GTD Microsoft OneNote

ONENOTE
FOR WINDOWS
®
Setup Guide
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GTD & ONENOTE FOR WINDOWS l SETUP GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOCUS OF THIS GUIDE

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS GUIDE
1 FOCUS OF THIS GUIDE
UNDERSTANDING THE GTD BEST PRACTICES ®
AN OVERVIEW OF THE KEY BEST PRACTICES OF THE GTD METHODOLOGY

2 WHAT IS GTD?
2 GTD’S FIVE STEPS OF MASTERING WORKFLOW
2 THREE STAGES TO INTEGRATING GTD
3 THE GTD WORKFLOW MAP
4 THE GTD WEEKLY REVIEW ® CHECKLIST
APPLYING GTD TO ONENOTE ®
SETTING UP ONENOTE FOR GTD

PROJECTS AND NEXT ACTIONS
5 USING ONENOTE TO MANAGE PROJECTS AND NEXT ACTIONS LISTS
5 THE MOST COMMON GTD LISTS
5 SETTING UP LISTS
12 EXPLANATION OF THE COMMON GTD LISTS
18 LINKING PROJECTS TO THEIR RELATED ACTIONS
20 LINKING ONENOTE TO OUTLOOK®
24 MOVING ITEMS BETWEEN LISTS
25 THE GTD WEEKLY REVIEW TIES IT ALL TOGETHER
25 CUSTOMIZING YOUR CONTEXTS
(CONTINUED)
© 2016 David Allen Company. All rights reserved. 821-A4 27JUNE2019 gettingthingsdone.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
APPLYING GTD TO ONENOTE (CONTINUED)

25 USING QUICK NOTES
28 REVIEWING YOUR LISTS
28 USING DUE DATES
30 MARKING ITEMS COMPLETE
31 USING SHORTCUT KEYS
31 SHARING FROM ONENOTE
EMAIL
35 INTEGRATING ACTIONABLE EMAIL WITH ONENOTE
35 TWO OPTIONS FOR MANAGING ACTIONABLE EMAIL
36 GETTING YOUR INBOX TO ZERO
37 EMAILING TO ONENOTE
39 SENDING AND CLIPPING TO ONENOTE
CALENDAR
41 WHAT BELONGS ON YOUR CALENDAR
41 REVIEWING YOUR CALENDAR
REFERENCE
42 USING ONENOTE TO STORE REFERENCE INFORMATION
SYNCING
45 SYNCING ONENOTE
CONCLUSION
FINAL THOUGHTS AND NEXT STEPS
46 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
© 2016 David Allen Company. All rights reserved. 821-A4 27JUNE2019 gettingthingsdone.com
FOCUS OF THIS GUIDE
Our focus with this Guide is to show you how to use OneNote® for Windows® for your GTD® workflow. Many
people think of OneNote as a tool for storing your non-actionable reference information, but we have found it to
also be useful for managing the actionable things as well. This Guide will focus on configuring and populating
OneNote for your Project lists and plans, Next Actions lists, and Reference.
The instructions and screenshots show examples for OneNote 2016 for Windows, but should apply to most
recent versions of OneNote.
If you are new to OneNote, 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 OneNote, use this Guide as an opportunity to fine-tune or simplify, if you have found you’ve underused
or overbuilt your setup.
We are aware that there are many features and ways to configure your GTD system in OneNote. This is not
a technical Guide, nor will it cover all the instructions for how to use OneNote. We’ll leave that to the folks
at Microsoft 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 OneNote. Even with your lists
managed in OneNote, you’ll still have your Calendar and Email in other programs.
Whatever configuration you choose in tools like OneNote, 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 be out of that mindset
and have the whole system fall apart. 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 feature in OneNote. There is likely far more built in than you will ever need.
Focus on what makes a difference for you.
OK…let’s get started!
Be careful not to overcomplicate your

systems to the point where you can
only maintain them when you are
at your peak of mental clarity.
© 2016 David Allen Company. All rights reserved. 821-A4 27JUNE2019 gettingthingsdone.com FOCUS OF THIS GUIDE 1
UNDERSTANDING THE GTD BEST PRACTICES
To get the most out of OneNote 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.
GTD’S FIVE STEPS OF MASTERING WORKFLOW

CAPTURE Collect anything and everything that’s grabbing your attention.
CLARIFY Define actionable things into concrete next steps and successful outcomes.
ORGANIZE Sort information in the most streamlined way, in appropriate categories,
based on how and when you need to access it.
REFLECT Step back to review and update your system regularly.
ENGAGE Make trusted choices about what to do in any given moment.
THREE STAGES TO INTEGRATING GTD

1. UNDERSTANDING You understand the distinct differences in the five steps of Mastering Workflow. You understand
a project versus a next action. You know how to transform what you’ve collected by asking the key processing
questions, clarifying what something is, and what you want to do about it.
2. IMPLEMENTATION You have installed at least the basic gear to support your GTD practice, including ubiquitous
collection tools, functioning reference systems for your non-actionable information, and seamless buckets with
“clean edges” for tracking your projects and next actions.
3. BEHAVIOR CHANGE The five steps of Mastering Workflow are second nature to you. You have 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 OneNote 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.
© 2016 David Allen Company. All rights reserved. 821-A4 27JUNE2019 gettingthingsdone.com UNDERSTANDING THE GTD BEST PRACTICES 2
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GET A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF GTD, INCLUDING:
Read or listen to the book Getting Things Done is the essential manual for this methodology (part one is an
excellent overview of the whole game).
Take a course The courses offered by our global partners around the world are excellent primers for understanding
the key steps of Mastering Workflow.
Practice, practice, practice The GTD Workflow Map (shown below) is a fantastic coaching tool for walking
yourself through the core models for capturing, clarifying, organizing, reflecting, and engaging.
THE GTD WORKFLOW MAP
Purpose
Vision
WHAT IS IT?
Goals
Areas of Focus
and Accountability
WHAT’S THE IS IT ACTIONABLE?
DESIRED OUTCOME?
(If multi-step)
PROJECTS TRASH
Recycle, shred, delete
WHAT’S THE
Project Support Material NEXT ACTION? INCUBATE
DEFER IT
(review for actions) Possible
later
For me to do, specific to a action Someday / Maybe lists / folders
REFERENCE
day or time (calendar / tickler) DELEGATE
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 system 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 PDF download.
Visit our online store at gettingthingsdone.com/store to learn more.
THE GTD WEEKLY REVIEW CHECKLIST ®
Any tool you use will take effort to keep clean and current, so that you can trust your action choices. The OneNote
application is no exception. Rest assured, the GTD Weekly Review2 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 action lists is current. The GTD 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 “IN” to Zero

