Customer Reviews: Read 452 more reviews...
 Helpful Read October 4, 2008
This book was helpful when I read it with a few organizational items in my life. It's been a while since I've read it, and I can't exactly remember what I learned so I've given it a 3/5.
 Absolutely phenomenal ways of managing yourself October 2, 2008
Management begins with self! Start managing yourself and you would be able to manage everyone and everything around you. But there are times when you have lots of things to do and you are left with no choice but to get more and more confused.
The best ways I thought to manage everything starting from my desktop to the projects I was working in was (after I analyzed a lot and Googled around) to more and more equip myself with sophisticated gadgets, this is what they are meant for, isn't it?. Well after I installed good software, mindmaping applications, get good PDAs, I was, once more, to my surprise managing additional stuffs that what I already was previously. At least for few days I was feeling a little satisfied that my investment in one of the most updated software or a hand-held device is going to bring me peace. But after few weeks everything was back to square one.
I even saw this occasionally with other people, the more unorganized you feel the more devices, gadgets, etc you tend to buy, but no one was happy, eventually the more STUFF you get the more unorganized you become. Which ultimately leads to stress. That is NOT the solution. Basically, after getting myself acquainted with GTD I understood that the devices were actually built around GTD. So, once I know what the basis principles of personal productivity are I can accordingly arrange myself, my mailbox, gadgets etc.
The solution is to know and understand the CORE the basic principles that are essential to generate productivity and efficiency. You must be a person with great ideas and already very successful, however, if you are someone who is under stress of not being able to manage a lot of stuff then you need this book.
Know exactly what stress is? How your internal commintment, even when you think that you are not committing, to various things around you build more and more stress? How can you arrange, discard, delegate stuff.
This truly is, as coined by David, an Advanced Common Sense.
There is a lot of stuff about GTD over the internet including the 43 folders website. I suggest you surely visit the YouTube videos for Davids lectures at Google (authors@Google). Look at him when he is explaining things on video and then read the book.
This Book can Change Your Level of Productivity and Stress September 30, 2008
Other than the Bible, this is probably the most impactful book I have ever read. I stumbled upon this book in a bookstore years ago and bought it on a lark. The ideas are so simple but also can change the game of how you interract with your work and life to get more important things done. While seeing David Allen in person (which I later did) is even better in the book, this is a great way to spend $10 and I often buy it for people who work for me.
GTD is helpful for getting organized, less so for time management... September 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There are some really good ideas on how to get more organized and less stressed out due to disorganization in this book.
However, I have to say that this book isn't going to really help you deal as effectively with time management or procrastination. It's more a book on how to get organized and stay that way.
For dealing with procrastination and perfectionism, I would highly recommend "The Now Habit" by Neil Fiore (rev. 2007 edition). It ultimately ended up being a much more useful book for me than GTD - although the systems described in both books can easily work together.
Great Book! Even for the Over-Organizers!! September 22, 2008
"Getting Things Done" is a great motivator, as it speaks volumes for the simplicity of how we individually require a set way of organization to really make it flow for our daily interruptions.
This book was a recommendation, and I would also recommend it for both people "on task" and those that are flailing to keep the paper tiger in order. I will use this book over and over to recalibrate both home, work, and electronic devices whenever I am once again needing to regroup and set new goals.
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