Book Summary for Getting Things Done by David Allen

Book Summary: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Introduction

Time management is a key to productivity, but how you juggle and prioritize, follow-up and execute the variety of projects, events, meetings and milestones can leave you feeling stress-free or totally frazzled. If you are physically involved in one task while your mind races down a mental list of to-do's for the rest of the week—your brain a virtual corkboard tagged with cerebral post-it notes—you may benefit from the organizational system described by David Allen in his bestselling book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. His method suggests organizing your workflow using horizontal controls (coordinating your actions) and vertical controls (guiding your thinking or sequencing of tasks).

Plan for Less Stress

Commit everything you have to do into a single organization source, whether electronic or a 24-hour Day Timer. Once the task is entered on your "master list", it no longer needs to be on your mind until that date. This list must be in detail and you must reference it often. By naming a task and creating an outline that identifies each step—calls to make, presentation material required, etc.—you establish control of the project. By documenting a timeline for each step, you can forget about it until you get to that page. Use the organizer to flag any "reminders" you may need for follow-ups.

Take the time to make detailed plans for each project before you begin. Undertaking a task without a well-thought-out end-to-end plan will often fall behind schedule and waste valuable time to deal with problems that arose that no one considered (i.e., shipping delivery dates delayed during the holiday season).

The organizing method you select will become your blueprint for each day. It will keep you on task, help reduce distractions, and ensure that you allot each commitment all the time and attention it merits. For it to be the effective tool you need, you must refer to it regularly.

Decide in advance and allot time for yourself, your family, or extra training/education opportunities. As you take on commitments, leave gaps in between that provide you flexibility in case you need it. Don't schedule important tasks so closely that one unforeseen complication in a single project impacts the next, and so on, in a domino effect. Don't be afraid to say "no" when your master list slots are full. Don’t overcommit.

Work Flow Management – Horizontal Controls

1. Collect – Thoughts that come to your mind regarding a project should be put on paper, email, or a recording device. Establish "collection buckets", a physical location to accumulate this information, such as an in-box or large envelope.

2. Empty the buckets regularly – Toss it out or process it.

3. Processing – Examine the information collected and decide:

   • Deal with it now (do it yourself or delegate it)

   • Deal with it later

   • Toss it

4. Organize – Set up "actionable" and "non-actionable" categories, labeled to identify purpose, i.e., Projects, Project Plan, Waiting For, Reference Storage, etc. Assign a physical container/file for the categories.

5. Review – Allot time in your schedule on a weekly basis to review your actions and options. Review your system and update lists.

6. Do – Use four criteria to determine what to do:

   • Location – Do you have the tools/resources available to perform the task?

   • Time – Can you complete it?

   • Energy – Do you have the physical and mental energy to perform?

   • Prioritize – What needs to be done first?

Project Planning – Vertical Controls

The vertical component of project planning assigns conscious steps to the unconscious way that people already think and plan, enabling a natural transition to effective project management.

1. Define your purpose and principles – Clarify your objective, organize your resources, and motivate yourself to act.

2. Outcome visioning – Envisioning the result you want will help you focus, prompting thoughts and ideas otherwise undiscovered.

3. Brainstorming – Entertain every concept, keep an open mind, do not judge or disregard any suggestion initially. Organize them later. Gather as many ideas as possible and determine the usefulness afterward.

4. Organizing – Identify the most significant items required for the project, categorizing them as components, processes, or priorities.

5. Identify next actions – Select the next action for this project and future planning. Post reminders for follow-up on tasks others are due to complete.

Putting It All Together

David Allen's method appears initially tedious and will require discipline to execute with success, but the investment may be well worth it. This organizational system is designed to get things off your mind and get things done.

By categorizing components, organizing lists, and selecting actions based on defined criteria, you are mentally released from the "devil in the details" that haunts overstressed minds. Developing a practice of emptying the in-basket, tossing anything not needed, completing anything you can do within two minutes, and delegating what you can to others will keep the clutter on your desk—and in your mind—to a minimum.

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