Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity

Written by David Allen

Narrated by David Allen

In today's world of exponentially increased communication and responsibility, yesterday's methods for staying on top just don't work.

Veteran management consultant and trainer David Allen recognizes that "time management" is useless the minute your schedule is interrupted; "setting priorities" isn't relevant when your email is down; "procrastination solutions" won't help if your goals aren't clear.

Allen's premise is simple: our ability to be productive is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve stress-free productivity and unleash our creative potential. He teaches us how to:

• Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box empty
  
  
• Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
  
  
• 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 has the potential to transform the way you work -- and the way you experience work. At any level of implementation, David Allen's entertaining and thought-provoking advice shows you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2002
• ISBN: 9780743561327

David Allen

David Allen is an international author, lecturer, and founder and Chairman of the David Allen Company, a management consulting, coaching, and training company. His two books, Getting Things Done and Ready for Anything were both bestsellers. He is a popular keynote speaker on the topics of personal and organizational effectiveness.

Reviews for Getting Things Done

[jrcchicago_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book -- needs to be read and reread for everything to sink in.

[stefanwille · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Nice theory, devastating to your productivity in practice.

[Anthony Yap · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a nice book /audiobook. It's about how to organize things and how job details should be handled.

[rcbathome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really is a great book and concept.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read quite a bit about GTD online, and I decided to read the original book, to get a firm grasp on this productivity methodology.But I found that I've already encountered most for he topics in my online reading. While is was interesting to read some examples about clients that Dave Allen worked with in establishing their productivity systems, I didn't get much added insight. But - if you are starting out fresh, and this is your first encounter with the world of GTD, then this is a solid introduction, and a nice foundation to understand before modifying the system to meet your own needs.

[txorig_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Ok method, though seems abit cumbersome. Seems best if combined with Covey methods.

[bohemiangirl35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This seems to be the next step beyond Stephen Covey's system. More than organizing, this process actually teaches you how to figure out your next steps so you can do it all. What I like best is that David Allen doesn't promote purchasing any particular brand or system. He encourages the reader to use what is most comfortable and useful and to not use too many different tools - notebook, smart phone, email etc. He also encourages simplicity: Use file folders, but don't color code because that adds another layer of complication; remove the hanging system from drawers so you don't have to keep rearranging the hanging folders as they get full. Getting started is a daunting task. I've already hit a wall just figuring out how high my in basket really is once I write down EVERYTHING I have going on in my life. But being able to customize specific actions to my own preferences and getting things out of my head and onto paper will be a major stress reliever. And the payoff of knowing what to do without having to remember everything will be totally worth it.Despite being impressed with the system, I had a hard time rating this book. I definitely plan to implement the ideas, and if the system is easy to stick with, I'd give it a 5. But the presentation is horrible. The book is waaaay longer than it needs to be, and it takes forever to get from discussing generalities to laying out how to implement the process. The pullout quotes are distracting, two or three on almost every page. And some of them are pretty obscure. They don't really add anything to the book. Due to the long-winded, repetitive presentation, I'm going to have to reread parts of it to make sure I get it all. I will probably copy the important pages and use those as a reference.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If nothing else it made me think about how I do things and how I might make things work better. While I mightn't agree with all his methods, it does make sense to have a method to deal with things and make sure that you have a plan in place for dealing with the various things that arrive on your plate both at home and in work, though the emphasis is really on work.I plan to make re-reading it an occasional thing.

[kevineldon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book, a classic on how to take charge of the things that are driving your life. It's not a solve-all your problems book, and it will not make your work go away, but the tips here, the tactical approaches to how to keep your work controlled are real and impactful.

[jechtshot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As far as personal productivity management books go, this one is a keeper. David Allen's "Getting Things Done" method is extremely intuitive and simple. The central concept is to constantly purge your mind of all your open actions to ensure that you are not only getting things done, but that you are keenly aware of what you are not getting done. I have started using this method at work and find that I am getting better at delivering on my commitments and have a much better grasp on all of my open actions. Another central theme of Mr. Allen's is: if something can be done in 2 minutes or less, do it. Ignore priority thinking and get the action off your list.If you are looking for a productivity management solution to get your life in order give this book a shot.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A quick read with some helpful tips. I tend to be incredibly organized and am already a list-maker, so much of the book enforced acts that I am used to doing. ?It encourages people to make lists, always move forward on projects and take the next step, etc. I agree with much of his philosophy, especially developing the habit of tackling tasks as you come across them so they don't pile up.

