Because I am a rule-obeying control freak who's obsessed to do things by the book, I'm wondering about this. I read the book and am preparing to implement this system, but one thing I'm not clear about is how to handle projects.

The book says that the "Projects" list is a reminder for my open loops - OK.
The book says that next actions for projects don't go on the "Projects" list, but on the various action lists - "Calls", "At work" etc - OK.
It makes sense - it keeps the "Projects" list uncluttered and just a list of projects, nothing more.

But - if my project to "Fix car windows" starts with "Call Earl re that mechanic he recommended", which goes on the "Calls" list, when I have called Earl, how do I know it's related to the "Fix car windows" project (which now needs a new next action)? If it were just a handful of projects I could probably keep it in my head, but that approach seems counter to what GTD is about.

I guess I could just put some kind of indicator next to "Call Earl about...", like "Car windows: Call Earl...", but first I'd like to know how this should be handled according to the book. I haven't managed to figure it out yet.

I have a feeling I'll have a hard time tweaking GTD to fit me if I'm going to be like this all the time... Oh well ;)