Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity | 
 enlarge | Author: David Allen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Category: Book
Buy New: $34.98
New (5) from $34.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  434 reviews
Sales Rank: 800412
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 4.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0743520335
Dewey Decimal Number: 646.7
EAN: 9780743520331
ASIN: 0743520335
Publication Date: January 1, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: The Book-on-Tape is in its original factory wrap and is not a cutout. All is sealed/Mint!
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Amazon.com
With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance. Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organized, we could turn ourselves into 24/7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.) As whole-life-organizing systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk, The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket" That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's commonsense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment; Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belabored, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to soccer moms (who we all know are more organized than most CEOs to start with). --Timothy Murphy
Book Description
In today's world of exponentially increased communication and responsibility, yesterday's methods for staying on top just don't work. Veteran management consultant and trainer David Allen recognizes that "time management" is useless the minute your schedule is interrupted; "setting priorities" isn't relevant when your email is down; "procrastination solutions" won't help if your goals aren't clear. Allen's premise is simple: our ability to be productive is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve stress-free productivity and unleash our creative potential. He teaches us how to: Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box empty
Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
Feel fine about what you're not doing
From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done has the potential to transform the way you work -- and the way you experience work. At any level of implementation, David Allen's entertaining and thought-provoking advice shows you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.
Download Description
"""The personal productivity guru"" (Fast Company) delivers powerful methods that vastly increase your efficiency and creative results-at work and in life In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential. In Getting Things Done Allen shows how to: Apply the ""do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it"" rule to get your in-box to empty Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations Plan projects as well as get them unstuck Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed Feel fine about what you're not doing From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 429 more reviews...
 Changed My Day-to-Day Life July 25, 2008
This is the only book I've read that has changed my day-to-day life every day in visible ways. I say that having read it over a year ago, not just last week. My desk was cluttered and piled with papers; it's now clear every day. My inbox had over 6,000 emails; there are four unread in my inbox as I write this. My folders are all uniformly labeled. Administravia that would barely get done is efficiently processed in a timely manner unless I've consciously decided to do it later. This is a must read for everyone.
Great Methods That May Require Patience July 24, 2008
The workflow David Allen presents in Getting Things Done is incredibly useful. So much so, in fact, that it can make the book difficult to read. I personally started the book twice, only to put it back on the shelf half-completed, before reading it completely on my third attempt.
In the interest of getting things done, the book is written in such a way that unfinished business will be drawn out of your subconscious to occupy your central thought process. Unfortunately, this mental burden distracts attention from reading the book itself.
During my first two attempts, this became so frustrating that I simply had to stop reading the book. However, I was still able to take away valuable lessons. One of the primary tenets of GTD, is ensuring these reminders get written down in a trusted system. In so doing, the nagging voice in your head will subside, allowing you to focus and complete tasks efficiently.
I began by integrating the ideas I had read into my own way of working. In so doing, I was able to reach a level where I could finally pick up the book and read it in its entirety, without having my concentration broken by reminders of my open loops.
If you are looking to improve your productivity, I highly recommend this book. Start implementing the ideas into your workflow as you read them, and don't be too concerned about reading cover-to-cover. Depending on your work style, a complete GTD workflow may need to be adopted incrementally over time.
Be Amazed At How Much More You Can Get Done July 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I get three times what I used to get done in a week because of the systems of time manipulation I have developed. Another good book that gives time manipulation tools is Don't Like to Read, Then Don't, Listen!: How to Turn Any Type of Text Into Audio Files That Can Be Read to You!
Great Starting Point July 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an excellent Starting Point for those who are just getting organized. You can make the system your own. I takes about 4 weeks to get set up and running, at least it did for me. I also recommend Don't Like to Read, Then Don't, Listen!: How to Turn Any Type of Text Into Audio Files That Can Be Read to You!, as a tool that can help you get more things done as you do basic life stuff such as showerings, cooking, eating, ect.
 A valuable book, which could be easily improved. July 18, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Mr Allen has written a valuable book. The first chapter provides a good rationale for his system, with the second chapter providing practical implementation details. The system itself is sound, with the first chapter providing adequate justification for the system. Even if one doesn't like the system, the first and second chapters provide valuable ideas and suggestions to improve productivity.
The third chapter devolves into repetition of the least valuable sort. It fails to re-enforce earlier concepts, but detracts from them by poorly attempting to justify them at a higher level.
I wish Mr Allen would release a second edition of this book. It is peppered with imprecise language, hackneyed phrases, and meaningless cliches. Many sentences in the book could have 2 or more words removed without losing any meaning. The author also tends to exaggerate. For example, on page 250 he writes "That is real productivity, perhaps in its most awesome manifestation". This would be better if it simply said "That is real productivity, in its best form".
There is also much 'management speak' within the book, which detracts from its message.
In all, the book contains many good ideas, and if you can ignore the often flawed writing style of the author, then you stand to gain much from the book.
Please, Mr Allen, re-write the book while thinking about clear, plain English. It will benefit both your readers and your book sales.
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