Ep. 331: Exploration of GTD for Educators

14 snips

Oct 8, 2025

Guest

David Drake

Guest

Erik Johnson

Join Erik Johnson, a dedicated high school social studies teacher from Chicago, and David Drake, a microbiology professor at the University of Iowa, as they explore their unique applications of the GTD methodology in education. They share how GTD helps manage classroom chaos and academic pressures. Topics include maintaining focus in shared spaces, using agenda lists for mentoring, and effectively handling classroom surprises. Discover their strategies for prioritizing tasks and making productive use of unexpected downtimes!

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ANECDOTE

GTD Saved Two Educators' Sanity

Erik Johnson is a high-school social studies teacher in a 3,000-student Chicago school and says GTD saved him from burnout in year five.
David Drake is a research professor who credits long-term GTD practice with preserving his sanity.

INSIGHT

Distinct Educator Focus Areas

Educators have unique areas of focus like mentoring, grant writing, and departmental service that differ from many professions.
Labeling these distinct areas helps capture projects and responsibilities clearly.

ADVICE

Make Each Course A Project

Treat each course as a project rather than creating tiny project entries for every lesson.
Avoid excessive sub-projects unless a course activity truly needs multi-step tracking.

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Join us for a discussion of how two educators apply the GTD methodology. Erik Johnson teaches high school in Chicago, and David Drake is a professor of microbiology at the University of Iowa. They both have a passion for teaching, and have adapted GTD make their busy profession easier to manage.

You can listen to the entire conversation from August 2019 at GTD Connect®.

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