How I Use OneNote for GTD (And Why I Ditched Omnifocus)

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  • 19 Apr, 2025

Overview

Looking to implement Getting Things Done (GTD) using OneNote? You’re in the right place. In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how I set up my GTD workflow inside OneNote—from project lists and next actions to mobile capture and automation with Zapier.

After years of using Omnifocus, I made the switch to OneNote to create a more flexible, cross-platform system that works across my Android, Mac, and iPad. OneNote’s structure of notebooks, sections, and pages lends itself surprisingly well to the GTD method.

This isn’t the only way to do it—customize the system to fit your own style (and feel free to share your twist in the comments!).

If you’ve read the book and want a quick reference, check out my Getting Things Done Study Guide and Notes. And for complementary productivity techniques, my summary of Eat That Frog offers excellent anti-procrastination strategies.

I’m also including a template you can use to follow along. Copy the template, then select the menu and choose Copy to as shown below.

🧠 Setting Up OneNote for GTD

OneNote organizes content in Notebooks, Sections and Pages. My basic setup consists of the following.

  • A single Notebook labeled GTD
  • Multiple Sections as follows
    • Collection
    • Project List
    • Next Actions
    • Someday or Maybe
    • Checklists

Each of those has one or more pages within each section. I’ll talk about each of these in turn.

A note about OneNote. Hyperlinks are your friend. I link individual project pages to my Project list. I also link out to Dropbox folders for things I have stored digitally. It saves a few seconds every time I need those items.

📥 Collecting Tasks: Your GTD Inbox

The Collection section consists of a single page labeled Inbox. When I’m in a flow state and an idea pops in my head I can quickly get it into my Inbox using a number of methods.

Getting Stuff into the Inbox

I wanted a way to get things into a single inbox in no matter where I am or what I’m doing. What I settled on is building out some workflows using the service Zapier and the OneNote API. Zapier connects applications to each other via their application programming interfaces (APIs). With Zapier and the OneNote API I could easily append items on a page. It’s the glue that makes my collection process easy. I’ll show you each of the workflows I’m using below.

✉️ Capturing via Email with Zapier

Getting stuff into my inbox via Email is handled using the “New inbound Email” trigger and the “One Note” action within Zapier. It’s setup as follows.

  1. Create a new Zap
  2. Set the Trigger to “New inbound Email”

This will create a unique email address that you can use to send content into Zapier. Now, connect it to OneNote

  1. Add a OneNote action to Zapier
  2. Select the “Append Note” action, it might be listed under “less common options”
  3. Give Zapier permission to access your OneNote account
  4. Setup the template that maps the email content to OneNote
    1. Set the note book to the name of your GTD notebook
    2. Set the Section to “Collection”
    3. Set the Page/Note to “Inbox”
    4. Set the Content Type to Text
    5. Set the Content to the email subject line. I actually append the text “Handle email” before the subject so it shows up in the Inbox in a nicer form.

I then add the Zapier email address to my address book so it’s available everywhere. When I receive an email that I need to take action on I just forward it to my inbox. I can then process it during my review.

Struggling with email overload? Check out my summary of A World Without Email to learn how the “hyperactive hive mind” workflow impacts productivity.

🗂️ Using Trello + Zapier for Voice Capture

I want to be able to use the “Take a note” function on my Android to append a note to my inbox. Unfortunately, while OneNote supports “Take a note” it can only create a new page. This isn’t exactly what I want to do. Instead, I rely on using Trello as an intermediary with Zapier. I have a Zap setup that will Append a Trello card to my Inbox whenever a new card is created on a board. It’s pretty hacky but it works. You can follow a process similar to the one above but replace the New Inbound Email trigger with a New Card in Trello trigger.

⌨️ Capturing Tasks with Alfred on Mac

Alfred is a killer productivity app that lets you work more efficiently by giving you the ability to control actions on your Mac with the keyboard. One great feature is the ability to trigger automated workflows. This feature allows me to quickly capture ideas into my trusted system without interrupting my flow. To get this to work, I use the Zapier for Alfred workflow developed by the gang at Zapier. You can follow the instructions on that link to learn how to get it running. Once it’s running you can add things into your system by tapping a key and typing

onenote This is an item for my inbox

It’s a game changer for me because it keeps me out of the rabbit hole I often fall into when I break flow and enter another application.

