Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

My rating:

add to my books

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

by David Allen

3.97 · rating details · 9,071 ratings · 1,249 reviews

In this guide to better time management, Allen shares with readers the proven methods he has already introduced in seminars and at top organizations across the country. The book's stylish design makes it easy to follow Allen's tips and examples to achieve energy, focus, and relaxed control.

Hardcover, 267 pages

Published January 8th 2001 by Penguin Putnam

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 17,330)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Aug 15, 2008

Jamie rated it

· review of another edition

Ironically, looking in to the GTD (Getting Things Done) system has been bouncing around in the back of my head as something to do for quite some time now. This approach to maximizing productivity is popular among the nerdegalian, probably because of its minimum bullshit approach to actually processing, classifying, and executing what the author David Allen calls "stuff to do." This book discusses the GTD system in its entirety and, more importantly, teaches you how to put it in place. ...moreIronically, looking in to the GTD (Getting Things Done) system has been bouncing around in the back of my head as something to do for quite some time now. This approach to maximizing productivity is popular among the nerdegalian, probably because of its minimum bullshit approach to actually processing, classifying, and executing what the author David Allen calls "stuff to do." This book discusses the GTD system in its entirety and, more importantly, teaches you how to put it in place.

What I really liked about Allen's work is that it's very straight forward and focused on implementation. It seems like other self-help books in this vein that I've perused are all about inspiration, defining values, motivating yourself, getting in touch with your inner being and letting loose the full potential of you. To those authors I'd like to say the following: No. Stop it. I don't need nor want that, so you can cram it with walnuts, buddy. GTD, in comparison, is prescriptive. Allen gets touchy-feeling in a few places (such as discussing prioritization or project definition) but the vast majority of the book takes a very practical approach to digging yourself out of whatever mountain of commitments you've gotten yourself under and how to stay on top of it once you get there.

In short, GTD focuses on getting "stuff" --commitments, to do items, reminders to gather information, requests for information or actions, etc.-- out of your short-term memory and into a physical, highly organized system that will remind you of the right stuff at the right time. Dumping everything out of your short-term memory allows you to do something that's very critical to productivity: focus on one thing at a time. If you're confident that your other commitments or to-dos are safely stored away somewhere and will not be lost or buried out of sight, you can devote all your attention, time, and mental energy to one thing before knocking it out and moving on to the next. I like to think of the system as an artificial, external, and infinitely scalable attention span that you can connect to and disconnect from as needed.

That's all well and good, but it's probably not beyond the ken of your average retarded monkey. The tough (and in some places nonintuitive) part is the implementation. Again, there's tons more detail, tricks, and tips in the book, but I'll try to capture the gist of it. There are four major parts to the GTD system:

1. Collecting incoming stuff
2. Processing the stuff
3. Doing the stuff
4. Regularly reviewing your system to make sure your action items and project lists are up to date

Collecting stuff is easy. That's just letting stuff accumulate in your physical or virtual receptacles like inboxes, voice mail, or e-mail.

Processing stuff is more involved. It requires sitting down with your inboxes and emptying them. That doesn't mean immediately doing the work associated with each piece of stuff as you pick it up --prioritization is important. It means taking a piece of stuff --an e-mail, a document, a voice mail-- and doing something with it: act on it right then, file it, trash it, delegate it, or create what Allen calls a "Next Action" item associated with it. Again, the book is replete with practical tips, hacks, tools, and rules of thumb for deciding which of these things to do and how to keep it all straight. Therein lies some of the book's best value, but it's too detailed to go into here.

Doing the stuff is self explanatory, but again I'll emphasize the value of being able to focus on one thing at a time without worrying that other things will be forgotten. It's much more productive and much less stressful.

Regularly reviewing your system is also important, and comes in two flavors: as needed and weekly. You may review your action item list (a.k.a., your "to do list") several times a day as needed, if for nothing but that endorphin rush that comes with checking things off as "done" and deciding what to tackle next. Weekly reviews are also important, and are different in that you take the time to check on your list of active projects and make sure you have a Next Action item for each and every one.

