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Summary: Once in a while a book will change your life
Review: I was looking for a time managment book. I didn't find one. Instead, I found David Allen's STRESS managment book (my description), "Getting Things Done". With a book like this I normally read it through once, and then impliment the system if I agree with it. I'm almost finished my first read through, and with NO exageration, my life has already changed. Even my wife has noticed how much less stress I project... and I haven't even implimented the system yet! David's method applies to processes as small as managing your inbox to managing your life goals. Don't expect to be overewhlemed. He takes you step by step through a process of implimentation that you can apply at any level, and see the results right away. There's nothing psycological about it. These are PRACTICAL steps that he has you take, which work. I'll admit that while reading the implimentation section, some of the logistics didn't make sense to me, UNTIL I got to the last steps. Then it all came together. Again, I want to stress... I haven't even begun the full imoplimentation, and already things have changed. (David reccomends putting aside the specific time to do the implimenation, which I have set aside for next week. I can't wait to experience the full results.) Buy this book. Set aside the time to read , and impliment the program. And start relaxing!!
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Summary: EXACTLY what I needed!
Review: Wow! I'm amazed at this book -- THANK YOU David Allen!Ireceived this book Saturday, and plowed right through it. Monday andTuesday at work, I picked up a bunch of manila folders, and startedmaking lists and following the instructions and workflowdiagram. Lemme tell you -- if you find you're overwhelmed at work -either through having too much, or being filled with uncertainty mostof the time, or finding your shoulders up in the air out of stress, ora stress-induced backache, get this book. The funny thing is: Mostof this is stuff you already know in some way or another. But the wayhe puts it all together, it is so clear and simple to do, and theresults are AMAZING! People at work already (in just four days) aresurprised at how much calmer I am now, and I seem in control. A fewco-workers are also ordering this book. One of the gems of the book,lies in the little things. For example: Do you have an inbox? Ididn't have an inbox at work - and neither do any of my co-workers orbosses. Such a simple thing. Or at home - do you leave your maileverywhere? Just get a box and mark it "In", and take careof issues (phone calls, papers, etc) AS THEY ARRIVE. It's worth theprice. My copy is already dog-earred all over the place. My bosswants to borrow it when I'm done, and a friend of mine, who wasskeptical about this, sees how I'm pulling things together, and wantsto borrow it to utilize in organizing his college career...
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Summary: CLEAR AWAY THE CLUTTER!
Review: So much to do and not enough time. Is this a recurring theme in your life? Is your mind constantly overloaded with concern about unfinished tasks? Then be proactive, and do something to effectively clear away the clutter. Author David Allen suggests several ways. If you're drowning in anxiety, here's a possible "raft", a life preserver, a life jacket" to help you stay afloat, relax and focus on what is really important. First collect all the unfinished "jobs" in a trusted system outside your mind. The author calls this system a "collection bucket". Next clarify your committments for each item in the bucket and decide what you HAVE to do to make progress toward filling that committment. Review and process the contents of this "bucket" regularly. Make decisions based on a four-step system; do it, delegate it, defer it, or drop it. This book is well written with excellent tips for reducing stress. If you tend to take on more than you have the resources to handle,- give yourself a "time-out"- and read this book.
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Summary: Improve the quality of your "work" life
Review: Work: Anything that exists in your world that you look at and "wish" was different from current reality. In that case, most of what we see around us could be considered work; in today's world, it seems to be work that necessitates knowledge. How much we know, and how we apply that information is the cutting edge between high productivity and burn-out. Real advice for real "knowledge workers." Do you feel overwhelmed by the "problem" of infinite opportunity? How good could that next project be? How prepared for that meeting could your direct report be? When do you stop working on one project in light of the value-add that would come in beginning another? For those of you with "too much to do, and not enough time to do it in," productivity guru (as Fast Company magazine has labeled him) David Allen provides a no-nonsense, fire-tested system that will make sense of your open loops. The Getting Things Done methodology offers a practical yet elegant solution to staying on top of your work, whether it's a personal project like landscaping your yard, to that new B2B site that you're launching next week. David Allen's approach to managing yourself and your world may well be the best advice you'll ever receive. Included are tips and tricks that lead the readers toward learning, practicing and developing techniques for improving personal productivity and individual satisfaction. The behavior sets you practice will prove useful, and add a "sustainable" element to your work/life style. Buy this book, read it, and watch your productivity AND energy go up!
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Summary: Great System!
Review: I have spent years searching for a task management system that I could live with and I finally found it with David Allen's "Getting Things Done." I have actually been using this system for 8 months now (a record for me), after learning about it during one of his 2-day seminars. Implementing his ideas has brought a new level of organization and efficiency to my work and personal life. The great thing about this system -- IT MAKES SENSE! It is not artificial and rigid like others, but instead is natural and flexible. EVEN IF YOU ATTEND THE SEMINAR, BUY THE BOOK -- IT'S A GOOD REFRESHER. If you bought the book, and can attend a seminar, do it! It will change your life for the better.
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Summary: one more important book for the messy us.