[kisigler_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There are a lot of good ideas in here, and if I am able to successfully integrate them into my life and see a giant improvement in my stress-free productivity, I will happily upgrade this review to five stars. I could use a giant improvement, so fingers crossed!

[bob3000_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Sucks. Get excited, to-do lists will change your life! Ha. No meat.

[clueless_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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: (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.David Allen's system covers the nuts & bolts that Steven Covey left out of the 'Highly Effective Habits'. This is a curious mix of Zen and Taylorism. Is this the answer to adrenal burnout? I plan to incrementally try a few things from this book. When I'm too the point that I can efficiently get the icky jobs over with ASAP I'm hoping that will leave me time to dawdle over the tasks I love to do.No where did he say to be sure to put 'downtime' in your schedule. I'm wondering if he thinks that if you do things his way you won't need it?

[kindleromance · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 improvements in their productivity. Each person is given a copy of the book, and we read it over a period of a few months. We also review the methods in practice using Outlook. My goal is to have everybody around me become equally organized so that we all work more efficiently.

I truly think this is a game changer for both an individual and an organization. I really wish I could have implemented this when I first starting working. I encourage everybody to take a look at these principles and incorporate them in their lives as soon as possible. They apply equally at home and at work. I also suggest that you take a look at his website which has a lot of free articles. LinkedIn also has a great group of people who share best practices.

[hanuman2_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Check out zen to done (google) for a cheap ebook or free webarticles. Probably will do fine with that instead of buying book.

[capiam1234 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes. This system really works. I reread this and his other books to keep everything fresh in my mind so my system stay in place and in order.

[mazirian_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

At best this book should be an essay or a blog post, but instead the author has taken a concept that takes a few pages to explain and painfully bloated it to a size that made it feasible to publish in paper.

[theidlewoman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the original productivity guides and still one of the most thorough, inspiring and thought-provoking. Allen's revolutionary idea was to change 'to do lists' into action lists, bringing all obligations or duties from all parts of our lives together into one organisational system. His key rule is to get everything down in a reliable, regularly-checked system, and to get it out of our heads, where it's contributing to a feeling of stress and being overwhelmed. Once we've written out our various projects, our job is to assess what steps we need to take to achieve them, and to focus, step by step, on the next thing we have to do - which brings us steadily closer to our goal without overwhelming us with one huge task. Straightforward and easily customised, it's a simple way to get your stuff back under control. I'm in the process of applying it to my work obligations right now and it is helping, though there's a long way to go. Bear in mind that most of the books you now see jostling for space on Amazon are pale imitations of this. Save your money on those, and buy this instead.But which edition should you buy? I'm currently referring to a copy of the first edition from 2001, which I borrowed from my local library. Its ideas are still relevant in their broadest sense, but this oldest edition now feels very dated, as Allen is writing for a world in which all filing is done on paper and only the most advanced executives might have a Palm PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), which now sounds as archaic as a BBC computer. Despite that, the lessons can easily be applied to our modern, Evernote and Todoist-connected world. I've just ordered my own copy of the updated 2015 edition and will come back to rework and amend my review once I've read that.

[castiron_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Allen's principles are very helpful, and overall I like his system. (Though he doesn't explicitly state this in the book, I also like it that he realizes most people will take a fair amount of time to get into the habit, and that even he sometimes falls off the wagon.)

My main issue with this particular book is that it's really aimed toward businesses ("leverage" as a verb, etc.). I'd love to see Allen get together with a homemaker who's using his principles and write the version of GTD for someone whose Next Action list includes a lot of repeating actions (Monday: cook meals, do dishes, do laundry, clean toilet; Tuesday: cook meals, do dishes, do laundry, clean toilet, Wednesday: cook meals, etc....).