So I really like the book and its system. I'd recommend it to anyone who feels like they're not being productive enough or getting buried in work. Allen only gets mushy and non-specific in a few places that make it seem like he's trying to pad the page count, but the majority of the book is specific, direct, and practical. I also like that Allen is in tune with the modern technology that most professionals encounter. He spends appropriate amounts of time discussing things like e-mail, Outlook and voice mail. He also talks about implementing GTD with high-tech tools like PDAs, Web 2.0 systems, and palmtop computers, but while GTD lends itself well to these kinds of toys, at its heart it is technology agnostic. You could do the whole thing quite effectively with a pen, some paper, and a bunch of file folders. Indeed, some parts of the system, like the tickler file work best that way.(less)

like 20 likes

· see review

Sep 11, 2007

Jarrodtrainque added it · review of another edition

With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow,""mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance./ Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind ...moreWith first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow,""mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance./ Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organized, we could turn ourselves into 24//7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.)/ As whole-life-organizing systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk, The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket"/ That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's commonsense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment; Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belabored, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to soccer moms (who we all know are more organized than most CEOs to start with). --Timothy Murphy/(less)

like 8 likes

· see review

Feb 05, 2009

Ruben rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

I'm really glad my wife and I read this book together. It's already been very helpful in getting us to look at the reason so many things never get done on time or sometimes not at all. The book is well written. The writing is very clear, with lots of examples, though it's a bit dry in the middle and a little flowery on the ends. (That sounds like a description of a scone or something.) We're still working on getting our system set up (I mean filing cabinets for reference material) so I migh...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Apr 27, 2011

Tracy marked it as did-not-finish · review of another edition

I'm listening to this because I need to get a grip on my life.

I can't even focus enough to listen about how to get my life together, much less do it.

like 3 likes

· see review

Jul 02, 2008

David rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

I'd heard about David Allen and his "Getting Things Done" system in the past, but I never paid it much attention. I decided to investigate further a little while back, and finally picked up the book two weeks ago. And now I've read it; and I expect I'll go back and re-read this book in a couple months. I may revise my rating at that time.

The things that irritate me in this book are exactly the things I expected might irritate me. There are plenty of the obligatory breez...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Jun 12, 2011

Jonathan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: own

I bought this book, and I read some of it. It sat on a shelf unfinished. I read some more. It sat in my car unfinished. I eventually made the decision to never finish it.

I think this is self-explanatory.

[Later...]

Now I'm reading 26 Reasons Not to Use GTD, and it does a good job of articulating the "ehhhh"ness that I felt while reading this.

And if you think GTD's followers are a little cult-like, check this out: When David Allen says...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Jul 29, 2007

Melynda rated it

· review of another edition

I'm a big geek, and here's proof (if you needed it). I learned about GTD from Merlin Mann's 43 Folders site, and became an instant convert. Because I love folders, lists, diagrams, flow charts, of course, but most of all because with GTD, you have to have a labeller. I love my labeller. I love making labels for my files, and admiring them in their serried ranks, all neat and labelly.

And I do actually seem to be getting more done, even when I factor in all the time I spend labelli...more

like 6 likes

· see review

Mar 01, 2009

Dianna rated it

· review of another edition

Recall the last time you went on a significant vacation from work: before you left you cleared all your to-dos, emptied your inbox, tied all the loose ends, and organized the things you'd tackle when you came back. Felt pretty good to leave that last day, right?

David Allen teaches you how to live your life this way: take all your to-dos, projects, etc. then organize them out into Projects, Next Actions, Someday/Maybe projects, Read and Review, and more if you want. Take the Next Acti...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Jul 27, 2008

Josh rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

I have not had much success applying strategies from productivity gurus. I am referring to books like "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey, and other books which share use top-down strategies to order our lives. There are two reasons why these have not worked for me. The first is technical: day-to-day life happens on the level of "stuff". The myriad of small tasks of varying importance and in multiple contexts hampers the effectiveness of top-down app...moreI have not had much success applying strategies from productivity gurus. I am referring to books like "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey, and other books which share use top-down strategies to order our lives. There are two reasons why these have not worked for me. The first is technical: day-to-day life happens on the level of "stuff". The myriad of small tasks of varying importance and in multiple contexts hampers the effectiveness of top-down approaches. The second reason is a personal one. The entire mindset of these books is very unappealing to me. Books which simplify and systemize our entire lives, such as Covey's books, seem to suck the imagination and life right out of living. Peter Pan would barf and toss these books to his crocodile buddy.

