Various Retailers have
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen (eBook) on sale for
$1.99.
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About this book:
- Since it was first published almost fifteen years ago, David Allen's Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. "GTD" is now shorthand for an entire way of approaching professional and personal tasks, and has spawned an entire culture of websites, organizational tools, seminars, and offshoots.
- Allen has rewritten the book from start to finish, tweaking his classic text with important perspectives on the new workplace, and adding material that will make the book fresh and relevant for years to come. This new edition of Getting Things Done will be welcomed not only by its hundreds of thousands of existing fans but also by a whole new generation eager to adopt its proven principles.
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Top Comments
Unfortunately, in practice, I found the 'Getting Things Done' (GTD) concept very difficult to implement. I would spend too much time categorizing everything, and when something new and immediate would come up, it would throw all my deadlines and schedules off. My boss would throw sudden demands at me all the time, and then I would stress over categorizing that new task and readjusting the rest. It might have been my failing, but I just couldn't follow the GTD methodology well.
I had some help - I used (the excellent) OmniFocus software for Mac which was built on GTD methodology. Have been using the software since its pre-release beta days. Despite that tool, I eventually gave up on the idea of using GTD. It was too cumbersome a philosophy to implement (at least for me).
However, the good thing that came out of it was that it got me using the OmniFocus software. Eventually I got past its GTD trappings and gave up on using it 'perfectly'. I started using the software simply as a generic task management tool, without worrying about whether I was adhering to GTD principles or not. For its part, OmniFocus developers too shrugged off strict dedication to GTD concepts. For example, GTD has this concept of contexts - you assign each task a context, which can be, for example, a place or person (#home, #office, #boss etc.). Earlier versions of the software would allow only one context per task. Users kept clamoring for more, but the developers and GTD purists kept harping on GTD philosophy. Finally, they relented and did away with 'contexts' and introduced 'tags'. You could now assign multiple tags to a task or project (I guess competition from the 'Things' app got too much to ignore).
Anyway, in brief - it's a good book. Might give you good pointers about how to get more organized. But following its principles perfectly is hard, and I personally failed at that. Though I'm sure it works very well for many people. I would suggest giving this book and its teachings a shot. If you find much of it doesn't work for you, adopt the stuff that does. And definitely start using some project management software. It greatly helps.
1. Capture: Record all tasks, ideas, and responsibilities as they come to mind in a "capture tool," such as a notebook or an app.
2. Clarify: Process these captured items to decide what action is needed. If an item can be done quickly (usually in less than 2 minutes), do it immediately. Otherwise, delegate it or defer it.
3. Organize: Place deferred items into appropriate lists or categories, such as 'To-Do', 'Waiting For', or 'Someday/Maybe'. Assign deadlines and priorities as needed.
4. Reflect: Periodically review your lists and update them. This includes a weekly review to assess overall life goals and priorities.
5. Engage: Take action on your tasks based on priority and context, rather than reactively addressing what seems most urgent at the moment.
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Unfortunately, in practice, I found the 'Getting Things Done' (GTD) concept very difficult to implement. I would spend too much time categorizing everything, and when something new and immediate would come up, it would throw all my deadlines and schedules off. My boss would throw sudden demands at me all the time, and then I would stress over categorizing that new task and readjusting the rest. It might have been my failing, but I just couldn't follow the GTD methodology well.
I had some help - I used (the excellent) OmniFocus software for Mac which was built on GTD methodology. Have been using the software since its pre-release beta days. Despite that tool, I eventually gave up on the idea of using GTD. It was too cumbersome a philosophy to implement (at least for me).
However, the good thing that came out of it was that it got me using the OmniFocus software. Eventually I got past its GTD trappings and gave up on using it 'perfectly'. I started using the software simply as a generic task management tool, without worrying about whether I was adhering to GTD principles or not. For its part, OmniFocus developers too shrugged off strict dedication to GTD concepts. For example, GTD has this concept of contexts - you assign each task a context, which can be, for example, a place or person (#home, #office, #boss etc.). Earlier versions of the software would allow only one context per task. Users kept clamoring for more, but the developers and GTD purists kept harping on GTD philosophy. Finally, they relented and did away with 'contexts' and introduced 'tags'. You could now assign multiple tags to a task or project (I guess competition from the 'Things' app got too much to ignore).
