Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

by David Allen

★ 4.01 (161K) • 2001

Amazon Audible Goodreads

⚡️ 10 Quotes from the book

“Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you, and often does. Responding inappropriately to your e-mail, your thoughts about what you need to do, your children, or your boss will lead to less effective results than you’d like.”

“Thinking in a concentrated manner to define desired outcomes and requisite next actions is something few people feel they have to do (until they have to). But in truth, it is the most effective means available for making wishes a reality.”

“What you do with your time, what you do with information, and what you do with your body and your focus relative to your priorities—those are the real options to which you must allocate your limited resources.”

“Getting things done requires two basic components: defining what “done” means (outcome) and what “doing” looks like (action).”

“There is no reason to ever have the same thought twice, unless you like having that thought.”

“We capture what has our attention; clarify what each item means and what to do about it; organize the results, which presents the options we reflect on, which we then choose to engage with.”

“Small leaks, with added pressure, become big ones. One missed e-mail, untracked commitment, or decision avoided can have hugely magnified consequences.”

“There is a simple but profound principle that emerges from understanding the way your perceptive filters work: you won’t see how to do it until you see yourself doing it.”

“Once you know what you want to happen and why, the how mechanism is brought into play. When you identify with some picture in your mind that is different from your current reality, you automatically start filling in the gaps, or brainstorming.”

“Getting things going of your own accord, before you’re forced to by external pressure and internal stress, builds a firm foundation of self-worth that will spread to every aspect of your life. You are the captain of your own ship; the more you act from that perspective, the better things will go for you.”

Related videos

22:16

Author gives productivity & focus tips in TEDx format + slides

3.4M 39K

Oct, 2012

Spoiler: The author asks the audience to consider how available they are to do something creative. He warns that creativity will not happen when our heads are full of to-do lists, emails and other typical distractions; Allen likens working with our brains full to trying to cook a wonderful, creative dinner in a kitchen that is already piled up with dirty dishes and has no available counter space. He suggests not keeping anything in our heads but instead using written lists of prioritized goals and action steps.

2:55

Excerpt from author presentation in QuickTalks format

68K 693

Dec, 2017

Spoiler: David Allen tells his audience that “getting things done” is mostly about being present and engaged. The more something is on your mind, the less you are doing that thing. While most people cite lack of time as the culprit for their feeling of overwhelm and low productivity, the real problem is lack of psychic bandwidth, or space in our brains. To solve this problem, write down anything that is in your head, along with the necessary steps to accomplish each task.

5:37

Author gives interview to Brian Rose of London Real

210 10

Aug, 2019

Spoiler: Harkening back to his first “job” as a magician at age five, the author says he was always intrigued by what we can’t see. In his twenties he became fascinated by the “pure efficiency” of the martial arts and earned his black belt in karate. This taught him the power of visualization and focus. He says he still uses the phrase “mind like water,” which he learned in his martial arts training, to represent the idea that we’re at our best when we stay in the present moment.

Follow the author

David Allen is an American author, productivity speaker, consultant, and international lecturer known for creating the 'Getting Things Done' time management method. He is the founder and chairman of the David Allen Company, which specializes in productivity training and consulting to enhance performance and execution.

Publications

The Wall Street Journal: Getting Things Done

Forbes: Get Things Done: The Motto For Our Teams In 2022

The New Yorker: The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done

The Atlantic: Organize Your Life!

Lifehacker: Getting Things Done, Ten Years In

Ask Albert:

Rate the book

⚡️ Find Out Even More Wisdom

★ 4.24 (6K) • 2024

"The gut microbiome plays a significant role in making our neurotransmitters, which control our thoughts and feelings and regulate mood and behavior."

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

★ 4.43 (50K) • 2024

"While the reward-seeking parts of the brain mature earlier, the frontal cortex—essential for self-control, delay of gratification, and resistance to temptation—is not up to full capacity until the mid-20s..."

★ 3.71 (13K) • 2024

“The key to meaningful work is in the decision to keep returning to the efforts you find important. Not in getting everything right every time.”

Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam M. Grant

★ 4.12 (33K) • 2023

"For every Mozart who makes a big splash early, there are multiple Bachs who ascend slowly and bloom late."

★ 4.24 (5K) • 2023

"Movement is medicine, and the simplest acts of daily motion can have profound impacts on our health and longevity."

★ 4.32 (3K) • 2023

"Learning to let go of sexual shame can open up new possibilities for pleasure."

★ 4.31 (25K) • 2022

"Shedding toxic myths of disconnection from ourselves, from one another, and from the planet, we can bring what is normal and what is natural, bit by bit, closer together."

★ 4.06 (18K) • 2022

"Run after your obsessions with everything you have. Just be sure to take notes along the way."

★ 4.30 (11K) • 2022

"Your voice is your power. Use it to speak your truth, to share your story, and to inspire others to do the same."

★ 4.24 (60K) • 2022

"I believe that if an Attention Rebellion begins, we will, sooner or later, have to take on this very deep issue: the growth machine itself."

Arianna Huffington
recommends

★ 4.32 (84K) • 2021

"Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued."

★ 3.91 (55K) • 2021

"Addiction is not a sign of weakness or moral failing. It's a sign that we are human, with brains that are wired to seek out pleasure and avoid pain."

★ 4.30 (6K) • 2021

"Karma is not a punishment or reward system. It is simply a mechanism to ensure that every action has consequences."

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

★ 4.30 (225K) • 2020

"The aim of this book is to use short stories to convince you that soft skills are more important than the technical side of money."

★ 4.31 (260K) • 2018

"When you think you're done, you're only at 40% of what your body is capable of doing. That's just the limit we put on ourselves."

★ 4.26 (16K) • 2018

"The key, though, is being aware of how you’re feeling and how you need to be feeling. It all starts with awareness."

★ 4.34 (1M) • 2018

"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

Willpower Doesn't Work by Benjamin Hardy

★ 3.99 (4K) • 2018

"If you’re required to exert willpower to do something, there is an obvious internal conflict."

BOOKFAVE