For years, productivity experts have turned to the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology as a way to bring order to the chaos. Created by David Allen in the early 2000s, it helps individuals capture their commitments, organize them into trusted systems, and focus on the next right action without mental clutter. GTD became popular because it provides structure and relief in a world of constant demands, and while it was designed primarily for individuals, its principles of clarity, organization, and focus have inspired countless approaches to work and collaboration.
But of course, our modern workplace issues are far bigger than any one person’s to-do list. Teams don’t just need to manage tasks, they need to manage campaigns, communication, approvals, deadlines, all while keeping all of it aligned with top-level strategic goals.
To champion GTD, and ensure that tasks are manageable for a collaborative messaging ecosystem, that’s where Facelift Orchestrate comes in!
From Personal Tasks to Team Collaboration
GTD was designed to help one person keep their commitments straight. Orchestrate was designed to help many people move in sync.
Think of it this way:
This shift from me to we is where productivity becomes orchestrated.
The GTD Steps, Expanded for Teams
If you look at GTD’s five steps, you’ll see how naturally they extend into the Orchestrate environment, with collaboration baked right in at every level.
1. Capture — Bring It All Together
In GTD, you capture ideas so they don’t slip away.
With Orchestrate, you capture tasks, campaign ideas, content drafts, and approvals into a single shared workspace. No more chasing information across five tools or endless email chains.
2. Clarify — From “What’s Next?” to “Why Are We Even Doing This?”
GTD asks if something is actionable.
Orchestrate goes pushes for every task, story, or campaign being tied directly to strategic objectives and campaigns. This way, teams know why they’re taking action on a given project, rather than just doing it because someone put it on an editorial calendar.
3. Organize — Structure for Teams, Not Just Individuals
GTD gives individuals lists and contexts.
Orchestrate gives overviews, frames, storyboards, and strategy canvases that allow easy task assignment within a broader campaign. Campaigns can be broken into tasks, assigned across departments, and tracked without losing sight of the bigger picture. They can also be structured upwards to “pinnacle” elements of your company’s communication hierarchy, such as vision, mission, and purpose.
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4. Reflect — Stay in Sync, Not Just Up to Date
GTD relies on the weekly review.
Orchestrate provides persistent, real-time alignment. Shared dashboards let teams instantly see progress, bottlenecks, and priorities. Reflection is a collective practice of staying on the same page.
5. Engage — Get Things Done, Together
GTD ends with following through on the next action.
Orchestrate ensures execution is connected and frictionless. Whether it’s publishing a campaign, approving content, or completing a task, collaboration happens right where the work is planned without silos or delays.
Collaboration at the Core
The real power of Orchestrate lies in how it makes collaboration feel effortless.
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Shared clarity: Everyone sees how their tasks connect to strategy.
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Smooth workflows: Approvals, edits, and updates happen in one place.
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Cross-team orchestration: Marketing, comms, sales, support, HR, and leadership finally move in sync instead of working in silos and creating unnecessary content chaos.
In short: Orchestrate, allows organizations to work together, rather than just individually.
Getting Things Done, the Orchestrated Way
When GTD was introduced, it helped individuals reclaim control of their commitments. Orchestrate is launching to help organizations reclaim control of their communication and execution.
We want to take the promises of Getting Things Done; clarity, organization, and progress, and scale them up for teams, campaigns, and communication strategies. We don’t believe that success is measured solely in the number of tasks completed, but rather measured by getting the right things done, together.
