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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
fast-paced
I almost gave this book five stars because of how useful it is, but it just lacks a punchiness and conciseness that could have made it better.
But I’m really glad I read this business book from the 90s with the boring cover. It sounds like the most mundane book, and I kind of assumed that it would only have obvious things in it that I already knew.
So I’m really glad my boss at my last job recommended it to me. I had been sharing with him about how I struggle with constant decision anxiety over what to do next, long lists of things… I’m really ADHD and I make lists on lists on lists and always have way more things to do than I can possibly ever do. Maybe I can do a tenth of it in my lifetime. Maybe.
I also have piles of things all over my house—well, not any more! I HAD piles of things all over my house, because this book convinced me to put everything into one “inbox” and then process it all. And I’m glad I did. I haven’t processed the whole inbox yet, but just putting everything in one place has already helped me quite a bit.
I didn’t realize how much anxiety it was giving me to have all of these random items, piles of items, baskets of items, whatever, lying in all these different areas all over my house. I feel so much more serene already. But I won’t be fully satisfied until I’ve actually processed the pile. Which I’m planning to do Monday, and honestly, I can’t wait to get that freedom of knowing that EVERYTHING in my life that needs to be done is captured in one system.
This book has principles that are really simple, kind of basic and obvious in hindsight. Some of them I had already figured out, some I hadn’t, but the real beauty of this book is that when you put all of these building blocks together, you get a system that is airtight, that lets your mind rest and stop having anxiety about everything you need to do and aren’t doing. No more vague worrying about whether you have some deadlines coming up, or whether there’s something you should have already done and what the consequences might be. No more worrying about forgetting things. No more of any of that.
Because when you implement this system fully, then you know that all of the things you need to do are all written down and are all tracked in your system and that when there are time-dependent tasks, you will get a reminder from yourself that will show up at the appropriate time.
You also have certain habits you do to review different lists regularly so you’re always up-to-date on making sure that you are, at any current moment, doing the right thing. And that is so awesome because then you can just get in the flow of DOING, one simple thing at a time, without all the background anxieties related to productivity. You can just get in a zen, unworried state.
Honestly, I’m excited. I can just feel my blood pressure going down as I implement each part of this system and get closer and closer to that airtightness.
That said, yes, many little details in this book are clearly outdated. He wrote this in a time when the world was in a hybrid state between physical paper and digital. Obviously we now live in an age where we have way better digital calendars etc. So yes, lots of little details in here are outdated, and it would be great for this book to have an update, but putting all of that aside…
None of that really mattered to me too much, because he teaches you concepts in such a way that you can implement them in multiple ways. He helps you understand the principles and doesn’t get hung up with “do it with this exact tool”…even though it is really precise and detailed, at the same time. I am doing a couple of things differently than he recommends but the point is that I am now implementing a system with that airtight system. My productivity is really going up.
Just a note, this book will not do anything for helping you decide what is actually important, or how to make a good strategy or have good vision…those are all for other books (and if you’re interested, I’d recommend Start With Why and What’s Your Problem?).
The way he describes it is, I’m not going to talk to you in this book about how to make sure you’re sailing in the right direction. But I will help you run a really good, tight ship that you’ll be proud of.
So thankful for this.
But I’m really glad I read this business book from the 90s with the boring cover. It sounds like the most mundane book, and I kind of assumed that it would only have obvious things in it that I already knew.
So I’m really glad my boss at my last job recommended it to me. I had been sharing with him about how I struggle with constant decision anxiety over what to do next, long lists of things… I’m really ADHD and I make lists on lists on lists and always have way more things to do than I can possibly ever do. Maybe I can do a tenth of it in my lifetime. Maybe.
I also have piles of things all over my house—well, not any more! I HAD piles of things all over my house, because this book convinced me to put everything into one “inbox” and then process it all. And I’m glad I did. I haven’t processed the whole inbox yet, but just putting everything in one place has already helped me quite a bit.
I didn’t realize how much anxiety it was giving me to have all of these random items, piles of items, baskets of items, whatever, lying in all these different areas all over my house. I feel so much more serene already. But I won’t be fully satisfied until I’ve actually processed the pile. Which I’m planning to do Monday, and honestly, I can’t wait to get that freedom of knowing that EVERYTHING in my life that needs to be done is captured in one system.
