that are not related to a project,
so that you can move it out of the Inbox. Otherwise, it can’t be moved from the Inbox, and it will note the related
project name as “Inbox.
“Inbox.””
There are three ways to create a new action related to a project using this method:
1. Go to the project name in the Projects view and click .
2. Use the keyboard shortcut “q” from the Projects view to bring up Quick Add box. Assign a Label by typing @
and using your arrow and enter keys to select the correct list. Assign a project by typing # and using your arrow and
3. Go to the list name in the Labels view and click or use the keyboard shortcut q (which will already assign
the label you have selected) and add your next action and assign a project.
If you are assigning a next action to a project that does not exist yet, you can do that from this quick add window.
Simply type # and the name of the project and Todoist will show you a window offering to create the new project.
Although, because you can’t add spaces to the name of your project using this quick add method, we recommend
instead adding it in the Projects view first, then adding your next actions. It only takes a few seconds longer and will
give you a more accurate project name.
The result of using this method will be a context list in the Labels view, such as “@Computer,” that includes next
actions from a variety of projects (e.g., “Throw a party for Anne) and ones that have no related project (e.g., --),
like this:
One additional benefit of this method is being able to park “future” actions by simply not assigning a label. For
example, if the only two current next actions are Email travel agent and Buy suitcase, those are the only two that
would get labels. Anything else listed would be considered a future action, dependent on something else happening
first, so they do not get labeled yet.
CREATING FOLDERS
Another handy feature of Todoist is creating folders for your Projects view (which could be all of your lists if you are
using the first method we describe in the guide or all of your projects and someday/maybes if you are using the
second method). This can be helpful to group lists of a similar nature or topic. To create a folder, create a parent
project that won’t serve any purpose other than serving as a folder and drag one list and drop it under another.
For example, if you create multiple Someday/Maybe lists, you could group them in a folder in your left navigation panel:
Grouping lists in folders will be even more useful with reference lists, which we describe later in the Guide. The
advantage of stacking lists in folders is being able to group similar lists, being able to “hide” lists you don’t use
as often, and having a shorter list of lists to look through in your left panel. The disadvantage is potentially over
complicating your structure and having to expand the folders before being able to drag and drop an entry into it.
Be willing to experiment to find the set of lists that will work best for you.
Once installed, in Gmail for example, you have access to Todoist through an icon in your Gmail navigation:
A snapshot window of your Todoist list appears in the bottom-right corner of Gmail. Select the icon in the top-left
of that window to go to your Inbox list. Add your Mind Sweep item in the subject line:
Of course, using the plug-in isn’t limited to just adding items to the Todoist Inbox. You can easily change the list
view by clicking on the icon in the top-left corner of the plug-in and add items to any list (under Projects or Labels).
To find your unique address for the Inbox, click on the tools icon to the right of the Inbox view. Select Email tasks
to this project.
Copy the email address from the window that appears and add it to your address book.
To test it out, send a new Mind Sweep item to that email address. The subject line will become the task name, and
the body of the email will be added in the Todoist Comment field.
We cover more about using this Email tasks to project feature later in the Guide.
PRIORITY
PRIORITY FLAGS
While it’s tempting
tempting to use priority flags in Todoist (or
(or any softw
software
are program)
program),, we rarely, if ever
ever,, recommend
using them. Doing regular Weekly Reviews to ensure your lists are clean, current, and aligned to your higher
priorities (called Horizons of Focus ® 3 in the GTD methodology) is the best way to trust your action choices.
If you must use them, be prepared to adjust them often to keep them current, as new input comes in that affects
your inventory of choices. For more on the GTD approach to priorities, be sure to read about the Three-fold Nature
of Work in the Getting Things Done book.
book.
When you mark an item complete in Todoist by clicking the checkbox to the left of the title it goes to the Archived
Tasks view for each list. To see what’s on the completed list, click on the archive icon below the list.
To move an item back to the active list, click on the checkmark again, which is good to know if you mark
something complete by mistake.
mist ake.
3
See the Getting Things Done book, Making It All Work book,
book, or our GTD Methodology Guides for more detail on developing your Horizons of Focus.
Let’s say you want to share your current Projects list with your boss. Click on the ellipses that appear to the right
of the list name in the Projects section and choose Share Project. Enter your boss’s email address.
The invitee receives an email inviting them to view the list (i.e., “Project” in Todoist terms):
Once you invite someone to a project, you’ll be able to share comments back and forth. Commenting can be very
useful when sharing lists, for members to capture thoughts and ideas specific to the list. For example, if you share
your Get GTD Up & Running project, another list member could add their comments about the project.
You can also assign tasks when you share a project/list. Although, in our experience, assigning tasks in many
programs, including Todoist, sounds easier and more useful than it is in practice. We consistently find that emailing
tasks to others, and letting them choose how to capture the commitment in their own system, is more effective.
EMAIL
INTEGRATINGG ACTIONABLE EMAIL WITH TODOIST
INTEGRATIN
The master key to managing email is the most difficult habit for many to change—working from a regularly
empty inbox.
It takes less mental effort to operate from a zero base than to leave anything sitting in the inbox. That doesn’t mean
that the inbox in email is kept at zero—just that it gets there on some regular basis. The problem is that most
people do not have a system for managing their emails beyond the inbox area, so if they can’t move on or finish
dealing with the email right then, they will leave it in “In” as the safest place.
