Getting Things Done

CHAPTER 7 I ORGANIZING: SETTING UP THE RIGHT BUCKETS
become inactive or unreal, to keep the whole system from catch-
ing the "stale" virus. I've found a lot of value in capturing these
types of thoughts, more for the way it consistently helps my
thinking process than because I end up using every idea (most I
don't!). But I try to make sure not to let my old thoughts stay
around too long, pretending they're useful when they're not.
Organizing Nonactionable Data
Interestingly, one of the biggest problems with most people's per-
sonal management systems is that they blend a few actionable
things with a large amount of data and material that has value but
no action attached. Having good, consistent structures with
which to manage the nonactionable items in our work and lives is
as important as managing our action and project reminders.
When the nonactionable items aren't properly managed, they
clog up the whole process.
Unactionable items fall into two large categories: reference
materials and reminders of things that need no action now but
might at a later date.
Reference Materials
Much of what comes across your desk and into your life in general
is reference material. There's no action required, but it's informa-
tion that you want to keep, for a variety of reasons. Your major
decisions will be how much to keep, how much room to dedicate
to it, what form it should be stored in, and where. Much of that
will be a personal or organizational judgment call based upon
legal or logistical concerns or personal preferences. The only time
you should have attention on your reference material is when you
need to change your system in some way because you have too
much or too little information, given your needs or preferences.
The problem most people have psychologically with all their
stuff is that it's still "stuff"—that is, they haven't decided what's