Not so with the “knowledge work” that most of us do as both students and professionals. If you want to do such work faster, you just need to work harder or more efficiently. With these kinds of work, it’s easy to know when you’re done. Cows needed to be milked, fields needed to be plowed, or widgets needed to be assembled. In the past, our work was something we could see. “A paradox has emerged in this new millennium: people have enhanced quality of life, but at the same time they are adding to their stress levels by taking on more than they have resources to handle”īefore I get into specific lessons from the book, I want to give a brief overview of the philosophy behind GTD ®.Īs David Allen puts it, GTD ® is a “lifestyle practice” that helps you be “fully present” and “appropriately engaged” in whatever you’re doing (3). Whether you’re looking to implement GTD ® in your work or just want some productivity tips, there’s something for you in this article. Recognizing that, we decided to create this article.īelow, we examine just a few of the many productivity lessons contained in Getting Things Done. So much of what you read about productivity online is derivative of Allen’s core ideas. While there are lots of productivity systems out there, GTD ® is one of the most flexible and enduring. One classic system that remains relevant today is Getting Things Done ® (GTD ®), described in David Allen’s book of the same name.

Most of us have to figure it out for ourselves.īearing this in mind, it’s instructive to learn about productivity systems other people have developed. It doesn’t help that formal education rarely teaches us how to plan and organize our work.

Staying productive and organized is a perpetual challenge.

Lack of Time (Probably) Isn’t Your Issue.

8 Productivity Lessons from Getting Things Done.

Getting Things Done by David Allen