Getting Things Done The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

David Allen  

Book Overview from the Publisher 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.  

KEY POINTS COVERED IN THIS SUMMARY: 1. Our mind is not a storage device - What our mind is really designed 

for 2. Mind like water - The importance of being engaged in what we do 3. Carve out mental space - Focus only on what is important right now 4. The GTD system - Implement the highly acclaimed GTD system in 5 

steps   Sometimes we feel like we're getting pulled in many different directions because we've got so                             many things to give attention to: our health, relationships, finances, business, celebrations,                       errands to run...   We become stressed out just thinking about all these things and we end up feeling like we're                                 not able to be productive.   Getting Things Done by David Allen offers solutions through the following key concepts. 

   

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1) Our Mind is Not a Storage Device  Many of us have this notion that we can keep accumulating data into our mind and then try to                                     recollect it when we need it. But that's not how it works.  

The mind is good for creating ideas, not for keeping a lot of information.   

How Einstein Used His Mind  One time, one of Albert Einstein’s colleagues asked him for his phone number and he was                               surprised that the great genius did not even remember his own number. So the colleague made                               fun of Einstein and said, “How come you don't even remember your own number? You are                               Albert Einstein, the great physicist.”  Einstein replied, “Well, why should I remember my number when I can just look it up in the                                   phonebook?” Then he proceeded to look up his phone number in the phonebook and told his                               friend his number.   This goes to show that Einstein was simply using his mind for creating great ideas, and that's                                 what we need too. We need to stop pouring a lot of information into our heads and instead                                   start creating systems where we can store ideas that we don't need. 

Use an External Storage System  EXAMPLE: The way I like to do it is using Evernote on my phone.  

● There, I save all the information I need.  ● Anytime I'm reminded of something, let's say a library book needs to be returned or a                               

bill has to be paid, I just put it in my Evernote.  ● When I come across a new mail in my inbox and I have to reply to it but there are some                                         

other actions to be taken first, I put it in an Evernote reminder.   Again, the mind is not for storage of ideas -- it is for creating ideas.   

   

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2) Mind Like Water  When you throw a pebble into a lake, the water assumes the shape of the pebble and then                                   becomes calm again. When you throw a big boulder into the lake, there's a big splash, the                                 boulder sinks, and then the water is calm again.   Similarly, we need to be appropriately engaged with what is in front of us at the moment. To                                   have a mind like water or to be stress-free, we need to be appropriately engaged in the most                                   important task. That’s when we can be extremely productive.   

The higher the importance of the task at hand, the more engaged we need to be.  When I create a video, I am completely in the moment. I give it my 100%. I'm not thinking about                                       anything else. I have nowhere else to be rather than right here, right now, fully engaged.   

3) Carve Out Mental Space   A lot of times we are living our lives in the gray zone where we have various different things                                     going on at the same time.  Let's say you were working on a really important project but an email pops up. You open the                                   email, you click on the link, and there you go doing something completely different instead of                               focusing on the project that you were supposed to be doing. Certainly, that's not how we can                                 do great things.   The mishmash this creates causes us to lose clarity, focus, and productivity. When this                           happens, it means we have very little control.   So while I'm doing this recording, I have turned off all my wireless connections. I'm completely                               disconnected for the 30 minutes I've carved out for myself. I'm not thinking about anything else.   There are so many other things that I could be paying attention to -- my health, my                                 relationships, my mom's upcoming birthday, a cultural event that I need to go to, and all other                                 things that could be going on -- but I said, “No. Right now, I'm going to use my mental space to                                         do what is most important, which is this recording.”  And that is how we need to be operating our lives: create mental space for ourselves in order to                                     to produce at the highest level. 

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3) The GTD System  This system is composed of 5 basic steps as follows:  

1. Collect. Anytime there's new information coming in, collect it in a trusted source                           instead of storing it in your brain.   In my case, the trusted source is Evernote. I'm always putting information into my                           Evernote, whether on my phone or on my computer. l take a picture of whatever is                               important. I put there an email, a bill, or a note saying I need to return the library books,                                     and so on. 

 You can also have a physical inbox where you put all your bills, mails, and anything else                                 that needs attention.  Whatever is a trusted source for you, that's where you need to collect.   📋 ACTION ITEM: Identify your top 3 or 4 trusted sources and always keep the                             incoming information in there. You cannot have too many different trusted sources if you                           want to keep your focus.  

 2. Process. Now that you've collected all this information, identify the immediate next                         step you can take in order to move this thing forward. 

 3. Organize. Start organizing everything that you have collected and processed.   Organize it in different ways -- for example, by the different areas of your life: Health,                               Wealth, Relationships, Finances, Business, Fun, Hobbies, and so on.  

 4. Review. This step is the key to getting the GTD system to work.   EXAMPLE: I have a weekly review system on Sunday nights at 6:00 PM where I review                               all the things that I've collected, processed, and organized to identify what I’m going to                             do and when I’m going to do them. Then I put them on the calendar so that I can                                     proceed to the 5th step of the GTD system.  5. Do those things.  

 And that’s how we can get things done.  

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