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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I think a lot of the productivity people who’ve influenced me were probably influenced by this book, so it was a lot of review and the version I got from my library was a bit dated, but the main idea here is really useful and it did inspire me to think about some longer term goals and projects. Easy, approachable style, not based in shame or guilt.
If you feel overwhelmed by all the stuff you need to manage and do, this is definitely worth a read. The “stuff” flowchart is a keeper.
If you feel overwhelmed by all the stuff you need to manage and do, this is definitely worth a read. The “stuff” flowchart is a keeper.
I’m sure the system will work, it makes sense. But the book itself was too long, and too dense. It was a slog to get through
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity or "GTD" by David Allen, originally published in 2001 but revised in 2015, lays out a work flow - the process of collecting, processing, organizing, reviewing and doing - that can be applied to any goal or project. The ideas are valuable; however, even the 2015 update appears to superimpose technology onto what it still a paper based system rather than adapt the system to truly take advantage of the tools available today.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2015/12/getting-things-done-art-of-stress-free.html
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2015/12/getting-things-done-art-of-stress-free.html
informative
reflective
slow-paced
My company offered a day long class from a GTD trainer which was fabulous. I followed it up with reading the book. I admit, if I had just started the book without the training first I am not sure I would have gotten very far. It starts with setting up a filing system. *yawn* The book describes the system well, but starting with file folders isn't the way to capture my interest.
I've been following the system for about a month now and I am hooked. I feel better organized than I have in years and things that had hadn't hoped to get to are starting to get done. And yes, I am using file folders and label maker on a regular basis.
The GTD system offers a very practical set of tools to allow you to make smarter decisions about how you spend your time. Everything from not letting little daily stuff fall through the cracks to thinking about life long goals.
The GTD book is a bit outdated in terms of electronic tools that are available these days..but there are plenty of supplemental resources on line that can help.
I've been following the system for about a month now and I am hooked. I feel better organized than I have in years and things that had hadn't hoped to get to are starting to get done. And yes, I am using file folders and label maker on a regular basis.
The GTD system offers a very practical set of tools to allow you to make smarter decisions about how you spend your time. Everything from not letting little daily stuff fall through the cracks to thinking about life long goals.
The GTD book is a bit outdated in terms of electronic tools that are available these days..but there are plenty of supplemental resources on line that can help.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Refreshing my GTD techniques!
I began using this system about 6 years ago when I started a new job involving managing multiple projects. It works so well, and really did lead to "stress-free productivity".
As someone who finds to-do lists stressful and is a master procrastinator I found this book a breath of fresh air. I no longer felt bad worrying about why all the traditional time-management tools weren't working for me.
I began to let some of my good practices slide a little when in a less demanding job, but now feel the need to brush up on this technique again. I'm already looking forward to sitting down with all my projects and getting them sorted out and back in hand.
A great system for managing busy workloads that I would highly recommend.
I began using this system about 6 years ago when I started a new job involving managing multiple projects. It works so well, and really did lead to "stress-free productivity".
As someone who finds to-do lists stressful and is a master procrastinator I found this book a breath of fresh air. I no longer felt bad worrying about why all the traditional time-management tools weren't working for me.
I began to let some of my good practices slide a little when in a less demanding job, but now feel the need to brush up on this technique again. I'm already looking forward to sitting down with all my projects and getting them sorted out and back in hand.
A great system for managing busy workloads that I would highly recommend.
Natürlich ist in diesem Buch auch einiges Geschwurbel, um es anzufüllen. Aber es gibt auch gute Tipps, die einleuchten beim Umsetzen.
As 1 reviewer tapped out, this book is like "hitting yourself over the head with a brick." Ironically, this book does offer wisdom and some insightful ideas. It is just the weed-whacking and slicing that makes this book painful (and extremely boring to get through).
The largest positive to this book is that it does offer a lot of insights and, oddly, it has helped me become more organized. Because of this book, I now have a somewhat operative system that is working well for me. Though the content in this book is useful, this book has a lot of baggage.