Clarify completely all outstanding paper materials, journal and meeting notes, voicemails, dictation, and emails.
Empty Your Head

Put in writing and clarify any uncaptured new projects, action items, waiting for’s, someday/maybe’s, etc.
GET CURRENT
Review Next Actions Lists
Mark off completed actions. Review for reminders of further action steps to record.
Review Previous Calendar Data

Review past calendar in detail for remaining action items, reference data, etc., and transfer into the active system.
Review Upcoming Calendar

Review upcoming calendar events—long and short term. Capture actions triggered.
Review Waiting For List

Record appropriate actions for any needed follow-up. Check off received ones.
Review Project (and Larger Outcome) Lists

Evaluate status of projects, goals, and outcomes, one by one, ensuring at least one current action item on each.
Browse through project plans, support material, and any other work-in-progress material to trigger new actions,
completions, waiting for’s, etc.
Review Any Relevant Checklists

Use as a trigger for any new actions.
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.
Be Creative & Courageous

Any new, wonderful, hare-brained, creative, thought-provoking, risk-taking ideas to add into your system???
2
See the Getting Things Done book or our GTD Methodology Guides for a GTD Weekly Review checklist.
APPLYING GTD TO ONENOTE ®
PROJECTS AND NEXT ACTIONS

USING ONENOTE TO MANAGE PROJECTS AND NEXT ACTIONS LISTS
Many people think of OneNote as a reference tool, but with some adaptations, it can be an excellent option
for managing the projects and action lists in your GTD system. We recommend you create lists in OneNote
Notebooks, Sections, and/or Pages to match the set of lists recommended in the Getting Things Done book,
which we describe in more detail over the following pages.
THE MOST COMMON GTD LISTS

There are 10 lists recommended in the Getting Things Done book that are a good starter set for most people.
1. Agendas 6. Home
2. Anywhere 7. Office
3. Calls 8. Waiting For
4. Computer 9. Someday/Maybe
5. Errands 10. Projects
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 OneNote now. You can always go back to customize these later, after
you’ve experimented, to discover 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.
WE WILL BE USING 4 DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENTRIES IN ONENOTE:

yy Notebooks
yy Sections
yy Pages
yy Notes
© 2016 David Allen Company. All rights reserved. 821-A4 27JUNE2019 gettingthingsdone.com APPLYING GTD TO ONENOTE 5
1. Notebooks organize your information by key areas. For example, we will use one Notebook for Projects and
Actions and a separate Notebook for Reference. Again, you may choose to customize these later, but creating
your system this way now should give you a good foundation to start.
2. Sections will be used for creating lists within your Notebooks. For example, you will be creating lists for
Projects, At Computer, Waiting For, Someday/Maybe, etc.
3. Pages will become entries within each list. For example, you would use a Page to create a project on the
Projects List, like “Build a new website” or “Call for dentist appointment” on your Calls list.
4. Notes are additional details you may want to add to any item on a list. You could use Notes to capture
agenda items for one of your Agenda lists, or project plans for one of the projects on your Projects list.
CREATING NOTEBOOKS
1. First, we recommend pinning your Notebooks drop-down menu, if it’s not already set that way, so you can
easily access your Notebooks, Sections, and Quick Notes from the side menu, so it looks like this:
To pin the menu, click a Notebook name (such as “My Notebook”) to display the drop down and click on the
pin icon:
2. Now, let’s create a Notebook to hold your lists. You should have a default Notebook called “My Notebook”
that was set up for you by default when you installed OneNote.
If you are using OneNote for the first time, use that Notebook, but rename it to “Projects & Actions” by right-
clicking on the Notebook name in the side panel, selecting Properties, and changing the Display name to
Projects & Actions.
If you have already been using OneNote and have things populated in that Notebook, create a new one to have
a fresh start. To create a new Notebook, Click File > New.
Choose a location for your new Notebook, such as OneDrive, This PC, or Add a Place. Creating your new Notebook
on OneDrive has the added benefit of sharing Notebooks and emailing to OneNote, which can’t be done if you
choose to create it on your own PC. We’ll explain more about those options later in the Guide. If you’re not sure
which option is best, save to your PC now, and you can always move a Notebook later if you decide to move
it to OneDrive.
Assign the name “Projects & Actions” and click the Create Notebook button to save the new Notebook.
Your new Notebook should now be listed in the side panel.
If you ever need to delete a Notebook, you need to do it through your file structure (like My Documents
or OneDrive). It cannot be done directly in OneNote. We recommend searching on the phrase “deleting
Notebooks” in OneNote Help for detailed instructions on how to do this.
CREATING SECTIONS
Now that you have the Projects & Actions Notebook set up, create Sections to represent individual lists within
that Notebook.
1. Click on the Projects & Actions Notebook in the left side panel.
2. Click on the in the Sections bar or the keyboard shortcut (or Ctrl + T).
3. Type the name of the Section (list name) to add. Start with Projects. Press enter/return to save the Section
(list) name. Press or (Ctrl + T) again and enter the remaining suggested lists for this Notebook one by one.
The starting set of lists we recommend are:
Agendas Computer Office Someday/Maybe

