100 Books - Getting Things Done

One Hundred Books. This is a short list of 100 books I have read, listed here in no particular order.

Getting Things Done by David Allen

This book, Getting Things Done by David Allen, changed my life in several ways. I had been working for a major tech company and often felt overwhelmed by the amount of email and other work on my plate daily. The phrase we used to describe the daily onslaught of email and phone messages was "Drinking from the firehose." While seated in my cubical and watching thousands of emails flood through my system daily, I knew I had to find some better way to process them and still find time to write several technical documents on my list. I also had to respond to questions from other parts of the business and clarify issues on information often embedded in relevant emails.

I picked up several valuable books with great ideas on dealing with the flood of information that was my responsibility. During this search, I came across Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. It was the right book at the right time. I read and reread it, implementing many ideas in this helpful book. I also pulled more ideas for increased productivity from other books by other writers. But this was one of the most practical and applicable to my needs, at that time.

By implementing these ideas, I accomplished much more and consistently got higher ratings in my performance evaluations, time and time again. My job responsibilities expanded to a greater international level. I continued to grow and complete great projects for years before moving on to something closer to my heart and more important to me than the big-company job.

Many of the most valuable, productivity-enhancing ideas are simple, and many people have found them through various sources. Still, I found most of them here, all in one place, practical, effective, and doable. At one point, I took it even further. I modified my email client to integrate the methods of handling information outlined in Getting Things Done more efficiently.

Here is a small sample of some of the productive practices found in the book:

• The "Do it, Delegate it, Defer it, Drop it" rule.
• Get your inbox down to zero.
• Make a note, get it off your mind, and put it into a trusted system.
• Have only one physical "In Box" and manage it to zero.
• Use effective methods of mastering your workflow.
• Using lists more effectively.
• Do Brain Mapping.
• Learn how to de-stress your workflow.

David Allen has at least two other books with great ideas that can also help in business and private life, helping you stay above the fray and reduce stress through simple organizing techniques.

One is Ready for Anything, and another is Making It All Work. David Allen also conducts seminars, and many people worldwide implement his teachings. You can also find other valuable, helpful information online.

I also use a Software App called GTDNext, or Getting Things Done Next. This is a subscription app, but I've found it beneficial; many other systems and software are out there, but this one works well for me. I highly recommend it. As for the books by David Allen, I plan to reread them occasionally and keep applying these great, stress-free productivity techniques.