Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity ; by. David Allen ; Time-Management This is the best Self-Help Productivity book ever written. Well, I ... Goodreadshelpsyoukeeptrackofbooksyouwanttoread. Startbymarking“GettingThingsDone:TheArtofStress-FreeProductivity”asWanttoRead: WanttoRead saving… WanttoRead CurrentlyReading Read Othereditions Enlargecover WanttoRead saving… Errorratingbook.Refreshandtryagain. Ratethisbook Clearrating 1of5stars2of5stars3of5stars4of5stars5of5stars OpenPreview SeeaProblem? We’dloveyourhelp. Letusknowwhat’swrongwiththispreviewof GettingThingsDonebyDavidAllen. Problem: It’sthewrongbook It’sthewrongedition Other Details(ifother):   Cancel Thanksfortellingusabouttheproblem. ReturntoBookPage Notthebookyou’relookingfor? Preview—GettingThingsDone byDavidAllen GettingThingsDone:TheArtofStress-FreeProductivity by DavidAllen 3.98  ·  Ratingdetails ·  146,579 ratings  ·  5,691 reviews Intoday'sworld,yesterday'smethodsjustdon'twork.InGettingThingsDone,veterancoachandmanagementconsultantDavidAllensharesthebreakthroughmethodsforstress-freeperformancethathehasintroducedtotensofthousandsofpeopleacrossthecountry.Allen'spremiseissimple:ourproductivityisdirectlyproportionaltoourabilitytorelax.Onlywhenourmi Intoday'sworld,yesterday'smethodsjustdon'twork.InGettingThingsDone,veterancoachandmanagementconsultantDavidAllensharesthebreakthroughmethodsforstress-freeperformancethathehasintroducedtotensofthousandsofpeopleacrossthecountry.Allen'spremiseissimple:ourproductivityisdirectlyproportionaltoourabilitytorelax.Onlywhenourmindsareclearandourthoughtsareorganizedcanweachieveeffectiveproductivityandunleashourcreativepotential.InGettingThingsDoneAllenshowshowto:*Applythe"doit,delegateit,deferit,dropit"ruletogetyourin-boxtoempty*Reassessgoalsandstayfocusedinchangingsituations*Planprojectsaswellasgetthemunstuck*Overcomefeelingsofconfusion,anxiety,andbeingoverwhelmed*Feelfineaboutwhatyou'renotdoingFromcoreprinciplestoproventricks,GettingThingsDonecantransformthewayyouwork,showingyouhowtopickupthepacewithoutwearingyourselfdown. ...more GetACopy AmazonStores ▾AudibleBarnes&NobleWalmarteBooksAppleBooksGooglePlayAbebooksBookDepositoryAlibrisIndigoBetterWorldBooksIndieBoundThriftbooksLibraries Paperback,267pages Published December31st2002 byPenguinGroup (firstpublished2001) MoreDetails... OriginalTitle GettingThingsDone:HowToAchieveStress-freeProductivity ISBN 0142000280 (ISBN13:9780142000281) EditionLanguage English OtherEditions(162) AllEditions | AddaNewEdition | Combine ...LessDetail EditDetails FriendReviews Toseewhatyourfriendsthoughtofthisbook, pleasesignup. ReaderQ&A Toaskotherreadersquestionsabout GettingThingsDone, pleasesignup. PopularAnsweredQuestions Doesthebookuseaprosestyleofwriting?orDoesitintroducespecificprocedurestogetthingsdone?whatIamlookingforistoabookthatgivesmepracticalmethodsandprogramstoimplementthingsandmanagemydailyduties. 6likes · like 7yearsago Seeall7answers BrooksRocco Here'sagoodsummationofthemethod:https://hamberg.no/gtd/…moreHere'sagoodsummationofthemethod:https://hamberg.no/gtd/(less) flag Doesthisbookhaveanygraphicsorcharts?I'mwonderingwhetherIneedtobuythebookorcanIgetawaywithlisteningtoanaudiobook?Thanks like oneyearago Seeall3answers Oliver Thisbookhad2graphicsIfoundhelpful.BotharepostedontheGTDwebsitesoIthinkaudiobookisfine.Linksbelowtoequivalentdiagrams:GTDWork…moreThisbookhad2graphicsIfoundhelpful.BotharepostedontheGTDwebsitesoIthinkaudiobookisfine.Linksbelowtoequivalentdiagrams:GTDWorkflow:https://gettingthingsdone.com/wp-cont...Tickerfile:https://gettingthingsdone.com/wp-cont...(less) flag Seeall4questionsaboutGettingThingsDone… ListswithThisBook BestBusinessBooks 883books — 1,635voters MotivationalandSelf-ImprovementBooks 2,331books — 2,802voters Morelistswiththisbook... CommunityReviews Showing1-30 Averagerating 3.98  ·  Ratingdetails  ·  146,579 ratings  ·  5,691 reviews AllLanguagesBahasaIndonesia‎(5) Dansk‎(2) Deutsch‎(18) Eesti‎(2) English‎(5188) Español‎(76) Français‎(5) Italiano‎(21) Latviešuvaloda‎(1) Magyar‎(2) Nederlands‎(42) Norsk‎(2) Polski‎(17) Português‎(44) Pусскийязык‎(39) Română‎(1) Slovenčina‎(4) Slovenščina‎(1) Svenska‎(10) TiếngViệt‎(7) Türkçe‎(7) česky,čeština‎(13) Ελληνικά‎(2) българскиезик‎(2) українська‎(6) Հայերեն‎(1) עברית‎(1) العربية‎(13) فارسی‎(6) ไทย‎(1) 中文‎(3) 日本語‎(1) 한국어‎(1) Morefilters  |  Sortorder StartyourreviewofGettingThingsDone:TheArtofStress-FreeProductivityWriteareview Mar20,2008 Hannah ratedit itwasok RecommendedtoHannahby: professorfromLeadingandManagingOrganizationsclass Ilikereadingaboutorganizingmylifeandbeingmoreproductive,butIthinkthemajorlessonsofthisbookcouldhavebeencondensedinapageortwo.HerearethethingsIremember:-2minuterule:ifyouremembertodosomethingandittakesyoulessthantwominutestodoit,justgoaheadanddoit-writethingsdowninlistssothattheydon'tfloataroundyourheadandnagatyouallofthetime-checkyourlistsfrequentlyandoften,actuallydoingthethingsonthelist(ordelegating Ilikereadingaboutorganizingmylifeandbeingmoreproductive,butIthinkthemajorlessonsofthisbookcouldhavebeencondensedinapageortwo.HerearethethingsIremember:-2minuterule:ifyouremembertodosomethingandittakesyoulessthantwominutestodoit,justgoaheadanddoit-writethingsdowninlistssothattheydon'tfloataroundyourheadandnagatyouallofthetime-checkyourlistsfrequentlyandoften,actuallydoingthethingsonthelist(ordelegatingthem,orarchivingtheinfo),otherwiseyouwilllosefaithinthesystemanditwillneverwork-getafilingcabinet,label-maker,andshredder;createasimplefilingsystemanduseyourfilingsystemoften-"ticklersystem"isaseriesoffilesforeachdayoftheyear.Youfilestuffawaytoberemindedor"tickled"onthatspecificday(i.e.magazinesubscriptionrenewal,buyingticketstoaplay,etc) ...more flag 427likes · Like  · seereview Viewall31comments SergiyGrytsenko Thesearethemostimportantthingsofthisbook,butallofthebooksarelikethis.ImeanifyouwanttoknowthingsthatHannahknows,butthinks Thesearethemostimportantthingsofthisbook,butallofthebooksarelikethis.ImeanifyouwanttoknowthingsthatHannahknows,butthinksaren’timportant,thenreadthebook.Hannahiswrong.Thebookisawesomeandveryhelpful. ...more Dec19,202107:03AM · flag AnthonyPiazza Theseareallopinions.Nobodyisrightorwrong.Exceptanyonesayingthisbookisgood.LikeSergiy,yourwrongorJonathanalsowrong.Igothalfw Theseareallopinions.Nobodyisrightorwrong.Exceptanyonesayingthisbookisgood.LikeSergiy,yourwrongorJonathanalsowrong.Igothalfwaythroughbeforedoingmyselfafavorandthrowingthisbookinthetrashcan.Ididn’twantthispieceofgarbagesittingonmyshelf. ...more Jan11,202211:18AM · flag Aug15,2008 Jamie ratedit reallylikedit Ironically,lookingintotheGTD(GettingThingsDone)systemhasbeenbouncingaroundinthebackofmyheadassomethingtodoforquitesometimenow.Thisapproachtomaximizingproductivityispopularamongthenerdegalian,probablybecauseofitsminimumbullshitapproachtoactuallyprocessing,classifying,andexecutingwhattheauthorDavidAllencalls"stufftodo."ThisbookdiscussestheGTDsysteminitsentiretyand,moreimportantly,teachesyouhowtoputitinplace.WhatIreal Ironically,lookingintotheGTD(GettingThingsDone)systemhasbeenbouncingaroundinthebackofmyheadassomethingtodoforquitesometimenow.Thisapproachtomaximizingproductivityispopularamongthenerdegalian,probablybecauseofitsminimumbullshitapproachtoactuallyprocessing,classifying,andexecutingwhattheauthorDavidAllencalls"stufftodo."ThisbookdiscussestheGTDsysteminitsentiretyand,moreimportantly,teachesyouhowtoputitinplace.WhatIreallylikedaboutAllen'sworkisthatit'sverystraightforwardandfocusedonimplementation.Itseemslikeotherself-helpbooksinthisveinthatI'veperusedareallaboutinspiration,definingvalues,motivatingyourself,gettingintouchwithyourinnerbeingandlettingloosethefullpotentialofyou.TothoseauthorsI'dliketosaythefollowing:No.Stopit.Idon'tneednorwantthat,soyoucancramitwithwalnuts,buddy.GTD,incomparison,isprescriptive.Allengetstouchy-feelinginafewplaces(suchasdiscussingprioritizationorprojectdefinition)butthevastmajorityofthebooktakesaverypracticalapproachtodiggingyourselfoutofwhatevermountainofcommitmentsyou'vegottenyourselfunderandhowtostayontopofitonceyougetthere.Inshort,GTDfocusesongetting"stuff"--commitments,todoitems,reminderstogatherinformation,requestsforinformationoractions,etc.