Anywhere Errands Waiting For Projects
Calls Home
We’ll go into more details about the purpose and give examples
of what goes on these lists later in this chapter.
Throughout the Guide, we will
To change the color of a Section tab, right-click on the list name, mostly refer to these as “lists”
choose Section Color, and select a color. instead of Sections.
CREATING PAGES
Now that you have lists set up, you will be creating items to add to those lists, using the Pages function in OneNote.
1. Click on one of the lists you just set up, such as Someday/Maybe.
2. To add a new item to that list, click on +Add Page in the right-panel or (Ctrl + N) to create a new Page.
3. Type a name for an item on your list in the canvas area of the new Page where the cursor is blinking.
For example, “Take a safari”.
4. Your new Page is automatically saved. You will see it in the right-side panel. Eventually, this side panel will
have many items that represent items on your lists.
One other option you may find useful for inserting new Pages is to use a OneNote template. Click on the Insert
tab in your ribbon and choose Page Templates. Those may be more structured than you want or need, but good
to know they are an option. Page template might be a useful option if you want to capture notes/ideas/plans
in a particular way for a project.
We’ll spend more time in the next section populating your lists, so don’t spend too much time on this yet. Just
enough to get familiar with how Pages are created.
CREATING NOTES
Notes capture more details for any item on a list. You won’t need these for all of your list items, but it can be
a handy option when you want to capture background information, project support materials, etc.
Click on an entry for a list, such as the Take a Safari entry you used in the previous example. The large white
canvas on your screen is where additional Notes are captured.
The creative thing about Notes is that there many different types of entries you can make there. Here are
a few options:
Text Click anywhere on the white canvas and start typing a text note.
To Do Tag Click the To Do Tag button under the Home tab in the ribbon to insert a list that resembles a To Do
list format with checkmarks you can check off.
Attachments Click on the Insert tab on your ribbon to see options for adding a variety of different attachments,
such as photos, documents, audio/video clips, and more.
Draw Click on the Draw tab on your ribbon to see options for drawing a note on the canvas.
Tags Browse through the tags section on the Home ribbon to see options for inserting tags. While many of the
provided tags may be more effort to add than the value they provide, you may find tags handy for linking projects
to their related actions. We talk more about customizing tags later in the Guide.
Now, we’ll go into greater detail about what goes on these lists.
EXPLANATION OF THE COMMON GTD LISTS

AGENDAS This list tracks the topics and agenda items for people you interact with regularly. For example, if you
have a standing meeting with a particular team, and want to capture agenda items to bring up at the next
meeting, this is the place to capture them. The Agenda list is not for tracking next actions that you need to take
related to that person or team (for example, a call you need to make to that person, which would instead go on
your “Calls” list). Once you’re on the call, you may refer to the Agenda list for that person, but it’s the Calls list
that is triggering the action to make the phone call, not Agendas.
To create an agenda for a particular person, open the Agendas list and click + Add Page in the panel on the
right-hand side of the OneNote window, or use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + N).
Then, enter the name of the person or group for which you want to create an agenda (e.g., Boss, Spouse,
Marketing Team). See example below:
To capture specific items for that Agenda list, enter those in the note field for the entry. The note will remain
static, as long as you have a need for agenda items for that person, whereas the note field will be dynamic,
as your agenda topics for them change.
You could easily have a dozen people and meetings that you are tracking this way—your direct reports, your
boss, your assistant, your spouse, the weekly staff meeting, the monthly board meeting, etc.
Some people have so many items for just one person or team that they create an entire list (Section) for them,
rather than park them as an entry under the Agendas list. Just be careful you don’t create so many lists that
it becomes difficult to find what you need and keep them current.
Go ahead and capture any new agendas as new Pages under your Agendas list, as placeholders, that would make
sense to you. Click on + Add Page or use the shortcut keys (Ctrl + N) to create a new Page.
ANYWHERE An action that can be accomplished, without any restriction about where it’s done, would go on this
list. Notice in the example below that all the next actions on this list start with a verb. That is the recommended
best practice for all of your next actions entries, so that when it comes time to choosing what to do; you’ve
already done the thinking about what your action is.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Anywhere list that come to mind.
CALLS Place reminders of calls you need to make in this list, if they can be made from any phone. If a call
requires a specific location instead (like home or office,) we recommend putting the action in one of those lists
instead. If the phone number is not already in your contacts, then add it to the subject line, so you’re ready
to go when you’re ready to make the call.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Calls list that come to mind.
COMPUTER If the action requires a computer (e.g., emails

to send, documents to edit or draft, spreadsheets to develop,
websites to visit, data to review, etc.), add it to this list. This list
then comes into play whenever you are at your computer(s)
with any discretionary time. Even if you only have a computer
in the office, it’s still convenient to have this list separate from
your Office list of things to do, because you wouldn’t need
to look at this list when you are looking for non-computer things
to do. Many people these days also like to have a separate Computer
list just for email next actions, given their volume.
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 “out and about” (e.g., take 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), make “Hardware Store” the Subject and put your running list of things
to get/do there in the notes field.
If you are a regular road warrior 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 in your home environment (e.g., gather tax receipts,
repair the cabinet door, organize old hard copy photos, etc.).
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Home list that 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 Office list that
come to mind.
WAITING FOR This list keeps track of all the actions, projects, and deliverables that you want to happen, but
which are someone else’s responsibility. It could be something you’ve ordered that hasn’t come yet, something
you’ve handed off to your assistant for which you’re waiting on a response, or something your boss is supposed
to be finding out before you can move forward on a key project.
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. The Waiting For list should be reviewed as necessary
(at least once a week in the GTD 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.
SOMEDAY/MAYBE These are the things you might want to do at some point in the future, but with no commitment
to move on them at present. They could represent next actions or projects that were current at one time or not.
Many people find they triage things onto and off the Someday/Maybe list when their priorities shift. Your only
commitment to items you put on the Someday/Maybe list is that you will review the choice regularly in your GTD
Weekly Reviews. That should give you the freedom to capture onto this list, without the stress of feeling like
you’ve made a commitment you may not have the resources to take on.
Go ahead and capture any new items for your Someday/Maybe list that come to mind.
PROJECTS The Projects list tracks any of your desired outcomes that require more than one action step
to complete, which you expect to be done over the next 12 months. Projects should always have a defined
end point.
Any notes you have about the project, also known as your project plans/project support, can be added to the
notes field for each project on the list. While this notes field may not be robust enough to capture all of your
project details, nor will it 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 note field, but
on those lists.
Example of Project Plans captured in the notes field of a list item:
To insert attachments into the note field, click Insert in the ribbon and select the type of item to insert:
Go ahead and capture any new projects for your Projects list that come to mind.
LINKING PROJECTS TO THEIR RELATED ACTIONS
Sorting next actions by context, not by project, can initially seem awkward. Some people are used to having multiple
files, piles, notepads, documents, and spreadsheets related to a project, with next actions for the project buried
amongst all of that information. Next Actions lists don’t replace project plans—we would just call that data “project
support”, and in our experience, it rarely works to have current next actions buried among project support for day-
to-day action management. Think of the last time you had 20 minutes free and decided to work on a key project.
How easy was it to dig through your project support to find the immediate next actions based on the tools, people,
and places available to you in the moment? It was probably more repellent to you, especially if you knew there was
still thinking to do from the project support.
When your next actions are already defined and sorted by context, you can move more quickly, more easily, and
more in sync with how you are naturally choosing what to do first—by context. Then project support remains the
parking lot for actions that are incubated for future action. You can always add a keyword for the project in your next
action or waiting for description. That way, you can rely on the powerful OneNote search function (Ctrl + E) to pull
together related information.
USING PROJECT TAGS

