Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done is the title of a new book I just read by author David Allen. I downloaded the ebook from ereader.com, but the paperback and hardback versions are available at amazon.com (GTD) and other book sellers. Getting Things Done lays out a system for managing all the stuff that comes our way. Instead of traditional time management techniques, David Allen uses simple methods for transforming our piles of stuff into a workable system that gets things done!

The methods work in whatever form you are comfortable with. Whether you like pen and paper, a PDA, or personal computer, or any combination, these are just tools to help manage the workload.

The biggest breakthrough I received from reading this book was David Allen's argument that we should get everything (our ToDo's) out of our head and into a workable system. When we carry ToDo's in our brain, it does not distinguish that something does not have to be done right away. The store of ToDo's in our brain cause the brain to make us feel guilty if we don't complete each item immediately. Getting them out of our head and into a workable system that we trust is the core of Getting Things Done. The trust element is key here. If we dump everything into a system that we don't trust, we will just pick the ToDo's back up again in our head.

Give it a read and a try. You might just be amazed at all that suff you've been putting off can finally be checked off.

Also, try a Google search for Getting Things Done. There are several Yahoo groups where others share how they are implementing Getting Things Done in their lives. And, David Allen has his website dedicated to the Getting Things Done concept at http://www.davidco.com/.