--outofyourshort-termmemoryandintoaphysical,highlyorganizedsystemthatwillremindyouoftherightstuffattherighttime.Dumpingeverythingoutofyourshort-termmemoryallowsyoutodosomethingthat'sverycriticaltoproductivity:focusononethingatatime.Ifyou'reconfidentthatyourothercommitmentsorto-dosaresafelystoredawaysomewhereandwillnotbelostorburiedoutofsight,youcandevoteallyourattention,time,andmentalenergytoonethingbeforeknockingitoutandmovingontothenext.Iliketothinkofthesystemasanartificial,external,andinfinitelyscalableattentionspanthatyoucanconnecttoanddisconnectfromasneeded.That'sallwellandgood,butit'sprobablynotbeyondthekenofyouraverageretardedmonkey.Thetough(andinsomeplacesnonintuitive)partistheimplementation.Again,there'stonsmoredetail,tricks,andtipsinthebook,butI'lltrytocapturethegistofit.TherearefourmajorpartstotheGTDsystem:1.Collectingincomingstuff2.Processingthestuff3.Doingthestuff4.RegularlyreviewingyoursystemtomakesureyouractionitemsandprojectlistsareuptodateCollectingstuffiseasy.That'sjustlettingstuffaccumulateinyourphysicalorvirtualreceptacleslikeinboxes,voicemail,ore-mail.Processingstuffismoreinvolved.Itrequiressittingdownwithyourinboxesandemptyingthem.Thatdoesn'tmeanimmediatelydoingtheworkassociatedwitheachpieceofstuffasyoupickitup--prioritizationisimportant.Itmeanstakingapieceofstuff--ane-mail,adocument,avoicemail--anddoingsomethingwithit:actonitrightthen,fileit,trashit,delegateit,orcreatewhatAllencallsa"NextAction"itemassociatedwithit.Again,thebookisrepletewithpracticaltips,hacks,tools,andrulesofthumbfordecidingwhichofthesethingstodoandhowtokeepitallstraight.Thereinliessomeofthebook'sbestvalue,butit'stoodetailedtogointohere.Doingthestuffisselfexplanatory,butagainI'llemphasizethevalueofbeingabletofocusononethingatatimewithoutworryingthatotherthingswillbeforgotten.It'smuchmoreproductiveandmuchlessstressful.Regularlyreviewingyoursystemisalsoimportant,andcomesintwoflavors:asneededandweekly.Youmayreviewyouractionitemlist(a.k.a.,your"todolist")severaltimesadayasneeded,iffornothingbutthatendorphinrushthatcomeswithcheckingthingsoffas"done"anddecidingwhattotacklenext.Weeklyreviewsarealsoimportant,andaredifferentinthatyoutakethetimetocheckonyourlistofactiveprojectsandmakesureyouhaveaNextActionitemforeachandeveryone.SoIreallylikethebookanditssystem.I'drecommendittoanyonewhofeelslikethey'renotbeingproductiveenoughorgettingburiedinwork.Allenonlygetsmushyandnon-specificinafewplacesthatmakeitseemlikehe'stryingtopadthepagecount,butthemajorityofthebookisspecific,direct,andpractical.IalsolikethatAllenisintunewiththemoderntechnologythatmostprofessionalsencounter.Hespendsappropriateamountsoftimediscussingthingslikee-mail,Outlookandvoicemail.HealsotalksaboutimplementingGTDwithhigh-techtoolslikePDAs,Web2.0systems,andpalmtopcomputers,butwhileGTDlendsitselfwelltothesekindsoftoys,atitsheartitistechnologyagnostic.Youcoulddothewholethingquiteeffectivelywithapen,somepaper,andabunchoffilefolders.Indeed,somepartsofthesystem,liketheticklerfileworkbestthatway. ...more flag 199likes · Like  · seereview Viewall10comments Aug20,2007 Jonatron ratedit didnotlikeit Recommendsitfor: Noone Shelves: own, scanned, self-help, never-finished Iboughtthisbook,andIreadsomeofit.Itsatonashelfunfinished.Ireadsomemore.Itsatinmycarunfinished.Ieventuallymadethedecisiontoneverfinishit.Ithinkthisisself-explanatory.[Later...]NowI'mreading26ReasonsNottoUseGTD,anditdoesagoodjobofarticulatingthe"ehhhh"nessthatIfeltwhilereadingthis.[Evenlater...]AndifyouthinkGTD'sfollowersarealittlecult-like(see,forinstance,thecommentsonthisreview),checkthisout:WhenDavidAllensay Iboughtthisbook,andIreadsomeofit.Itsatonashelfunfinished.Ireadsomemore.Itsatinmycarunfinished.Ieventuallymadethedecisiontoneverfinishit.Ithinkthisisself-explanatory.[Later...]NowI'mreading26ReasonsNottoUseGTD,anditdoesagoodjobofarticulatingthe"ehhhh"nessthatIfeltwhilereadingthis.[Evenlater...]AndifyouthinkGTD'sfollowersarealittlecult-like(see,forinstance,thecommentsonthisreview),checkthisout:WhenDavidAllensaysintheacknowledgments"deepestthanksgotomyspiritualcoach,J-R",he'stalkingaboutamannamedJohn-Roger"theMysticalTraveler",whobelievesheisareincarnationofJesus,St.FrancisofAssisi,andAbrahamLincoln.AllenisaministerinhisMovementofSpiritualInnerAwarenesschurch.Yup. ...more flag 142likes · Like  · seereview Viewall35comments Feb04,2021 ❀Lily❀ ratedit likedit Ifeellikethisbookbordersonbeingtoooutdatedtobehelpfulin2020.Whiletherearestillsometipsthatareusefulandcanbetranslatedtomodernday,inmyopiniontherearen'tenoughtowarrantreadingthiswholebooktohearthem.Alsothisiswaymoreofabookon'organisation'(especiallyorganisingyourworkarea)thanaguideonhowtobemore'productive'Ifyou'reanythinglikeme;someonewhoknowshowtoplanproperlybuthastroubleactuallyexecutingtasksandcompletingt Ifeellikethisbookbordersonbeingtoooutdatedtobehelpfulin2020.Whiletherearestillsometipsthatareusefulandcanbetranslatedtomodernday,inmyopiniontherearen'tenoughtowarrantreadingthiswholebooktohearthem.Alsothisiswaymoreofabookon'organisation'(especiallyorganisingyourworkarea)thanaguideonhowtobemore'productive'Ifyou'reanythinglikeme;someonewhoknowshowtoplanproperlybuthastroubleactuallyexecutingtasksandcompletingthings,thenthisbookisn'tgoingtohelpyouverymuch.*i'vegiventhebooka3starratinghoweverbecauseit'snotthebook'sfaultthatitwaspublishedalmost20yearsagoandisn'thelpfulanymore* ...more flag 82likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Oct19,2016 MichaelFinocchiaro ratedit itwasamazing Shelves: self-help, non-fiction Probablythebestself-helpbookIeverread-inanycasetheoneImostadaptedtotheorganizationofmylife.Itdoesnothaveanannoyingreligiousauratoitlike7HabitsortheselfishhaberdasheryspiritofHowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeople,butisdowntoearthandhighlypractical.IwasabletogettoInboxZeroandhaveheldontothatprincipalforyearsnow.Iffolksareinterested,Icanrepostheremyownadaptationofthetechniques.Stillformeareference!Myadvice:th Probablythebestself-helpbookIeverread-inanycasetheoneImostadaptedtotheorganizationofmylife.Itdoesnothaveanannoyingreligiousauratoitlike7HabitsortheselfishhaberdasheryspiritofHowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeople,butisdowntoearthandhighlypractical.IwasabletogettoInboxZeroandhaveheldontothatprincipalforyearsnow.Iffolksareinterested,Icanrepostheremyownadaptationofthetechniques.Stillformeareference!Myadvice:theinboxmethodistrulyimportantandinfinitelyhelpful.Ifigureditoutandtrulyfeellessoverwhelmedandstressedoutbyemail.Step1Createfoldersinyourvariousmailprogramscalled_01TODO-thisisforitemsthattakemorethan2mintoreadandtakeactionon_02TOREAD-theseareforthingsyouwanttoreadlater:newsletters,longexplanatoryemails,etc_03FOLLOWUP-thesearethingsyoucannotcompletedbutarewaitingonfeedbackfromsomeoneelse_04WAITINGFOR-theseareactionsyoucannotcompleteandrequireactionfromsomeoneelse_05TICKLER-projectsyoudon’thavetimefor,butyouwanttogetaroundtointhenearfuture_06UPCOMINGTRAVEL-air,car,hotel,ticketsforfutureeventsandtravelStep2Withafreehouraheadofyou,gothroughyourinboxandapplythefollowingrules1.Ifyoucantakeactionontheiteminlessthan2minutes,doit2.Else,sortaccordingtotherulesaboveStep3RinseandrepeatLetmeknowhowitgoesforyou:-) ...more flag 79likes · Like  · seereview Viewall13comments Jul29,2007 Melynda ratedit itwasamazing I'mabiggeek,andhere'sproof(ifyouneededit).IlearnedaboutGTDfromMerlinMann's43Folderssite,andbecameaninstantconvert.BecauseIlovefolders,lists,diagrams,flowcharts,ofcourse,butmostofallbecausewithGTD,youhavetohavealabeller.Ilovemylabeller.Ilovemakinglabelsformyfiles,andadmiringthemintheirserriedranks,allneatandlabelly.AndIdoactuallyseemtobegettingmoredone,evenwhenIfactorinallthetimeIspendlabelling. I'mabiggeek,andhere'sproof(ifyouneededit).IlearnedaboutGTDfromMerlinMann's43Folderssite,andbecameaninstantconvert.BecauseIlovefolders,lists,diagrams,flowcharts,ofcourse,butmostofallbecausewithGTD,youhavetohavealabeller.Ilovemylabeller.Ilovemakinglabelsformyfiles,andadmiringthemintheirserriedranks,allneatandlabelly.AndIdoactuallyseemtobegettingmoredone,evenwhenIfactorinallthetimeIspendlabelling. ...more flag 77likes · Like  · seereview View2comments Jul09,2013 Bria ratedit itwasok RecommendedtoBriaby: MichaelRaimondi Ifyoufindyourselfturningalittlemoistandyourpulsequickeningwithpleasurewhenyoureadwordsandphrasessuchas:-High-performanceworkflowmanagement-Familycommitments-Priorityfactors-Theabilitytobesuccessful,relaxed,andincontrolduringthesefertilebutturbulenttimesdemandsnewwaysofthinkingandworking-keyworktool-assembly-linemodality-workforce-valuesthinking-desiredresults-upstheanteinthegame-dealeffectivelywiththecomplexityoflifeinthetwenty-fir