Getting Things Done
The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
David Allen
20021231
About This Book
Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective results and unleash our creative potential. From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work and live, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.
Getting Things Done is divided into three parts. Part 1 describes the whole game, providing a brief overview of the system and an explanation of why it’s unique and timely, and then presenting the basic methodologies themselves in their most condensed and basic form. Part 2 show you how to implement the system. It’s your personal coaching, step by step, on the nitty-gritty application of the models. Part 3 goes even deeper, describing the subtler and more profound results you can expect when you incorporate the methodologies and models into your work and your life.
Contents of This Book
Part 1: The Art of Getting Things Done
Chapter 1 A New Practice for a New Reality
Chapter 2 Getting Control of Your Life: [here]
. The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow
Chapter 3 Getting Projects Creatively Under Way: [below]
. The Five Phases of Project Planning
Part 2: Practicing Stress-Free Productivity
Chapter 4 Getting Started: Setting Up the Time, Space, and Tools
Chapter 5 Collection: Corralling Your “Stuff” [here]
Chapter 6 Processing: Getting “In” to Empty [here]
Chapter 7 Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets [here]
Chapter 8 Reviewing: Keeping Your System Functional [here]
Chapter 9 Doing: Making the Best Action Choices [here]
Chapter 10 Getting Projects Under Control [below]
Part 3: The Power of the Key Principles
Chapter 11 The Power of the Collection Habit
Chapter 12 The Power of the Next-Action Decision
Chapter 13 The Power of Outcome Focusing
Getting Projects Under Way/Control
Horizontal Focus (Collection, Processing, Organizing, Reviewing, Doing):
The key ingredients of relaxed control are (1) clearly defined outcomes (projects) and the next actions required to move them toward closure, and (2) reminders placed in a trusted system that is reviewed regularly.
Vertical Focus (Project Planning):
Focus to get a project under control, to identify a solution, or to ensure that all the right steps have been determined. Knowing how to think productively and how to integrate the results into your personal system is the second powerful behavior set needed for knowledge work.
The Natural Planning Model
- Defining purpose and principles
- Outcome visioning
- Brainstorming
- Organizing
- Identifying next actions
Which Project Should You Be Planning?
- Projects that need next actions about planning
- Random project thinking
How Do I Apply All This in My World?
Just as your “Next Actions” lists need to be up-to-date, so does your “Projects” list. That done, give yourself a block of time to handle as much of the “vertical” thinking about each project as you can.
As you do, ask yourself, “What about this do I want to know, capture, or remember?” You may just want to mind-map some thoughts on a piece of paper, make a file, and toss the paper into it. You may come up with some simple bullet-point headings to attach as a “note” in your software organizer. Or you could create a Word file and start an outline on it.
The key is to get comfortable with having and using your ideas. And to acquire the habit of focusing your energy constructively, on intended outcomes and open loops, before you have to.