You can also use tags for a specific project and search on that tag. For example, you could tag the project, and
all of the related next action and waiting for items. Then, when you search on that tag, you can see everything
related to the project in one quick view.
To create a project tag, go to the item you want to tag.
Under the Home tab > Tags in the ribbon, click on the more arrow next to the tags box and choose Customize Tags.
Click the New Tag button. In the window that appears, give your tag
a name. You can also assign a symbol, and change the font if you
want. Click OK twice to return to the item you want to tag.
Put your cursor at the beginning of the text to tag, such as the project name.
Click on your new tag name in the ribbon and click OK. The symbol for your custom tag will appear next to the
text where you placed your cursor. You won’t see the tag name, just the symbol.
If you wanted to see everything related to that tag, which can be very handy during the project review step of your
GTD Weekly Review, click Find Tags in the ribbon.
Select Group Tags by Tag Name and find your tag in the results:
You can go to any entry in your tag search results by clicking on the entry.
USING HOTLINKS
Another way to link your projects to their related next actions is to add a hotlink for the project to the note field
of the next action. That will give you one-click access back to the project. To create a hotlink, right-click on the
project in your Projects list and choose Copy Link to Page:
Then, find or create the related next action and paste that hotlink into the note field of the entry. OneNote
inserts the link as the name if the linked entry, in this case the related project called “GTD Up & Running.”
Clicking on the link will open the linked project.
Just be careful that whatever additional criteria you add for creating new entries, like creating and
adding tags or hotlinks, does not become a burden or requirement. You may find tags or hot links useful
for one project, but overkill for another. It’s easy to let a feature like tags become unwieldy, so watch
it carefully to ensure it’s helping your productivity and not hindering it.
LINKING ONENOTE TO OUTLOOK ®

If you are also using Microsoft Outlook, you may find value in linking some of your Pages (list entries) in OneNote to
your Task lists in Outlook. While it would be overkill to link all of your lists, this feature could be useful for linking your
projects and related project support in OneNote to the related project next actions stored in Outlook. In other words,
OneNote could store your project support (e.g., plans, notes, future actions) in Notebooks and/or Pages and Outlook
could track your tactical next actions on your Task lists.
Before we get into how this is done, we want to encourage you to consider this integration carefully in terms of whether
it will be a productivity enhancement for you or not. What would be the benefit to linking for the time it will take you
to create and update the linking? Do you have a clear plan in mind about what will be stored where? Could you see
yourself taking the time to maintain information in both places? If any part of you doubts that you will keep the data
in both apps clean & current, because you are not doing regular GTD Weekly Reviews now, we do not recommend
diving into this integration.
NOTE: If you’re using a version of OneNote earlier than 2016, you may need to enable this integration
in OneNote and Outlook under File > Options > Add-ins. Outlook 2016 users should find Outlook
integration OneNote functions automatically enabled in the ribbons of both programs.
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO CREATE A LINK BETWEEN ONENOTE AND OUTLOOK:
yy Create a new Outlook Task from a OneNote Page (i.e., pushing into Outlook)
yy Create a new Page in OneNote from an Outlook Task (i.e., pushing into OneNote)
yy Copy a hotlink from a OneNote Notebook or Page and paste it into an Outlook Task (i.e., pulling into Outlook).
OPTION ONE: CREATE A NEW OUTLOOK TASK FROM A ONENOTE PAGE

Let’s say you’ve created a project in OneNote called “GTD Up &
Running” and you want to add that as a new project in Outlook. To copy
the entry from OneNote to your Outlook Task list, click on the Page in
your right side panel. While the item is highlighted, use the shortcut keys
Ctrl + Shift + K or click on the Outlook Tasks icon in the ribbon under
the Home tab.
If you choose the icon in the ribbon to create the task, select the due
date flag for the item (or Custom for no due date.) Do not add a due date
for the sake of a due date. If you add a due date to all of your items, even
when the due date is not real, you’ll start to lose trust in knowing which
ones are true due dates.
An Outlook Tasks window appears with your list item automatically

inserted in the subject line. Outlook does not even need to be open
in order for this to work. Edit the subject line if needed, assign the
appropriate category and due date. Click Save & Close when done.
In OneNote, a flag appears next to the Page’s subject letting you know this is a linked item in Outlook.
To see how it appears in Outlook, right-click on the flag and choose Open Task in Outlook.
OPTION TWO: CREATE A NEW PAGE IN ONENOTE FROM AN OUTLOOK TASK

