Podcast Summary: Getting Things Done

Episode 355: Slice of GTD Life with Scott Adams

Release Date: March 25, 2026
Host: John Forrester (GTD®)
Guest: Scott Adams

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, host John Forrester sits down with long-time GTD practitioner Scott Adams to explore the cutting edge of productivity: blending Getting Things Done with artificial intelligence. Scott shares his pioneering approaches to integrating AI into GTD workflows, discusses the practical applications of various AI engines, and offers actionable tips for listeners seeking stress-free productivity. The conversation is rich with technical detail, hands-on advice, and a collaborative, exploratory tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scott Adams’ Background and Approach to GTD & AI (01:17–02:53)

• Scott introduces himself as a trainer for a hospital group in Central Arkansas and an active member of the GTD community.
• His journey into AI began as part of his professional responsibilities, choosing GTD as a "guinea pig" to safely experiment and develop effective AI workflows.
• Security is paramount; he prefers to test new tools and processes on personal productivity before applying lessons at work.

"I saw some of the discussions on Connect Pages and everything, and I decided that I would use the GTD method as kind of my guinea pig." —Scott (01:45)

2. Exploring AI Engines for GTD Support (02:53–08:24)

• Scott discusses utilizing multiple AI engines: ChatGPT, Copilot, and especially Perplexity, for its detailed output.
• The system Scott developed works across different engines and adapts the depth/detail of results based on the engine’s capabilities.

"Of those, my favorite is Perplexity, just because of the level of detail that you get back from it." —Scott (02:30)

• He strongly recommends linking your AI tools to your calendar and email for seamless GTD integration (Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, etc.).

3. Practical Demonstration: AI-driven GTD Prompts & Reviews (04:50–08:55)

• Scott details how he set up "spaces" in Perplexity for different GTD workflows.
• He uses AI not just for personal productivity, but also for building Sunday school lessons, highlighting its utility for educators.
• Example: Creating daily GTD review prompts, synchronizing calendars/emails, and organizing next actions and projects across devices or apps.

"Another tip that I could give people is see what your AI engine does when you say, can you improve this prompt?" —Scott (07:05)

• He encourages listeners to "cross-pollinate" prompts between engines (e.g., generate in Perplexity, refine in ChatGPT or Claude) to leverage each one’s strengths.

4. Building a Robust GTD Assistant: Merging Historical Insights & Modern AI (09:04–15:35)

• Scott inputs both reference documents (like the Microsoft 365 Planning Doc) and David Allen’s original handwritten "ideal GTD app" notes from the 2019 GTD Summit into the AI.
• The AI is instructed to treat these as the canonical source; all conflicts defer to these "Rosetta Stone" documents.

“This document defines the system and is a single source of truth. ...if anything conflicts with it, this wins.” —Scott (11:31)

• The system is modular, allowing users to issue specific commands (run daily review, brain dump, etc.) in natural language; users can run reviews for different periods or focus areas as needed.
• This approach works on both Gmail and Outlook and adapts well to most platforms.

5. Device and Platform Independence (15:43–17:19)

• Scott reassures listeners that these AI workflows are operating system and device-agnostic—accessible from web browsers on any OS (Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, Android, etc.).
• He currently uses Apple Notepad for simple cross-device task lists, but suggests integration is possible with more robust tools like OmniFocus.

“I believe the term that you guys have used in the past is it's device agnostic.” —Scott (15:58)

6. Real-World Use: Customization, Queries, and Reliability (17:21–21:16)

• Scott describes scheduling regular reviews, task automation, and customized research alerts (example: receiving summaries on niche topics).
• Listeners learn how to set up recurring queries for any interest area, and connect AI to multiple calendars/emails.
• The system keeps a complete history for reference.

“If you were looking for research on Albanian goat herding... it would go through and find it and then give you a summary plus a web link for it.” —Scott (18:42)

7. Training the AI, Trust, and Final Thoughts (19:35–21:40)

• Scott emphasizes reviewing outputs before trusting the AI to edit core task files—he prefers "trust, but verify."
• Over time, consistency in accurate outputs naturally builds trust, but Scott recommends maintaining a layer of manual oversight.

"I like what I see, but it's like the old cliche that President Reagan said at one point about trust but verify." —Scott (20:36)

• He invites the GTD community to reach out with questions or for further discussion on the Connect platform.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cross-Engine Prompt Refinement:
  "You may want to not just take the first draft, but see it through one or two engines and see how that changes it and if you like the changes." —Scott (07:34)

• On Applying AI in Education:
  "I teach a Sunday school class, and I use AI to generate my lessons." —Scott (04:20)

• On Simplicity vs. Complexity:
  "There’s always 15 things, 15 different ways you can do something on a computer. ...if one makes sense to you and the second one doesn’t, do the first one." —Scott (21:05)

Key Timestamps

• 01:17 — Scott’s background and AI journey
• 02:53 — AI engines overview and platform independence
• 05:47 — Linking AI to calendars and email
• 07:29 — Improving prompts through multiple engines
• 09:32 — Integrating David Allen’s GTD summit notes into AI
• 11:49 — Treating GTD references as canonical (“Rosetta Stone”)
• 15:43 — Device and OS compatibility
• 17:28 — Scheduling automated GTD reviews and queries
• 20:36 — Trust, verification, and building confidence in the process

Summary Takeaways

• The integration of modern AI tools with GTD practices can dramatically streamline workflow management across any device or platform.
• Cross-platform, cross-engine approaches allow users to harness the best attributes of different AI tools.
• Manual oversight remains recommended, but trust in automation grows with consistency.
• Community sharing and collaboration are encouraged to further evolve these hybrid productivity systems.