My GTD project definitions

Project

• Outcomes that will require more than one action step to complete.
• Within my Todoist setup, projects are tasks with one of the following labels: focus, active, soon, someday or maybe. Projects do not have any priority, because the priority is denoted by the label.

What makes a well-formed project

• A project is well-formed if I can clearly answer: "What will be true when this is done?" If I can't articulate when I'd mark it complete, it's too vague.
• The project name should describe a finite outcome, not ongoing activity. I can phrase it either as past tense ("Tires replaced", "Report submitted") or imperative verb ("Replace tires", "Submit report")—both work because they describe something I can check off.
• Signs a project is too ambiguous:
  • It describes activity rather than outcome (e.g., "Improve web page" vs "Web page redesign launched")
  • There's no clear finish line—I can't imagine what "done" looks like
  • I could theoretically work on it forever
  • It's really an Area of Focus (ongoing responsibility with no endpoint)
• If a project feels vague, I ask: "What specifically would need to be true for me to consider this complete?" That usually reveals either a clearer project definition, or that the item belongs in My Areas of Focus instead.

Focus Projects

• Projects that I'm putting my full focus on. They come before others. Idea is to have just a few of these, so that I can focus rather than spreading myself thin.
• I aim to complete focus projects within the next few months. Projects can vary a lot in scope, and so some projects may get completed within a week, whereas others may take longer.
• Within my Todoist setup, these projects have a focus label.
• Next actions for these projects are subtasks of the project and get the next label as well as a p1 (highest) priority. This allows me to filter by next and p1 to find all next actions for Focus projects.
• See also: The ideal number of active projects.

Active Projects

• Projects that I expect to complete within the next 12 months. These are important projects for progress.
• Active projects don't get the same level of focus as Focus projects, however I keep an eye on the next actions for these projects and when I have opportunities to move them forward, I will do so even when they are not yet elevated to Focus status.
• Within my Todoist setup, these projects have a active label.
• Next actions for these projects are subtasks of the project and get the next label, but no priority (compared to p1 priority for Focus projects). This allows me to filter by next and p4 to find all next actions for Active projects.
• See also: The ideal number of active projects

Soon, Someday and Maybe Projects

• These projects have less focus than Focus and Active projects. These are projects for the future, or maybe never. These categories allow me to fully capture everything I may want to do, so that it is out of my head.
• I review Focus and Active projects more frequently, and only review Soon, Someday and Maybe projects roughly monthly.
• While I may make a note of the next actions for these projects, those subtasks don't get the next label. This ensures that next actions for non-prioritized projects don't show up in my filters to focus on the tasks I should take on next.

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