Incredibly, one productivity book has managed to overcome my objections: David Allen's "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity" has succeeded where other books failed. "Getting Things Done" (from now on I'll refer to it as GTD) has made quite a splash since its release in 2001. It's influence is already pervasive and some of the most useful blogs on the internet swear by it. I probably see it randomly mentioned every week. So for anyone who doesn't know much about it, I'd like to summarize the book and at the same time show how beneficial Allen's method has been for me.

First of all, GTD is not a top-down approach. Allen explains that "...most people are so embroiled in commitments on a day-to-day level that their ability to focus successfully on the larger horizon is seriously impaired. Consequently, a bottom-up approach is usually more effective." Allen is dead on. I already do plenty of big-picture thinking, and it really hasn't helped me deal with the nitty-gritty details of whatever messy projects and tasks are on my plate. Allen admits that a lot of times what is needed are a few tricks. GTD has equipped me to better deal with my responsibilities, and in some cases gave me some trick that helped make all the difference.

The second problem I've had with productivity books is more complex. I believe it is important to maintain a little bit of a child-like disposition in life. My impressions of the professional world are that it creates uniformity and kills creativity. It's very easy to figure out where my attitudes come from: I grew up watching Mary Poppins and Peter Pan, and Peter Pan was the first "big book" that I owned and read. I think I got that book out of my grandpa's library after his funeral. Both of these stories portray growing up as a very dangerous thing to do, and I've never stopped worrying that I will become old, dry, boring, and bored. But whether I like it or not, life happens, and responsibilities accumulate. And here is how "Getting Things Done" succeeds where others fail: without wasting time suggesting a cookie-cutter pattern for my life, it aids in conquering mundane tasks and responisibilities so that my energy can return to the activities that excite me. As I've implemented Allen's method, I've found myself able to mentally relax and in general am feeling a lot more creative again. That's pretty much fantastic!

Here is a quick summary of the GTD method. Allen describes a five-stage workflow: collecting anything that commands our attention, processing, organizing the results, reviewing the options, and taking action. Going through these steps for the first time is a huge project; Allen suggests taking several days to do this. It took me quite awhile to get all the papers and "open-loops" collected or written down, and several hours of work to organize them. Fortunately, Allen does plenty of hand-holding through this. If someone as absent minded and flighty as myself can do it, anyone can. Allen also includes chapters on developing and tracking projects (really excellent stuff) and deciding what to do next at any given moment. As a manual, it is very well written. It gives brief overviews of everything before going into greater detail. By the time you are implementing it, you already have a decent grasp of the material.

Allen sold me in the early chapters, so I dived in with both feet. It took awhile, but the results are wonderful. I have no loose unorganized papers anywhere. Before I did GTD, my mind felt like it was completely in knots. It's felt that way for years. Now that I don't carry the anxiety of lots of unidentified mental baggage and millions of unsorted papers, my mind feels relaxed and focused. GTD also helps me keep a clear picture of any tasks in front of me, and it's much easier to decide what to do next. Tackling a "next action" list feels a bit like a game. I hope to get one down to zero someday. I am more productive and am feeling more energetic. The method is also somewhat flexible: everyone's implementation will vary a bit. I use a clipboard with next-action divded by context, big wallets to hold file folders in place of a file cabinet, basic office supplies, a paper calendar, and four trays for "inbox", "next action / outbox", "data entry" (for business cards and such), and "waiting for". Very low tech, which is how I like it.

Only time will tell what effect all this will have on me. Increased responsibilities will be the real test of GTD's effectiveness. Although GTD will hold special appeal to workaholics and productivity worshippers, it is potentially beneficial to anyone who struggles to keep track of all the little tasks we need to get done. Check it out!(less)

like 6 likes

· see review

Jan 19, 2008

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

I heard a lot about this book in various Apple and scholarly blogs. It has a rabid following amongst technology types and some academics. As I LOVE my to do list, and am prone to stressing out about things on said list, I was intrigued enough to check the book out.

