I just stopped using GTD after 5 years on the system, including 3 years on OmniFocus. I respect David Allen and GTD a lot. But I found a better solution: daily outcomes.
Say you are building a social network startup called FaceSpace. Here's what your daily outcome list may look like:
Help people communicate more quickly -> Launch beta of FaceSpace -> Call Jason for programmer recommendations
We're going after the "why" -- instead of just doing tasks.
You'll have maybe 5-8 of these for the day.
How is this different than GTD?
1) No long queues of things to do. Start fresh every day. What persists is the outcomes we're after 2) Aware of the "why" behind a task gives you feelings of motivation and purpose 3) Focusing on the "why" forces you to do 100% necessary tasks 4) If life throws you a curve ball and you change the task, it's okay... We're focused on achieving outcomes, not tasks
I think GTD is great but I feel it focuses on tasks at the expense of focusing on the big picture. You shouldn't be waiting for a weekly review to see the big picture -- that's just way too long. For me, staying focused on realizing my outcomes all day has led to more directed and forward-driving tasks. As many great men have said, it's not about which tasks you do it's about which tasks you don't do. Focusing on the outcome helps you choose the best tasks.
Outcome lists FTW.