Minimize stress and anxiety while maximizing productivity.
The first basic message of GTD is that you should, as much as possible, get everything out of your mind and into a trusted external memory, by writing it down on paper or in a computer file. In that way, not only won’t you forget important or simply interesting tasks, plans, references or ideas, but you will feel much less stressed by the need to remember all that “stuff”.
Clarify
Capturing is just the first step: to gain control over the collected materials, you need to clarify collected items regularly. Clarifying means deciding what to do with — not actually doing — the items in the collection. This happens by processing and organizing the items one by one.
Organize
How much of your physical and mental energy an action will take? Does it take long time to complete? How important it is for you? Organizing your actions according to these criteria gives you a possibility to adapt your choice of action to your level of physical and mental energy, your priorities and the time you have at your disposal. For example, when you are tired you do only routine actions, and keep difficult actions for when you feel more energetic. Or when you have shortage of time, but you still would like to complete a few actions from your lists, Clair will be able to give you the right suggestions.
Reflect
Clairs helps you to constantly advance towards your goal at the most efficient speed, without the need for a deadline or otherwise artificially imposed time schedule to make sure that you attain your objectives. Such feedback-driven, uninterrupted advance towards your goals, at the highest pace you still feel comfortable with, is what was found to produce the experience of flow. In his book ”Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity”, explaining the concept of GTD, David Allen refers to the corresponding mental state as the “mind like water” experienced in martial arts.
Engage
Clair minimizes context switching, which may be a major tax on your productivity. You capture your thoughts, freeing your mind for other things. You invest a few minutes of your time to structure and clarify them. And when it is time for action - you simply engage.
Having all your lists of actions up-to-date, what should you do right now? Clair gives you the best answer. If you have a long list of Next actions, you can filter them by priority, how much mental energy or time you have right now, by project or by context. You can see what is coming and what you have accomplished, which motivates you and creates a positive feedback loop.