---
title: How to Set Up GTD in Toodledo in 60 Minutes
description: "A step-by-step Toodledo setup for GTD®: one field map for statuses, folders, contexts and tags, plus saved searches and the Hotlist. Free playbook inside."
---

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# How to Set Up GTD in Toodledo in 60 Minutes

[Toodledo](https://blog.toodledo.com/author/toodledo)

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The most important setup decision in any GTD® system is this: give every field one job, and never let two fields do the same job. Most messy task lists come from using folders, tags and contexts interchangeably until nobody knows where anything lives.

This is the 60-minute setup from Chapter 3 of [The Calm Firm](https://info.toodledo.com/calm-firm-gtd-playbook?utm_source=toodledo-blog&utm_medium=content&utm_campaign=calm-firm-guide), our free playbook for professional service teams. Use it as-is for 30 days before adjusting.

## The field map

- **Status:** where the item is in the workflow (None, Next Action, Planning, Delegated, Waiting, Hold, Someday, Reference).
- **Folder:** which project or client it belongs to.
- **Context:** what you need to do it (@Computer, @Calls, @Office, @Errands, @Agenda, @Anywhere).
- **Tag:** clients, people and areas.
- **Goal:** the bigger outcome the work supports.
- **Due date:** real deadlines only. **Start date:** when an item should reappear.
- **Star:** today's three to seven commitments.

You don't need custom fields. Status, folders, contexts and tags cover everything GTD requires.

## Step 1: Turn on the right fields (5 minutes)

In settings, turn on Folder, Context, Tag, Status, Goal, Star, Priority, Start Date, Due Date, Length and Note. Turn off what you won't use. Fewer visible fields means faster capture.

## Step 2: Learn the status ladder (10 minutes)

Status is the backbone of GTD in Toodledo. **None** is your inbox. **Next Action** is the very next physical step. **Planning** marks a project outcome. **Delegated** means a colleague owns it; **Waiting** means someone outside the firm does. **Hold** is a later project step that can't start yet. **Someday** is not committed; **Reference** is information, not action.

## Step 3: Create six contexts (5 minutes)

@Computer, @Calls, @Office, @Errands, @Agenda and @Anywhere. Most firms never need more.

## Step 4: Create project folders (15 minutes)

One folder per active project, plus **Single actions**. Name folders as outcomes. Inside each, add one task stating the outcome with status Planning. Above about 40 projects, switch to one folder per client.

## Step 5: Set up the Hotlist (5 minutes)

Set it to show starred tasks, tasks due within 2 days, and Top priority. These conditions add up, so keep them tight. Tasks with a future start date stay hidden until they matter.

## Step 6: Create five saved searches (15 minutes)

On Standard and above: **Inbox** (status None), **Next actions** (Next Action, grouped by context), **Waiting for** (Delegated or Waiting), **Projects** (Planning) and **Someday**.

## Step 7: Set your defaults (5 minutes)

Default new tasks to status None and no folder, so anything added quickly lands in your Inbox search.

**Next:** the full saved-search recipes, the Weekly Review checklist and team conventions are in the free playbook. [Download The Calm Firm →](https://info.toodledo.com/calm-firm-gtd-playbook?utm_source=toodledo-blog&utm_medium=content&utm_campaign=calm-firm-guide)

Related: [How to run GTD across your whole firm](https://blog.toodledo.com/how-to-run-gtd-across-your-whole-firm-not-just-your-own-inbox)

*GTD® and Getting Things Done® are registered trademarks of the David Allen Company. Toodledo is not affiliated with the David Allen Company.*

### Leave a Comment

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