[stephenbarkley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I?m not big on business books self-help books. Business books often leave me numbed by repetitive illustrations that make the same brilliant point too many times. Self-help books, on the other hand, often seem aimed at losers.Now that that disclaimer?s out of the way, let me say this: Getting Things Done is revolutionizing my organizational skills. Having recently taken on the Senior Pastorate of a church, I quickly realized my need for a more comprehensive organization system. Allen had the answer that worked for me.As Allen himself emphasizes, his method is largely common sense that is frequently ignored. The idea is this: if you collect everything in life, process it regularly, and act on it, then you will have far less stress and be able to work creatively. Gone is that nagging voice in my mind that always suggests I look after something else instead of what I?m currently doing.If you could use some personal organizational skills, give this book a try. It could save your sanity!

[historytoby · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was set as homework - sort of. After CGP Grey and Brady Haran decided to discuss this book on their podcast Hello Internet, they urged the audience to read the book. Allen's book is a classic in self-organisation, and I can see why: the book has a very sensible message. In order to get things done, you need to organise your In-Tray(s) and write down things in an actionable way (not "Laundry" but "Put Laundry in Washing Machine"). However, the way in which this message is brought to the reader is less than stellar. It is a conglomerate of long, redundant paragraphs, and thus very tiresome to read. Also, a revised 2015 edition should contain more in the way of advice how to deal with the ubiquity of digital in-trays (Email inboxes, smartphone push notifications, etc) in order to be a truly relevant book on Getting Things Done.

[annkucera · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Getting Things Done covers organization from the perspective of helping you think about how to manage your committments. It does not promise a "system" that will correct your disorganization. I use the concepts from this book in my daily life.

[eichin_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sure, it's widely hyped, and there's lots of fad material in this space. For me, the truly important thing was that it wasn't about having lists of what you could maybe do any time you got around to it - but having lists of things you can't or won't do *right now* and can put them *out of sight* (and out of mind, thus reducing useless stress) because you've got someplace or some system that you *trust* not to lose them.Not that the rest of the book is a waste - good details about systems you can actually use, and workflows, and mechanical details. The "don't look until later" concept is a wonderful way to stop drowning in the wrong details.

[30oddyearsofzan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All I will say is this. I read this book and for the third week in a row I'm actually able to see the floor in my bedroom. It's quite disconcerting, after three decades of hopeless disorganisation. DA, I think you may be my hero.

[bkohl_6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

GTD is a self-help book: a dash of fact, plenty of anecdotes, and a healthy amount of repetition. Part of me wants to be skeptical. But the other part is so grateful for this book and how it seems to crop up when I need it most, that the skepticism takes a back seat.

[smcamp1234 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes. This system really works. I reread this and his other books to keep everything fresh in my mind so my system stay in place and in order.

[miche11e_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On one hand this is just another productivity book. You alreay know a lot of what it's going to tell you; write things down, prioritize your work, do/defer/delegate, schedule time to do things, discipline yourself to stay in control of your work. But there's a couple of things I like about this book that is different.1. You need to control all your life, not just your work life or your home life. This book recommends a system that doesn't separate home from work. Everything goes on the same "to do" list. The highest priority on the "to do" list get's done first - and that might be take the day off and go to the beach with your child.2. You don't dilute the urgency of your "to do" list with items that you haven't a hope of accomplishing in the near future. The "to do" list is referred to as the "next action" list. All you need to worry about is the next action. You keep a separate "someday/maybe" list for those longer term things.3. For better efficiency, he suggests subdividing the next action list into the context/location where the next action is done. For example my list has, at work desk, around site, discuss (face-to-face meetings), call (nb calling can be done from multiple locations), at home desk, around home, errands around town, errands in civilization etc.4. I've always used his prioritization system. The next action is selected considering the required context/location of the work, the time available, the energy you have available and its priority.The book has a lot of the same ideas as the Steven Covey books, but doesn't use the "spiritual" category. It's up to you to define your "projects". Just make sure you make of list of them!

[dangraham_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was skeptical about this book when I picked it up but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit and pulling a few techniques for my own organization as well.

[deldevries · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I started reading the background articles in Fast Company and his website in the mid to late 1990s. This book was ground breaking!