From Outlook Tasks, you can also send items over to OneNote as a list item (under a Section), or within an
existing list entry (under a Page). This might be useful if you capture a Next Action in Outlook and want to add
it to the related project plans/project support in OneNote.
Highlight the Task in Outlook. In this example, we have created a next action related to our GTD Up & Running Project:
Click on the OneNote link icon in the Actions section of the ribbon under the Home tab or choose OneNote from
your right-click menu.
A window appears giving you options for where to organize the item in OneNote. Choose your destination and click
OK. In this example, we want to add this as a note to the GTD Up & Running project that already exists in OneNote:
To see how it appears in Outlook, highlight the item in your Outlook Tasks list and click on the OneNote link icon
in the ribbon again. This time, because it’s already linked to OneNote, instead of showing you a drop-down menu
it opens the item in OneNote.
How OneNote and Outlook handle deleting and marking items complete
Using either option one or two described above, marking an item complete in Outlook Tasks marks the item
complete in OneNote and vice versa. For example, if you check off an item in Outlook as done, it changes the
flag in OneNote to a checkmark:
If you delete a Task in Outlook, you will need to delete it manually in OneNote. However, you can delete Outlook
Tasks in OneNote by highlighting the item in OneNote, right-clicking on the flag or checkmark next to the item
subject, and choosing Delete Outlook Task.
OPTION THREE: COPY A HOTLINK FROM A ONENOTE NOTEBOOK OR PAGE AND PASTE IT INTO AN OUTLOOK TASK
The third option is copying a link to the entry in OneNote and pasting that into an Outlook entry, as we described
earlier in the section on linking projects to their related actions. This option allows the most flexibility and avoids the
sometimes clunky and forced nature of the linking functionality described in the first two options. With this third
option, you are simply creating a hotlink to the OneNote item, for quick access back to it.
Working with our same GTD Up & Running project, let’s say you want to connect any next actions you create
around that project in Outlook to the project entry in OneNote. Find the project in OneNote. Right-click on the entry
and choose Copy Link to Page.
Go to Outlook, create or find the Task to insert your hotlink, and choose paste. The name of your OneNote entry
is pasted into Outlook. Clicking on the entry brings directly back to OneNote.
Remember, if you are going to use this integration, don’t overwhelm yourself by linking for the sake of linking. If it
helps your productivity—great. If it starts to feel like “work” maintaining the linking and it isn’t giving you the map
you need to see your inventory of commitments—let it go.
MOVING ITEMS BETWEEN LISTS

When you are working your GTD system, you’ll be moving items between lists frequently. For example, you may
have a next action in your Calls list to make a call. If you reach their voice mail, but need to track that the person
calls you back, that item would get reassigned to the Waiting For list. Or, you may have a Project that has changed
in priority and becomes a Someday/Maybe, or vice versa.
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 right panel to the new lists in your Section tabs.
THE GTD WEEKLY REVIEW TIES IT ALL TOGETHER
Rest assured, the GTD 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, largely based on those project support materials, so you can
trust that what you are choosing from your Next Actions list is current. See the Getting Things Done book or the
Methodology Guides in our online store for a GTD Weekly Review checklist.
CUSTOMIZING YOUR CONTEXTS

The lists we have suggested should serve as a starting point. You may need more of these or fewer. For example,
some people find they want to break out Computer into more specific lists, such as a list just for Email. Executive
support staff can often use a context called Meetings to Schedule. Some managers find a Projects–Delegated list
useful as a high-level Waiting For list. Or, you may find you don’t want to use as many contexts, and a simple list
called Next Actions or Next Actions-Work and Next Actions-Personal would suffice for your action lists. Be willing
to experiment to find the set of lists that will work best for you.
USING QUICK NOTES

The OneNote Quick Notes Section is like an Inbox that can be used to hold Mind Sweep items that still need to be
processed. For example, you may have a thought or idea on the fly, not know exactly what the next action is yet,
but you don’t want to lose the idea. Or, you may see something on the web you want to get back to and “clip” it into
the Inbox. Sending it to the Quick Notes stores the idea until you are ready to clarify it (through the questions on the
GTD Workflow Map shown earlier in the Guide) to decide what it means and what you want to do about it.
Quick Notes come already built in to OneNote as a Section in your default Notebook (called My Notebook or Projects
and Actions if you changed it earlier).
The Quick Notes Section works the same way your other Sections do, where the Section is called the list name
(e.g., Quick Notes) and the items on the list are added as Pages. The difference with Quick Notes versus your other
lists though is that these items are unprocessed. You still have not clarified yet what the item is or what you want
to do about it. To make Quick Notes work, you’ll need to treat them with the same rigor you would your email and
paper Inboxes, meaning, process the items in this list down to zero on a regular basis.
THERE ARE 5 WAYS TO CAPTURE QUICK NOTES
1. Go to the Quick Notes Section (list) and click to add a new Page.
2. Click on Quick Notes from your left side panel.
3. Click on View > New Quick Note in the ribbon.
4. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + M from anywhere in OneNote.
5. Click on the Quick Note icon in your Windows system tray.
The real power of Quick Notes is that it allows you to stay in the flow of your workflow with minimal interruption,
while keeping your mind clear. For example, let’s say you’re working in your email program. You have a thought you
want to capture.
Without leaving your email, use the keyboard shortcut Windows + N, type your thought into the Quick Note window,
and press X to save it to OneNote:
In less than 10 seconds you got it off your mind, captured in a trusted bucket for “In”, and you’re back to what you
were working on.
NOTE: Quick Notes can only go to one Notebook. You can, however, change the default destination under
File > Options > Save & Backup. Change the Save location for Quick Notes Section by clicking Modify.
Modifying Quick Notes location:
Another handy way to use Quick Notes is for parking Screen Clippings you grab on the web, until you have a chance
to process them. For example, if you see an interesting product you may want to check out, take a Screen Clipping
of the item by right-clicking on the OneNote icon in your Task bar and selecting Take screen clipping, using the
keyboard shortcut Windows + Shift + S.
You’ll also find screen clipping in the ribbon under Insert > Screen Clipping.
For example, here is a Screen Clipping of the GTD NoteTaker clipped from the gettingthingsdone.com website
as a new Quick Note:
REVIEWING YOUR LISTS
On a daily basis, we recommend reviewing your Next Actions lists (the ones we set up as contexts, such as Calls,
Computer, etc.), whenever you get a chance. On a weekly basis, in your GTD Weekly Review, we recommend reviewing
all of your actionable lists in OneNote, including Next Actions, Waiting For, Someday/Maybe, and Projects. This will
be valuable time spent to acknowledge what you’ve completed, capture any new next actions, and ensure each
project is moving forward.
USING DUE DATES

