Book Review - Getting Things Done
Posted at 5:19 PM - Monday, May 12, 2008 by Joseph - 0 comments
Getting Things Done by David Allen is a fantastic book, but a victim of its own success. I had heard a lot of the advice in this before. It’s similar to when someone goes to the theater to see Shakespeare’s Hamlet and thinks that it’s full of clichés. The original ideas are so good that they have become part of the world around us. Still, reading the ideas in their original form is a great way to jumpstart your productivity.
One main thing that I took away from the book was to just do quick tasks as soon as I realize they need to be done. In the book Allen says any task that takes less than 2 minutes should be done immediately. I agree with this because I have found that I lose a lot of time going over what I need to do and procrastinating on the little things. When I get them out of the way, my to-do list seems much less overwhelming and I am able to focus on what really needs to get done.
When using the Getting Things Done system everything is processed and categorized only once. It is either done immediately, if it takes less than 2 minutes, put in the do as soon as possible pile, or put in the waiting pile. The waiting pile contains things that cannot be completed immediately for any reason. Then all that is needed to be done is to pick up the takes more than 2 minutes pile whenever you have time. Then everything gets done and you don't have to waste time and mental energy constantly trying to remember what needs to get done.
Overall, this book is a must read. It can probably be skimmed because you will have heard much of the information before. It's worth investing a little bit of time learning from a productivity master so you can same huge amounts of time and stress later. The goal of the book is to allow you to relax, which is all anyone really wants anyway.
One main thing that I took away from the book was to just do quick tasks as soon as I realize they need to be done. In the book Allen says any task that takes less than 2 minutes should be done immediately. I agree with this because I have found that I lose a lot of time going over what I need to do and procrastinating on the little things. When I get them out of the way, my to-do list seems much less overwhelming and I am able to focus on what really needs to get done.
When using the Getting Things Done system everything is processed and categorized only once. It is either done immediately, if it takes less than 2 minutes, put in the do as soon as possible pile, or put in the waiting pile. The waiting pile contains things that cannot be completed immediately for any reason. Then all that is needed to be done is to pick up the takes more than 2 minutes pile whenever you have time. Then everything gets done and you don't have to waste time and mental energy constantly trying to remember what needs to get done.
Overall, this book is a must read. It can probably be skimmed because you will have heard much of the information before. It's worth investing a little bit of time learning from a productivity master so you can same huge amounts of time and stress later. The goal of the book is to allow you to relax, which is all anyone really wants anyway.