Getting Things Done Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

Brief Summary

The Getting Things Done system is all about finding a way to tackle all of the tasks required to complete a project. This system allows you to tackle things with less stress and more control.

One of the primary keys to this system is keeping track of every single idea and task. Writing things down allows you to free up your creative thinking, so you can better solve problems.

Once you have written things down, it is important to make sure you are staying organized, clarifying your ideas, and constantly reviewing your lists and calendar.

The more you adopt from this method, the more likely you are to be productive and get things done in terms of projects that need to be completed.

About the Author

David Allen is a productivity consultant and creator of time management method known as “Getting Things Done.”

He grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, where the won the state championship in debate. He went to college in New College of Florida. He then went on to graduate from the University of California, Berkeley. He started using heroin and was briefly put into a hospital. He worked many trades, including as magician. He is also an ordained minister with the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness.

He is the founder of David Allen Company, an executive coaching firm using his “Getting Things Done” system. His subordinates provide one day public seminars on the methodology. Allen is also a speaker and gives lectures about his methodology. He is one of the founders of Actioneer, a company that makes productivity tools for the Palm Pilot.

He lives in Amsterdam with his fourth wife, Kathryn.

Topics

Self Development Management & Leadership

Getting Things Done Book Summary Preview

Originally published in 2001, Getting Things Done by David Allen is a guide to being more productive and organized in life and business. Throughout the book, Allen offers his own tips and tricks to be more productive on a personal and professional level.

With the author’s help, readers get not only systems that they can utilize to get organized, but also guidance to get unfinished tasks completed in a more effective way.

Among the methods that the author offers readers, there is utilizing physical inboxes, making lists, and using actual folders for work. There is also a model that allows you to effectively evaluate the things that need to be accomplished in any given day.

The goal is to have fewer projects that remain unfinished at the end of the day. And whether you choose to use all of the methods being taught, or pick and choose what works best for you, Getting Things Done will help you to find what works for you in terms of being more productive.

Key Insights:

The modern work environment is more hectic than it has ever been before, which can make it hard for you to remember things

In our work life, our job description can be even more encompassing than ever before, and at the same time, it also becomes less defined.

Every day, workers find themselves juggling more and more tasks and projects. And even with more work coming our way, it feels like we are facing an onslaught of tasks that need to be accomplished on a day to day basis.

The more we try to do and remember, the harder it becomes to handle everything required of us, as we lose the capacity to retain the information we need to get things done. It becomes hard to concentrate on what needs to be done.

This is where Getting Things Done comes in, as it gives us the tools we need to not get overwhelmed. Thanks to the author, we get a workflow guide that offers five easy to follow steps.

This workflow includes writing down everything you need to do, and any thoughts you have about the work that needs to be accomplished. Everything needs to then be clarified to make it easier to organize. Creating a more structured list will allow for more organization. Figure out what is most important and review what is on the list. And finally, it is about picking a task that needs to be done and getting started on it.

Ultimately, the entire goal of Getting Things Done is to give you control of what is happening in your life and your work to make it easier to be productive.

Having the right tools can make all the difference in your productivity levels

To avoid anxiety when things need to be done, utilizing lists can be an effective tool in staying on track. Lists can also prevent a sense of anxiety that will have a negative impact on productivity.

Whether you use a physical piece of paper and a pen to create a list, or use a...