Since OneNote was not built as a traditional list manager, it does not currently include typical list manager functions,
like assigning a due by date. There are a few simple ways to work around this.
1. One of the easiest ways is to add the due date to the subject line. See example below:
2. Another option is to create a tag or (tags) that represent due dates. For example, “due this week”, “due soon”,
or “before next trip”—if you travel frequently. See example below:
For those tags to work, it means you are actively reviewing the items under those tags with as much discipline as
you are looking at your Next Actions lists. Again, use tags if they will benefit your system and not become a burden
on your ability to capture new entries quickly and/or become slowed by the requirements of adding and maintaining
those tags.
3. If you are an Outlook Tasks user, you can assign a flag to your note in OneNote to create a new Task with that
due date in Outlook. To do this, put your cursor on the subject line of your OneNote item to be tagged, then click
on the Outlook Tasks icon in the ribbon and choose a tag (or use the keyboard shortcut assigned to that tag).
To see the due date in OneNote, you would have to open the item and hover over the flag.
To see the due date in Outlook, find the item in your Tasks or To-Do List by going to Outlook or hovering over the
flag again in the OneNote entry and choosing Open Task in Outlook.
Be sure to categorize the Task you created in Outlook to the correct GTD list (e.g., Projects, @Computer, Waiting For,
etc.). Unfortunately, there is no way to assign a category to the note you create in OneNote before sending it over
to Outlook. For more support in setting up Outlook Tasks, be sure to get our GTD & Outlook Setup Guide.
MARKING ITEMS COMPLETE
A challenge with OneNote not functioning as a traditional list manager, like Outlook Tasks, is that you need to get
creative on how to mark items complete from your actionable lists. While it’s unlikely you need a hold on to
everything you complete, we usually find when coaching people that having a record of key projects or anything
that would be important to recall as having been done good candidates for keeping in OneNote.
HERE ARE A FEW OPTIONS ON DEALING WITH COMPLETED ITEMS:

1. Add a “To Do Tag” to your OneNote items, which adds a checkbox next to the subject line of the note. To add
this tag, put your cursor in the subject line of the entry, then click To Do Tag in the ribbon.
You can then check the box to mark the note as done by clicking in the checkbox. However, the note still stays
in your list, and the only way to know that the item is complete is by opening it up.
2. Another creative workaround is to create a list (Section) called Completed and drag/drop completed items
to that list.
If you are integrating OneNote with Outlook Tasks…
If you mark the item complete in Outlook, it also marks it complete in OneNote and will change the red flag to a green
checkmark. You can also delete the Task in Outlook from OneNote by right-clicking on the flag:
For more support in setting up Outlook Tasks, be sure to check out our GTD & Outlook Setup Guide.
USING SHORTCUT KEYS

The ability to capture information quickly can greatly enhance your productivity. There are many functions you
can perform in OneNote, using shortcut keys. Visit the Microsoft Support site for a full list of shortcuts for OneNote
for Windows.
SHARING FROM ONENOTE

OneNote isn’t just for managing your own workflow, you can also use it for collaborating with friends, family,
and coworkers.
Here are some practical uses for sharing:

yy Collaborating with colleagues on a work project
yy Collaborating with family or friends on a personal project
yy Sharing meeting notes with your team
yy Sending an errands list to your partner/spouse/roommates
yy Sending your boss your current Projects list
yy Sending your Agenda list to someone before you meet with them
You can share an entire Notebook or email a Page.
SHARING AN ENTIRE NOTEBOOK:

1. First, to share a Notebook, it needs to be on OneDrive, SharePoint, or your company network. You can’t share
Notebooks that are only stored on your PC. To move a Notebook, click on the Notebook and select File > Share.
If needed, move the Notebook to a shared location.
2. Once you’ve moved it to a shared location, then choose who/how you want to share it:
You can select whether others can just view or edit and view.
When you share a Notebook, you are giving others viewing or editing access to the entire Notebook, unless you
password protect specific Sections (lists). To password protect a Section, right-click on the section name and
choose Password Protect This Section.
Microsoft does not yet give users the ability to share only specific Sections (lists) or Pages (entries on your lists).
Another option to just share the information without giving others access to an entire Notebook is to email a Page.
EMAILING A PAGE:
You can email specific Pages (entries on your lists) from OneNote to someone else, whether they use OneNote
or not. There are several ways to do this.
1. Find the Page to share and click Email Page in the ribbon:
The recipient will receive the note in the body of the email, like this:
OR
2. Find the Page to share and click File > Send. Choose Email Page same as ribbon option), Send as Attachment,
Send as PDF, Send to Word, or Send to Blog. Here’s how that same Page would be sent as a PDF, where the
contents of your Page are packaged in a PDF as an attachment in the email:
EMAIL
INTEGRATING ACTIONABLE EMAIL WITH ONENOTE
The master key for managing email is the hardest 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 (at least once a week
in the GTD Weekly Review). 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.
TWO OPTIONS FOR MANAGING ACTIONABLE EMAIL

OPTION ONE: USE THE EMAIL AS THE REMINDER
Create @Action and @Waiting For folders in your email program, and use them like an action list. You would not
also put those reminders on your Calendar or Next Actions lists in OneNote—the email itself would be the only
reminder. That means you need to scan these folders with as much discipline as you would your Next Actions lists
and Calendar, for reminders of your commitments. The @ symbol is a trick to push these folders to the top of your
email structure for easy access. If the @ symbol does not work in your email program, try another symbol.
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 already decided about, if the
next action is not apparent by the subject line.
OPTION TWO: USE NEXT ACTIONS LISTS IN ONENOTE 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 or Next Actions 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 or Next Actions lists. It’s one fewer 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.
But it does mean you have to take the time to go to OneNote Next Actions lists and define the next action.
Go ahead and create either the @Action and @Waiting For or @Action Support and @Waiting For Support folders
in your email program now.
GETTING YOUR INBOX TO ZERO
Getting your inbox to zero means you have decided about what each email means and what you want to do
about it. Using the questions from the GTD Workflow Map (pictured earlier in this Guide) you would simply ask:
WHAT IS IT?
IS IT ACTIONABLE?
NO Is it trash, to file as reference, or to incubate (add to your Someday/Maybe list, calendar,
Tickler/Bring Forward file3)?
YES What’s the next action?

