BookNotes author: [[ David Allen ]]
Getting Things Done is a book by [[ David Allen ]] that has achieved a certain level of cult status among productivity gurus. It’s easy to explain but hard to implement.
The basic steps are
- make-it-easy-to-capture-quick-notes
- gather-everything-in-an-inbox
- process-your-inbox-down-to-zero-regularly
- define-the-next-action
- follow-the-two-minute-rule
- create-projects-if-a-task-has-two-or-more-steps
- [[ Keep a list of all active projects ]]
- [[ Keep a someday maybe list ]]
- Run a Weekly-Review.
This is fine by itself. Writing every task down in a brain-dump helps clear your mind, and is a good example of the Extended-Mind theory. Checking on them regularly is also a good idea. I do both all the time.
The book itself is frustrating. There are excellent principles but it has a patchy, absolute implementation. It’s too much information and it’s hard to visualise the whole system. I suspect this is to sell you further courses.
What I dislike about the process is a certain amount of jargon and Tool-Fundamentalism. People argue endlessly about the right way to implement the process, when they should just take what works for them. For me, the multiple lists and lack of prioritisation don’t really work, so I ditched them.
Also, as Self-Help-Ignores-Systemic-Solutions, this means Productivity-is-a-Plaster.
Notes mentioning this note
Productivity is a Plaster
[[productivity]] can help you think clearer, but it is often used as a plaster instead of applying systemic change.
Interstitial Journaling
A form of [[Journaling]]. Instead of sitting down and reflecting after the events, you rapidly log how you feel at...
Tool Fundamentalism
This is the idea that you have to follow every method to the letter instead of finding what works for...
System Maintenance Trap
When working with task management or with [[Getting-Things-Done-David-Allen-2016]] there can be a temptation to spend your time endlessly messing around...
Weekly Review
This is the most important takeaway from [[Getting-Things-Done-David-Allen-2016]] in my opinion. While doing things is all very well, you need...
Close-Open-Loops
Every time.you leave a task undone, it creates an open loop. It is psychologically satisfying to close them. This is...
Define the next action
This is from [[Getting-Things-Done-David-Allen-2016]] and is one of the more useful principles in the book. When processing your inbox. to...
Simplyify your systems
Ideally you should use the simplest possible tools and systems you can to achieve what you want. This is so...
Gather everything in an inbox
This is advice from [[Getting-Things-Done-David-Allen-2016]]. In order to see what you actually need to do, gather everything together in one...
Follow the two minute rule
This is a very useful bit of advice from [[Getting-Things-Done-David-Allen-2016]]. If a task takes two minutes or less, dont both...
Process your inbox down to zero regularly
This is from [[Getting-Things-Done-David-Allen-2016]]. While it’s important to [[gather-everything-in-an-inbox]], it may be that if you leave things in there you...