Anyway, in brief - it's a good book. Might give you good pointers about how to get more organized. But following its principles perfectly is hard, and I personally failed at that. Though I'm sure it works very well for many people. I would suggest giving this book and its teachings a shot. If you find much of it doesn't work for you, adopt the stuff that does. And definitely start using some project management software. It greatly helps.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank oodl
1. Capture: Record all tasks, ideas, and responsibilities as they come to mind in a "capture tool," such as a notebook or an app.
2. Clarify: Process these captured items to decide what action is needed. If an item can be done quickly (usually in less than 2 minutes), do it immediately. Otherwise, delegate it or defer it.
3. Organize: Place deferred items into appropriate lists or categories, such as 'To-Do', 'Waiting For', or 'Someday/Maybe'. Assign deadlines and priorities as needed.
4. Reflect: Periodically review your lists and update them. This includes a weekly review to assess overall life goals and priorities.
5. Engage: Take action on your tasks based on priority and context, rather than reactively addressing what seems most urgent at the moment.
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Unfortunately, in practice, I found the 'Getting Things Done' (GTD) concept very difficult to implement. I would spend too much time categorizing everything, and when something new and immediate would come up, it would throw all my deadlines and schedules off. My boss would throw sudden demands at me all the time, and then I would stress over categorizing that new task and readjusting the rest. It might have been my failing, but I just couldn't follow the GTD methodology well.
I had some help - I used (the excellent) OmniFocus software for Mac which was built on GTD methodology. Have been using the software since its pre-release beta days. Despite that tool, I eventually gave up on the idea of using GTD. It was too cumbersome a philosophy to implement (at least for me).
However, the good thing that came out of it was that it got me using the OmniFocus software. Eventually I got past its GTD trappings and gave up on using it 'perfectly'. I started using the software simply as a generic task management tool, without worrying about whether I was adhering to GTD principles or not. For its part, OmniFocus developers too shrugged off strict dedication to GTD concepts. For example, GTD has this concept of contexts - you assign each task a context, which can be, for example, a place or person (#home, #office, #boss etc.). Earlier versions of the software would allow only one context per task. Users kept clamoring for more, but the developers and GTD purists kept harping on GTD philosophy. Finally, they relented and did away with 'contexts' and introduced 'tags'. You could now assign multiple tags to a task or project (I guess competition from the 'Things' app got too much to ignore).
Anyway, in brief - it's a good book. Might give you good pointers about how to get more organized. But following its principles perfectly is hard, and I personally failed at that. Though I'm sure it works very well for many people. I would suggest giving this book and its teachings a shot. If you find much of it doesn't work for you, adopt the stuff that does. And definitely start using some project management software. It greatly helps.
I like the GTD concepts but felt like I was reading/trying to understand that, and wondered if I could implement GTD.
https://personalpivots.
https://zapier.com/blog/gtd-tasks-lists/
https://www.quora.com/What-altern...-and-value
Also, search pros and cons of GTD.
Unfortunately, in practice, I found the 'Getting Things Done' (GTD) concept very difficult to implement. I would spend too much time categorizing everything, and when something new and immediate would come up, it would throw all my deadlines and schedules off. My boss would throw sudden demands at me all the time, and then I would stress over categorizing that new task and readjusting the rest. It might have been my failing, but I just couldn't follow the GTD methodology well.
I had some help - I used (the excellent) OmniFocus software for Mac which was built on GTD methodology. Have been using the software since its pre-release beta days. Despite that tool, I eventually gave up on the idea of using GTD. It was too cumbersome a philosophy to implement (at least for me).
However, the good thing that came out of it was that it got me using the OmniFocus software. Eventually I got past its GTD trappings and gave up on using it 'perfectly'. I started using the software simply as a generic task management tool, without worrying about whether I was adhering to GTD principles or not. For its part, OmniFocus developers too shrugged off strict dedication to GTD concepts. For example, GTD has this concept of contexts - you assign each task a context, which can be, for example, a place or person (#home, #office, #boss etc.). Earlier versions of the software would allow only one context per task. Users kept clamoring for more, but the developers and GTD purists kept harping on GTD philosophy. Finally, they relented and did away with 'contexts' and introduced 'tags'. You could now assign multiple tags to a task or project (I guess competition from the 'Things' app got too much to ignore).
Anyway, in brief - it's a good book. Might give you good pointers about how to get more organized. But following its principles perfectly is hard, and I personally failed at that. Though I'm sure it works very well for many people. I would suggest giving this book and its teachings a shot. If you find much of it doesn't work for you, adopt the stuff that does. And definitely start using some project management software. It greatly helps.
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