I didn't read the entire book, but I did get a lot out of it. His basic point is that in order to have a clear mind for concentrating on the task at hand, you need to have a system in place to capture all of the projec...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Sep 01, 2007

Steve rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: busy people

You've got too much to do and you're trying to juggle it all. How do you manage the overload of tasks? David Allen's "Getting Things Done" book offers a comprehensive, it-makes-sense system for keeping all of your various tasks under control.

The basic idea of the system is that your brain is unreliable and focuses on the wrong things at the wrong times, so you need to either work on something as soon as it arrives or use a system that you trust holds all of your pending wor...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jul 16, 2008

Hannah rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Hannah by: professor from Leading and Managing Organizations class

I like reading about organizing my life and being more productive, but I think the major lessons of this book could have been condensed in a page or two. Here are the things I remember:

- 2 minute rule: if you remember to do something and it takes you less than two minutes to do it, just go ahead and do it
- write things down in lists so that they don't float around your head and nag at you all of the time
- check your lists frequently and often, actually doing the things on...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Sep 27, 2007

Tracy rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: folks feeling overwhelmed by all they have to do

I've not yet fully put this system into place, so I'll have to hold off on the final review, but so far what I've put in place is helping. The author's contention is that taking care of the details and emphasizing the "Next Action" habit creates the freedom for more creative and longer-term thinking. Following up with the little things is also important for maintaining trust in any group, whether it's a business, community organization, or family. I'd recommend this book for anyone w...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Dec 02, 2008

Tony rated it

· review of another edition

David's ideas are very basic but also extremely liberating. Unlike Covey who focuses on values and visions, Allen gets down to the nitty-gritty of accomplishing everyday tasks I did not agree with everything he had to say, but the ideas I have implimented have been amazing. The simple concept of starting the 2 minute rule has done wonders for me. I would recommend this read to all professionals. One quick warning. At times Allen can be repeative, seeming to give a million examples for the same t...more

like 1 like

· see review

Aug 20, 2009

Sean Higgins rated it

· review of another edition

Obviously there are a lot of self-help, productivity books on the market. I've dabbled in a few of them, even taken a day-long seminar with the Covey folks. But Getting Things Done is the best material I'm aware of to learn how to process the deluge of information coming at us on a daily basis.

It takes more than one reading to mine all the nuggets. For that matter, not everything he suggests can be applied exactly as he presents it. But if you could only read one book on understandi...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Mar 03, 2009

Michelle Powers rated it

· review of another edition

Tried the print and the audio and just couldn't grasp the system which would enable me to get lots and lots of stuff done in an easy manner without struggle. I guess once you get through the book, nothing else seems like as much of a struggle.

I should have known it wasn’t for me, when the author said “stop making to-do lists.” I mean, really, what would I do with all the cute sticky note pads I have?

like 5 likes

· see review

May 16, 2007

Sarah Heffern rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: disorganized people with too much free time

Shelves: productivity, self-help

This book should have been a 3,000-word article. It was full of useless details (e.g. listing the types of materials out of which an inbox might be made), redundant to the point of making me crazy, and overflowing with multi-step systems for this, that, and the other (seriously, keeping the 3- or 4- or 6-step filters straight would require flashcards).

While it had some useful tips, I can't imagine anyone having the free time to implement the system fully. Clearly, though, I am wrong ...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Oct 25, 2011

Robert rated it

· review of another edition

Since it might take less than two minutes to write this review, I'll just do it now... The two-minute rule is one of the only things I remember from this book (which I read more than five years ago). I generally like the rule, but have found it problematic when something else also comes to mind, and I forget what that was within two minutes =)

By the time I came to read this, I had already learned many productivity strategies from other books and programs. Perhaps I might have walked a...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Aug 21, 2007

Letitia rated it

David Allen's smirking white male face on the cover of this book may convince that he's successful...but the man should reserve his smirk for one on one business dealings. The biggest issue with this book is, I couldn't get it done. Getting Things Done is written for a non-existent audience: a procrastinator with enough motivation to actually plow through Allen's dry instruction manual.

