Getting Things Done — David Allen

Summary in 15 minutes. Why your mind is a poor place to keep your tasks. Catch everything, then decide what each item means. The right lists in the right places, and a weekly tune-up. From the runway to the sky, and the limits of the method. You’ve finished reading. Now clear your head and work with a calm mind.

Key ideas of "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity"

Clear Your Head

Why your mind is a poor place to keep your tasks.

1. Open Loops: The mental weight of unfinished business
2. The Five Steps of GTD: The whole method at a glance

Capture and Clarify

Catch everything, then decide what each item means.

1. Capture: Collect everything
2. Clarify: What is it, and what is the next action?
3. Projects and Next Actions: Big outcomes, small steps

Organize and Reflect

The right lists in the right places, and a weekly tune-up.

1. Organizing Your Lists: A home for everything
2. The Weekly Review: The heart of the system
3. What to Do Now: Four criteria

The Big Picture and Balance

From the runway to the sky, and the limits of the method.

1. Horizons of Focus: From the runway to 50,000 feet
2. GTD in the Digital Age: Apps, email, messages
3. Limits and Balance: How to read this book

Put It to Work

You’ve finished reading. Now clear your head and work with a calm mind.

1. The 7-Day Plan: One step a day. Tick it off when done.
2. One-Page Cheat Sheet: The whole book at a glance — save it
3. Final Word — Working with a Calm Mind: Stress-free productivity

From the free first chapter

David Allen spent years helping senior executives get their work under control. His observation: people are worn down less by the amount of work than by the weight of unfinished commitments. He calls these open loops.

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