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| Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity | 
 enlarge | Author: David Allen
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $6.99
You Save: $8.01 (53%)
New (66) Used (50) Collectible (1) from $5.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  441 reviews
Sales Rank: 52
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 267
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 0142000280
Dewey Decimal Number: 646.7
EAN: 9780142000281
ASIN: 0142000280
Publication Date: December 31, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Very Helpful (But Also Potentially Dangerous) June 7, 2005
96 out of 102 found this review helpful
"Getting Things Done" is an incredibly helpful book. It's been indispensable for my personal productivity. It teaches you to do a few things well and does so in a relatively clear manner.
However, it has two serious problems. First, it is presented as a complete organizational system, when it is not. Second, it encourages a seat-of-the-pants, ju-jitsu approach to daily life that can be very counterproductive and exhausting.
But, first the good. For me, the main gist of the book is this: if you try to keep your life organized in your head, you will not be maximally productive. You'll be using an inordinate amount of energy trying to mentally keep track of all your "to do" items. "Getting Things Done" shows you how to get all of these out of your head and into a system so you can concentrate on the present and attack each action item one at a time. This is good stuff.
But, now, the bad (or not so good):
The first problem is "Getting Things Done" provides no guidance on how to prioritize your projects or sub-projects. It does not help you decide what to do next. Instead, it helps you produce very organized, contextual lists of next actions to take. To decide WHICH next action to take, it just recommends that you use your instincts. For many people, one of the big problems (and often THE big problem) with their organization is DECIDING which projects to work on when; and GTD is of absolutely no help. This is not an insurmountable problem as there are books ("Time Power" by Charles Hobbs) and computer programs (Life Balance from Llamagraphics), that can help you prioritize.
The second problem, and perhaps considerably more grave, is "Getting Things Done" encourages you not to plan. It encourages you to simply decide in each moment what to do (based on the excellent lists and reminder system you've created). It encourages a seat-of-the-pants, ju-jitsu approach to daily life. And this is a BIG problem for a lot of people, myself included. If you have trouble prioritizing what to do next in your day and life, then having to make those prioritizing decisions 200 times a day, as GTD encourages, is incredibly draining. GTD preaches that you live life efficiently, but that there's no need for habits or rituals. This is a contradiction and truly counter-productive.
If there's one common thread that you get from reading the biographies of incredibly productive and successful people, it's this: they have very regular, structured, and beneficial habits and rituals. They do not "wing it." "Getting Things Done" could be retitled "Winging It In the Most Efficient Manner Possible." There are successful people, of course, who do "wing it," but the vast majority of successful people are habit- and ritual- driven. That goes especially for work habits (and often for sleep habits, exercise habits, eating habits, and social habits, too). For a great example of this, read "On Writing," by Stephen King.
If you read "Getting Things Done," seriously consider supplementing it with "The Power of Full Engagement," by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz -- especially chapter 10, "The Power of Positive Rituals." It explains very convincingly why purposefully "winging it," even in the most efficient manner, will not work and could be your undoing.
"Getting Things Done" is still a great book, but it does not stand well, on its own, as a system for organizing your life. It needs supplementation.
 Make it Up and Get it Done January 10, 2001
66 out of 70 found this review helpful
Is the methodology from Getting Things Done the silver bullet? Does David Allen's system really differ from other "time management" systems? I would say an unqualified yes based on my experience with the GTD process so far. In the one week since the book's been out I have made more progress with regard to collecting my stuff than previous attempts I have made in the past 6 years. I have actually started a filing system. More importantly, I am starting to deal with the "stuff" in my life faster and more efficiently. Just learning how to deal with "stuff" is a pretty big deal to me. My problem is that I have obsessive compulsive disorder, and it shows up in my life as compulsive hoarding. Couple the hoarding with attention deficit disorder and you have the ingredients for potentially disastrous living. In short, I have a damn difficult time staying on top of things and tend to struggle at times. David's method offers a practical yet elegant solution to staying on top of things. It starts with collecting the stuff, or as David calls it the "incomplete" and getting them out of your head into an external system that can be trusted. Then you process what's collected and then you organize it. Trust me, collecting and processing stuff is tough, really really tough for someone like. me. I am not used to making decisions on things that I collect. Now I am collecting the clutter and making decisions on it. More importantly, I am learning to let go of stuff I don't need and taking action on things I need to deal with. I have a long road to travel, but thanks to the common sense wisdom David Allen shares, I am on the road to a more sane way of living.
 I don't have time to read this book! April 18, 2005
55 out of 69 found this review helpful
David Allen ought to know his audience. We're too busy to read a 267 page book about organizing our life!
For the busy people, here's my summary:
PRO: Good, but not revolutionary, ideas. Well organized.
CON: Too long. Repetitive.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE MORE TIME:
I raced through it and found that the editor was asleep on the job. This book, which has great ideas, was way too verbose. A 100-page version would be much more effective. If the publisher didn't feel it was meaty enough, then they could just boost the small font size that they use.
Even better, it could just be a long article. If you want to save yourself some money, just read some of the reviews on Amazon and you'll get the point of this 267 page book.
Allen bangs home the same points in three different ways. Even though I was skimming, I kept feeling that I was reading the same points over and over again.
Fortunately, the book uses headers everywhere, so it's easy to skim. I would glance at a header and think, "Got it. Next."
That would be bad if a book about organization was poorly organized. Nevertheless, it's not succinct.
When will time management gurus realize that their audience needs a thin book packed with useful info, rather than a thick one with the good info spread out?
Truly the guide to stress-free productivity July 21, 2001
48 out of 48 found this review helpful
I manage a team of twenty, in a very stress-filled IT environment. We juggle multiple projects with overlapping deadlines all the time. This book taught me far more than the well known time management guides and gurus. I learned to put EVERYTHING - my work life, personal life, dream life into one place, and organize it all based on me - my life, current job, etc. I also used it to help my team. We now breeze through our deadlines, with lots of productivity and very little stress. We are able to work long hours when needed, and take time off when needed. I urge anyone who is feeling overwhelmed in their life and career to give this process a try. You will be very glad you did.
I also recommend Ready for Anything and his forthcoming book Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life (due out December 30, 2008.)
David Allen has a wonderful web site www.davidco.com where you can get more GTD information and products, and lots of free GTD coaching tips.
 Who writes these 5 star reviews?? December 9, 2002
48 out of 92 found this review helpful
The author is likeable and the book is an easy read. It confirmed what I already knew - get all of your to do's consolidated into one list so you can prioritize. Beyond that it didn't really add much value to my life or work.
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