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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity Paperback – December 31, 2002
Purchase options and add-ons
* Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty
* Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
* Plan projects as well as get them unstuck
* Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
* Feel fine about what you're not doing
From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication dateDecember 31, 2002
- Dimensions5.28 x 0.6 x 8 inches
- ISBN-109780142000281
- ISBN-13978-0142000281
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- Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things DonePaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $49 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Thursday, Sep 19
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book indispensable for personal productivity. They say it describes principles for keeping things organized, and provides valuable insights and actionable strategies for reducing stress. Readers describe the approach as straightforward. They also mention that the book makes work more efficient and revolutionizes their approach to time and productivity. However, some find the repetitiveness repetitive and tedious. Opinions are mixed on readability, with some finding it easy and action-able, while others say it's not easy and has pages out of order.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book indispensable for personal productivity, helping them realize issues and set up a very workable system. They also say the guidelines have helped them immeasurably, giving them a good frame of thought. Customers also say it's a powerful method for staying on top of things and freeing their psychic energy to think about new things.
"...I found the book really helpful. I managed to setup my own system using two in-trays, Outlook and One-Note using David's principles of organisation...." Read more
"...many of the suggestions that David Allen has suggested in this very helpful book. They are working. I am getting things off my desk...." Read more
"David Allen’s Getting Things Done describes a very powerful system for controlling the long list of to-do items we all carry around in our heads...." Read more
"...it helps you organize your work and save time and gives a greater sense of achievement once you begin to apply the ideas in the book...." Read more
Customers find the book's principles for keeping things organized to be thorough, practical, and easy to set up. They also say the basic principle is straightforward and the methodology is excellent. Readers say the content is true and makes sense, improving clarity of thought. They mention that the book is 100% actionable, specific, and flexible. They say it emphasizes the importance of weekly reviews and reinforces them anecdotally, metaphorically, and with memorable quotes.
"...The power of natural planningThe book has a very good structure. It is that kind of book you will come back to revisit some ideas...." Read more
"...The basic principle is straightforward – write down everything you want to do – or might want to do – and keep those lists orderly and accessible...." Read more
"...Read the book. The book does not waste your time instead it helps you organize your work and save time and gives a greater sense of achievement once..." Read more
"...Suffice to say, GTD is the best book on organization I have ever read (and I've read a lot of these types of books!)...." Read more
Customers find the approach and philosophy of the book straightforward and simple.
"...You can easily digest the ideas as Allen's language is simple and easy to understand...." Read more
"...It's easy to read, easy to implement, and does not make you feel bad about yourself. A great find, a great book, and a great addition to my library...." Read more
"...It requires a little bit of effort because, as David says, it will not work if you don't adopt it to suit your personal style and experience...." Read more
"...It's easy to remember, easy to follow on a daily basis, and has fulfilled the goal of its title: Stress-Free Productivity...." Read more
Customers find the book relaxing and helpful for organizing their lives. They say it frees up their mind for other activities and improves focus and concentration. Customers also say the book is a life-saver for any busy professional.
"...It's easy to read, easy to implement, and does not make you feel bad about yourself. A great find, a great book, and a great addition to my library...." Read more
"...and this system has me getting more done, more quickly, with less stress, than I ever imagined possible...." Read more
"...I am able to focus in meetings better. And I am able to be fully present in personal interactions, more. For me, GTD has become a spiritual practice...." Read more
"...Since everything is in my system, it doesn't cloud my mind. My wife is even shocked about my change and will start reading it soon...." Read more
Customers find the book's system to be revolutionary and perfect for multitasking. They also say it makes work more efficient, reduces stress, and improves time management skills.
"...This means you free up YOUR time, and what's more important than that. You have to be flexible though...." Read more
"...You can eliminate waste and systematize your work. Allen talks about stress free productivity in his book...." Read more
"...better organized, more efficient, more valuable, while increasing my performance at every step of the way.So, what's in the book?..." Read more
"...Not only makes it my work more efficient, but also helps me to relax from time to time because I know what needs to be done and when...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the readability of the book. Some mention that it's an easy read, easy to remember, and follow on a daily basis. They also appreciate the lucid presentation and direct but not abrasive language. However, others say that it is not an easy book, too wordy, and impossible to finish. They mention that the book must be read in order and that it makes it difficult to manage the tasks in Microsoft Outlook.