Ifyoufindyourselfturningalittlemoistandyourpulsequickeningwithpleasurewhenyoureadwordsandphrasessuchas:-High-performanceworkflowmanagement-Familycommitments-Priorityfactors-Theabilitytobesuccessful,relaxed,andincontrolduringthesefertilebutturbulenttimesdemandsnewwaysofthinkingandworking-keyworktool-assembly-linemodality-workforce-valuesthinking-desiredresults-upstheanteinthegame-dealeffectivelywiththecomplexityoflifeinthetwenty-firstcenturyaswellasquotesaround"colloquial"phrases,suchas"ringingyourbell"(whichIthinkheusesincorrectly,atleastaccordingtoMYunderstandingofawhata"bell"isandwhatitmeansto"ring"it)thennotonlyisthisthebookforyou,thisisalsothesocietyanderaforyou,becausethesethingsareinescapableandevenmoresointhisbook.Ifsuchtermsinsteadhaveyouthinkingwistfullyofthesweet,envelopingdarknesstobefoundatthebottomofyournearest300-footdropontorockycrags,thenyouhave,likeme,foundyourselfwoefullylivinginthewronguniverse.Youwanttobethreebranesover,wherethereisstillallthisawesomenewtechnologyanddecentralizationofartandscienceandsocietybutnaryahard-chargertobefound.Inthatuniverse,ifsomeonewantstohelpotherstobemoreproductive,thatsomeonewouldn'texpecttheirreaderstoslogthrougha400-pagebookthatcontainsabout370pagesofenthusiasticself-congratulationonthestartlingeffectivenessofthemethodoutlinedintheremaining30pages.Writersinthatuniversealsodon'tgetboredoftheirownchokingnewspeakeverytwoparagraphsorso,needingtotakeabreakforawittyandaproposquote,one-sentencesummaryorreminderoftheprevioustwoparagraphsthatpassedasephemerallythroughtheirownmindasitwillthroughthatofthereaders,ortojuststartanewsectiononeitherthesameoranewtopic,eitherone,itdoesn'tmatter,noonewillnotice,it'sjustthesamerandomly-generatedbuzzwordsbouncingofftheireyeballs.However,inthatuniverseaswellasourown,thegeneralconceptoutlinedinthisbookofturningyourselfintoanautomatonofyourowndesignisstillvalid.Onlyinthatuniversewhensomeonewantstogetmoredoneintheirlifebyexportingtheirbraintoexternalresources,it'sdonematter-of-factlyandwithlittlefanfare,sincethatuniversehasalsofailedtocreateanentireraceofcreaturesthatcan'tfigureouthowtofunctionwithoutfollowingexplicitlyoutlinedmethodologiestaughttothembyhighlypaidprofessionalconsultants.Peopleinthatuniversehaveexternalbrainsbecauseit'sobviouslythethingtodo,notbecauseit'llmakethemmoreeffectiveentrepreneurs,moresuccessfulbusinessmen,morehighlyadmiredcommunityleadersnottomentionbetterpartnersandparents.Halfthosethingsaren'ttakenseriouslyinthisotheruniverseandtheotherhalfaretakenevenlessseriouslybutstilldonewell.There,theylearnhowtobealivewhilethey'rebeingalive,bybeingalive,notfromabooktheyreadinmiddleageindesperationafterhavingalreadyfailedmiserablyatlivingandthisisthethingthat'llfinallygettheirshittogether,Isweartohighheaventhisisit,forreal,everything'sgonnabedifferentfromhereonout.GodIwishIwasinthatuniverse. ...more flag 63likes · Like  · seereview Viewall7comments Apr18,2007 SarahHeffern ratedit itwasok Recommendsitfor: disorganizedpeoplewithtoomuchfreetime Shelves: self-help Thisbookshouldhavebeena3,000-wordarticle.Itwasfullofuselessdetails(e.g.listingthetypesofmaterialsoutofwhichaninboxmightbemade),redundanttothepointofmakingmecrazy,andoverflowingwithmulti-stepsystemsforthis,that,andtheother(seriously,keepingthe3-or4-or6-stepfiltersstraightwouldrequireflashcards).Whileithadsomeusefultips,Ican'timagineanyonehavingthefreetimetoimplementthesystemfully.Clearly,though,Iamwronginthis,jus Thisbookshouldhavebeena3,000-wordarticle.Itwasfullofuselessdetails(e.g.listingthetypesofmaterialsoutofwhichaninboxmightbemade),redundanttothepointofmakingmecrazy,andoverflowingwithmulti-stepsystemsforthis,that,andtheother(seriously,keepingthe3-or4-or6-stepfiltersstraightwouldrequireflashcards).Whileithadsomeusefultips,Ican'timagineanyonehavingthefreetimetoimplementthesystemfully.Clearly,though,Iamwronginthis,justgoogle"gettingthingsdone"or"gtd"andcheckoutthemillionsofresults. ...more flag 60likes · Like  · seereview Viewall4comments Aug21,2007 Letitia ratedit itwasok  ·  reviewofanotheredition DavidAllen'ssmirkingwhitemalefaceonthecoverofthisbookmayconvincethathe'ssuccessful...butthemanshouldreservehissmirkforoneononebusinessdealings.Thebiggestissuewiththisbookis,Icouldn'tgetitdone. GettingThingsDone iswrittenforanon-existentaudience:aprocrastinatorwithenoughmotivationtoactuallyplowthroughAllen'sdryinstructionmanual. DavidAllen'ssmirkingwhitemalefaceonthecoverofthisbookmayconvincethathe'ssuccessful...butthemanshouldreservehissmirkforoneononebusinessdealings.Thebiggestissuewiththisbookis,Icouldn'tgetitdone. GettingThingsDone iswrittenforanon-existentaudience:aprocrastinatorwithenoughmotivationtoactuallyplowthroughAllen'sdryinstructionmanual. ...more flag 46likes · Like  · seereview Viewall12comments Jun16,2008 Josh ratedit itwasamazing Recommendsitfor: Everyone Ihavenothadmuchsuccessapplyingstrategiesfromproductivitygurus.Iamreferringtobookslike"TheSevenHabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople"byStevenCovey,andotherbookswhichshareusetop-downstrategiestoorderourlives.Therearetworeasonswhythesehavenotworkedforme.Thefirstistechnical:day-to-daylifehappensonthelevelof"stuff".Themyriadofsmalltasksofvaryingimportanceandinmultiplecontextshamperstheeffectivenessoftop-downapproaches.Thesecond Ihavenothadmuchsuccessapplyingstrategiesfromproductivitygurus.Iamreferringtobookslike"TheSevenHabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople"byStevenCovey,andotherbookswhichshareusetop-downstrategiestoorderourlives.Therearetworeasonswhythesehavenotworkedforme.Thefirstistechnical:day-to-daylifehappensonthelevelof"stuff".Themyriadofsmalltasksofvaryingimportanceandinmultiplecontextshamperstheeffectivenessoftop-downapproaches.Thesecondreasonisapersonalone.Theentiremindsetofthesebooksisveryunappealingtome.Bookswhichsimplifyandsystemizeourentirelives,suchasCovey'sbooks,seemtosucktheimaginationandliferightoutofliving.PeterPanwouldbarfandtossthesebookstohiscrocodilebuddy.Incredibly,oneproductivitybookhasmanagedtoovercomemyobjections:DavidAllen's"GettingThingsDone:TheArtofStress-FreeProductivity"hassucceededwhereotherbooksfailed."GettingThingsDone"(fromnowonI'llrefertoitasGTD)hasmadequiteasplashsinceitsreleasein2001.It'sinfluenceisalreadypervasiveandsomeofthemostusefulblogsontheinternetswearbyit.Iprobablyseeitrandomlymentionedeveryweek.Soforanyonewhodoesn'tknowmuchaboutit,I'dliketosummarizethebookandatthesametimeshowhowbeneficialAllen'smethodhasbeenforme.Firstofall,GTDisnotatop-downapproach.Allenexplainsthat"...mostpeoplearesoembroiledincommitmentsonaday-to-daylevelthattheirabilitytofocussuccessfullyonthelargerhorizonisseriouslyimpaired.Consequently,abottom-upapproachisusuallymoreeffective."Allenisdeadon.Ialreadydoplentyofbig-picturethinking,anditreallyhasn'thelpedmedealwiththenitty-grittydetailsofwhatevermessyprojectsandtasksareonmyplate.Allenadmitsthatalotoftimeswhatisneededareafewtricks.GTDhasequippedmetobetterdealwithmyresponsibilities,andinsomecasesgavemesometrickthathelpedmakeallthedifference.ThesecondproblemI'vehadwithproductivitybooksismorecomplex.Ibelieveitisimportanttomaintainalittlebitofachild-likedispositioninlife.Myimpressionsoftheprofessionalworldarethatitcreatesuniformityandkillscreativity.It'sveryeasytofigureoutwheremyattitudescomefrom:IgrewupwatchingMaryPoppinsandPeterPan,andPeterPanwasthefirst"bigbook"thatIownedandread.IthinkIgotthatbookoutofmygrandpa'slibraryafterhisfuneral.Bothofthesestoriesportraygrowingupasaverydangerousthingtodo,andI'veneverstoppedworryingthatIwillbecomeold,dry,boring,andbored.ButwhetherIlikeitornot,lifehappens,andresponsibilitiesaccumulate.Andhereishow"GettingThingsDone"succeedswhereothersfail:withoutwastingtimesuggestingacookie-cutterpatternformylife,itaidsinconqueringmundanetasksandresponisibilitiessothatmyenergycanreturntotheactivitiesthatexciteme.AsI'veimplementedAllen'smethod,I'vefoundmyselfabletomentallyrelaxandingeneralamfeelingalotmorecreativeagain.That'sprettymuchfantastic!HereisaquicksummaryoftheGTDmethod.Allendescribesafive-stageworkflow:collectinganythingthatcommandsourattention,processing,organizingtheresults,reviewingtheoptions,andtakingaction.Goingthroughthesestepsforthefirsttimeisahugeproject;Allensuggeststakingseveraldaystodothis.Ittookmequiteawhiletogetallthepapersand"open-loops"collectedorwrittendown,andseveralhoursofworktoorganizethem.Fortunately,Allendoesplentyofhand-holdingthroughthis.Ifsomeoneasabsentmindedandflightyasmyselfcandoit,anyonecan.Allenalsoincludeschaptersondevelopingandtrackingprojects(reallyexcellentstuff)anddecidingwhattodonextatanygivenmoment.Asamanual,itisverywellwritten.Itgivesbriefoverviewsofeverythingbeforegoingintogreaterdetail.Bythetimeyouareimplementingit,youalreadyhaveadecentgraspofthematerial.Allensoldmeintheearlychapters,soIdivedinwithbothfeet.Ittookawhile,buttheresultsarewonderful.Ihavenolooseunorganizedpapersanywhere.BeforeIdidGTD,mymindfeltlikeitwascompletelyinknots.It'sfeltthatwayforyears.NowthatIdon'tcarrytheanxietyoflotsofunidentifiedmentalbaggageandmillionsofunsortedpapers,mymindfeelsrelaxedandfocused.GTDalsohelpsmekeepaclearpictureofanytasksinfrontofme,andit'smucheasiertodecidewhattodonext.Tacklinga"nextaction"listfeelsabitlikeagame.Ihopetogetonedowntozerosomeday.Iammoreproductiveandamfeelingmoreenergetic.Themethodisalsosomewhatflexible:everyone'simplementationwillvaryabit.Iuseaclipboardwithnext-actiondivdedbycontext,bigwalletstoholdfilefoldersinplaceofafilecabinet,basicofficesupplies,apapercalendar,andfourtraysfor"inbox","nextaction/outbox","dataentry"(forbusinesscardsandsuch),and"waitingfor".Verylowtech,whichishowIlikeit.Onlytimewilltellwhateffectallthiswillhaveonme.IncreasedresponsibilitieswillbetherealtestofGTD'seffectiveness.AlthoughGTDwillholdspecialappealtoworkaholicsandproductivityworshippers,itispotentiallybeneficialtoanyonewhostrugglestokeeptrackofallthelittletasksweneedtogetdone.Checkitout! ...more