like 5 likes

· see review

Jan 20, 2012

Henk-Jan van der Klis rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: effectiviteit, time, management

David Allen's Getting things done , een ogenschijnlijk simpel, maar doeltreffend systeem om stuff (binnenkomende mails, verzoeken, telefoontjes, taken, plannen, wensen en projecten) te verwerken, is ook in het Nederlands vertaald. De titel Doe het nu! dekt net niet de lading, aangezien verwijderen, delegeren of aan een datum koppelen ook een mogelijkheid is. De mix van het besluitvormingsdiagram dat de werkstroom verwerkt, wordt gelardeerd met voorbeelden, suggesties en aanverwante hulpmiddelen ...more

· see review

May 13, 2011

Nancy Schober rated it

· review of another edition

Several people mentioned this book on the 'books that changed my life thread' that I thought I would give it a gander. I seem to be on a streak of reading books by crackpots: ([return][return]I can see where this highly organized system for running your life might cause problems with someone who was already OCD. But still I'm a bit miffed I wasn't given something like this in my high school senior Study Skills class.[return][return]David Allen's system covers the nuts & bolts that Steven Covey l...more

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 05, 2012

Don Geronimo rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

While the book was philosophically interesting at first, the amount of initial setup required to utilize the book's techniques was pretty frustrating at the start, and motivation to actually do the steps in the book—not to mention finish reading it—was very hard, mainly because of this fact that the book actually acknowledges: "I have a lot of stuff in my head!"

When I finally plodded through to making a system of getting all my thoughts out of my head, throwing out the stu...more

· see review

Jan 25, 2012

Tim Wade rated it

· review of another edition

This book focuses on how to get organized from the ground level up. While it mentions working out your life goals and the bigger parts of being happy, the book excels in how to prioritize and clean put your in-box.

Details: Allen clearly describes his system for getting control of all the over-communication we have to deal with in the modern office. He recommends organizing your calendar, task and most importantly your email box in specific ways. I tried his recommendation and I feel th...more

· see review

Dec 07, 2011

peter rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

I went through parts of this book/lecture series when I was an undergrad, but am revisiting the audiobook now. It provides some very helpful ways to look at life and how you do the things you do.

There are some key points in this book that can really change how you conduct your life. For me, a few of the big things are:

(1) if you keep everything you worry about doing in your mind, you'll have more anxiety. Instead you should write everything down that you have to do in some so...more

like 1 like

· see review

Nov 24, 2011

Kris (KindleRomance) rated it

· review of another edition

I read this book several years ago, and it truly changed my life. I have been practicing the methods presented here for over 5 years. By implementing the full program, I have become much more efficient and organized. I've been able to use all of this new free time to do more enjoyable things with my life including reading! It also gave me the time to do more volunteer work.

I introduced the concepts to over 60 people in my office and watched several of them see significant improv...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 30, 2011

Neeraj Sachdeva rated it

· review of another edition

Complete Review Available Here

Is this book worth reading?

Short Answer: An emphatic YES (Scroll to the bottom for breakdown)

Long Answer (Brace yourself):

The book delivers what it promises, the art of getting things done.

The book is succinctly divided into 3 different parts, each explaining the concept, practical implications (how to) and further explanation. It breaks down each and every task – from shopping for toilet paper to leading a conferenc...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 21, 2011

Jonathan rated it

· review of another edition

I started this a number of times - always with the hope of finally getting organized. This time I got it Done! Really part of the issue is one's desire for control. "I want to be FREE! Not a slave to a system!" But this system provides freedom. I know that as I implement the dreaded system and actually follow the recomendations for daily and weekly review, I feel more comforable that all the crap in my head has been captured, organized and is in process. Ah, THAT is freedom.

N...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 16, 2011

Peter Landis rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This book has some revolutionary-rudimentary concepts to help organize your life and consequently be more productive. I found it to be extremely helpful, and yet it was confusing when trying to follow the author's exact instructions.

Certain crucial areas of the book were not explained very well, leaving me faltering with how to properly implement them. The most notable of these areas is how to properly set-up and use a project list. Many times the author explains how it works, and each...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 12, 2011

Terry rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: productivity

I very much enjoyed consuming "Getting Things Done" after hearing much hype about the system and being constantly exposed to the barrage of things purporting to be GTD-compliant and believe I understand why: it respects the reader's time.