People often like this option for the quick win it gives in getting your inbox processed to zero. The downside with
this option in email is that you have no place to capture the next action or due date that’s associated with that
actionable email. So you’ll inevitably be doing some “re-deciding” about emails you’ve already processed if the
next action is not apparent in the subject line.
OPTION TWO: Use Lists in Todoist or Your Calendar as the Action Reminder
Create @Action Support and @Waiting For Support folders in your email program to hold supporting information
for actions that are tracked on your calendar,
calendar, Next Actions, or Waitin
Waitingg For lists. In this case, the folders only serve
as storage buckets to hold the information you need to take the action on. You would be reminded of the action
when you review your calendar, Next Actions, or Waiting For lists. It’s one less place to look for actions or waiting
for items, whereas the first option adds an additional location to look for a complete view of your reminders.
People often like this second option because all of your reminders will be tracked in as few places as possible.
Go ahead and create either the @Action and @Waiting For or @Action Support and @Waiting For Support folders
in your email program now.
Add each project’s/list’s unique email address to your address book now. You can find the address for each to the
right of the list and choose Email tasks to this project. (Again, Todoist is calling these projects, but if you have set
up lists as we recommend at the start of the guide, these are your lists.)
To assign a pre-existing label (such as Clients), add the @ symbol before the Label name. For example, to email a
new item for the Calls list, this is how the email would look:
In Todoist, the item appears instantly on the Calls list, with the Label Clients automatically assigned:
WHAT IS IT?
IS IT ACTIONABLE?
NO — Is it trash, to file as reference, or to incubate
incubate (add
(add to your Someday/Maybe list, calendar,
calendar, Tickler or
Bring Forward file)?
YES — What’s the next action? Do it, delegate it, or defer it?
YES —
If the next action can be done in 2 minutes or less, do it now.
now.
If delegating
delegating,, track the waiting for reminder (if you need to track this getting completed) in your
@Waiting For folder in email or Waiting For list in Todoist.
If deferring , track the action reminder in @Action folder in email, calendar, or a Next Actions list in Todoist.
If multiple next actions, what’s your desired outcome? Track that outcome on your Projects list in Todoist.
We recommend getting your inboxes to zero daily, or at least once a week in your Weekly Reviews.
CALENDAR
WHAT BELONGS ON YOUR CALENDAR
Outside of Todoist, your calendar is a critical component in your system for reflecting the action choices that need
to be done ON a specific day versus those that you see on your Next Actions lists in Todoist, which can be done BY
a specific day, or on ANY day. Your daily calendar page should represent the “hard landscape” for your day and will
provide a trusted foundation at a glance for moment-to-moment
moment-to-moment orientation about what’s next. There are onlyonly three
things that belong on your calendar.
1. TIME-SPECI
TIME-SPECIFIC
FIC ACTIONS Things that need to happen
happen on a specific day and
and time.
Examples:
y Meetings, appointments, time blocked to work on projects
Examples:
y A call you have to make before you leave for the day
y Something that you have to finish and submit by the end of the day
y An agenda you must cover with someone before they leave the office
Examples:
y Things that might disrupt your day (server shut-downs, office moves, etc.).
y External events to be aware of (marathons, elections, heads of state visits, etc.).
y Activities related to other significant people of interest to you (kids, spouses, bosses, assistants, vacations, etc.).
To set up the calendar feed, go to Settings and look for your unique calendar feed under Integrations:
REFERENCE
USING TODOIST TO STORE REFERENCE INFORMATION
Todoist can manage a limitless number of potentially useful (and fun!) non-actionable simple reference lists and
checklists that you would not want to combine with your Next Actions lists. This functionality is open-ended and
in one sense, so simple the possibilities are infinite.
EXAMPLE ONE: Create multiple reference lists within one Reference folder in the Projects view
To create a folder, create the list that will serve as the parent (REFERENCE in this case), and then drag another list
under that list as a sub-list. In other words, we’re calling it a “folder,” but it’s actually a parent list.
If you are a Premium or Business user, you can also use the Comment field to capture additional details.
With this option, you could have dozens, if not hundreds of items of various topics in one list. For that reason, you
may want to try adding Labels, like Travel, House, etc., to these list items to be able to sort quickly.
If you have a project with many project plans, notes, and reference information you will need to capture, that would
be a great use of a folder:
If managing reference in Todoist seems to limit you in any way, check out Evernote or OneNote just for reference,
and keeping your Projects, Next Actions, Waiting For, and Someday/Maybe lists in Todoist. We offer GTD Setup
Guides for both of those tools to get you up and running quickly.
The possibilities with capturing reference are endless. Just remember to keep it clean and current, and fast and fun.
CONCLUSION
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
We hope this instruction guide has been useful. It is intended as a supplement to our core education of workflow
mastery developed over many years—not a substitute. The most successful implementation of this guide builds
on the understanding of the GTD best practices presented in our many learning tools, including the Getting Things
Done book,
book, the courses and individual coaching offered by our global partners, and our online learning center
GTD Connect®.
Please visit our website to take advantage of the many support tools and training available to assist you in getting
your GTD practice up and running.