flag 43likes · Like  · seereview Viewall3comments Sep11,2007 Jarrodtrainque addedit  ·  reviewofanotheredition Withfirst-chapterallusionstomartialarts,"flow,""mindlikewater,"andotherconceptsborrowedfromtheEast(andusuallymangled),you'dalmostthinkthisself-helperfromDavidAllenshouldhavebeencalledZenandtheArtofScheduleMaintenance./Notquite.Yes,GettingThingsDoneoffersacompletesystemfordownloadingallthosefree-floatinggotta-do'scloggingyourbrainintoasophisticatedframeworkoffilesandactionlists--allpurportedlytofreeyourmindtofocusonwhatever Withfirst-chapterallusionstomartialarts,"flow,""mindlikewater,"andotherconceptsborrowedfromtheEast(andusuallymangled),you'dalmostthinkthisself-helperfromDavidAllenshouldhavebeencalledZenandtheArtofScheduleMaintenance./Notquite.Yes,GettingThingsDoneoffersacompletesystemfordownloadingallthosefree-floatinggotta-do'scloggingyourbrainintoasophisticatedframeworkoffilesandactionlists--allpurportedlytofreeyourmindtofocusonwhateveryou'reworkingon.However,itstilloperatesfromthedecidedlyWesternnotionthatifwecouldjustgetreally,reallyorganized,wecouldturnourselvesinto24//7productivitymachines.(Towit,Allen,whomtheNewEconomybibleFastCompanyhasdubbed"thepersonalproductivityguru,"suggeststhatinsteadofmeditatingoncrouchingtigersandhiddendragonswhileyouwaitforaplane,youshouldunsheathethathigh-techsaberknownasthecellphoneandattackthatlistofcallsyouneedtoreturn.)/Aswhole-life-organizingsystemsgo,Allen'sisprettygood,evenfunandtherapeutic.Itstartswiththeexhortationtotakeeveryunaccounted-forscrapofpaperinyourworkstationthatyoucan'tjunk,Thenextstepistowritedowneveryunaccounted-forgotta-docrammingyourheadontoitsownscrapofpaper.Finally,throwthewholestewintoagiant"in-basket"/That'swheretheprocessingandprioritizingbegin;inAllen'ssystem,itgetalittleconvolutedattimes,rifeasitiswithfancyterms,subterms,andsub-subtermsforeventhesimplestconcepts.Thankgoodnessthespineofhissystemiscapturedonastraightforward,one-pageflowchartthatyoucanpinoveryourdeskandrepeatedlyconsultwithouthavingtoreferbacktothebook.Thataloneisworththepurchaseprice.AlsoofvalueisAllen'singeniousTwo-MinuteRule:ifthere'sanythingyouabsolutelymustdothatyoucandorightnowintwominutesorless,thendoitnow,thusfreeingupyourtimeandmindtenfoldoverthelongterm.It'scommonsenseadvicesoobviousthatmostofuscompletelyoverlookit,muchtoourdetriment;Allenexcelsatdispensingsuchwisdominthisuseful,ifsomewhatbelabored,self-improveraimedateveryonefromCEOstosoccermoms(whoweallknowaremoreorganizedthanmostCEOstostartwith).--TimothyMurphy/ ...more flag 42likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Dec29,2016 Peter ratedit itwasamazing Shelves: personal-development, top-20-business Time-ManagementThisisthebestSelf-HelpProductivitybookeverwritten.Well,IthinksoandI’vebeenusingitfor13years.Ithashadsuchaprofoundimpactonmyworkinglifethattothisday,itisapartofmydailypractice.IhavetheGTDappsonmyphonesandtablets,anditisadefaultwebpageIloadautomaticallyinmybrowser.Thegreatestfearwehavewhenwe’redealingwithsomanyprojectsorissuesorpeopleisthatitemthatweforgetbecauseourbrainismaxedoutwithevery Time-ManagementThisisthebestSelf-HelpProductivitybookeverwritten.Well,IthinksoandI’vebeenusingitfor13years.Ithashadsuchaprofoundimpactonmyworkinglifethattothisday,itisapartofmydailypractice.IhavetheGTDappsonmyphonesandtablets,anditisadefaultwebpageIloadautomaticallyinmybrowser.Thegreatestfearwehavewhenwe’redealingwithsomanyprojectsorissuesorpeopleisthatitemthatweforgetbecauseourbrainismaxedoutwitheverythingelsethatisflyingatus.Weneedtogetitoutofourheadsandintoatrustedsystemsowecanfunctionclearly–today’smoderntechnologymakesthiseasier.PlugforToodledo.IhavereadthetypicaltimemanagementbooksandifIhearthe‘bigrocksfirst’storyonemoretimeI’llhurloneofthematsomeone.Whatstruckhomewithmeinthisbookwastherecognitionofthingsconstantlycomingourwaythroughoutthedayandmorethanprobablyfromourbosses,orcustomerswhodon’ttakekindlytobeingconsideredanythingbutalargerock.Thisbook,therefore,dealswithaverypragmaticanddefinedworkflowformanagingthingsweneedtogetdoneandunderstandingthepriority.Theworkflowprofferedhereis1.Collect2.Process3.Organise4.Review.Thebookiswellwrittenwithastylethatiseasytoreadandprovidesmarginnotesandimageswhereappropriate.Hetendstousebulletpointsandflowchartswhichhelpillustrateimportantconcepts.Ifyoucantakeon-boardjustsomeofhisconceptsyou’llnoticethedifferenceimmediately.IwouldhighlyrecommendthisbookandprocessformanagingtheTo-Dosinyourlife. ...more flag 38likes · Like  · seereview View2comments Mar03,2012 Jan-Maat addedit  ·  reviewofanotheredition Shelves: 21st-century, business-management-pm ThisisoneofthoseoptimisticbooksinwhichYOUTHEREADERcangaincontrolbyyourownunaided(wellalmostunaided,youaremeanttodelegate)efforts,andwhichdoesn'ttakeaccountofthatyourworkflowmightverywellbedeterminedbythingsentirelyoutsideofyourcontrol.Nottomentionifyourworkingspaceisn'tunderyourcontrolatall(forexamplewithhotdesking)orisverylimited(ifyouareinadrone-zone)thenphysicallysomeoftheideasherewillbeimpossible.Andofcou ThisisoneofthoseoptimisticbooksinwhichYOUTHEREADERcangaincontrolbyyourownunaided(wellalmostunaided,youaremeanttodelegate)efforts,andwhichdoesn'ttakeaccountofthatyourworkflowmightverywellbedeterminedbythingsentirelyoutsideofyourcontrol.Nottomentionifyourworkingspaceisn'tunderyourcontrolatall(forexamplewithhotdesking)orisverylimited(ifyouareinadrone-zone)thenphysicallysomeoftheideasherewillbeimpossible.Andofcourseeverythinginthisbookisbestsuitedtosomeonewithasecretaryorpersonalassistant.Buttherearesomepracticalbitsandpiecestotakeaway,I'vefounditusefultonotjustwriteato-dolistbutalsotowritebyeachitemwhatI'mwaitingonorwhathastobedonenexttoprogresstheitemandthebookinspiredmetousetheemailcalenderfeaturetopopupremindersofthingstodoandpeopletochase.Bewarehowever,justbecauseyoucandealwithsomethingwithintwominutesdoesn'tmeanthatyoushoulddoso!ForanabsolutelydifferentvisionofhowabusinesscanworkitsworthreadingToyotaProductionSystemBeyondLarge-ScaleProductionoranythingbyW.EdwardsDeming.Inawidercontextthisisanentirelydepressingandsouldestroyinglynegativebook.It'simplicitmessageisthatthemoderncorporateworkplaceisameatmincer.Freshemployeesarethrowninatoneend,thedeadandburntout,grounddownandgenerallyuseduponesremovedandthrownoutontothescrapheapoutoftheotherend.Afunctionalviewoftheworkplacemightbesoboldastopositthatpeopleareemployedtodoataskwhichcontributestowardstheachievementoftheoverallgoalsandobjectivesoftheorganisation.Alleniswritingforreaderswhohaveexperiencedsomethingthatisverydifferent,intheirworldnobodycares.Ifyouarestrugglingtodealwiththetaskyouhavebeenemployedtodo,nobodywillnoticeletalonestepintoassist.Youronlypossiblesalvationistheliferaftofbookslikethisone,offeringsalvationfromthethreateningseasofanunlimitedworkload.Ofpeculiarinterestisthatthebookispitchedtopersonsrelativelysenior-seniorenoughthattheyhavesecretariesorpersonalassistants.BizarrelyinAllen'sworldoneisappointedtodoajob,butthereisnoreliablewayofknowingifyoucancopewithitorindeedifthejobasdefinedbytheorganisationcanbedonebyasingleperson,nordespitethemoneyspentontheemployeeandtheirPersonalassistantwillanybodycheckorexerciseoversightoverone'sperformance.TheworkplaceinAllen'svisionisnotrationalbutthesiteofaparticularlylawlessgold-rush.Interestinglytomyviewenoughpurchasersagreewithhimtokeephimoutofthehamsterwheel.Likesomany'business'booksitoughttobeanA4orA5laminatedcardratherthanabookhundredsofpageslongbutapparentlythereisnomoneytobemadefrompeopleinahurryorwhoarestrugglingtoachievestressfreeproductivity. ...more flag 34likes · Like  · seereview Viewall6comments May21,2021 Trevor(Isometimesgetnotifiedofcomments) ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: reference, work AfriendofmineatworkaskedmetoreadoverthisandtellhimwhatImadeofit.YearsagoIworkedwithawomanwhoisnowmyhomestate’sattorneygeneral–youreallycouldn’tmeetanicerperson–butshewasperhapsalsothemostorganisedpersonI’devermet.GiventhatsheisVictoria’sattorneygeneral,you’dhavetosaythatbeingorganisedhasn’tparticularlyhurtherprogressthroughlife.I’mjustnotsureI’mthesortofpersonwhocanreallydothekindsofhyper-organisationst AfriendofmineatworkaskedmetoreadoverthisandtellhimwhatImadeofit.YearsagoIworkedwithawomanwhoisnowmyhomestate’sattorneygeneral–youreallycouldn’tmeetanicerperson–butshewasperhapsalsothemostorganisedpersonI’devermet.GiventhatsheisVictoria’sattorneygeneral,you’dhavetosaythatbeingorganisedhasn’tparticularlyhurtherprogressthroughlife.I’mjustnotsureI’mthesortofpersonwhocanreallydothekindsofhyper-organisationstuffthatisimpliedasthebaselineforthisbook.AndI’mnotboastingaboutthat.IcanseeIwouldprobablybeabetterpersonifthatwasn’tthecase.Alotoftheadviceinthisbookisdisturbinglyobvious–disturbingbecauseasobviousasitis,I’dneverthoughtofitbefore.Ireallylikedhis‘two-minute’rule–essentially,youneedtosortstuffintopilestoprocessthemandworkoutwhatneedstohappennextwiththem,ifyoucandowhateverthatisinundertwo-minutes,doitnow.Thisishisversionofthe‘handleitonce’rule,whichhe,rightlyenough,sayscan’tpossiblywork.Youknowthat,becauseoneofthethingsoneveryone’slistisapparently‘writeanovel’–andsoyoucan’tpossiblydothatby‘handlingitonce’.Toreallyknowifsomethingwilltakeundertwominutesrequiresyoutohavethoughtaboutitproperlyandintherightway.Whichishismostimportantpieceofadvice,well,forme,anyway.Thinkingaboutthingsintherightwayistodecidewhatthenextactual,literalactionneedstobetomoveitforward.Thiscanbeanythingfrom‘fileintherubbishbin’,butwhatitcan’tbeis‘plantoinvadePoland’or‘marrySusan’.Thereasonwhyitcan’tbeeitherofthesethings,evenif,ultimately,theyarewhatyouwouldliketodo,isbecausethereisnoconcreteactionattachedtoeitherofthosegrandplans.Theconcretetaskiswhateveristheverynextactionyouwillneedtotaketomoveyouroverallplanonestepclosertocompletion–inbothofthesecasesthatmightwellbe‘spendmoretimeinbarsinMunich’,forexample.Ireallylikethisidea–notofmarryingSusanorinvadingPolandsomuch,butofnotfinishingwithsomethingbeforeyouhavefiguredoutthenextconcreteactionneedstobe,andprobablyalsothewhen,where,howandwhothatarelikelytogoalongwiththataction.Imean,likeIsaid,it’sbloodyobviousonceyouaretold,buttheobviousisfartoooftenabitlikethat,onlyanygoodinretrospect,whenitistoolate.TheotherreallynicethingIlikedaboutthismethodwasthatittookintoaccountthefactthatwedon’tworkat10/10forallof24-7.Therearetimeswhenweareonlyabletofunctionatasolid3/10,andothertimeswhenwearetopping7/10inspurtsandstarts.Andsincethatisthecase,beingabletohavewhatanotherbookmightcallastoreof‘mindlessshit’tobegettingonwithwhenyouarenotinwhatWodehousewouldcall‘mid-seasonform’iswellworththinkingabout.Inthatsense,thisbookisakindofmindfulnessfortheanallyretentive.Andthereinliestheproblemforme,ofcourse.Idon’tseemyselfasanallyretentiveandtheshiftinself-imagethatwouldbenecessarytogofromwhatIamnowtowhatIwouldneedtobecomewouldrequireakindofpsychologicalfuneralalongtheway.I’mnotproudtoadmitofanyofthis,butself-awarenesscomeswithage,Iguess.Allthesame,Iamgoingtotrytodosomeofthethingsmentionedinthisbook–alotofitisclearlyworthwhile–butevenasItypethisaphaseinvolving‘olddogsandnewtricks’isechoingabouttheplace.Oh,except,theotherthing–hedoessaysomethingthatdidmakemethink,‘Oh,yeah,toobloodyright!’andthatwasthatifyouareaboutmyage(oranyage,really)andyoucan’ttouchtypethenyoushouldreceiveaslapacrossthebackoftheheadeverytimesomeoneseesyou‘huntingandpecking’.Keyboardsaren’tgoingawayanytimesoon.Ifyouaregoingtousetechnologyinawaythatallowsyoutositandthinkandeffectivelyhearandseewhatyouarethinkingasyoutype,wonderingwherethebloodyDkeyisreallyisn’tallowingyoutomakethebestuseofthattechnology.Youcanlearntotouchtypeinacoupleofweeks–justdoit,whatthehell?Notbeingabletotypeisn’tsomethingyoushouldbeproudof.Youshouldbeashamedinthesamewayyouwouldbeashamedifyouownedacarbutcouldonlypushitaroundtheplacebecauseyouneverlearnthowtodrive.Idon’tthinkI’mevergoingtohaveamanilafolderfilingsystemwithdynamolabels,butmy‘todo’listsarenevergoingtobequitethesameagaineither.IhaveonebesidemenowthatIwrotelastweek–ithasitemsonitlike:3.VietnamPaper,5AmbitionsandInternationalStudentPaper,10JenW.checkin–how’sshegoing?OnlythelastonehereisanythinglikeanactionIcouldactuallydo,orevenknowwhattheactionisthatImightneedtodo.Ihavetosay,thinkingof‘todo’as‘thingsyoucanactuallydo’isadamnusefulthingtolearnfromanybook. ...more flag 29likes · Like  · seereview Nov05,2015 EmmaSea ratedit likedit  ·  reviewofanotheredition Shelves: productivity, non-fiction, auckland-library, audiobook 2.65stars.I'veusedamutatedversionofthisforyears,butthoughtI'dtrytheoriginaltext.Iwasdisappointed.IfeltitgaveequalweighttopartsofGTDthatareacakewalk(emptyingyourmindontoapage)withpartsthatsoundeasybutarecomplex(decidingonnextactions).AlsoIthoughttheweekly/quarterlyreviewneededmorefocus.Allentalksaboutthe20,000/50,000footview,butwithoutenoughdetailonhowtoaccomplishthese.I'drecommendreadingthroughasummaryinsteadofthe 2.65stars.I'veusedamutatedversionofthisforyears,butthoughtI'dtrytheoriginaltext.Iwasdisappointed.IfeltitgaveequalweighttopartsofGTDthatareacakewalk(emptyingyourmindontoapage)withpartsthatsoundeasybutarecomplex(decidingonnextactions).AlsoIthoughttheweekly/quarterlyreviewneededmorefocus.Allentalksaboutthe20,000/50,000footview,butwithoutenoughdetailonhowtoaccomplishthese.I'drecommendreadingthroughasummaryinsteadofthewholebook.TherearepeoplewhoexplainAllen'ssystembetterthanAllen. ...more flag 25likes · Like  · seereview Viewall4comments Apr11,2011 TracyMiller markeditasdid-not-finish I'mlisteningtothisbecauseIneedtogetagriponmylife.Ican'tevenfocusenoughtolistenabouthowtogetmylifetogether,muchlessdoit. I'mlisteningtothisbecauseIneedtogetagriponmylife.Ican'tevenfocusenoughtolistenabouthowtogetmylifetogether,muchlessdoit. ...more flag 25likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Aug18,2017 daAL ratedit itwasamazing  ·  reviewofanotheredition nicelydone&read-wishhe'dbringoutanupdatededition... nicelydone&read-wishhe'dbringoutanupdatededition... ...more flag 24likes · Like  · seereview Jul17,2012 Josh ratedit itwasamazing BeforeIjustifythefive-starrating,thereareacoupleofqualifications:1.Thisbookiswrittentowardacertainaudience:well-to-dopeople,mostlybusinessexecutives,mostlymen,mostlyolder.Thelargemajorityofexamplesmentionedaremalecorporateleaders.Thereistheoccasionalnodtoahousewifeusingthesystemtogetherchoresdone(Ikidyounot),andasinglereferencethatIcanremembertosomeonewhoseworkispurelycreative.Ifeelthatifyouknowthiscomingin,itwil BeforeIjustifythefive-starrating,thereareacoupleofqualifications:1.Thisbookiswrittentowardacertainaudience:well-to-dopeople,mostlybusinessexecutives,mostlymen,mostlyolder.Thelargemajorityofexamplesmentionedaremalecorporateleaders.Thereistheoccasionalnodtoahousewifeusingthesystemtogetherchoresdone(Ikidyounot),andasinglereferencethatIcanremembertosomeonewhoseworkispurelycreative.Ifeelthatifyouknowthiscomingin,itwillbeeasiertopeelthehuskandgettothetastynougatcenter.2.Thesystemadvocatedherewillnothelpyouwithamorphouscreativeprojects.Ifyou'reawriter,Allenoffersnothinginthewayofhowtoparceloutabookintoattackablechunksandbangoutthepages.WhatitMIGHTdoishelpyougetacleanbraininordertoventureintothefogwithconfidence.Ifyou'rethekindofpersonwhohasahardtimefocusingoncreativeworkbecauseless-importantundoneprojectsarenaggingatyou,thisisagreatsystem.Iusuallydislikebusinessbooksforexactlythereasonsabove.ButwhatAllendoesissomethingmoreapplicabletoknowledgeworkersingeneral.Herecognizesthattheamountofpotentialworkisinfinite,andthensays,"Okay,you'llnevergetitALLdone.Let'stalkabouthowyoucanatleastputeverythinginitsplace,soyoucanfeelgoodaboutwhatyou'reNOTdoing."It'swaysimple,andafterusingthesystemforaboutamonth,Icansaythatit'swayeffective,atleastforme.TheessenceofAllen'sstrategyisthis:Developamethodforcapturingeverythingyouhavetodoinyourlifeonanongoingbasis,periodicallybreakitalldownintoactionablesteps,arrangethoseactionsinorder,andthengototownonthem.Let'ssayyourealizeonedaythatyouneedtogetanewcomputer.Inpracticeitmeansyoushouldwritedown"getanewcomputer"inacentralrepository,andthenyourbrainshouldbedoingsomethinglikethis:"Okay,Ineedanewcomputer.ButfirstIneedtofigureoutwhetherI'mgettingaMacoraPC.MyfriendDanahasaMacandlovestotalkaboutit.MynextactiononthisshouldbetocallDana."Itwasatransformativeexperiencetositdownwithalltheclutterinmylifeandbreakitdownintonextactions.Lastnight,Istrungmyguitarbecauseitfinallyroseuptothetopmybiglistofthingstodo.RightnowI'mtakingthetimetowriteareviewofthisbookbecauseIfeelontopofalltheotherthingsinmylife.IamconfidentthatwritingthisreviewisthebestthingIcouldbedoingatthisexactmoment.ForthefirsttimeIcanremember,themiscellaneousopenloopsinmylifearenottuggingatmyattention.I'veclosedtheonesIcanclose,andI'mokaywiththeonesIhaven'tclosedyet.I'llgettothemwhenit'stime.Inshort,ifyou'reacreativepersonwhohasanykindofoutsidecommitments(i.e.,youdon'tgettoloungeaboutalldaywritingorpaintingorwatchingthestars),thenGTDmaybeawaytogiveyourselfacleanmentalslatewhenyouwanttodopersonalcreativework. ...more flag 23likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Dec27,2008 Ruben ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: 2009 I'mreallygladmywifeandIreadthisbooktogether.It'salreadybeenveryhelpfulingettingustolookatthereasonsomanythingsnevergetdoneontimeorsometimesnotatall.Thebookiswellwritten.Thewritingisveryclear,withlotsofexamples,thoughit'sabitdryinthemiddleandalittlefloweryontheends.