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The Personal Organization Standard
“GTD is clearly the new standard for personal organization in the 21st century. David Allen has defined a personal information management system that is flexible enough for anyone to implement, detailed enough to handle the busiest of people, and simple enough for everyone to benefit--no matter how seriously they decide to follow it. I have often been called "Mr. Organization" and at least three different sources recommended this book to me before I got it and read it. I started out thinking that I was already organized enough, not realizing what I was missing. Now, I have a much better understanding of the value of a "ubiquitous idea capturing tool" and a central set of lists. My personal implementation has been several pocket-sized notebooks and a set of Excel spreadsheets, but you may prefer any of the dozens of other high-tech or low-tech options. If you have any inkling that you could be more organized, more productive, or more efficient... you need to read this book from cover to cover.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-12-24. -
David Allen Wrote THE BOOK on Productivity
“Getting Things Done is more than just another productivity book. GTD (as it's sometimes abbreviated) is a methodology that helps you organize your countless projects, tasks, errands, lists, and even your ideas so you can be free to think about what's really important... what you're working on right now.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-12-23.
I first read GTD several years ago, and have since been using the system both at work and in my everyday projects and tasks. Some people think using a system like this is too rigid, and limits you from being able to be spontaneous or make decisions. It's not true at all... if anything GTD actually frees you up to be more flexible because it eliminates all those little things that fall through the cracks and then become big emergencies.
I believe in GTD so much, I regularly buy copies to give to clients and colleagues (which is what I just did recently). It just works.” -
Perfect!
“Just the clarity and coaching I was hoping for, even more insight than I could have imagined. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-12-16. -
1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Very Helpful
“I read this book on the recommendation of a friend, a librarian. I figure librarians ought to know a thing or two about organization. What surprised me was that after she gave me the logical reasons for acquiring the book, she gave emotional reasons, "David Allen changed my life. And Roger's (her husband)." This is a woman not given to hyperbole.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-12-08.
The book hasn't yet changed my life because I haven't yet enacted all the recommendations but it has made my life less crazy. Allen recommends reading the book, then scheduling two days when you do nothing but organize your work. I had pressing deadlines which didn't allow me to do that, but I had had some close "ball dropping" calls so I did as much as I could in about 4 hours:
1) Buy a list app for my iPhone (Listomni, about $8)
2) Go through the notes I had on all my projects (5 projects)
3) Create the kind of lists Allen said I needed
4) Start to work the lists
Allen revealed the reason I was suddenly struggling with my To Do's: a lack of horizontal integration--integration across projects. I was accustomed to working 1 or 2 projects at a time. I had great vertical integration--integration of stuff to get done within a project--but no horizontal integration. Now I have horizontal integration as well.
And the big thing you must do if you want this approach to succeed: the weekly review. It's mandatory.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has more stuff to do than they have time to do it in and is struggling with however they are organizing their work currently. Recommendation: When you buy the book, schedule time in your calendar to read the book and then 2 days, back-to-back, to implement Allen's recommendations.” -
This book change my life.
“I read this book in November 2003.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-12-03.
I have give as a present more than 20 copies over the years. This book change my life, and teach me more about productivity and organization than any other book.
I recommend this book to everyone, and I am willing to give it as a present to any person, since I think the positive effect in people is worth every cent.”
