Rest in Peace Mark Forster

A Message from Mark Forster’s Son

It is with deep sadness that I share the news of my father, Mark Forster’s passing. He died peacefully in his sleep late on Sunday, 12th October 2025, without pain.

For nearly a year, my father had been living with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a condition that arose following two previous battles with cancer. In recent months, MDS affected his memory, making it increasingly difficult for him to manage his website.

Get Everything Done has been a central part of his life since he published his first book over twenty years ago. He took great joy in the community that grew around it and was proud to play even a small role in helping others improve their lives.

On his behalf, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to Get Everything Done - whether through conversation, support, or shared ideas. Your presence meant a great deal to him.

Matthew

Comments

[Chris Davidson]

Very sad to hear; his work has been very impactful and had been returning to review his books once more, to see this sad news. RIP; excellent legacy left in the TM space.

[James Kuijpers]

I am so sorry for your loss. Mark's Auto Focus experiments were very helpful for me to play around with as well. I am sorry to see him go. But at least he touched many lives and put himself out there. His influence will continue to be felt.

Again, my condolences and deepest symptathies.

[Samantha]

My condolences to the family and to all the forumers here who I know will miss Mark very much.
Once I found DIT I felt I had finally arrived.
I couldn't look at any other system
But instead refined and refined and refined
Until it felt and still feels quite perfect for my mind.
His thoughts and insightful comments on so many other areas
However it's his take on decision making which stands out the most to me.
I can't come to the funeral it's so far away
But I will have a copy of his book and a toast to raise

Sincere condolences to all
I am really gutted by this news, to be honest.
s

[Eugenia]

I am just reading this post and am so sad to learn about Mark's passing.
My deepest condolences to you and your family.

I started using Autofocus at its launch, and did the Spanish translation of the instructions, back in 2008 or 2009.
I have followed the blog, tried various of Mark's systems, and read all of his books.
The influence of his ideas in my life has been huge. Autofocus is a work of genius.

Your father was a most kind and generous person, sharing his ideas and thought processes so freely and creating an uncommonly civil online community.

May his memory be a blessing to you all.

Eugenia

[Edward]

My deepest condolences. Mark was an inspiration, and has enriched the lives of many people, including mine.

Anna and Matthew, if you get the chance to keep this site (even in a read only version) running, it would help keeping Mark's legacy alive.

[Tommaso Coniglio]

Dear Matthew, dear Anna,

my deepest condolences for the loss of your father, a wonderful person who truly helped and inspired countless people, including myself, into making the best use of our limited time on earth.

His teachings and experiments got me out of a rut: I was following overly complex and structured systems that instead of helping me get more things done actually stifled productivity and locked me into a cage.

Mark's systems are very practical, dynamic and fun, they respect my natural inclinations and personality style. He was such a great teacher, never putting himself above his "students", which he treated with utmost respect, as his peers.

As a tribute, I decided to share with this wonderful Forum a Notebook LM I created, which contains instructions to his time management systems, with the possibility of diving deep into every system, compare and contrast, and access guided learning through chat. The sources include Mark's own official instructions plus the comments from this forum, which provide precious insights, tips and variations. Some audio overviews are provided, I can add more if of interest.

https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/e9b02b2a-1b55-4750-af9a-35e5798b8124

Again my heartfelt condolences, and may Mark's legacy live on!

Tommaso

[Mark H.]

Tommaso,

I checked out your Notebook LM. Thanks. I have been using ChatGPT to explore Mark Forster's thinking, and it has been helpful to me.

[Rain Perry]

Please accept my condolences. I found his method and his website a joy.

[Bernie]

WITH GRATITUDE,
I fondly remember Mark's gentle, encouraging, and stern missives spurring us on to Get Everything Done!

As this THANKSGIVING approaches, I thought of checking on this web site, where I spent so much time in the 2010s and enjoyed the company of this crackling community fueled by Mark's brilliant creations and our team spirit of productivity. I still use many of Mark's techniques today--and still continue to tweak them. I am sad for all of us who are now missing him, but I know that Mark had a voyager's spirit and was well prepared to depart on his latest journey.

THANK YOU to Mark's ancestors and family for bringing him to this world to share his genius with us.

TO MARK, may your list be always fresh and your Question effortless.