This book has principles that are really simple, kind of basic and obvious in hindsight. Some of them I had already figured out, some I hadn’t, but the real beauty of this book is that when you put all of these building blocks together, you get a system that is airtight, that lets your mind rest and stop having anxiety about everything you need to do and aren’t doing. No more vague worrying about whether you have some deadlines coming up, or whether there’s something you should have already done and what the consequences might be. No more worrying about forgetting things. No more of any of that.
Because when you implement this system fully, then you know that all of the things you need to do are all written down and are all tracked in your system and that when there are time-dependent tasks, you will get a reminder from yourself that will show up at the appropriate time.
You also have certain habits you do to review different lists regularly so you’re always up-to-date on making sure that you are, at any current moment, doing the right thing. And that is so awesome because then you can just get in the flow of DOING, one simple thing at a time, without all the background anxieties related to productivity. You can just get in a zen, unworried state.
Honestly, I’m excited. I can just feel my blood pressure going down as I implement each part of this system and get closer and closer to that airtightness.
That said, yes, many little details in this book are clearly outdated. He wrote this in a time when the world was in a hybrid state between physical paper and digital. Obviously we now live in an age where we have way better digital calendars etc. So yes, lots of little details in here are outdated, and it would be great for this book to have an update, but putting all of that aside…
None of that really mattered to me too much, because he teaches you concepts in such a way that you can implement them in multiple ways. He helps you understand the principles and doesn’t get hung up with “do it with this exact tool”…even though it is really precise and detailed, at the same time. I am doing a couple of things differently than he recommends but the point is that I am now implementing a system with that airtight system. My productivity is really going up.
Just a note, this book will not do anything for helping you decide what is actually important, or how to make a good strategy or have good vision…those are all for other books (and if you’re interested, I’d recommend Start With Why and What’s Your Problem?).
The way he describes it is, I’m not going to talk to you in this book about how to make sure you’re sailing in the right direction. But I will help you run a really good, tight ship that you’ll be proud of.
So thankful for this.
This is a great book if you want to get organized. Also download the document from Getting Things Done on using Evernote and GTD together. It's made a huge difference in my stress level because now I know what needs to be done and I have it all out if my head. Excellent book that will change the way you live life.
I give this 5 stars because of the simplicity of the system and the author's avoidance of pushing additional "stuff" that one "needs" in order to use this system. Too many books like this are trying to sell you their other stuff too. One just needs to read this book and maybe some paper and folders or Evernote or free native iPhone apps like calendar and reminders. The genius of getting all those things that constantly pop into one's head out and onto paper or an app to free up creativity and the headspace to think big is extremely valuable. He had a great TED Talk too.
slow-paced
This is an absolutely brilliant book about productivity. It can get a little excessively detailed at times, but the content has been really impactful for me at my work (career and personal). The major takeaways I remember is to write down to-do lists in terms of the next action item to get started on and to focus on mastering my day-to-day before spending too much time trying to figure out the bigger picture. I underlined quite a bit of this book.
Some quotes:
- "Mostly people feel best about their work the week before their vacation, but it's not because of the vacation itself. What do you do the last week before you leave on a big trip? You clean up, close up, clarify, and renegotiate all your agreements with yourself and others. I suggest that you do this weekly instead of yearly."
- "How much of this planning model do you really need to flesh out, and to what degree of detail? The simple answer is, as much as you need to get the project off your mind."
Some quotes:
- "Mostly people feel best about their work the week before their vacation, but it's not because of the vacation itself. What do you do the last week before you leave on a big trip? You clean up, close up, clarify, and renegotiate all your agreements with yourself and others. I suggest that you do this weekly instead of yearly."
- "How much of this planning model do you really need to flesh out, and to what degree of detail? The simple answer is, as much as you need to get the project off your mind."
Dry, slow. Advised my trusted mentor that the book doesn't start until the last quarter. Generated summary via ChatGPT to pull main points instead.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Much of this book has an "of course" quality to it, but following the system Allen has devised for organizing and prioritizing is the challenge. The best idea of the book is focusing on "next actions," and it's amazing how rarely people work in this way during projects. All of the categorizing and nesting of project files (paper or electronic) may create some vertigo in you as it did for me, and I _really_ dislike the idea of a paper filing system, but the book still motivated me to get more engaged with GTD principles.
Sure, this man's a genius and has a lot of helpful advice on productivity and on time management. But the advice he gives is just too overwhelming and doesn't really feel that applicable to your life.