Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity Paperback – 17 Mar. 2015

Getting Things Done by David Allen offers a solid method for organising tasks and managing productivity, but it does feel unnecessarily wordy at times. The core ideas—capturing everything, processing it into actionable steps, and regularly reviewing—are genuinely useful, especially if you’re committed to sticking with the system. That said, you’ll need patience to wade through the extensive explanations. If you’re up for the challenge, the payoff is there, but it could have been delivered more concisely. Worth reading if you’re serious about getting organised and don’t mind some repetition.

My friend loaned me her copy of the first edition and I enjoyed it (and I like lists) so I bought this one which is updated to take account of new technology. I'm still getting to grips with it; as the author suggests you might need to do a bit at a time when changing your habits, but I have stopped putting work tasks in my calender, I have almost finished sorting my folders, and am working on the Next Action Lists which I have created for different work areas (issues to discuss with others, At PC, Waiting For etc), so I think that's a partial success. I've never had an overflowing in-tray or stuff all over my desk, so that was not an issue for me, and I was already applying some of the methods 'instinctively' so that was good to know!I think the Next Action Lists, Projects list and 'someday/maybe' lists are good for keeping an overview and for a weekly review of progress and what needs to be done, but I still find I am more productive if I synthesise my priorities from those lists on to a 'stuff to do this week' list and a 'quick jobs this week' list, which mostly get done. I'll keep at it though; it has taken me a life time to get in to bad habits so it will take a bit to get me into better ones :-)

Getting Things Done is a method for planning and organising your life in a manner that ensures you don't miss anything, thus removing stress while also enabling one to set out their life by focusing on their own priorities and wishes.David Allen has been developing his system for over 30 years and the book definitely reflects this. He initially worked mainly with CEOs of big companies, however, this does not mean his methods cannot be implemented by those living less busy lives.The main idea behind David Allen's strategy is that everything that we keep in our mind takes up our "brain space." The only way to avoid pending tasks and errands from taking over our mental clarity is by having a reliable system that does the work for us. If we know that all our "ought to", "should", "have to" aspects of our lives are safely stored somewhere in a way that we will be reminded, then we do not have to worry about them at all.Then David Allen takes this even one step further, as he emphasises that the main question you always need to ask yourself is WHY. Why are you doing certain things? What kind of value do they bring? This is the golden nugget which in combination with an effective organising system allows one to really focus on tasks that bring them purpose and joy in their lives and to achieve higher goals (while not forgetting to buy bread in the shop).Is this book for everyone? Definitely not. This is a 300+ page thick system that one has to work through and then work even harder to implement it in their life. Will it help a person with a 9-5 job with very few responsibilities or projects, whose main concerns are only buying bread and remembering a doctor's appointment every now and then? It well might, but not as much as to those who run several different projects, who have to constantly schedule or attend meetings, conferences, trips or whose areas of focus expand on many different fronts.If you are one of the latter, this book is a must-read! And if you aren't, you might still give it a try, who knows, it might still change your life.

Initially I felt overwhelmed by the chaotic style of the book but after I spent some time using the method, I believe that it is an effective project management method.What actually helped me to get the most of it and get a better understanding, is designing a kanban board using the method and I highly recommend doing the same as almost everything has become digital.For beginners I recommend using the workflow charts and as the author suggests to use tips and tricks from the book. Like the two minutes rule which can make a huge difference.