[Book 43] Getting Things Done by David Allen

Getting Things Done describes an effective system for organizing your daily tasks. Start by capturing every to-do item in a single place outside of your head. This can be in physical folders and notebooks, although my own system is almost exclusively digital. Once everything has been captured, go through each item to identify the single next actionable step needed to make progress. This simple but elegant thought process is akin to finding the edge in a role of packing tape. It helps get us unstuck and often makes identifying subsequent steps easier.

David explains there are three options to take once you’ve identified the next action: 1) Do, 2) Delegate or 3) Defer. Tasks that will take less than two minutes should be done immediately. Tasks best completed by others should be delegated, and deferred tasks should be organized, often taking the form of a project.

Once your task list is organized, reflect on the list and choose what to engage with. These lists should be regular reviewed with different cadences. A daily review can help plan out the workday, while a weekly review is used to update the status of projects and goals. The staying power of the system results from establishing these reviews as habits.

As my personal and professional workload has grown throughout my career, this book has given me effective tactics to organize, prioritize and act on everything that needs to get done. This book works well for task that where the next actionable step can be easily and clearly defined (which is the majority of work). For more creative tasks, however, another approach may be more effective. Stay tuned next week for more on that.

You should read this book if you…

• want to be more organized and on top of your work
• often forget to do things you want to do
• get stuck on how to move large projects forward

Additional Information

Year Published: 2001
Book Ranking (from 1-10): 10 – Superb – Changed the way I live my life
Ease of Read (from 1-5): 3 – Average

Key Highlights

1. The methods I present here are all based on three key objectives: (1) capturing all the things that might need to get done or have usefulness for you—now, later, someday, big, little, or in between—in a logical and trusted system outside your head and off your mind; (2) directing yourself to make front-end decisions about all of the “inputs” you let into your life so that you will always have a workable inventory of “next actions” that you can implement or renegotiate in the moment; and (3) curating and coordinating all of that content, utilizing the recognition of the multiple levels of commitments with yourself and others you will have at play, at any point in time
2. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open for everything
3. Thought is useful when it motivates action and a hindrance when it substitutes for action
4. Getting things done requires two basic components: defining (1) what “done” means (outcome) and (2) what “doing” looks like (action)
5. We (1) capture what has our attention; (2) clarify what each item means and what to do about it; (3) organize the results, which presents the options we (4) reflect on, which we then choose to (5) engage with. This constitutes the management of the horizontal aspect of our lives, incorporating everything that we need to consider at any time, as we move forward moment to moment
6. It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do
7. Do It, Delegate It, or Defer It Once you’ve decided on the next action, you have three options: 1. Do it. If an action will take less than two minutes, it should be done at the moment it is defined. 2. Delegate it. If the action will take longer than two minutes, ask yourself, Am I the right person to do this? If the answer is no, delegate it to the appropriate entity. 3. Defer it, If the action will take longer than two minutes, and you are the right person to do it, you will have to defer acting on it until later and track it on one or more “Next Actions” lists
8. You need to be able to step back and review the whole picture of your life and work from a broader perspective as well as drop down “into the weeds” of concrete actions to take, as needed, and at appropriate intervals. For most people the magic of workflow management is realized in the consistent use of the reflection step. This is where, in one important case, you take a look at all your outstanding projects and open loops, at what I call Horizon 1 level (see page 55), on a weekly basis. It’s your chance to scan all the defined actions and options before you, thus radically increasing the efficacy of the choices you make about what you’re doing at any point in time
9. That’s why the rewards to be gained from implementing this whole process are exponential: the more complete the system is, the more you’ll trust it. And the more you trust it, the more complete you’ll be motivated to keep it. The Weekly Review is a master key to maintaining that standard
10. THE KEY INGREDIENTS of relaxed control are (1) clearly defined outcomes (projects) and the next actions required to move them toward closure, and (2) reminders placed in a trusted system that is reviewed regularly
11. Your mind goes through five steps to accomplish virtually any task: 1  |  Defining purpose and principles 2  |  Outcome visioning 3  |  Brainstorming 4  |  Organizing 5  |  Identifying next actions
12. That whirlwind of activity is precisely what makes the Weekly Review so valuable. It builds in some capturing, reevaluation, and reprocessing time to keep you in balance. There is simply no way to do this necessary regrouping while you’re trying to get everyday work done. The Weekly Review will also sharpen your intuitive focus on your important projects as you deal with the flood of new input and potential distractions coming at you the rest of the week. You’re going to have to learn to say no—faster, and to more things—in order to stay afloat and comfortable. Having some dedicated time in which to at least get up to the project level of thinking goes a long way toward making that easier
13. There is magic in being in the present in your life. I’m always amazed at the power of clear observation simply about what’s going on, what’s true. Finding out the exact details of your personal finances, clarifying the historical data about the company you’re buying, or getting the facts about who really said what to whom in an interpersonal conflict can be constructive, if not absolutely necessary and downright healing. Getting things done, and feeling good about it, means being willing to recognize, acknowledge, and appropriately engage with all the things within the ecosystem of your consciousness. Mastering the art of stress-free productivity requires it
14. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one
15. An idealist believes that the short run doesn’t count. A cynic believes the long run doesn’t matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run