Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (affiliate)

By David Allen

Penguin Books

Introduction:

‘Getting Things Done’ is a basic (and advanced course) on how to hone your skills in order to achieve high productivity. This book boasts of imparting the art of ‘Stress-Free Productivity’, an art that is unfaithfully lost on most of us. David Allen has been called one of the world’s most influential thinkers on productivity and has acted as a keynote speaker and facilitator for organizations such as New York Life, the World Bank and more. As the president of The David Allen Company, he has attained more than 20 years of experience as a management consultant and executive coach.

Main Section:

Getting Things Done, written by one of the most famous ‘Productivity’ author imparts his experience and knowledge into 260 crisp pages. The knowledge is beneficial to everyone – those that manage multiple tasks at the same time, or those that fret about it, hence cannot. The book gives ample evidence and resources (plans) to successfully streamline processes so that high level of efficiency and effectiveness can be achieved.

Some of the more interesting excerpts from this book include:

I want you to hop in. I want you to test this stuff out, even challenge it. I want you to find out for yourself that what I promise is not only possible but instantly accessible to you personally.

You’ve probably made many more agreements with yourself than you realize, and every single one of them-big or little – is being tracked by a less-than-conscious part of you.

There is a simple but profound principle that emerges from understanding the way your perceptive filters work: you won’t see how to do it until you see yourself doing it.

I have not included anymore, since I want to leave you nodding your head to the book as you read it along! It contains a lot of ‘truisms’ that we sub-consciously ‘do’.

Critical Analysis:

Is this book worth reading?

Short Answer: An emphatic YES (Scroll to the bottom for breakdown)

Long Answer (Brace yourself):

The book delivers what it promises, the art of getting things done.

The book is succinctly divided into 3 different parts, each explaining the concept, practical implications (how to) and further explanation. It breaks down each and every task – from shopping for toilet paper to leading a conference – into a list of actions that can streamline your productivity and help you achieve the best out of your time.

Often, the tasks involved do take up lot of time (especially in the initial stages), but this is offset by saving time spent on doing them. Plus, the method requires a HIGH level of consistent functioning, which can be off-putting to many a soul. But if it is off-putting to you, well, there are more issues to resolve (and not just how to get things done!)

The book can be a little difficult to read at times. Another issue is lack of work-sheets. I would have expected a book such as this (those that motivate you to take action) to issue worksheets that can kick-start your organisation process. However, I presume there are business reasons behind this (now they cannot feed you everything in one basket, can they?). Still, only read this book if you are willing to change things and get organised. Rest assured, this book will do wonders for you, only if you want it to!

Scores* (All out of 10):

Content: 8/10

Ease of reading: 8/10

Practicality of principles (Systematic): 7/10

Future Value: 10/10

Recommended: 10/10

Total Score: 4.3/5

*(Self Improvement books are scored differently from Fiction books)