*the advice is natural. The author notes that it's foolish to fight our natural planning tendencies and the way our mind works. We are distracted by both the giant and the tiny and the system recognizes the fact that both take up mindshare....more

· see review

Aug 09, 2011

Tech Wizard rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: productivity

Some of you may have heard about Getting Things Done, GTD, a trademarked program by David Allen. There may be some of you have heard about it but arent really sure what it is. It would be impossible for me to go over the whole program, but one of the best things I can say about the ideas behind this book is that I can happily say they work, and you coming and sharing this website with me and learning from some of my ideas is the only proof I need. And the only proof really that you need.
...moreSome of you may have heard about Getting Things Done, GTD, a trademarked program by David Allen. There may be some of you have heard about it but arent really sure what it is. It would be impossible for me to go over the whole program, but one of the best things I can say about the ideas behind this book is that I can happily say they work, and you coming and sharing this website with me and learning from some of my ideas is the only proof I need. And the only proof really that you need.

The real goal is to train yourself to run on autopilot for productivity so you can decide where you want to point your attention. You should get to the point where you spend a day brain storming and idea, coming up with actions, but then spend the week just carrying out those plans, do anxiety or stress because you know what you have to get done. (There will be humps....there will always be humps.)

I have been implimenting the program diligently, and I am a master proscrastinator, often getting consumed in the idea I have rather than trying to make it happen. Sometimes there seems to be too much to do, or I start on one thing and jump to another, with no real guidance I find myself frustrated. But I took my brother's advice and started reading this book and now have found myself with Specific Projects set up with the next actions I need to take to accomplish them. Some planning and organizing leads to a very fluid and manageable program allowing for idea to be seen through to actualization, and does so in a way that it is really pretty fun at times.

Personal Outline:
Get Thoughts out of your Head
Write Everything Down
Have specific actions
Break ideas into projects
Do one action at a time, alway have the next action ready
Productivity on Autopilot

Get the book as you can find it used on Amazon and is the single best investment you can make for getting your projects together and your mind clear. The system is well thought out and explained nicely step by step from the first day to the completion of a project.

More Useful Software and Ideas for Implementation at:
www.techwizdom.com (less)

like 1 like

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 577 578 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
"Getting Things Done" Versus "Order from Chaos"	5	71	Dec 26, 2011 02:47am
Discuss GTD	1	22	May 17, 2009 10:12pm

combine
Other Editions (21)

More editions...

Genres

Non Fiction

349 users

Business

254 users

Self Help

150 users

Self Help > Personal Development

31 users

Reference

29 users

Psychology

20 users

Leadership

18 users

How To

12 users

Literature > American

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About David Allen

David Allen is a productivity consultant who is best known as the creator of the Getting Things Done time management method.

He is the founder of the David Allen Company, which is focused on productivity, action management and executive coaching. His Getting Things Done method is part of his coaching efforts. He was also one of the founders of Actioneer, Inc., a company specializing in ...more

More about David Allen...

Books by David Allen

Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life

Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life

Getting Things Done...Fast!: The Ultimate Stress-Free Productivity System

S'organiser Pour Réussirgetting Things Done

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Getting Things Do...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Getting Things Done: T...

“If you don't pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.” — 12 people liked it

“Most people feel best about their work the week before their vacation, but it's not because of the vacation itself. What do you do the last week before you leave on a big trip? You clean up, close up, clarify, and renegotiate all your agreements with yourself and others. I just suggest that you do this weekly instead of yearly.” — 6 people liked it

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved Getting Things Do...

12 Books - Business & Per...

512 members

last activity 5 hours, 27 min ago

shelf: read

All Ears Audiobooks

217 members

last activity Jan 18, 2012 07:50am

shelf: read

Mongolian Readers

126 members

last activity 14 hours, 52 min ago

shelf: read

title link	preview: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
avg rating	preview: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity Goodreads rating: 3.97 (9071 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/699768.Getting_Things_Done?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309286934m/699768.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/699768.Getting_Things_Done?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen[/url]

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website