(Thatsoundslikeadescriptionofasconeorsomething.)We'restillworkingongettingoursystemsetup(Imeanfilingcabinetsforreferencematerial)soImightnee I'mreallygladmywifeandIreadthisbooktogether.It'salreadybeenveryhelpfulingettingustolookatthereasonsomanythingsnevergetdoneontimeorsometimesnotatall.Thebookiswellwritten.Thewritingisveryclear,withlotsofexamples,thoughit'sabitdryinthemiddleandalittlefloweryontheends.(Thatsoundslikeadescriptionofasconeorsomething.)We'restillworkingongettingoursystemsetup(Imeanfilingcabinetsforreferencematerial)soImightneedtoaddmoretothisinamonth'stime.I'llletyouknowthenifwe'regettingmorethingsdone.Asamatteroffact,that'sonetesttoseewhetherthingsarestillslippingthroughthecracks.Read,go!Update:onemonthlater,IcansaythatIdofeellessstressedaboutthings,andI'mgettingthingsdonelikeneverbefore.Mindyou,I'mnotperfect,butIfeelthere'sbeenanoticeableupswinginhowawareIamofwhatneedstogetdone.Justhavinganorganizedfilingcabinetandinboxandnextactionslistallowsmetoseeataglancethethingsthatusedtojustfloataroundmymind,fightingforattention.MywifeandIlookforwardtoourweeklyreview(Sundaynightsat7:30),whenwegettogoovereveryprojectandmakesurethateverything'sontrack.I'vebeenimplementingthissysteminmyclassroom,too,andthathelpswiththestacksandstacksofpapersIcollectasateacher.I'dlovetofindsomewaytoteachthistomyhighschoolstudents,whocanneverremembertodotheirhomeworkorstudyfortests.Anyway,Ihighlyrecommendthisbook.Unlessyoualreadyfeelthatyoursystemishighlyefficient,giveitashot. ...more flag 20likes · Like  · seereview Viewall3comments Jul28,2008 LaurenceGonsalves ratedit didnotlikeit TheadvicepresentedinGTDisnotbad.It'sprettygood,actually.IfIwasreviewingtheGTDsystemI'dprobablygiveit4stars.Thisisabookreview,though,andwhilethesystemmaybegood,thebookisterrible.It'sextremelyrepetitive.I'mconvincedtheentire267pagescouldbecondenseddowntolessthan10,butIguessnobodywouldpay$15fora10-pageleaflet.Havingtoslogthroughthehugeamountofredundancymadereadingthisbookarealchore.Eventhediagramsarerepetitive. TheadvicepresentedinGTDisnotbad.It'sprettygood,actually.IfIwasreviewingtheGTDsystemI'dprobablygiveit4stars.Thisisabookreview,though,andwhilethesystemmaybegood,thebookisterrible.It'sextremelyrepetitive.I'mconvincedtheentire267pagescouldbecondenseddowntolessthan10,butIguessnobodywouldpay$15fora10-pageleaflet.Havingtoslogthroughthehugeamountofredundancymadereadingthisbookarealchore.Eventhediagramsarerepetitive.Thereare6diagramsinthebook,and4ofthemareessentiallycopiesofthesamediagram!Thebookalsousesalotofterminologywithoutfirstdefiningit.Forexampleheusestheterm"openloop"allthewaythroughthebook,butdoesn'tdefinewhatanopen-loopisuntilabouttwothirdsofthewaythrough.Healsousesnormalwordslike"project",butabouthalfwaythroughthebookheexplainsthatwhenhesays"project"hedoesn'tmeanwhateveryoneelsemeansby"project".Sooverall,thebookispoorlyorganized,poorlywritten,andchock-fulloffiller.IfyouwanttolearnGTDitwouldbebettertojustfindasummaryofthesystemontheweb(eg:searchfor"toodledoGettingThingsDone"foragoodexample). ...more flag 20likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Dec27,2018 Bibliovoracious ratedit reallylikedit Idon'tknowhowImissedthisproductivityclassicinalltheyearssinceitwaspublished.Turnsoutthere'saGTDculttogowiththebook,it'sSOpopular.Thebookisallpractical,allrealism.Ithasnothingtodowiththinkingaboutyourgoals;itleavesthatuptoyou.It'sallabouthowtoorganizeyourstuffandyourliststogetthemdone.It'sbeencriticizedforbeingbothtoogeneralandtoodetailed,butthegeneralityaccommodatescomplexity,andthedetailsareanessentialcomp Idon'tknowhowImissedthisproductivityclassicinalltheyearssinceitwaspublished.Turnsoutthere'saGTDculttogowiththebook,it'sSOpopular.Thebookisallpractical,allrealism.Ithasnothingtodowiththinkingaboutyourgoals;itleavesthatuptoyou.It'sallabouthowtoorganizeyourstuffandyourliststogetthemdone.It'sbeencriticizedforbeingbothtoogeneralandtoodetailed,butthegeneralityaccommodatescomplexity,andthedetailsareanessentialcomponentofthesystem.Onthewhole,I'mafan.IfIweren'talreadyprettytooledupwithmental,emotional,andpracticalproductivityskills,Iwouldnotthinkitworthyofthecult.Idon'tthinkitcomprehensiveenoughtobeasolesourceofasystem.WhatIgotoutofitwasanessentialsuiteofconceptsthatreallyfilledthegapsinmyprocess,andI'mlookingforwardtofindingmoreefficiencyrefinementsfromit.Whatwastrulylife-changingforme,though,wasprocessingallmypaperintheprescribedmethod.Myfilingsystemisafunctionalbeauty,andIsaveSOmuchtimejustbeingabletoreachstraightforsomething.THATwaswortheveryminute. ...more flag 17likes · Like  · seereview Oct23,2016 DouglasWilson ratedit reallylikedit Shelves: personal-development Abittoodetailedformytaste,buttherearesomemagnificentprinciplesinvolvedhere.Ilearnedalot. flag 17likes · Like  · seereview Nov07,2009 C ratedit reallylikedit  ·  reviewofanotheredition Recommendsitfor: productivitynuts,TypeA,entrepreneurs Shelves: favorites, non-fiction, business, productivity Thisismygo-toproductivitybook.Sincereadingitafewyearsago,I’vefollowedGTDinmuchofmyprofessionalandpersonallife.Ihighlyrecommendedittothosewhowanttoregaincontroloftheirtimeandbecomeefficientlyproductive.Itteacheshowtobe“maximallyefficientandrelaxed”byavoiding“theso-calledurgentandcrisisdemandsofanygivenworkday.”Allensaysthat“ifweplannedmoreaboutourprojectsandlives,we’drelievealotofpressureonourpsychesandproduceeno Thisismygo-toproductivitybook.Sincereadingitafewyearsago,I’vefollowedGTDinmuchofmyprofessionalandpersonallife.Ihighlyrecommendedittothosewhowanttoregaincontroloftheirtimeandbecomeefficientlyproductive.Itteacheshowtobe“maximallyefficientandrelaxed”byavoiding“theso-calledurgentandcrisisdemandsofanygivenworkday.”Allensaysthat“ifweplannedmoreaboutourprojectsandlives,we’drelievealotofpressureonourpsychesandproduceenormouscreativeoutputwithminimaleffort.”SummaryofGTD:1.Getthingsoutofyourheadandintoatrustedsystem.2.Clarifyexactlywhatyourcommitmentisanddecidewhatyouhavetodo.3.Setremindersfortheactionsyouneedtotake.NotesANewPracticeforaNewReality“[M]ostofthestresspeopleexperiencecomesfrominappropriatelymanagedcommitmentstheymakeoraccept.”“Thingsrarelygetstuckbecauseoflackoftime.Theygetstuckbecausethedoingofthemhasnotbeendefined.”5StagesofMasteringWorkflow1.Collectthingsthatcommandyourattention2.Processwhattheymeanandwhattodoaboutthem3.Organizetheresults4.Reviewasoptionsforwhatyouchoosetodo5.DoWorkflowDiagram-ProcessingImagefromfrankcrum.comUseyourcalendaronlyforthingsthatabsolutelymustbedonethatday.Puttingthingsthatdon’thavetobedonethatdayisdistractinganddemoralizing.UsetheWeeklyReviewto“cleanhouse.”Don’ttrytostay“squeakyclean”allthetime,asitdistractsfromworkathand.5PhasesofPlanningWhenaprojectisstuck,thinkofyourpurpose.Thinkofspecificallywhatasuccessfuloutcomewouldlooklike.Brainstormpotentialsteps.Organizeyourideas.Decideonthenextaction.The“why”ofaproject:Ask“why”tounderstandthepurposeofwhatyou’redoing.Whatareyoureallytryingtoaccomplish?The“what”ofaproject:whatwillthisprojectreallybelikewhenit’ssuccessfullycompleted?ProcessingIsitactionable?