Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

The productivity manual by David Allen starts by telling you about changed reality of the modern world. The author understands the primary challenge in this age is the information overload. Most of the workers employed in the workplace are knowledge workers, and it means they are hired for what they know. The projects being assigned to the knowledge workers come with undefined boundaries and the guidelines are also more flexible than ever. The dilemma is also different from the one we had in the yesteryears, how do we organize ourselves better as knowledge workers?Simple And Systematic Method The writer comes up with a simple and systematic method which delivers real results in the real world. He says there are no ready-made solutions, and the people who think they'll become more efficient by buying the latest calendar and the latest gadget available in the market are removed from the reality. David Allen comes up with a different solution that can make the environment more r
elaxed and bring greater control in the work environment.Multiple To Do Lists The method suggested by the author is systematic and simple. He asks you to use multiple to do lists though the tasks mentioned on those should not be prioritized in any way. The reason is, priorities keep changing and you'll have to keep changing the lists if you prioritize, thus frustrating you in the process. The organization of the lists should be done on the basis of things to be done, one for phone calls, another for reading and writing. You should also have a master project list. One someday/ may be list may also be there, which consist of things that you want to do but are not sure when.Conduct A Weekly Review If you have some discretionary time, you may decide to make phone calls if you are near a phone. You may also do things on the basis of location, time, energy levels and priority. You should also conduct a weekly review to make sure everything you have in your mind is there on the lis
ts. The author tells us not to focus on the goals first, rather you should take care of the everyday things first which get us stuck most of the time. Everything should be removed from the mind by writing it all down. Take a decision on the next action as soon as you need to do it. One should also constantly review the lists to find out what needs to be done in that moment.Are The Methods Simple Or Simplistic? If there is something on the list which does not require any action, you can throw it out of the list, put it on the calendar, or keep it for reference so that you can revisit it whenever there is a need. The methods mentioned by David Allen have been criticized by some reviewers as being too simplistic, it is definitely worth a try.

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