"...The book is free of superfluous motivational talk, it is based on research, personal experience built on many years of consulting organisations and..." Read more
"...Read the book. The book does not waste your time instead it helps you organize your work and save time and gives a greater sense of achievement once..." Read more
"...The language is vague and feels like an infomercial when you read it...." Read more
"...It's easy to read, easy to implement, and does not make you feel bad about yourself. A great find, a great book, and a great addition to my library...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the plot. Some find it very actionable, challenging, and interesting. They say it helps them think about tasks and organization in a completely different way. However, others find the book boring, the writing style and presentation didn't hold their attention, and the rest is just fluff.
"...I sleep better, I enjoy my free time more, and I'm realizing how many of my burdens aren't burdens at all, but someday/maybe ideas that I need to..." Read more
"...I ultimately found this book helpful, but think it is overhyped. My main complaints are:1...." Read more
"...The tasks then are simple physical actions - Move paper to a call list, errand file, discard it, etc. (read the book for the complete list ;-) )...." Read more
"...Part II of the book is a 100% actionable, specific and flexible step-by-step process for building a personal workflow system...." Read more
Customers find the book repetitive, lengthy, and difficult to read. They also say it takes a while to read and that the content has only one page of text describing three chapters.
"...Complaint: "It's repetitive."counter argument: IMO the book is repetitive because it mimics sitting down with David Allen and having him walk..." Read more
"...the most popular time management book ever written, yet it took me quite a while to read...." Read more
"...In my opinion is a bit lengthy and redundant mainly because it tries to emphasize over and over the key concepts...." Read more
"...Everyone is overwhelmed at work and home. Too much to do. Not enough time. Emails flood the inbox. Interruptions are interrupted by interruptions...." Read more
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I found the book really helpful. I managed to setup my own system using two in-trays, Outlook and One-Note using David's principles of organisation. The book is free of superfluous motivational talk, it is based on research, personal experience built on many years of consulting organisations and individuals. I use the same routine flow at work and at home with no effort. I sometimes realise that when I get a mental trigger to simplify, process immediately something, it is because of the book. One of the key elements David insists on is that you must process the "stuff" immediately no matter what. You must decide what to do with it. The books somehow manages to store this idea in your mind using simple but powerful anchors.
What does this book for you?
Assuming we live at our fullest potential we were born with, success is conditioned by four factors: focus, goals (strategy), motivation and energy. David's book is about organising your life to give you clarity and focus. I liked how he talks about project organisation and how the immediate tasks are aligned to long term goals. The book is excellent about managing the first two factors. Motivation and energy: that is your responsibility. If you need help there then you have to look somewhere else.
How does the book help you do things better?
One of the most common sources of frustration is hidden behind our little chores we have to do day by day. David has a take-no-prisoners approach: list everything you have in front of you and handle it, otherwise this procrastination will kill you. At this point, prioritisation makes no sense. To my surprise, this little principle does wonders. You have to have a system though, which is explained in the book very well. This is probably the best gem in the book: it gives you an workflow system that you can use without fail every day. David talks about how more complex tasks are actually projects, and he shows you how to manage that project naturally, using common sense. David then makes you look at this from the perspective of your personal life. He takes you on a nice flight from the ground level (daily little chores) to high altitude where you can view the distant horizons of your life. As usual, David alerts you that before you go up, make sure you do a good job on the ground. David says that the practice shows that this is the best way to discover your call and what is it really what you want. It makes sense: if you keep getting frustrated in seemingly never ending entangled tasks, you may never know what is it really that gives you pleasure and what is your natural talent.