This book could benefit from an edit for repetitiveness, repeating, and saying the same thing. Using sentence variance writing strategies to regurgitate the same idea over and over and over and over is not a good strategy. Repeat, plz? Could I please say that this book says the same thing over and over again? This book repeats itself. No need to reread certain sections because this is on repeat. This book is extremely repetitive (and it frustrated me just like this section of my review likely made you feel annoyed).
Above is why 1 star is deducted from this book's earnings. Another reason is how this book is organized. Publishers and team chose to plant all the research and scholastic studies at the back of the book, rather than weave it into chapters for flow and solidification. I really didn't like this at all. Research should not be reserved for the last chapter of a book. It should be embedded into the writing nicely where it fits. Research being planted at the back of the book is not the only reason this book has poor organization.
Frequently, the reader is asked to return to chapter 4 to make reference to a point, or wait until chapter 7 until "this idea becomes a revelation." When this approach is used on multiple occasions, it becomes clear that there is a severe lack of organization, which makes the read even more rough. Can someone please pass me a weed whacker? its getting a bit dense over here!
The ironic weed whacker slices off yet another star. It is ironic because this book is supposed to advocate for organization, yet it is not organized well at all to present its message.
When reading the research section of this book, it became absolutely evident to me that we shifted from telling a message to gloating. Mentions of specific studies that shed light on this approach were cited and, at times, it felt like more of a justification for the entire book, rather than a logical embedding of evidence and quotation. It is clear that the author believes strongly in the getting things done approach and using a system to do it, but the sections where mentions of changing a high level executive's life based on my methods were not necessary.
I think this review justifies why this book to me has earned 2 stars. It is a little sad that a book with such great ideas became such a frustration to read.
Overall, this book is summed into the following words: excellent ideas, but a train wreck of a presentation.
The largest positive to this book is that it does offer a lot of insights and, oddly, it has helped me become more organized. Because of this book, I now have a somewhat operative system that is working well for me. Though the content in this book is useful, this book has a lot of baggage.
This book could benefit from an edit for repetitiveness, repeating, and saying the same thing. Using sentence variance writing strategies to regurgitate the same idea over and over and over and over is not a good strategy. Repeat, plz? Could I please say that this book says the same thing over and over again? This book repeats itself. No need to reread certain sections because this is on repeat. This book is extremely repetitive (and it frustrated me just like this section of my review likely made you feel annoyed).
Above is why 1 star is deducted from this book's earnings. Another reason is how this book is organized. Publishers and team chose to plant all the research and scholastic studies at the back of the book, rather than weave it into chapters for flow and solidification. I really didn't like this at all. Research should not be reserved for the last chapter of a book. It should be embedded into the writing nicely where it fits. Research being planted at the back of the book is not the only reason this book has poor organization.
Frequently, the reader is asked to return to chapter 4 to make reference to a point, or wait until chapter 7 until "this idea becomes a revelation." When this approach is used on multiple occasions, it becomes clear that there is a severe lack of organization, which makes the read even more rough. Can someone please pass me a weed whacker? its getting a bit dense over here!
The ironic weed whacker slices off yet another star. It is ironic because this book is supposed to advocate for organization, yet it is not organized well at all to present its message.
When reading the research section of this book, it became absolutely evident to me that we shifted from telling a message to gloating. Mentions of specific studies that shed light on this approach were cited and, at times, it felt like more of a justification for the entire book, rather than a logical embedding of evidence and quotation. It is clear that the author believes strongly in the getting things done approach and using a system to do it, but the sections where mentions of changing a high level executive's life based on my methods were not necessary.
I think this review justifies why this book to me has earned 2 stars. It is a little sad that a book with such great ideas became such a frustration to read.
Overall, this book is summed into the following words: excellent ideas, but a train wreck of a presentation.
I don't think this book has aged well. I think I heard that he recently released a new version that is more up to date. That being said, I think there's some good knowledge to be gained here. Unfortunately, I felt as though I already knew most of what he was discussing through my own personal productivity quest. I think the biggest gains to be had were the examples and how to actually go about implementing a system to have a more productive life. I would probably recommend the newer version so the examples are more up to date.