Getting Things Done

by David Allen

Everything in life worth achieving requires practice. In fact, life itself is nothing more than one long practice session, an endless effort of refining our motions. When the proper mechanics of practicing are understood, the task of learning something new becomes a stress-free experience of joy and calmness, a process which settles all areas in your life and promotes proper perspective on all of life’s difficulties. —Thomas Sterner

Anxiety is caused by a lack of control, organization, preparation, and action. —David Kekich

Most people I know have at least half a dozen things they’re trying to achieve or situations they’d like to improve right now, and even if they had the rest of their lives to try, they wouldn’t be able to finish these to perfection.

Chaos isn’t the problem; how long it takes to find coherence is the real game. —Doc Childre and Bruce Cryer

Water is what it is, and does what it does. It can overwhelm, but it’s not overwhelmed. It can be still, but it is not impatient. It can be forced to change course, but it is not frustrated. Get it?

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open for everything. —Shunryu Suzuki

Anything that does not belong where it is, the way it is, is an “open loop,” which will be pulling on your attention if it’s not appropriately managed.

Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought. —Henri Bergson

Reacting is automatic, but thinking is not.

Rule your mind or it will rule you. —Horace

The beginning is half of every action. —Greek proverb

Getting things done requires two basic components: defining (1) what “done” means (outcome) and (2) what “doing” looks like (action).

There is no reason to ever have the same thought twice, unless you like having that thought.

It is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head. —Sally Kempton

We (1) capture what has our attention; (2) clarify what each item means and what to do about it; (3) organize the results, which presents the options we (4) reflect on, which we then choose to (5) engage with.

It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do. —Elbert Hubbard

People love to win. If you’re not totally clear about the purpose of what you’re doing, you have no game to win.

Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness. —Jean de La Bruyère

Thinking is the very essence of, and the most difficult thing to do in, business and in life. Empire builders spend hour-after-hour on mental work … while others party. If you’re not consciously aware of putting forth the effort to exert self-guided integrated thinking … then you’re giving in to laziness and no longer control your life. —David Kekich

In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion. —Albert Camus