-No:trashorkeepforreference-Yes:decidewhatthenextactionis:--Doitifittakeslessthan2minutes--Delegateitifotherscanhandleit--Deferitifyoumustdoit,butitwilltakemorethan2minutes--Identifyandlistanyprojects(morethan1actionstep)Theactionstepneedstobethenextphysical,visibleactivity.OrganizingCreateanemailfoldernamed“Action”foremailsyoumustacton.Createanemailfoldernamed“WaitingFor”foremailsyouneedtotrackbecauseothersareactingonthem.CollectionEndeverymeeting,discussion,andinteractionwithasking,“What’sthenextaction?” ...more flag 17likes · Like  · seereview Viewall4comments Feb09,2009 Dianna ratedit itwasamazing Recallthelasttimeyouwentonasignificantvacationfromwork:beforeyouleftyouclearedallyourto-dos,emptiedyourinbox,tiedallthelooseends,andorganizedthethingsyou'dtacklewhenyoucameback.Feltprettygoodtoleavethatlastday,right?DavidAllenteachesyouhowtoliveyourlifethisway:takeallyourto-dos,projects,etc.thenorganizethemoutintoProjects,NextActions,Someday/Maybeprojects,ReadandReview,andmoreifyouwant.TaketheNextActionsandeith Recallthelasttimeyouwentonasignificantvacationfromwork:beforeyouleftyouclearedallyourto-dos,emptiedyourinbox,tiedallthelooseends,andorganizedthethingsyou'dtacklewhenyoucameback.Feltprettygoodtoleavethatlastday,right?DavidAllenteachesyouhowtoliveyourlifethisway:takeallyourto-dos,projects,etc.thenorganizethemoutintoProjects,NextActions,Someday/Maybeprojects,ReadandReview,andmoreifyouwant.TaketheNextActionsandeitherdothem,deferthem,delegatethem,and/ordeletethem.It'sreallythatlogicalandthatsimple.Now,makeaweeklyhabitofreviewingallthosecategories.Nowyou're"GTD".Justlikeitoughtto,thebookstartsoutbroad,theneachchaptergoesintomoredetailofthesystem.Unlessyou'resomecrazydetail-lovingmogul,youonlyneedtoreadabouttothehalf-waymark.IwentabitfurtherjustbecauseIloveditsomuch.Foraboutthreeweeksnow,it'sworkedformebothatworkandmorelooselyathome.ThechapteronorganizingyouremailandkeepingyourinboxemptyisBRILLIANT!Ifyouwanttoseethisbookinaction,I'llshowyoumyemailanddesk.Irecommendthisbooktojustabouteveryone.Readthefirstchapter.Iprobablyonlybuy3-4booksayear--usuallybecausethelibrarydoesn'townit,butIboughtthisoneafterreadingthefirstchapterinthelibrary'scopy.IknewI'dwantmyown. ...more flag 16likes · Like  · seereview May14,2007 Elizabeth addedit  ·  reviewofanotheredition IneedallthehelpIcanget! flag 14likes · Like  · seereview Apr04,2017 Dillon ratedit reallylikedit  ·  reviewofanotheredition Fivestarsforthecontent,twoorthreeforthewayitwasdelivered.ButIsuspectthepurposeofthisbookwasn'ttowritebeautifulprose,soI'llcutitabreak.SincethisisabookaboutanorganizationalsystemI'lltalkalittlebitaboutwhatI'vetriedtoincorporateandhowmineworks.HopefullydoingsowillhelpmetobecomemoreconsciousofhowIcanimproveit.Inaformerlife-astupiderone,Itriedtocaptureeverythinginmyhead.Thishadresultsrangingfrommoderatesucc Fivestarsforthecontent,twoorthreeforthewayitwasdelivered.ButIsuspectthepurposeofthisbookwasn'ttowritebeautifulprose,soI'llcutitabreak.SincethisisabookaboutanorganizationalsystemI'lltalkalittlebitaboutwhatI'vetriedtoincorporateandhowmineworks.HopefullydoingsowillhelpmetobecomemoreconsciousofhowIcanimproveit.Inaformerlife-astupiderone,Itriedtocaptureeverythinginmyhead.Thishadresultsrangingfrommoderatesuccesstocatastrophicfailure.Considerablestressandanaggingfeelingofimminentcollapseasmyconstantcompanions,andsleepescapedme.Whilethiswasallgoingon,incollegeIstartedusingablankMoleskineandOneNotetocapturemoreofmythoughts,butstillstayedmostlydisorganized.AtthispointIdon'tthinkIusedeithertheMoleskineorOneNoteverywell,andIwasstillmismanagingmytimeandthuslosingsleepjusttokeepup.WhenIgotaMac,beforeOneNotecameoutforOSX,ImigratedtoEvernoteformypersonalandchurchthings.WhenIstartedmycurrentjob,IstartedusingEvernoteforthataswell.OnceEvernotedecidedtochargeforcross-deviceaccess,IjumpedbacktoOneNote,whichwasnowsupportedonMac(theironyisthatIdon'tevenusethesameOneNoteaccountonmorethanonedevice).IuseOneNotetokeeptrackofdailyto-dosandtokeepmeaccountabletomyworkdayschedule.Thischangewasfairlyrecent(onlybarelyoutsideofthepastsixmonths,Ithink)-andit'sbeenevolvingsinceIstartedwithit.ItstartedwithjustablanksheetasIwoulduseincollege,butthenIaddeddailyto-dos,andmostrecentlyIaddedascheduleandweeklyto-dos(lessspecificthanthedailies).Soformypart,Ireallylikethesystemheoutlinesandhavemadeeffortstoincorporateitintomyownworkdayandoutside-of-workcalendar.Iparticularlylikethe"nextactions"concept(Ifeltlikethiswashalfthebook)-clearlydefiningwhatneedstobedoneratherthanvague"stuff"thatneedtobecheckedoff.Thiscorrespondstomyto-dolist-it'snotalistofprojects,butconcreteactions.Iwilltrytoorganizetasksconcretlymoreconsciouslyfromnowon.Outsideofwork,I'mnotsurethatmylifeisbusyenoughtowarrantorganizing"nextactions"byanyfurthergranularity-Ijustuseasmallplannerformypersonallife-thoughthiscouldbebecauseIhaven'tcapturedeverything.Ialsoliketheideaofhavinga"waitingfor"bucket-thiswasahugegapinmyorganizationalsystemandI'veaddedittomyOneNotetemplate.IntheshorttimeI'vebeenpracticingit,theoffloadingofmentalburdenstoan"externalbrain"hasbeenhugelyliberatingforme.Likehesays,oneofthebiggesthumpstoovercomeisthe"capturing"phase-forme,ifI'msureIcapturedeverythingthatneedstobedoneinadayandthenext,Icanrestmucheasier.Also,havingtheweeklyreviewisagreatconcept.Withoutperiodicreviews,howcanIknowifI'montrackornot?We'llsee.I'mstillinthenascentphaseofdevelopingmyownorganization,butthisbookhasbeenhelpfulformetodevelopabetterframeworkand"mindlikewater"(IalwaysthinkofBruceLeewhenhementionedthatphraseinthebook).Sohehadmyattentionthefirsttimehebroughtitup.Allthegoodthingsaside,thisbookfeltmuchlongerthanitneededtobe-atleastfromwhatItookawayIthinkitcouldhavebeencoveredsuccinctlyinfiveorsochapters,ratherthan15.Theunnecessarylengthtookawayfromratherthanaddedtothebook-itfeltsomewhatrepetitiveandthepurposeofonechapterwasn'tveryclearlydistinguishablefromthenext.Also,theauthor'sfaceisonthecoverandfromadistancehelookslikeanother,morefamousDavid(Letterman)-wasthisaclevermarketingploytogetpeopletohearwhatDaveLettermanhastosay?IfsoI'dliketoexpressmydisapproval.Ifnot,it'sstillunusual. ...more flag 13likes · Like  · seereview Viewall5comments Sep05,2012 Amy ratedit didnotlikeit RecommendedtoAmyby: AuthorwasquotedonthebackofanotherbookIwasreadingsoIthoughtI'dcheckitout. Shelves: non-fiction, business Oy,thisguy.Ifyouareadisorganizedmess,hisbookdoesnothaveenoughstep-by-steptohelpyou.Ifyouhaveahintofwhatyou'redoing,heisquitevaguewithnoactualhands-ontips.Herearehismainideas:--Yourmindisalwayskeepingarunningto-dolistinthebackgroundwhileyou'redoingotherthings.Thisnoisedistractsyoufromwhatyou'redoingandmakesyoufeelworriedthatyoushouldbedoingsomethingonthatlist.Shutouttherunningto-dolistandyoucanfocusononethi Oy,thisguy.Ifyouareadisorganizedmess,hisbookdoesnothaveenoughstep-by-steptohelpyou.Ifyouhaveahintofwhatyou'redoing,heisquitevaguewithnoactualhands-ontips.Herearehismainideas:--Yourmindisalwayskeepingarunningto-dolistinthebackgroundwhileyou'redoingotherthings.Thisnoisedistractsyoufromwhatyou'redoingandmakesyoufeelworriedthatyoushouldbedoingsomethingonthatlist.Shutouttherunningto-dolistandyoucanfocusononethingatatime.--So,emptyyourheadofeveryto-do,everythoughtandkeepitallinoneplace.Writeoneideaonapieceofpaperandscribblesub-ideasonthesamesheetofpaper.--Decideonwhattodoandwhen.Decideonthenextactionforeachmajorthoughtandwriteitdown.--Makeamasterto-dolistandparseitoutbasedonareasofyourlife(business/personal,callsvswriting,etc.)--Haveyourassistant/secretarydoalotoftherememberingforyouandremindyou(oh,wow,thatworkssowellforuspeons)--Oh,andclearoffyourclutteredmessofadesk.It'smentallydistractingyouandseepointtwoofgatheringupeverypieceofinformationlayingaround.Soundlikenewideas?That'sbecausethey'renot.Thewholethingreadslikeanadvertforhisconsultingbusinessbecausehegivesyoujustenoughinformationtofeellikeyoudon'tknowwhatyou'redoingbutnotenoughconcretetaskstoactuallygettowork.Prettyironicforaproductivityguy.Unlesshe'stryingtodriveuptheproductivityofhisconsultancy.Onemorething--theguydoesn'tevenrecommende-mailfiltersasatime-saver.IusemostlyLudditeorganizingmethodsbutseriously.Whycan'tIgivethiszerostars? ...more flag 14likes · Like  · seereview Nov23,2014 K ratedit reallylikedit Recommendsitfor: Peopleseekingwaystogetorganizedatwork Shelves: professionallit AcolleaguerecommendedthisbooktomebecauseIwasseeinganadultclientwithADHD.Healsosharedthatheusedtheprinciplesinthisbooktorunaskills-teachinggroupforteenswithADHD,andthatheusesthissystemhimself.ThisrecommendationcameatatimewhenIwasfeelingparticularlyoverwhelmedandoverloadedatwork,soIfiguredIwouldtrytoseeiftherewasanythingherethatIcouldadoptsoastobetterinformmyclientabouthowitworkswhileengaginginmyownself-imp AcolleaguerecommendedthisbooktomebecauseIwasseeinganadultclientwithADHD.Healsosharedthatheusedtheprinciplesinthisbooktorunaskills-teachinggroupforteenswithADHD,andthatheusesthissystemhimself.ThisrecommendationcameatatimewhenIwasfeelingparticularlyoverwhelmedandoverloadedatwork,soIfiguredIwouldtrytoseeiftherewasanythingherethatIcouldadoptsoastobetterinformmyclientabouthowitworkswhileengaginginmyownself-improvement.AccordingtoDavidAllen,wefeeloverwhelmedanddistractedbecausewehavetoomanycommitmentsonourmindsratherthantakingactiononthemand/orfilingthemawayinasystemwherewecanrevisitthemasneeded.Thesecommitmentsremaininthecategoryofunfinishedbusiness,or"openloops,"whichtortureusandstressusoutbecausewehaven'tfiguredouthowtogetridofthem.Thefirststep,saysAllen,istotakeallthethingswe'resupposedtobedoingandcollectthemintoasmallnumberofphysicalorvirtualin-baskets(e.g.,awiretraythatsitsonyourdeskplusyoure-mailinbox).Thenumberofreceptaclesforcollectingunfinishedbusinessshouldbesmall,andtheinformationinthemneedstobeprocessedregularly.Processinginvolvesgoingthroughtheitems,onebyone,anddecidingwhatthenextactionstepisontheseitems.Althoughitseemsobvious,lotsofstuffweneedtodostaysinnever-neverlandbecauseweneverfigureout,concretely,whatthenextstepis.Sometimesthereisnonextstep,inwhichcasetheitemshouldeitherbetrashedorfiled(asreference,orassomethingtobetakencareofatalaterdate).Ifthereisanextstep,youneedtodecidewhethertodoit(ifitcanbedonein2minutesorless),delegateit(ifsomeoneelsecandoit),ordeferit.Deferringanitemmayincludeplacingitontoacategorylist,e.g.,"calls,""atcomputer,""errands,""atoffice,""athome,""agendas"(forpeopleandmeetings),or"read/review."Youshouldalsokeepalistofyourongoingmulti-stepprojects,tobereviewedweekly,with"nextsteps"categorizedintotheabovecategories.Anothersystemisa"ticklerfile"forthingsthatneedtobedoneoncertaindays.Theticklerfileisadrawerfulloffilefoldersthatissubdividedintomonthsoftheyear,withafilefolderforeachdayonthecalendar.Thisallowsyoutofiletasksthatwillbedoneondaysotherthantoday.Yourcalendarisusedonlytomarkappointments;ifyouclutteritwithtaskreminders,itwillgetoverwhelming.Onceeverythingyouhavetodoisthusorganized,youstarteachdaybylookingatyourcalendartogetasenseofyourappointmentsandwhatwindowsoftimeyouhaveinbetween.Youthenreviewyourticklerfileforthatdayandyourgenerallistsofnextactions(e.g.,callstomake,thingstodoatthecomputer,errands,etc.)tothinkaboutwhatcanbedonetoday,where,andwhen.There'salsotheissueofchoosingwhichactionstotakeinthemoment,whichinvolvesevaluatingyourcontext(e.g.,areyounearaphone?areyounearyourcomputer?areyouinthecarandavailableforerrands?),timeavailable,energyavailable,andpriority(i.e.,outofalltheoptionsyoucouldtakenowinthiscontext,withthisamountoftimeandenergyavailable,whichisthemostimportant?).Anotherimportantaspectofthissystemistheweeklyreview.Atimeandplacemustbesetasideonceaweektogatherloosepapersandputtheminthein-basketforprocessing,processanynotes,actionitems,etc.,reviewpastcalendardatesforactionableitems,reviewupcomingcalendardates,documentandcategorizeallopenloopsandtheirnextactions,reviewprojectlistsandevaluatewhatneedstobedone,reviewnextactionlists,andreviewanyadditionalchecklists.Basically,thisbookfeltlikeFLYladyfortheoffice.Itwasaninterestingexperienceforme,becausewhereasIcanbeatotalslobathomeandfoundFLYladyinvaluableforworkingonchangingthat(withadmittedlyinconsistentcommitmentandprogressonmypart),I'mactuallyprettyontopofthingsatworkforthemostpart.AlthoughIwasn'tformallyfollowingDavidAllen'ssystem,Iwasintuitivelyusingsomeofhisideasandapplyingtheminmyownway.Thatbeingsaid,Ifoundmanyofhissuggestionsquiteusefulandevenwentoutandboughtmyselfafour-tieredtraytokeeponmydeskforin-box,processing,andout-box.ThissmallchangewassurprisinglyhelpfulandwentalongwaytowardincreasingmysenseofcontroloverwhatIhavetodoanddecreasingmyoverwhelm.Ialsothinkthat,forpeoplewhoarestrugglingwithstayingontopofallthethingstheyhavetodo,thissystemcouldbeveryhelpful.Butlikeanysystem,youneedtobecommittedtofollowingit.Sometimes,itcomesdowntowhetheryou'dratherstressovermakingsuretotakeallyourpreventativestepstostayontopofthings,orstressoverhavingtoscramble.IthinkthatadultswhostrugglewithADHDcouldconsidertryingthissystemoutandseeingifitworksforthem.ButIknowthataspectsofthesystem,andeventhesystemasawhole,havebeenhelpfulforindividualswithoutadiagnosiswhosimplywantasystemthatkeepsthemorganized. ...more flag 12likes · Like  · seereview View1comment Jan30,2009 MichellePowers ratedit didnotlikeit Triedtheprintandtheaudioandjustcouldn'tgraspthesystemwhichwouldenablemetogetlotsandlotsofstuffdoneinaneasymannerwithoutstruggle.Iguessonceyougetthroughthebook,nothingelseseemslikeasmuchofastruggle.Ishouldhaveknownitwasn’tforme,whentheauthorsaid“stopmakingto-dolists.”Imean,really,whatwouldIdowithallthecutestickynotepadsIhave? Triedtheprintandtheaudioandjustcouldn'tgraspthesystemwhichwouldenablemetogetlotsandlotsofstuffdoneinaneasymannerwithoutstruggle.Iguessonceyougetthroughthebook,nothingelseseemslikeasmuchofastruggle.Ishouldhaveknownitwasn’tforme,whentheauthorsaid“stopmakingto-dolists.”Imean,really,whatwouldIdowithallthecutestickynotepadsIhave? ...more flag 13likes · Like  · seereview Viewall3comments Jun25,2008 David ratedit likedit Shelves: nonfiction I'dheardaboutDavidAllenandhis"GettingThingsDone"systeminthepast,butIneverpaiditmuchattention.Idecidedtoinvestigatefurtheralittlewhileback,andfinallypickedupthebooktwoweeksago.AndnowI'vereadit;andIexpectI'llgobackandre-readthisbookinacouplemonths.Imayrevisemyratingatthattime.ThethingsthatirritatemeinthisbookareexactlythethingsIexpectedmightirritateme.Thereareplentyoftheobligatorybreezyanecdotesabouttheclie I'dheardaboutDavidAllenandhis"GettingThingsDone"systeminthepast,butIneverpaiditmuchattention.Idecidedtoinvestigatefurtheralittlewhileback,andfinallypickedupthebooktwoweeksago.AndnowI'vereadit;andIexpectI'llgobackandre-readthisbookinacouplemonths.Imayrevisemyratingatthattime.ThethingsthatirritatemeinthisbookareexactlythethingsIexpectedmightirritateme.ThereareplentyoftheobligatorybreezyanecdotesabouttheclientsAllenhasworkedwithandhowimpressedtheywerewiththesystem;themarginsofeverypagearefilledwithquotes;therearelapsesintobusinessmotivationjargon;andtherearenumberedlistsindroves.Iskimmedsomeparts.Butatthesametime,thereissomethingIdidn'treallyexpect:veryconcreteadviceaboutorganizationaltricksandtactics,introducedwiththewords"letmeassureyouthatalotofthevaluepeoplegetfromthismaterialisgood'tricks.'"Recognizablemeat!Nowondertherearesomanytechnicalreaderswhohavelatchedontothisguy.Ofcourse,IstillhavetoseewhetherIcangetthemeattoworkforme.It'spossiblethatI'llcharitintounrecognizability,orthatitwillgivemefoodpoisoning.ButIthinkI'vedecidedtotrysomeofitanyhow. ...more flag 12likes · Like  · seereview View1comment «previous123456789…next» newtopicDiscussThisBook topics  posts  views  lastactivity    GoodreadsLibrari...: Pleaseaddcover 2 17 Sep08,202110:28PM   Lecturasinspirad...: Organízateconeficacia 6 9 Sep30,201907:54AM   Moretopics... Share RecommendIt  |  Stats  |  RecentStatusUpdates Readersalsoenjoyed Seesimilarbooks… Genres Nonfiction 2,040users Business 1,890users Productivity 1,691users SelfHelp 1,621users SelfHelp> PersonalDevelopment 604users Business> Management 281users Leadership 243users Psychology 238users Reference 156users Audiobook 125users Seetopshelves… AboutDavidAllen DavidAllen 1,191 followers LibrarianNote:ThereismorethanoneauthorintheGoodreadsdatabasewiththisname.DavidAllenisaproductivityconsultantwhoisbestknownasthecreatoroftheGettingThingsDonetimemanagementmethod.HeisthefounderoftheDavidAllenCompany,whichisfocusedonproductivity,actionmanagementandexecutivecoaching.HisGettingThingsDonemethodispartofhiscoachingefforts.He LibrarianNote:ThereismorethanoneauthorintheGoodreadsdatabasewiththisname.DavidAllenisaproductivityconsultantwhoisbestknownasthecreatoroftheGettingThingsDonetimemanagementmethod.HeisthefounderoftheDavidAllenCompany,whichisfocusedonproductivity,actionmanagementandexecutivecoaching.HisGettingThingsDonemethodispartofhiscoachingefforts.HewasalsooneofthefoundersofActioneer,Inc.,acompanyspecializinginproductivitytoolsforthePalmPilot. ...more BooksbyDavidAllen More… News&InterviewsDanaSchwartzonGraveRobbers,1800sEdinburgh,andFrankenstein WhenDanaSchwartzstartedwritingabouta19th-centurypandemicravagingEdinburghinherlatestbook,Anatomy:ALoveStory,shehadnoidea...Readmore...30likes·0comments TriviaAboutGettingThingsDo... Notriviaorquizzesyet.Addsomenow» QuotesfromGettingThingsDo... “Ifyoudon'tpayappropriateattentiontowhathasyourattention,itwilltakemoreofyourattentionthanitdeserves.” — 153likes “Youdon'tactuallydoaproject;youcanonlydoactionstepsrelatedtoit.Whenenoughoftherightactionstepshavebeentaken,somesituationwillhavebeencreatedthatmatchesyourinitialpictureoftheoutcomecloselyenoughthatyoucancallit"done.” — 65likes Morequotes… Welcomeback.JustamomentwhilewesignyouintoyourGoodreadsaccount.