Getting Things Done
The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
by David Allen · first published 2001
58% recommend39% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Practical system for getting tasks out of your head into trusted lists, built on capture, next actions and weekly review. Suits overwhelmed people, entrepreneurs and anyone who wants less mental clutter and stress.
Common criticism: Some find the system hard to sustain long term
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential.
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I would recommend for you to read and implement the organization/productivity system from Getting Things Done by David Allen [0]. It discusses essentially your main problems of dividing up your life into projects and timing yourself. The system also includes sections for putting some of your ideas in an 'Incubate',…
on “Ask HN: How do you organize everything you want to do?” ↗…my success in a way no coding book can compare to(though John Ousterhout's "A Philosophy of Software Design" would have, if it came out earlier in my life). Personal time/task management- The classic, Getting Things Done(https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Produ...). The power this has on people cannot be understated. Turns out that most of how life is conducted is rife with forgetfulness, decision…
on “Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?” ↗Getting Things Done by David Allen was very helpful to me. It's barely a book - if you skim over the cruft it's more like a pamphlet. I don't follow it religiously but some of his ideas have made a big difference in my productivity.
on “Ask HN: What are the best books for professional effectiveness?” ↗* Getting Things Done by David Allen This book taught me so much about how to manage my life, and taught me how to review my own systems. * SICP, On Lisp, and Let over Lambda It's hard to pick one exactly, because really…
on “Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?” ↗My candidates (not in order): Getting Things Done (Superpower: Time Management) Bargaining for Advantage (Superpower: Negotiation) The Art of Learning (Superpower: Learning) Telling Lies (Superpower: Facial expressions etc...somewhat of a cheat since…
on “What one book could give me a new, useful superpower?” ↗…- Airplane mode - Batching email, IM, SMS, .. - Automate payments - It's ok to be late with administration sometimes Books that really helped me: - The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss [1] - Getting Things Done by David Allen [2] - Rework by Jason Fried [3] [1] http://amzn.com/0307465357 [2] http://amzn.com/0142000280 [3] http://amzn.com/0307463745 edit: added Rework
on “Ask HN: Tricks to integrate late coding session in current workflow?” ↗…center of the world has always been Western Europe (I had), this book will greatly shift your perspective (Eastward). I've never learned so much from a book, and damn is it entertainingly written. "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I'm sure everyone here is familiar with bits and pieces of GTD methodology, but I encourage you to check out the full text. There are a lot of great ideas in there there that I didn't…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation. Getting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me. Man's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl. Living Buddha,…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗'Urgent' vs. 'important' is useful but incomplete. Though it's not without its flaws, Getting Things Done by David Allen is at the least a good starting point to personal time management.[1] I also recommend Thomas Limoncelli, Time Management for System Administrators, which addresses specific requirements…
on “Ask HN: Is Important vs. Urgent Broken?” ↗I recommend personal productivity books, especially Getting Things Done by David Allen. Everyone in the department needs to read and follow the principles, which can be very hard to sell when you are not the boss yourself. The worst thing is being in meetings where people…
on “Ask HN: What books helped level you up from a developer to something more?” ↗There's plenty of interesting books out there and many are fairly specific for the task you're trying to solve. The book that has helped me out the most is Getting Things Done by David Allen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done It's better than any other personal development book.
on “Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?” ↗There is literally a book called Getting Things Done by David Allen. The system in its entirety is too hard core for most people (myself included) but the principles are good.
on “Ask YC: How do you avoid wasting too much time online?” ↗…to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey {anything} by Seth Godin Positioning by Al Ries Getting Things Done by David Allen 21 Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
on “Failed entrepreneur, broke, unemployed, now taking care of aging parents. Help.” ↗…self image will make even the most well-rested and healthy person underperform at work. I highly recommend "Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It" by Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen and "Getting Things Done" by David Allen for a deeper examination of these issues and some solutions.
on “How can we get willpower back once it has been depleted?” ↗This is the problem that GTD tries to solve. Omnifocus is a great piece of software that's built on this methodology http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Produc... http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnifocus/
on “The to-do list problem” ↗