Getting things done

📘 Book Review: Getting Things Done by David Allen

A trusted system that captures, organizes, and reviews all your commitments

📚 Metadata

  • Title: Getting Things Done
  • Subtitle: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
  • Author: David Allen
  • Year of Publication: 2001 (Updated Edition: 2015)
  • Number of Pages: ~352 (Updated Edition)
  • ISBN: 978-0143126560

📑 Chapters (Index)

  1. A New Practice for a New Reality
  2. Getting Control of Your Life: The Five Stages of Mastering Workflow
  3. Getting Projects Creatively Under Way: The Five Phases of Project Planning
  4. Getting Started: Setting Up the Time, Space, and Tools
  5. Collection: Corralling Your “Stuff”
  6. Processing: Getting “In” to Empty
  7. Organizing: Setting Up the Right Buckets
  8. Reviewing: Keeping Your System Functional
  9. Doing: Making the Best Action Choices
  10. Getting Projects Under Control
  11. The Power of the Key Principles
  12. The Path of GTD Mastery

🧠 Overview

Getting Things Done (GTD) presents a comprehensive system for managing personal and professional tasks in a way that reduces stress, increases clarity, and boosts productivity. David Allen’s method is based on the principle that your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.

By breaking down goals and responsibilities into actionable items stored in a trusted system, GTD enables you to work with a clear head and a focused mind, even in chaotic environments.

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

🔬 Main Science (Relation with Scientific Theories)

GTD aligns with cognitive load theory and executive function research, emphasizing that the brain has limited capacity for holding open loops (unfinished tasks). The system functions as an external brain, freeing working memory and allowing for better focus and decision-making.

  • 🧠 Working Memory: GTD reduces overload by encouraging offloading mental tasks into a physical or digital system.
  • 🔄 Contextual Triggers: By organizing actions by context (e.g., @phone, @computer), GTD mimics how our brain uses environmental cues to activate goals.
  • 🗂️ Chunking & Hierarchies: Projects vs. next actions mirror how we process information in hierarchies for easier recall and action.

🧨 Criticism

  • ❗Too complex for some users: While comprehensive, some find the system overwhelming to implement fully.
  • 🌀 Overemphasis on organization: Critics say GTD risks prioritizing management over action.
  • 🔁 Maintenance-heavy: Weekly reviews, inbox zero, and regular sorting require discipline and time.
  • 🤖 Lack of emotional dimension: GTD doesn’t address the emotional resistance to tasks (e.g., procrastination, fear, perfectionism).

🛠️ Practical Takeaways

✅ The GTD Core Workflow (5 Steps)

  1. Capture – Collect all the “stuff” that’s on your mind into an inbox.
  2. Clarify – Decide what each item means and what to do about it.
  3. Organize – Place reminders and materials in appropriate places.
  4. Reflect – Review regularly (especially the Weekly Review).
  5. Engage – Use context and energy level to pick what to do now.

🗂️ Actionable Categories

  • Next Actions: Smallest doable step for any task.
  • Projects: Any outcome requiring more than one action.
  • Waiting For: Things delegated or pending.
  • Someday/Maybe: Not actionable now but of interest.
  • Calendar: Time-specific actions.
  • Reference: Non-actionable information.

🕒 Weekly Review Checklist

  • Clear your inbox
  • Review next actions and project lists
  • Update calendar
  • Reflect on goals and intentions

🧩 GTD Setup Tools

  • 📥 Inbox (physical and/or digital)
  • ✅ Task Manager (paper, apps like Todoist/Things/OmniFocus)
  • 📅 Calendar
  • 📁 Reference Archive (Evernote, Notion, folders)

💬 Best Quotes

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

“Things rarely get stuck because of lack of time. They get stuck because the doing of them has not been defined.”

“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”

“You can do anything, but not everything.”

“The key to managing all of your stuff is managing your actions.”

“What’s the next action?”

“The ability to be successful, relaxed, and in control is dependent on the ability to clear your mind.”

“The big secret to stress-free productivity is that it’s not about time; it’s about space — mental space.”

🧭 Conclusion

Getting Things Done is more than a productivity book—it’s a life-management philosophy. It empowers readers to take clarity-fueled action, break overwhelm into structure, and build a trusted system that turns chaos into calm.

While some may find it detailed or rigid, those who adopt it often find it transformative, especially when personalized and simplified.

📚 Similar Books (Further Reading)

  • Deep Work by Cal Newport
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
  • Atomic Habits by James Clear
  • Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky
  • Essentialism by Greg McKeown
  • Zen to Done by Leo Babauta (a minimalist take on GTD)
  • The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz