This is not a big point in the book, but this was a major turn in how I track my to do items. I used to start my day with copying all the things I didn’t finish the day before and make a fresh to do list. It made me feel good, because it felt I already accomplished something without doing real work.

One important aspect of Getting Things Done is that the process is never the goal, even though process can make you feel good. The goal is to provide a structure which allows you to be more creative and have a sense of clarity and control, without getting in your way.

“Rituals” like starting your day by writing down the most important tasks you want to complete can be helpful, but taking a bite out of your morning just for copying over a list of tasks is not. Beware of processes that make you feel good without actually returning you any value.