In Getting Things Done, every next action gets a context. It describes what you need to do the task: a place, a tool or a particular person. When you filter your list by the context you're in, you only see what's possible right now.
Setting them up still raises questions quickly. Which contexts do you need? How many is too many? And where do tasks go that you can do anywhere?
What contexts are for
David Allen described GTD in 2001. Back then, the phone, the computer and the office were separate places. Today a phone can do almost everything, and some people consider contexts outdated as a result. The question behind them is still useful, though: can I do this here and now?
On a train platform, "Write the proposal for Krause Ltd" doesn't help you much, even if it's the most important task of the week. "Call the dentist to book a check-up" takes three minutes. So a context is a condition, and the list shows you which tasks you can actually do under the conditions you're in.
The classic contexts, with examples
Many people get a long way with these five:
| Context | What you need | Example tasks |
|---|---|---|
@phone | your phone and a few quiet minutes | Call the dentist to book a check-up; call the insurer back about the claim number |
@computer | a computer with a keyboard | Upload the tax receipts to the online portal; write the proposal for Krause Ltd |
@errands | you're in town or on the way home | Buy a 28-inch bike inner tube; pick up the parcel from the post office |
@office | your workplace, with its files and colleagues | Get the contract from the archive; order toner for the printer |
@home | your flat and what's in it | Take down the hallway lamps; bring the winter coats up from the cellar |
The line between @phone and @computer has blurred now that phones handle email and forms. Many people still split them by how much calm a task needs. @phone holds what you can do standing up. A long email to the letting agent goes under @computer, even though you could type it on your phone in theory.
People as contexts
For people you talk to often, a context of their own is worth it, such as @boss, @jonas or @landlord. Under it you collect everything you want to raise next time you speak. GTD calls these lists agendas. When Jonas walks in, you filter to @jonas and have the three questions in front of you that piled up over the week.
Keep this apart from "Waiting for". @jonas holds what you want to discuss with Jonas. "Waiting" holds what Jonas still owes you.
Person contexts are only worth it for the few people you see regularly. For everyone else, a task like "Call Ms Berger about the service charges" under @phone is enough.
Contexts by energy and time
Some people add contexts that have nothing to do with place. @focus stands for work that needs an uninterrupted hour, @tired for what you can still manage in the evening, like filing receipts or renewing library books.
This helps most when you sit at the same desk all day and place-based contexts barely separate anything. It does take effort, though: you have to guess in advance how much energy each task needs, and the guess is often wrong. Allen himself treats available time and energy as separate questions you ask when choosing what to do. Try these contexts if your place-based ones no longer sort anything. If you notice you only maintain them and never filter by them, drop them again.
How many contexts do you need?
Most people manage with four to seven. A simple test: would you really filter by this context in everyday life? @car sounds sensible, but if you never look at a list while driving, it's a drawer that only creates work.
You can spot too many contexts by these signs:
- When capturing, you spend longer choosing a context than the task itself takes.
- Some contexts have been empty for weeks.
- You never filter and read the whole list every time.
You have too few when one context holds 40 tasks and you still have to search for a while despite the filter. Then split it, for example @computer into @computer for small stuff and @focus for the long pieces.
Tasks you can do anywhere simply get no context. Keep in mind that they disappear from the list as soon as you filter by a context. If you don't want that, create a context like @anywhere and always include it in the filter.
Example sets to adopt
| Situation | Contexts |
|---|---|
| Office job | @office, @computer, @phone, @errands, @home, @boss |
| Working from home | @computer, @focus, @phone, @home, @errands |
| Self-employed | @computer, @focus, @phone, @errands, @accountant |
| Studying | @campus, @library, @computer, @errands, @home |
| Family and household | @home, @shopping, @phone, @nursery, @partner |
Take one set as a starting point and adjust it after two or three weeks. The weekly review is where you'll most quickly see which contexts stay empty and which one overflows.
Contexts in TidyPepple
TidyPepple creates five contexts on first launch: @home, @office, @phone, @errands and @computer. In the settings you rename them or add your own. The order you set there also applies in the list and on the board.
When capturing, you set a context with @, for example "Call the dentist @phone". If the context doesn't exist yet, TidyPepple creates it. A task can have several contexts, say @phone @office for a call you can make from either place. Tasks with a context count as clarified and go straight to Next, without passing through the inbox. All shortcuts are listed on the features page.
In the Next list you pick one or more contexts at the top under "Contexts". You then only see tasks with one of them, and "Show all contexts" clears the filter.
In the browser on a computer you can split the board into columns by context. Each context gets a column, and tasks without one go under "No context". During the review this shows you quickly where tasks are piling up.
TidyPepple is free, needs no account and runs in the browser or as an Android app. Set up five contexts, spread your next actions across them and filter deliberately for a week before you change anything.