Focus GTD: A Free, Open-Source App for Getting Things Done
What is GTD?
Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity methodology created by David Allen. The core idea is simple: your brain is for having ideas, not holding them. By capturing everything that has your attention into a trusted system, you free your mind to focus on the task at hand.
GTD consists of five key steps:
- Capture - Collect everything that has your attention into an inbox
- Clarify - Process each item: Is it actionable? What’s the next action?
- Organize - Put items where they belong (projects, contexts, calendar, reference)
- Reflect - Review your system regularly (Weekly Review)
- Engage - Do the work with confidence
Why GTD Works
Unlike simple todo lists, GTD addresses the psychological burden of “open loops” - all those things you’ve committed to but haven’t organized. When you trust your system, you can:
- Reduce stress - Nothing falls through the cracks
- Focus better - Your mind isn’t trying to remember everything
- Make better decisions - Clear context about what you could be doing
- Stay on top of projects - Track next actions, not just outcomes
- Do meaningful Weekly Reviews - Regularly recalibrate priorities
The Problem: No Free, Open-Source GTD Apps
While there are many GTD apps available (OmniFocus, Things 3, Todoist), they share common limitations:
- Expensive subscriptions or one-time purchases
- Closed source - No way to customize or extend
- Vendor lock-in - Your data is trapped in their ecosystem
- Not truly GTD - Most are just fancy todo lists
I wanted an app that:
- Implements real GTD workflows (inbox processing, contexts, Weekly Review)
- Is completely free and open-source
- Stores data locally (with optional sync via Dropbox/Syncthing)
- Works on both desktop and mobile
So I built one.
Introducing Focus GTD
Focus GTD is a free, open-source productivity app that implements the GTD methodology. It features:
Core GTD Features
- Inbox Processing - Guided workflow with the 2-minute rule
- Context Filtering - Filter tasks by @home, @work, @errands, @phone, etc.
- Projects View - Multi-step outcomes with next action tracking
- Waiting For - Track delegated items
- Someday/Maybe - Defer ideas without losing them
- Weekly Review - Guided review process
User Experience
- Desktop App (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Mobile App (Android, iOS coming soon)
- Dark Mode - Full dark theme support
- Swipe Actions - Quick task management gestures
- Local-First - Data stored on your device
- Optional Sync - Via Dropbox, Syncthing, or any sync folder
The “Vibe Coding” Story
I’ll be honest: much of this app was vibe coded. I had the vision, I knew what GTD should feel like, and I built it iteratively - feature by feature, fixing bugs as they appeared, refactoring when things got messy.
The tech stack:
- Monorepo with shared core logic
- Desktop: Tauri v2 (Rust) + React + Vite + Tailwind
- Mobile: Expo + React Native + NativeWind
- State: Zustand (shared between platforms)
It’s not perfect, but it works. And because it’s open source, it can get better.
Screenshots
Desktop app - Inbox view
| Weekly Review | Board View | Settings |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
Get Focus GTD
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/dongdongbh/Focus-GTD
Downloads:
- Linux: Available on AUR (
yay -S focus-gtd-bin) or download AppImage/deb - macOS/Windows: Download from Releases
- Android: Download APK from Releases
- iOS: Coming soon via TestFlight
Contributing
Focus GTD is open source under the MIT license. Contributions are welcome:
- Report bugs and suggest features via GitHub Issues
- Submit pull requests for improvements
- Star the repo if you find it useful!
If you’re looking for a free, open-source GTD app that respects your data and your privacy, give Focus GTD a try.
Comments