ChatGPT is my (new) GTD interface

It figures out when a task needs my attention based on how much work it might take.

I’ve used Getting Things Done on and off for years. My problem with GTD is simple: it only works as well as I remember to check it.

For years, I kept tasks in Airtable and used Google Calendar for a daily digest. If I stopped checking, GTD went dormant (see here).

Data entry was the other problem. I’d rather tell an agent what I need to do than fill out database fields.

I tell the agent what I need to do #

My setup is simple:

Me ↔ ChatGPT ↔ Notion MCP ↔ Notion

Notion holds the tasks; MCP lets ChatGPT work with them.

I use ChatGPT because its mobile app, pinned conversations, and push notifications already give me the interface I need.

Adding something looks like:

Add a next action to write a blog post about my GTD agent, due end of week.

I can just as easily say:

The insurance quote is still waiting. Move the blog post to Friday. I finished the lightbulb.

The agent decides when I need to see it #

Say I add:

Renew my passport by November 1.

November 1 is the deadline, not the reminder date. The agent infers that renewing a passport takes some work—forms, photos, processing time –and surfaces it early enough for me to act.

A five-minute task with the same deadline can stay quiet longer.

Every weekday morning, I get a push with Attention Now and a shorter look at what’s Coming Up.

Once something enters Attention Now, it stays there until I deal with it. I don’t maintain priorities or lead-time fields. The agent does the scanning I used to do in Airtable. If it starts surfacing something too late, I tell it.

The agent handles attention. I handle commitments. #

The agent can decide when something probably needs attention. It doesn’t decide what’s important to me, silently change deadlines, delete tasks, or make commitments for me.

My GTD setup has its own quirks; yours doesn’t need to match mine.

If you’re new to GTD, Erlend Hamberg’s GTD in 15 minutes is a good overview of David Allen’s
system.

Try it #

I’ve put the setup in a GitHub repo. It guides your agent through designing a GTD system with you.

Before building anything, it runs a disposable integration test to make sure it can actually work with your task store.

I’m using ChatGPT with Notion MCP, but the guide starts by checking what your agent and MCP connection can actually do.

If GTD works for you except for the part where you have to remember to use GTD, give it a try.