Getting Things Done

DAVID ALLEN

Reviewed by Todd

Most efforts to get organized fail. Even given one’s diligent use of a FranklinCovey planner or PDA, tasks change hourly based on priorities of the corporate moment. Calendars capture but a fraction of our total responsibilities, and simple to-do lists prove, as author David Allen puts it, “inadequate to deal with the volume and variable nature of the average professional’s workload.”

In Getting Things Done, Allen suggests productivity comes from a quiet state of mental being. Distractions easily disrupt conscious thought. Poorly defined to-do’s force the brain into repeating loops of infinite alternatives. Getting Things Done shifts the focus from the commonly defined problems of time, information, and priorities, to action with a capital A. By defining and managing actions, ambiguous tasks are turned into clear next steps. And once those actions are captured using a reliable system, the mental noise clears, allowing space for more substantive thought.

“The big problem is that your mind keeps reminding you of things when you can’t do anything about them.”

Allen introduces a “workflow method” made up of five distinct stages. Everything that commands attention—unread e-mails, a pile of magazines, the never-ending list of household projects—is collected and processed, and decisions are made about subsequent actions. The results are organized into lists, calendars, or projects. The overall flow is reviewed weekly, allowing a wide-angle view of the progress. The final step is doing: writing the e-mail, returning the call, buying the groceries. As Allen says, despite most people’s declaration that there is just not enough time in the day, time is not the issue; clarifying the actions needed is where people fall down.

The modularity of Allen’s system makes it attractive to all people looking to be more productive. While the highest possible Getting Things Done mind-set is achieved with devotion to all five interlocking steps, adopting a single discipline or stand-alone technique can bring measurable benefit. For example, Allen suggests using a tickler folder to hold items that can be dealt with at a later date. I recently took his advice and started an electronic tickler folder (as opposed to the physical folder system he recommends), and I’m happy to report that the simple benefit of a reliable system for follow-up calls and forthcoming business books clears a perceivable portion of my personal RAM.

To say Getting Things Done has a following would be an understatement. Programmers and technology enthusiasts were early adopters, attracted to its simple but methodical approach to eliminating mental clutter. These same individuals tested and experimented with the most effective use of software, often writing their own code to create a solution that best fit their unique needs. Several dozen stand-alone applications have been brought to market, as well as supplements for industry standards like Microsoft Outlook. New Getting Things Done converts can do a simple Google search to discover forums, blog posts, and vendors of all sizes to help with their organizational metamorphoses.

High-level athletes train for years to perfect the smallest aspects of their performance. Allen is suggesting the same in Getting Things Done. Mental loose ends and overflowing in-boxes sap our ability to perform. By implementing processes and focusing on action, businesspeople share with athletes the same benefits of a clear mind and forward momentum. TS

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Penguin Books, Paperback 2001, ISBN 9780142000281

WHERE TO NEXT? Here for personal effectiveness Here for early effectiveness Here for organizational effectiveness | EVEN MORE: Ready for Anything by David Allen; Mind Hacks by Tom Stafford and Matt Webb; Lifehacker by Gina Trapani

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