The main ideas of the book
Workflow of the human activities: the humans are systems that have data input, process engine and output. Productivity is about managing all these three areas. David describes a very simple workflow that is made up of five steps:
1. Collect: get it out of your head
2. Process: decide what to do with it.
3. Organise: Decide where to put the stuff.
4. Review. Critical part of the workflow: weekly review.
5. Do
The whole system is built around this workflow. It sounds simple, and it is, but it is very effective. It is implementable and reduced the noise that unorganised "stuff" creates in our head. You will have to read the book to understand that.
Decision Making Process
The system offers a fresh aproach to tasks organisation that is not based on common prioritised to-do lists system. I found that David links very well the concern of the moment with long term planning and ultimately with your life calling. The latter is a very complex task. You have to muster the daily tasks management before you get the black belt on life long achievements, because this is the only practical way of discovering what you can do and what you are best at.
Project planning.
David considers project as a collection of tasks. While individual tasks can be done almost in any order, projects require planning. Instead of relying on learning very complex project management tools, it is best to manage your project using natural planning. If you have experience with project management you will understand straight away what he is talking about. If not, you will still like his approach because it is simple and requires common sense. It is all about delivering outcomes, rather than getting lost in complex considerations.
Overall these are the key principles discussed in the book:
1. Focus and fast track
2. Applied outcome thinking (intention & action, how do I make it happen?)
3. The magic of mastering the mundane
4. The power of natural planning
The book has a very good structure. It is that kind of book you will come back to revisit some ideas. It requires a little bit of effort because, as David says, it will not work if you don't adopt it to suit your personal style and experience. I regard this book as an excellent investment.
· How to manage my time
· How to manage relationships
In both cases, you and I are on our own. Is it any wonder that the divorce rate in America hangs out at about 50%? We are all winging it, and how often does winging it get it done in real life. In the movies sure, in real life, not likely. The same is true for the management of time. I have probably read 50 books in my lifetime on time management, and I have attended a few seminars also.
NOTHING COMPARES TO THIS BOOK in helping you to change the way you handle your affairs. Here is why you need this book.
1) You need to understand that your brain operates like a random memory computer. The author David Allen explains why you will be sitting in the car and all of a sudden you will start realizing that you have to do this, and you have to do that. This always happens when you are in a position that powerless to act like having both hands on the steering wheel of a car.
2) You will learn why your brain treats all "to do" items the same, with equal weighting, and you have to consciously overcome this tendency.
3) If it's on your mind, your mind isn't clear. You must capture your to do items in a system that is outside your mind.
4) The key to success is to determine YOUR NEXT ACTION. You just don't want to write down on your to do list, FIX THECAR. You want to write down the name of the service center and the phone number because that is an action you can execute on. You have to learn to think in terms of ACTION STEPS. If it's not actionable, it's not anything. Once you start thinking and planning this way, your efficiency will skyrocket immediately.
5) The essence of the system is to keep nothing in your mind. EVERYTHING has to come out of your mind, and put into some kind of system. It could be paper, it could be on your PC. Perhaps you used a Blackberry or a small voice recorder. It really doesn't matter. What does matter is you have to get it out of your mind.
6) You can never really do a PROJECT. You can only do some kind of ACTION associated with a project. Do enough ACTIONS, and the project is complete.
There are a couple of very simple concepts that you can implement immediately that will CHANGE your life. Try these on:
A) Never let your file drawers get more than 3/4th filled.
B) Purge your files on a regular basis - once a month, or once a quarter
C) I love this one - If you can get something done in under two minutes - Just get it done. Don't put it on a list - JUST DO IT. I guess Nike had it right.
D) Handle things once. Yes, we have heard this before. This happens because you take something out of your "IN" basket, look at it, decide you are not going to process it now and put it right back in the basket. No, no, no - You process it right there, and then. Do it NOW.
I have already begun to implement many of the suggestions that David Allen has suggested in this very helpful book. They are working. I am getting things off my desk. I keep a small notebook in each of my cars, if something occurs to me, I write it down immediately, and deal with it later.
I keep a TO DO list on my personal computer. I update (delete and add) all day, and then at the end of the day, I e-mail the updated list to my home computer, and deal with it there. You need to implement the MINIMUM amount possible that will work for you. You do not want to add complexity to your life; there is already complexity enough.
