“Getting Things Done” is a book that teaches you how to do just that: get things done. If you’re like most people today, you’re busy trying to juggle business, family and personal items all at once, and sometimes a ball (or two) gets dropped.
In this book, David Allen provides a complete system to help. The process itself, affectionately referred to as “GTD” by loyal followers, is one of the most useful I’ve personally found.
The problem is almost universal: Knowing what you want or have to do in life is one thing, but actually moving forward with it can be a huge challenge. This is especially true for all of us that have never-ending task lists and/or large, long-term projects on our plate. Looking at the mile long task or project list can be overwhelming — and cause you to simply not do anything at all. In this book, David explains how to break projects, goals and tasks down into single item, doable, actions.
Now this is an extremely simplified explanation of the GTD process, but it is comprised of a few key items: The Project List, The Someday/Maybe List, and the Next Actions list. Integrated into these key items is: Inbox, Outbox and File Cabinet management.
While all of these components are integral and useful parts of the entire system, the Next Actions list is where the majority of your productivity takes place. In short, a Next Action is the very next thing you need to do in order to move something forward. So instead of looking at a project and wondering how you’ll ever be able to handle it, you simply break off a very small chunk — the very next thing that has to be done — and focus on that chunk by itself. Once that chunk is completed, you then break off another — the next thing that has to be done — and so on.
I won’t try to explain all of the intricacies — David did that with over 250 pages in this book — but I will tell you this: David’s system is extremely useful and easy to learn.
You can start reaping the rewards of “Getting Things Done” before you’ve even finished the book. I’ve also found it very handy to keep on the reference shelf for further consultation as I’m refining and customizing my own enhanced productivity system.
I am a fan of practical, informative books with examples — this one really fits the bill and I highly recommend it.
Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-free Productivity
David Allen
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Putnam Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
ISBN: 0670899240, Hardback, 267 pgs
Kathy Burns
Reviewer
The above was originally published October 2002 in The Midwest Book Review
