Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen really opened my eyes to my non-productive nature. I knew I wasn’t getting as much done as I’d like, but I didn’t really know why or how to fix it.
David Allen’s book changed all of that. His simple productivity process is easy-to-follow, and he not only explains his method in full detail, but he tells readers why their current methods aren’t working.
He explains that our minds, like computers, can get bogged down by too much random stuff. We then spend a majority of our time trying to pull a juggling act between remembering everything we have to do and actually doing the things we’re supposed to do. This line of thinking really rang true with me. In my home, we have a pad of paper next to our fridge where we write down our grocery list for the week. I typically make my notations when I run out of something, but sometimes I’m nowhere near the list and can’t get to it right away. No matter what I’m doing, that item stays in the back of my mind for hours as I keep trying to remind myself to write the item on the list. When I get the chance to actually write the item down, my mind immediately clears and I stop wasting my time and energy trying to remember it.
David’s productivity method exists to help us create efficient systems to “catch” all of our must-do items so we can free our minds to concentrate on completing one task at a time.
You may already have your own system, in the form of to-do lists. This book shows us that while such lists are a nice idea, they aren’t as effective as we lead ourselves to believe. If you’re a to-do list-taker, take a look at your latest list. Bet it’s filled with vague items, right? Like, “Clean out the garage.” Or “design new website.” Those steps are way too general and need to be defined in clear next-action steps, according to David Allen. For instance, “Design new website,” might become “Write home page content.” See how much more attainable that seems?
This book walks you through the entire process of transforming your life from chaos to uber-organized so you can get more done with your time.
Getting Things Done guides you step-by-step through the organization process and includes plenty of real-world examples of how this system can work for you. I also liked the quotes that he threw in along the way, such as, “Rule your mind or it will rule you.” – Horace
The author offers insights of his own, too, like “You have more to do than you can possibly do. You just need to feel good about your choices.” – David Allen
If you’ve ever found yourself overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things you need to get done, this book will absolutely help you organize your life.
The paperback version of this book contains 267 pages, was published in 2002, and can be purchased on Amazon.com for $9.43.
Click here to buy the book now!
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Gettings Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen
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