You will find yourself getting much more done than you are use to. This means you free up YOUR time, and what's more important than that. You have to be flexible though. What works for you, may not work for someone else. Allen's got the concepts right. Now you have to make adjustments to see what works for you.
Always remember the POWER OF NO. You have to learn to say NO when it benefits you because if you don't take care of number 1, who is going to. My friends, you want to buy this book and take OWNERSHIP of the contents. You will change your life. Change your systems and you change your world. If fact, you will rock your world, and that's everything, isn't it.
There aren't many books you need - You NEED this book NOW!!!
Who would not benefit from being more efficient about everything one has to do? Think about it for a moment. We go to school and learn a standard curriculum. We go to college, and again learn some sort of structured set of subject matter. There are two extremely important subjects that I never learned anything about in a lifetime of formal learning.
· How to manage my time
· How to manage relationships
In both cases, you and I are on our own. Is it any wonder that the divorce rate in America hangs out at about 50%? We are all winging it, and how often does winging it get it done in real life. In the movies sure, in real life, not likely. The same is true for the management of time. I have probably read 50 books in my lifetime on time management, and I have attended a few seminars also.
NOTHING COMPARES TO THIS BOOK in helping you to change the way you handle your affairs. Here is why you need this book.
1) You need to understand that your brain operates like a random memory computer. The author David Allen explains why you will be sitting in the car and all of a sudden you will start realizing that you have to do this, and you have to do that. This always happens when you are in a position that powerless to act like having both hands on the steering wheel of a car.
2) You will learn why your brain treats all "to do" items the same, with equal weighting, and you have to consciously overcome this tendency.
3) If it's on your mind, your mind isn't clear. You must capture your to do items in a system that is outside your mind.
4) The key to success is to determine YOUR NEXT ACTION. You just don't want to write down on your to do list, FIX THECAR. You want to write down the name of the service center and the phone number because that is an action you can execute on. You have to learn to think in terms of ACTION STEPS. If it's not actionable, it's not anything. Once you start thinking and planning this way, your efficiency will skyrocket immediately.
5) The essence of the system is to keep nothing in your mind. EVERYTHING has to come out of your mind, and put into some kind of system. It could be paper, it could be on your PC. Perhaps you used a Blackberry or a small voice recorder. It really doesn't matter. What does matter is you have to get it out of your mind.
6) You can never really do a PROJECT. You can only do some kind of ACTION associated with a project. Do enough ACTIONS, and the project is complete.
There are a couple of very simple concepts that you can implement immediately that will CHANGE your life. Try these on:
A) Never let your file drawers get more than 3/4th filled.
B) Purge your files on a regular basis - once a month, or once a quarter
C) I love this one - If you can get something done in under two minutes - Just get it done. Don't put it on a list - JUST DO IT. I guess Nike had it right.
D) Handle things once. Yes, we have heard this before. This happens because you take something out of your "IN" basket, look at it, decide you are not going to process it now and put it right back in the basket. No, no, no - You process it right there, and then. Do it NOW.
I have already begun to implement many of the suggestions that David Allen has suggested in this very helpful book. They are working. I am getting things off my desk. I keep a small notebook in each of my cars, if something occurs to me, I write it down immediately, and deal with it later.
I keep a TO DO list on my personal computer. I update (delete and add) all day, and then at the end of the day, I e-mail the updated list to my home computer, and deal with it there. You need to implement the MINIMUM amount possible that will work for you. You do not want to add complexity to your life; there is already complexity enough.
You will find yourself getting much more done than you are use to. This means you free up YOUR time, and what's more important than that. You have to be flexible though. What works for you, may not work for someone else. Allen's got the concepts right. Now you have to make adjustments to see what works for you.
Always remember the POWER OF NO. You have to learn to say NO when it benefits you because if you don't take care of number 1, who is going to. My friends, you want to buy this book and take OWNERSHIP of the contents. You will change your life. Change your systems and you change your world. If fact, you will rock your world, and that's everything, isn't it.
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