Review: This is one of the plentyful of time management books available. I have THE ORGENIZED EXECUTIVE (old useful book), IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT THE TIME TO DO IT RIGHT, WHEN WILL YOU FIND TIME TO DO IT OVER, plus a bunchful of others, including the Covey's series. Ok, I admid, i m one of those CHAOTIC executive entrepreneurs who has a messy desk, a procratination habit, a workaholic havoc, and always in search of overcoming it. I have tried diaries (filofax), time management (Franklin type), PALM (even APPLE NEWTON!), ECCO or ACT (at a time), but i could not get enough of it. I know, i know, it is MY fault. I suspect a plentiful people are ALSO LIKE ME ;-). This is a good book, it will be USEFUL for you: 1. it give you a good frame of thought about how to do it without being too damn specific (everybody is unique in a way).2. it was created post-email-n-internet, so David deals with this issue as well. The specifically nice things that i love: 1. the two minutes test ( I WILL USE THIS, I SUSPECT THIS ONE WILL BE VERY USEFUL!), 2. the diagram. 3. the details of -operation-, without being specific, which we can apply to our works. OK, if you have messy dest, clutter mind, and bed-time-work-management habit, this one is for you.
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Summary: A fresh, effective approach
Review: For those of us who've repeatedly whizzed on our to-do lists, David Allen's common sense-rich manual for productivity is a must. For years, I've tried prioritizing tasks (A1, B1, C1) only to discover that priorities change too often to track. Mr. Allen trusts us to use our instincts after taking some very basic steps to put our lives in order.
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Summary: Best book on productivity
Review: This is the best book on productivity to come to the market in years. You can easily and quickly impliment David's system so that in days you start feeling stress relief. This book should be a must read for all employees if you want to see productivity and results that are lasting and meaningful. You might even end up with happier employees as a result.
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Summary: Flow from Angst to Action . . . and Relax!
Review: This book is for all those who are overwhelmed with too many things to do, too little time to do them, and a general sense of unease that something important is being missed. Everyone has experienced times when everything seemed effortless, and progress limitless. David Allen has captured ways for you to achieve that wonderful state of mind and consciousness more often. His key concept is that every task, promise, or assignment has a place and a time. With everything in its proper place and time, you feel in control and replace the time spent on vague worrying with effective, timely action. As a result, the accomplishments grow while the pressure to accomplish decreases. As a result, the book contains many insights into "how to have more energy, be more relaxed, and get a lot more accomplished with much less effort." The key psychological insight of this book is that rapid progress occurs when you take large, unformed tasks, and break them down and organize them into smaller, sequential steps for exactly what to do and when. The book provides lots of guidance and examples for how to do this. The book is organized into three sections. The first gives you an overview of the whole process for how to get more done in a relaxed way. The second spells out the details of how to implement that process, in a way that a personal coach might use. The third provides subtle insights that help you appreciate the benefits that follow from using the process. Like all good coaches, Mr. Allen understands that appreciating a subject from several perspectives and getting lots of practice with it are critical steps in learning. The process advocated by this book is described with lots of systems flow charts that will appeal to all of the engineers and left-brained people. The right-brained people will find lots of discussions about emotions, feelings, and stress. So both types of thinkers should do well with this material. The essence of the process is that you write down a note about everything when you take on a new responsibility, make a new commitment, or have a useful thought. All of this ends up in some kind of "in" box. You then go through your "in" box and decide what needs to be done next for each item. For simple issues, this includes identifying the action you should take first and when to take it. For tougher issues, you schedule an appropriate time to work the problem in more detail. You organize the results of this thinking, and review your options for what you should be doing weekly. Then you take what you choose to do, and act. Think of this process as the following five steps: (1) collect (2) process (3) organize (4) decide (5) act. For the tougher problems, you start with identifying your purpose and principles so you know why you care how it all turns out. Then you imagine the potential good outcomes that you would like. Following that, you brainstorm with others the best way to get those outcomes. Then you organize the best pathway. Finally, you identify the first actions you need to take. Then you act, as in step 5 above. From this outline, I hope that you can see that this is not rocket science. It is simple common sense, but with discipline. The critical part is the discipline because that is what focuses your attention where it will do the most good. For example, rather than sitting on something you have no idea how to get started, you can decide right away to get ideas from others on what the purpose and principles are that should be used in selecting a solution. So, you are in motion, and you have saved much time and anxiety. What I learned from this book is that many people allow a lot of time to pass without taking any useful steps because they cannot imagine what to do next. This process should usually overcome that problem by showing you what to work on, providing methods to accomplish that step in the process, and guiding you to places where you can get appropriate help. As a result, this book should help overcome the bureaucracy and communications stalls that bedevil most organizations. This fits from my own experience in helping people solve problems. If you simplify the questions and make them into familiar ones, everyone soon finds powerful alternatives drawn from a lifetime of experiences and memories. Keep things broad, abstract, and vague, and peoples' eyes glaze over while they struggle for a place to begin. After you have finished reading and applying this book, I suggest that you share your new learning with those you see around you who are the most stressed out. By helping them gain relaxed control of their activities, you will also be able to enjoy the benefits of their increased effectiveness in supporting your own efforts. May you always get the tools you need, understand what to do next, and move swiftly through timely actions!
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Summary: I Don't Care Who You Are, You Need This Book!
Review: Although I've never been to any of his workshops, I have been following David Allen's principles through his web site and newsletter. His book collects it all. His idea of putting things together and managing them through a workflow is both simple, elegant and possibly the most powerful productivity concept I've run across. This book is written in a no non-sense and conversational style with plenty of ideas and ways to implement them. I honestly believe I have freed between eight and ten hours a week of time and completely cleared my desk of clutter in large part because of his suggestions.
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