Do now, delegate to someone else, or defer to do myself later?
Do it now If it takes less than 2 minutes, handle it in the moment.
Delegate it If you need to track this getting completed, track the waiting for reminder in your
@Waiting For folder in email or Waiting For in Tasks.
Defer it If you need to do it later, track the action reminder in @Action folder in email,
Calendar, or on a Next Actions list.
If multiple actions, what’s your desired outcome? Track that outcome on your Projects list in OneNote.
We recommend getting your inboxes to zero daily, or at least once a week in your GTD Weekly Reviews.
3
For more information on using a Tickler/Bring Forward file, see the Getting Things Done book.
EMAILING TO ONENOTE
Another great feature in OneNote is the ability to email information into your OneNote Notebooks.
A few ways you might find this useful include:
yy Sending Mind Sweep items to your Quick Notes
yy Capturing a next action and sending it directly to a Next Actions list
yy Forwarding project support to one of your Project Notebooks
yy Creating a new project to add to your Projects list
yy Capturing reference for your Reference Notebook
1. To get started, go to www.onenote.com/EmailToOneNote and follow the simple instructions for configuring
this feature.
2. Select the email address to enable. Any emails you send from this address to “me@onenote.com” will be saved
to a Notebook you choose. Save that email address to your address book as a new contact now so it’s ready to go
when you want to start sending emails. Name the new contact something easy to remember and type, like
“onenote”, for speedy addressing in the future.
3. Select the default Notebook and Section for your emails. We recommend Quick Notes as the default. Your
destination Notebook must be shared on the web or your network. It won’t work for Notebooks saved only locally
on your computer.
4. Click Save.
5. Go to your email program and send an email to me@onenote.com from the email account you enabled in step 2.
A new Page will be created from your email with the subject line of your email becoming the title of the Page.
For example, let’s say “Hawaii” comes to your mind, but you don’t know what you want to do about Hawaii yet.
It’s simply an unprocessed Mind Sweep item at this point. Send an email to your OneNote account with “Hawaii”
in the subject line.
When you are ready to process the Hawaii item, you would ask yourself the GTD processing questions (see the
map on page 3) and move that item out of the Quick Notes list and into the appropriate list, with a clearly defined
next action.
6. Sometimes you’ll also want to add things directly to a specific list. You can do that too, with one small change.
For example, let’s say Hawaii comes to mind and you know you want to look up flights as the next action. Create
a new email, addressed to your OneNote account. In the subject line, type the next action “Lookup Hawaii flights”
but add the name of the list with the @ symbol before sending. For example, “Lookup Hawaii flights @Computer”.
Instead of going to Quick Notes as in the first example, this item will go directly into your Computer list:
This is a great option when you’ve already clarified your next action and just need to get the item on a list.
Of course it can also be used for adding new Projects, Someday/Maybe, and Waiting For items too:
We only recommend sending

items directly into your
Next Actions lists if you
have a clearly defined next
action. This method is not for
capturing unprocessed Mind
Sweep items or anything that
you still need to decide what
it means and what you want
to do about it.
SENDING AND CLIPPING TO ONENOTE

Another option for getting information into OneNote is clipping from your browser. This can be handy if you are surfing
the web and see something that you want to capture on a Next Actions list or send to Quick Notes to process later.
For example:
yy Send/clip an article you want to read later and send to your Computer list
yy Send/clip a product you might want to buy and send to your Someday list
yy Send/clip reference information that could be useful in the future and send to your Reference Notebook
If you are using Internet Explorer, right-click on a web page you want to capture and choose Send to OneNote.
Select your destination for the information in OneNote and change the subject of the new Page to reflect your next
action (or leave as is if you are sending to Quick Notes).
If you are using a different program than IE, right-click on a web page you want to capture and choose Print. Select
OneNote as the destination, if it’s not already selected. Choose where to save the information in OneNote and
change the subject of the new Page to reflect your next action (or leave as is if you are sending to Quick Notes
to process later).
Microsoft also offers a browser extension called OneNote Web Clipper. It is similar to the Send to OneNote option
described above, but offers a bit more functionality for what you clip (e.g., full page vs. just the article). You can
download the Clipper here: www.onenote.com/clipper.
We found the Send to OneNote option easier to use than the Web Clipper application, but experiment to see which
one will work best for you.
CALENDAR
WHAT BELONGS ON YOUR CALENDAR
Outside of OneNote, your calendar is a critical component in your GTD 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 OneNote, 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 orientation about “what’s next?”. There are
three things that belong on your calendar.
1. DAY-SPECIFIC INFORMATION Information you want to know or be reminded of that day—not necessarily something to do.
Examples:
yy Things that might disrupt your day (server shut-downs, office moves, etc).
yy External events to be aware of (marathons, elections, heads of state visits, etc).
yy Activities of other significant people of interest to you (kids, spouses, bosses, assistants, vacations, etc).
2. DAY-SPECIFIC ACTIONS Things that need to happen during the day, but not at a specific time.
Examples:
yy A call you have to make before you leave for the day
yy Something that you have to finish and submit by the end of the day
yy An agenda you must cover with someone before they leave the office
3. TIME-SPECIFIC ACTIONS Things that need to happen on a specific day and time.
Examples:
yy Meetings, appointments, time blocked to work on projects
REVIEWING YOUR CALENDAR

