Getting Things Done - Cover

Author: David Allen
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 2001
Pages: 267

Like many other people, I’m not as productive as I could be. I spend too much time mentally juggling priorities, and occasionally drop some of them. That’s usually not too bad, and results in me getting sidetracked or delayed on some goal or another. But it would be nice to always be able to quickly determine and prioritize what I have to do, and to have them stored somewhere besides my mind.

This book has been widely covered and recommended for those who need to get a grip on their tasks and projects, which fit my description, so I picked it up. Having gotten through it, I realize that there’s more to productivity than simply doing things; there’s a need to gather, organize, and track those same things so you know what needs to be done, what’s been done, and what’s being worked on. GTD helps to address this.

David starts the book with an overview of the productivity problem I described above, but goes into it in much more detail. Past the introduction, we get a look at the overall process of GTD:

  1. collect
  2. process
  3. organize
  4. review
  5. do

Each of these steps have their own sub-processes; these are outlined in text and via flowcharts, which help to get the point across clearly. David also outlines the process of managing "projects" which is the term for bigger tasks which have sub-tasks.

In the middle of the book, a chapter is dedicated to each of the process steps mentioned above. These each receive a fair bit of coverage on the subject. And there is more detailed coverage on managing projects, which has a somewhat specialized version of GTD applied.

The final chapters focus on ways to maximize the benefits of the GTD process.

This book is compact and easy to read; David explains uses clear language to explain each step along the way.

At this point, I’m not doing full-on GTD yet; it’s a new way of keeping on top of things, and I’m still adjusting. Being organized is a good thing, but I suspect that some aspects of GTD are just a little too organized for my needs. I suspect it is set up as a broad system with some room for customization. On the up side, I’ve come to realize the benefits of tracking things that need to be done. I’ve got a little notebook that I add items to as they occur to me, and when I think to write them down. It’s not quite GTD yet, but it’s a start!

David Allen runs a blog titled GTD Times, which purports to be a GTD hub. There are regular posts on the tools, practices, and successes of GTD.

The bottom line: Getting Things Done is a book worth reading for a technique on gaining control over your priorities, and keeping control over how your time is spent.

Incidentally and ironically, I have a couple other book reviews I’ve been meaning to write for a while. In the spirit of GTD, I’ll be pushing those out this week and getting them off my list.