📂 Managing Projects with Linked Pages

David Allen defines projects “as any desired result that can be accomplished within a year that requires more than one action step.” Those projects should go on a project list. Within OneNote I have a section labeled “Project List.” This section has a number of pages. At the top, is a page titled Projects. This page lists all of the projects that have multiple next actions. Then, I have a series of pages for projects that contain my project support material. Each of those is hyperlinked into the main project list. Not every project in my Projects List needs a project support page but for the more complicated projects it’s handy to have everything linked up in one place. A Project Support page uses the following template: Page Title is the Project Name, I use the same name that appears in the Project List Then I have the following sections

  • Purpose / Principals
  • Outcome
  • Brainstorming - where I keep notes
  • Next Actions - where I keep a running list of next actions, this is helpful if I think of a bunch of tasks during brainstorming
  • Notes - a place to keep miscellaneous notes related to the project

✅ Next Actions by Context (My Categories)

This sections consists of a series of pages for each of the Categories or Contexts that I care about. Here’s my list but feel free to create your own.

  • Computer
  • Read
  • Email
  • Errands
  • Calls
  • Home
  • Waiting For
  • Thinking

🌱 Someday / Maybe List Organization

I keep my Someday Maybe list in its own section. I do this in case I want to keep more than one page for Someday / Maybes.

In my setup, I have separate lists for movies, books to read, trips to take, music to purchase, home projects, work projects.

📋 GTD Checklists to Stay on Track

Finally, I have a set of checklists that I use to help keep me on task. I’ve always loved using checklists. If you haven’t read the Checklist Manifesto, I recommend checking it out. Here’s my current set of checklists

  • Morning Review
  • Weekly Review
  • Monthly Review
  • Mental Sweep Checklist

🔁 Morning Review Checklist

I like to keep my system in check so every morning, I do the following:

  1. Process my email inbox
  2. Review my calendar
  3. Review my GTD inbox
  4. Review my Next Actions
  5. Review my Projects List
  6. Review my tickler file

Doing this everyday gets me ready for the day and makes my weekly review easier.

🧹 Weekly Review Routine (Getting Clear)

My weekly review checklist is an expanded version of the Morning Review. I basically follow the process outlined in the book to get Clear, Current and Creative. The only variation is the things I check when I’m “getting clear.” I’ve described that below.

🧠 Brain Dump: The Mental Sweep

  • I’ll look around my office for any loose paper or things that don’t belong and stick them into my inbox.
  • I then follow the mental sweep list to get a bunch of things out of my head. I don’t like to do this at the computer because I tend to get distracted. Instead, I’ll grab my iPad and jot things using the Notes app.
  • I then go through my various inboxes and process them.
    • I’ll check my various email accounts, and process them.
    • I’ll check my physical inbox and clear that out
    • I’ll check my OneNote inbox and move things to projects and next actions
    • I’ll clean out my Mac Downloads folder
    • I’ll also clean out a special folder on Dropbox called 1Scans. This folder contains content I’ve scanned in but haven’t filed in my digital system yet.

📱 Using GTD on the Go with OneNote Mobile

I’ve mentioned that I use Zapier to get my stuff into my system. How do I deal with handling things while I’m on the go? I’m using a Google Pixel phone and the OneNote application. OneNote for Android lets me create shortcuts to specific pages right on my home screen. I’ve created a link to my Errands page so I can easily check it whenever I’m out. There’s also a link to my Inbox which gives me another way to get things into my system.

🎁 Your Turn: Try It for Yourself

Are you interested in using OneNote for implementing GTD? If so, you can download my GTD Template.

If you want a deep dive into how to setup your own productivity flow, reach out to me.

If you enjoyed this guide, you might find these other productivity resources helpful:

  • Getting Things Done Book Summary - A comprehensive study guide for David Allen’s GTD methodology
  • A World Without Email - Learn how email impacts productivity and alternatives to the “hyperactive hive mind” workflow
  • Eat That Frog - Powerful anti-procrastination techniques to tackle your most important tasks
  • The Loop - How to close the feedback loop between ideas and execution

What productivity tools and systems have worked for you? Share your experiences in the comments!

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