Getting Things Done
| Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity | |
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 Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity cover |
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| Author(s) | David Allen |
| Subject(s) | Business |
| Publisher | Penguin |
| Publication date | 2002 |
| Pages | 267 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-14-200028-1 Reprint Edition |
| OCLC Number | 51540420 |
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Getting Things Done (GTD) is a method / procedure created by a consultant David Allen, described in a book of the same name.
The Getting Things Done method rests on the idea that a person needs to move tasks out of the mind by recording them externally. So the mind is free from the job of remembering the tasks that need to be completed. One can concentrate on performing the tasks, instead of remembering.
Contents |
[edit] Methodology
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In time management, task priorities play a central role. The Allen's approach uses two key elements — control and perspective. He proposes a workflow process to control over all the tasks and commitments that one needs or wants to get done. There are "6 different levels of focus" to provide a useful perspective.
A weekly review is done on different levels, and suggests that the perspective gained from these reviews should drive one's priorities. This in turn determine the priority of the individual tasks and commitments gathered during the workflow process. During a weekly review, determine the context for the tasks and puts them on the appropriate lists. An example of grouping together similar tasks would be making a list of outstanding telephone calls, or the tasks / errands to perform while downtown. Context lists can be defined by the set of tools available or by the presence of individuals or groups for whom one has items to discuss or present.
GTD is based on storing, tracking and retrieving the information related to the things that need to get done. Mental blocks we encounter are caused by insufficient 'front-end' planning. This thinking in advance, generating a series of actions which can later be undertaken without further planning. The human brain's "reminder system" is inefficient and seldom reminds us of what we need to do at the time and place when we can do it. Consequently, the "next actions" stored by context in the "trusted system" act as an external support which ensures that we are presented with the right reminders at the right time. GTD relies on external memories, it can be seen as an application of the theories of distributed cognition or the extended mind.[1]
[edit] Reception
In 2005, Wired called GTD "A new cult for the info age",[2] describing the enthusiasm for this methodology among information technology and knowledge workers as a kind of cult following. Allen's ideas have also been popularized through the Internet, especially via blogs such as Lifehacker,[3] 43 Folders,[4] and The Simple Dollar.[5]
In 2005, Ben Hammersley interviewed David Allen for The Guardian, with an article called "Meet the man who can bring order to your universe",[6] saying "For me, as with the hundreds of thousands around the world who press the book into their friends' hands with fire in their eyes, Allen's ideas are nothing short of life-changing".
In 2007, Time Magazine called Getting Things Done the self-help business book of its time.[7]
In 2007, Wired ran another article about GTD and Allen,[8] quoting him as saying "the workings of an automatic transmission are more complicated than a manual transmission... to simplify a complex event, you need a complex system".
[edit] Software implementations
Whilst GTD material is careful to remain technologically neutral and advises people to start with a paper-based system[9], many task management tools claim to be GTD compliant.[10]
The following software is designed or useful for this purpose.
Free:
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Francis Heylighen & Clement Vidal (2008): Getting Things Done: The Science behind Stress-Free Productivity", Long Range Planning 41, no. 6: 585-605.
- ^ Robert Andrews (2005-07-12). "A new cult for the info age". Wired.com. http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68103,00.html?tw=rss.TOP. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ "Best of GTD". Lifehacker.com. 2006-03-21. http://lifehacker.com/software/getting-things-done/best-of-gtd-161916.php. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ "Getting started with "Getting Things Done"". 43folders.com. http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ "Review: Getting Things Done". Thesimpledollar.com. http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/06/review-getting-things-done/. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ "Meet the man who can bring order to your universe". London: Technology.guardian.co.uk. 2005-09-29. http://technology.guardian.co.uk/businesssense/story/0,,1580180,00.html. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ Saturday, Mar. 03, 2007 (2007-03-03). "The Oracle of Organization". Time.com. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1595223,00.html. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ Wolf, Gary (2007-09-25). "Getting Things Done Guru David Allen and His Cult of Hyperefficiency". Wired.com. http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/15-10/ff_allen?currentPage=all. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ http://www.gtdtimes.com/2010/08/02/which-list-manager-should-i-use-for-gtd/
- ^ Forrister, Kelly. "Simply GTD with Kelly: Getting Started". davidco.com. http://www.davidco.com/blogs/kelly/archives/getting_started/. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
[edit] Further reading
- Allen, David (2001). Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-200028-0.
- Allen, David (2003). Ready for Anything. Viking Books. ISBN 0-670-03250-6.
- Allen, David (2008). Making it All Work. Viking Books. ISBN 978-0-7499-4103-1.