On a daily basis, we recommend reviewing your Calendar for day- and time-specific actions, any chance you
get. On a weekly basis, in your GTD Weekly Review, we recommend reviewing your Calendar backward for any
“Oh, that reminds me…” items, and forward for any “I need to start prepping for…” items to capture.
REFERENCE
USING ONENOTE TO STORE REFERENCE INFORMATION
OneNote 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 so totally open-ended and in one sense, so simple, the possibilities are infinite.
Have you ever…

yy had a wild idea you didn’t know what to do with?
yy wanted to remember the great restaurant you ate at in London?
yy needed to remember all the things to check before you leave on a trip?
yy read something inspirational you wanted to keep and re-read every once in a while?
yy wondered where to put a suggestion about something to do the next time you visit a country?
yy needed to remember everything you need to handle when you put on a special kind of event?
yy wanted to keep track of all the articles, blog posts, or essays you might want to write?
yy wanted to have a list of clients and prospects to review occasionally?
yy wanted a place to keep track of the possible gifts to give special people in your life?
yy needed a place to capture great team building and staff recognition ideas?
yy needed a quick emergency contact list?
To get started, create a new Notebook called Reference. This will create nice, clean edges from your
actionable information in your Projects & Actions Notebook.
To create a new Notebook, Click File > New.
Choose a location for your new Notebook, such as OneDrive, This /PC, or Add a Place. Assign the name
“Projects & Actions” and click the Create Notebook button to save the new Notebook.
Your new Notebook should now be listed in the side panel.
Here are some possible new lists within your Reference Notebooks to try:
yy Checklists (e.g., GTD Weekly Review, Packing, Home Maintenance)
yy Areas of focus
yy Higher Horizons of Focus® 4
yy Fun
yy Ideas
yy Inspirations and affirmations
yy Great quotes
yy Lists
yy Might like to buy
yy Might like to read
yy Music to download
yy Next time in…
yy Travel
yy Vacation ideas
You have a few options for how to set this up, depending on your preference. As we consistently suggest, be careful
to not overcomplicate your system to the point where it becomes unwieldy to find or maintain the information. Read
through the following options and be willing to experiment with the solution that will work best for you.
Example One Create reference lists and notes within one new Reference Notebook
Creating individual notes:
4
See David Allen’s Getting Things Done or Making It All Work books for more information on Horizons of Focus.
Creating lists of lists:
You may also find tags useful if you choose this option, especially as this Notebook grows in size, to help you further
sort your information.
Example Two Create Reference Notebooks by Topic

If you expect to have quite a bit of Reference, you may want to consider creating separate Notebooks by topic.
For example, if you have many travel-related reference items, you could create a Reference Notebook just to store
travel notes:
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 Notebook:
The possibilities with capturing reference are endless. Just remember to keep it clean & current, and fast & fun.
SYNCING
SYNCING ONENOTE
Syncing your cloud-based data in OneNote between the web, your desktop, and mobile devices should be seamless.
While the interface across the platforms will look slightly different, the basic user interface will be the same. If you
create a new Notebook or Section on your mobile device, it should automatically sync to your desktop or web
versions of OneNote.
There are far too many variables for us to cover syncing in this Guide, but there are lots of great resources about
syncing OneNote on the Microsoft website.
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, 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 system up and running.
FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT WITH ONENOTE, PLEASE VISIT:

microsoft.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GTD, PLEASE VISIT:

gettingthingsdone.com
gtdconnect.com
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5. Authorize others to do any of the above.

What is the copyright policy of the David Allen Company?

Which are the marks of the David Allen Company?

OneNote®, Outlook®, and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

© 2016 David Allen Company. All rights reserved. gettingthingsdone.com

FOCUS OF THIS GUIDE

UNDERSTANDING THE GTD BEST PRACTICES ®

AN OVERVIEW OF THE KEY BEST PRACTICES OF THE GTD METHODOLOGY

APPLYING GTD TO ONENOTE ®

SETTING UP ONENOTE FOR GTD

TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)

APPLYING GTD TO ONENOTE (CONTINUED)

FOCUS OF THIS GUIDE

OK…let’s get started!

Be careful not to overcomplicate your

UNDERSTANDING THE GTD BEST PRACTICES

GTD’S FIVE STEPS OF MASTERING WORKFLOW

THREE STAGES TO INTEGRATING GTD

THE GTD WORKFLOW MAP

Recycle, shred, delete

In communication system and being Paper / digital – lists / folders

Get “IN” to Zero

Empty Your Head

Review Previous Calendar Data

Review Upcoming Calendar

Review Waiting For List

Review Project (and Larger Outcome) Lists

Review Any Relevant Checklists

Be Creative & Courageous

APPLYING GTD TO ONENOTE ®

PROJECTS AND NEXT ACTIONS

THE MOST COMMON GTD LISTS

WE WILL BE USING 4 DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENTRIES IN ONENOTE:

Your new Notebook should now be listed in the side panel.

Agendas Computer Office Someday/Maybe

EXPLANATION OF THE COMMON GTD LISTS

COMPUTER If the action requires a computer (e.g., emails

OFFICE These are the next actions that require you to be at

USING PROJECT TAGS

To create a project tag, go to the item you want to tag.

Clicking on the link will open the linked project.

LINKING ONENOTE TO OUTLOOK ®

OPTION ONE: CREATE A NEW OUTLOOK TASK FROM A ONENOTE PAGE

An Outlook Tasks window appears with your list item automatically

OPTION TWO: CREATE A NEW PAGE IN ONENOTE FROM AN OUTLOOK TASK

MOVING ITEMS BETWEEN LISTS

CUSTOMIZING YOUR CONTEXTS

USING QUICK NOTES

2. Click on Quick Notes from your left side panel.

3. Click on View > New Quick Note in the ribbon.

4. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + M from anywhere in OneNote.

5. Click on the Quick Note icon in your Windows system tray.

Modifying Quick Notes location:

USING DUE DATES

HERE ARE A FEW OPTIONS ON DEALING WITH COMPLETED ITEMS: