The book "How to get things in order" gave readers a specific vector of development. A A new book will give self-confidence.

original name: Making It All Work: Winning at the game of Work and the Business of Life
Russian name: How to keep things in order. Principles of a fulfilling and stress-free life
Year of publication: 2010
By David Allen

Publisher's Foreword to David Allen's New Book

"How to keep things in order" is a continuation of the cult world and Russian bestseller "How to get things in order". In this book, David Allen refined his methodology to apply to all areas of life, not just the workplace. Keeping Things Tidy explains why Getting Things Done (GTD) works well and offers eleven models to help you tune your GTD system for long-term uptime in any business.

Personal review "How to keep things in order"

To make our life meaningful and fulfilling, we must be able to start and finish our business: to manage our world so as to receive the desired events and results at the end. After all, it is not for nothing that the key components of success are the right choice and its effective implementation. An endless stream of books, seminars and consulting programs overwhelms us, although it was originally intended to facilitate the decision-making process, teach us how to develop plans and set goals, help define our values, inspire and inspire our subordinates. Today, all kinds of techniques and tools are available that help self-organization, teach how to use time efficiently and increase labor productivity. But the main thing is missing - a fundamental understanding of the essence, dynamics and efficiency of these processes in general. The question arises: is there any logical, systematic and understandable way to gain this understanding?

Vital question for modern man: how to keep all matters under control, direct the situation in the right direction, act as efficiently as possible and at the same time not be exhausted either morally or physically? The answer came from David Allen, author of the legendary Getting Things Done (GTD), which has saved thousands of grateful readers from the rubble of current affairs of varying urgency and complexity.

This book is about why the technique works and how to expand its scope. Eleven suggested models will help you tune your GTD system for long, trouble-free operation. And for this - to understand what creates internal discomfort for you; choose and prioritize; learn to remain confident in any development of events.

Allen refined his methodology to apply to all areas of life, not just the workplace.

The new book will give you confidence in your abilities. Indeed, in the context of an eternal deficit of security and stability, the only thing that is really worth fighting for is constancy. It turns into a saving straw in the maelstrom of endless changes.

Allen David_ Things are fine.doc

Three reasons

You will improve your self-organizing skills

You will be able to put in order not only professional affairs, but also an avalanche of personal information

BOOK OUTLINE

David Allen. How to keep things in order. Principles of a fulfilling and stress-free life. Publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber", M. - 2010

Plans are the outward manifestations of a person's inner free will. Ilyenkov E.V.

annotation

A vital question for a modern person: how to keep everything under control, act effectively and not be exhausted? David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology, outlined in his book How to Get Things Done, has saved thousands of readers from the rubble of current affairs.

This book is about GTD - about “ personal extended thinking system»And how to properly configure GTD for trouble-free operation.

Feel the freedom! 006

1. Introduction 008

2. Phenomenon GTD 018

3. Starting the system and keeping it running 059

4. Basic principles of self-organization 072

5. Full control: fixing 092

6. Full Control: Assessment of Significance 126

7. Full control: ordering 160

8. Full Control: Inspection and Analysis 206

9. Full control: execution 216

10. Complete control: using the 245 system

11.Gaining Perspective 255

12. "Runway": action plans 266

13. Ten Thousand Feet: 274 Projects

14. Twenty Thousand Feet: Focus Areas and Areas of Responsibility 287

15. Thirty Thousand Feet: Goals and Objectives 297

16. Forty thousand feet: vision 305

17. Fifty Thousand Feet: Purpose and Principles 315

IS. Outlook: Revisiting Grade 's Gardens 331

19. How to keep the system running 337

20. Conclusion 358

Feel the freedom!

To complete the route, you need a map. This metaphor also applies to the routes of our lives. In his new book, Keeping Things In Order, David Allen introduces his GTD approach as a roadmap to help you achieve your goals in unpredictable circumstances. ...

This book is the result of a lot of work. Self-organization is not about putting everything around you in a sterile order. Her goal is freedom.

The feeling of freedom will constantly accompany you, and many things will fall into place.

Vitaly Kolesnik ,

dedicated personal development and productivity

1. Introduction

The art of moving progress consists ofvkeeping order by making change and making change by keeping order.

Alfred North Whitehead

To make life meaningful, we must be able to start and finish our businesses.

After all, the components of success are correctly done choice and its efficient implementation.

Techniques and tools are available today that help self-organization, teach to increase labor productivity. But there is still no fundamental understanding of the dynamics of these processes in general. The question arises: is there generally a way to gain this understanding?

I dare to hope that you will find such a method in this book. I created it as a guide to optimize any process - from solving a business problem to organizing a non-standard vacation, or courting a lady.

The same principles and methods apply to any of the tasks, and things will go well if you understand the essence and purpose of the work, create plans and monitor their implementation.

When mechanism Everyday life not thought out, opportunities for self-realization are reduced.

And if you care about family, health and well-being; if you want to realize your creativity and satisfy your need for relaxation, it is necessary to treat all questions like a business.

In 2001, I published my first book, How to Get Things Done. The art of stress-free productivity ”, which was sold in thirty languages of the world. My system has a wide range of followers, including leaders, professors, software engineers, and even the clergy.

It turned out that any person thanks systematic approach able to bring the proposed methods to perfection in all aspects of life. Already at the beginning of their acquaintance with GTD, people celebrate their success in concentrating their efforts. Nevertheless, experience has shown how great the gap between understanding and realization of the understood.

The multi-layered structure of the GTD is like an onion: many layers have to be removed to get to its deepest essence. Even its loyal supporters have not yet realized its true potential, which goes far beyond a simple system of self-organization.

All these years, I have tried to convince GTD users of the following: the more strictly and consistently they adhere to its postulates, the more successful it will be to translate this experience to other areas of their activity.

Gradually, I began to understand exactly what I had to say with my new book.

The book presented itself to me as a practical guide to “guaranteed access to all opportunities” in work and personal life.

Understanding that all things are directed by you personally in the right direction, creates a sense of security and stability. GTD helps to achieve control over the situation and provides vision of perspectives in various spheres of human activity.

Specific approaches may vary depending on which one is optimal at the moment. For example, at the beginning of the day, they clear the accumulator of incoming documents of unnecessary papers, and in the afternoon they organize a brainstorming session on an important project.

It is impossible to be in all places at the same time and concentrate on everything that requires your control in all areas of life. Any team, before taking action, must determine its primary goals, values and priorities.

Any family must first complete some important and urgent matters before starting vacation planning. It is always useful to know what is best to take when a particular problem arises and from what point of view to consider the circumstances offered by life.

Everything eleven The GTD models that I present in this book can be applied to all walks of life. Moreover, each has an independent practical value. But do not forget about the balance of the sane and the useful.

Much of what the idlers trying to screw up people's brains majestically call "complexity" is in fact only a consequence of the devastation that is happening in their heads (Thomas Soweple).

It is always necessary to start putting things in order with the identification of the factors that create discomfort in the soul. This rule applies in all situations, such as when talking with children or at a committee meeting of the Chamber of Commerce.

And I ask you - learn to get rid of stress! The reason for it is chaos and terabytes of information stored in your head for years in the form of ballast.

Once you understand the principle of increasing productivity by reducing stress and learning how to properly transmit information to the external environment, you will immediately discover countless ways to benefit from this new state.

Understanding the principles behind GTD techniques will help you understand how they work, and this new degree of freedom will open up a whole arsenal of previously unknown ways to better organize your living space.

A few words for those already familiar with the GTD system

Speaking of GTD, I divide people into three groups:

1. Those who believes as if he had mastered this system (which is far from reality).

2. Those who have mastered a part of the system, but do not use it in full and understand it.

3. Those who have mastered GTD and apply it at the "advanced user" level.

I would like to tell the representatives of the first group the following. Try to understand what you can get by using of all resources of the methodology. Controlling aspects of everyday life and managing the flow of information is so important to some people that they don't even try to dig deeper.

They do not think that beyond the step they have climbed, the next step awaits them - to understanding thinking... And it leads from making lists to solving issues that figure in those lists. But it is precisely this work that occupies a central place in the entire process.

For the second group, I want to encourage the extended use of GTD.

In the readers of the third group, I really want to strengthen their belief in success and offer them new methods of in-depth understanding of the previously acquired knowledge. Your group is still small, but it has real methods of increasing productivity and has even richer opportunities for improving them.

A few words for those for whom the GTD system is still unknown

Getting Things Done can be a useful additional resource to help you step by step through your productivity system. I focus the readers' attention on the key GTDs, and explain why they are different people different impact, what positive results can be achieved due to new possibilities of their application, what negative consequences can arise if these principles are ignored.

How to use this book

The notes can then come in handy at the most unexpected moment for anything, because in the process of reading various thoughts may pop up in your mind - do not lose the opportunity to find golden sand in them later!

Recording devices should always be at hand. While they may not come in handy, having a pen will make you feel confident: it is a tool to set yourself up for value anytime, anywhere.

Act as if you will definitely find something useful for yourself in any situation, and this will become an "automatically fulfilling prophecy" for you.

You will learn about the models that can be used in consulting, because in the process of creating this book, I spoke with a lot of smart, successful, creative people who confessed their interest in GTD and believed they could do a hundredfold more if they knew how to apply the technique in full.

Concept of success

Anyone in the Olympic Games knows that the visualized dream of winning dramatically increases performance. I suggest that you stop reading right now and “visually dream” about what you really would like to receive as a result of studying the material in the book.

Why did you buy this book?

What attracted you to her?

What do you hope to get after reading it?

Let me help you.

Think:

What would it be like if you had the ability to easily regain control of the situation every time you lose it?

Do you like feeling confident?

What new risks would you be willing to take on knowing that you own such tools?

What success could come to you?

I guarantee that if you are willing to experiment, a little concentration and mastery of a few simple techniques will be enough for you to achieve this level and even exceed the intended result.

We will work through the different levels of your activity as we read, but you will have to be patient so as not to lose sight of the ultimate goal. You must constantly remember about it.

(V: As "Word" provides support in working with texts, so "Forpost" should in every possible way support the work with plans! This is for working with Buchatsky Jr.!}

A book about trusting your answers

This book is not an encyclopedia of recipes. Do not expect from her categorical answers to questions like: what to do to change the place of work? should i buy a company? Or - do we need to get a puppy?

This book teaches you to understand the tools and apply techniques that will help you develop self-confidence, which means you can trust your decisions. This is my main task.

The book "How to get things in order" gave readers a specific vector of development. And the new book will give you confidence in your abilities. What is really worth fighting for is consistency. It is salutary in the maelstrom of endless changes.

Understanding the problem provides a foothold, freedom from stress and optimal solutions.

2. The GTD Phenomenon

How the chaos of thunderstorms brings the rain that gives life, and in society, times of success are preceded by times of disorder. Success comes to those who can withstand the chaos.

I Ching. Book of Changes

GTD- this is not a system of ethical assessment and not a movement for a completely transparent organization, which is supposedly more important than the unstructured creative process itself.

David Allen p. 199

Analyzing the reasons for the popularity of GTD, I can distinguish four factors:

Its concepts work, and the mechanism of this work is transparently clear.

They can be easily realized by any person with the help of ordinary tools that are always at hand.

The range of problems that GTD solves continues to grow rapidly globally.

The proposed holistic model touched on something that resonates with the human soul on many levels - deep and intuitive inherent in savvy people.

These concepts work

The GTD model has been researched, tested and perfected under routine conditions involving the most common of people. I tried to get to the bottom of the already existing fragments of self-organization methods that actually work, and fold them correctly into the system.

I wondered: why, having formed a to-do list covered by one glance, which I had just kept in my head before, do I begin to experience completely different feelings when thinking about the tasks at hand? And why did the tasks become clear and transparent after that? After all, in essence, nothing has changed.

And the conclusion was obvious: while the task remained with me only in my head, I am constantly afraid to forget her, thereby driving himself into a state of stress. If I immediately fixed it on some external medium, the thought released me from its annoying embrace.

Can anyone apply these principles?

And will they always provide a result?

I followed all the procedures meticulously, striving to obtain an adequate set of core principles that would collectively make up the GTD system.

It turned out that they are effective precisely because they are based on mechanism for project implementation and our work on projects.

Sorting out the "routine" in the "inbox" is a natural way to shape the right approach to new things. An overview of the status of unfinished business on the list means that you now have complete control over the scope of work and, among other things, manage the related projects.

And assessing the importance of your focus area or area of responsibility helps to feel that you are in complete control of the situation in all projects, and allows you to achieve peace of mind, to make more extensive use of your life experience.

The scope of application of GTD or its elements seems to be limitless.

GTD and IT - harmony of high technologies

I noticed how quickly the number of GTD supporters in the blogosphere, high tech and IT segment began to grow. Why was it received here with such enthusiasm?

After all, I am like all the lazy people, of whom there are so many on the planet. Almost everyone I know who is a computer freak also falls into this category,

and programmers - everything, and always - stubbornly labor, trying to invent something that would free from stubborn labor.

After all, the point of computing is to make it easier for people to work. And for GTD, the motto "Maximum results for a given resource" is its essence! Naturally, people associated with the world of computers are drawn to such ideas.

Computer programs work in their field in all modes only when complete absence of errors... And this is achieved by creating a systematic set of rules. Likewise, GTD prescriptions are characterized by no glitches.

One techie (and a new convert "GTD's") explained these processes to me from his bell tower: "David, you just highlighted subroutines that always run, regardless of the subject area of a particular program."

GTD is a system-independent concept, meaning it can be effectively used with any personal tool or software as long as it is designed to be organized. It allows you to finally take advantage of some programs that were used extremely rarely before.

Among the thousands of users of popular corporate desktop software such as Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, there was little demand for features such as Task or To-Do.

By discovering that these features can be customized for use within GTD, users have access to new capabilities in their existing software. It also provided a foundation for generating and organizing ideas, which gave rise to hundreds of new applications, now based on GTD principles.

Difference of GTD from other models and systems

Speaking of "personal self-organization", we mean gaining control over our mental state and over the situation in the world around us.

This goal cannot be achieved with the help of “just ordinary activities”.

To solve such a problem, you need to fix and assess the significance (for the future) of everything incomprehensible in the world, and then delete everything that has nothing to do with you.

You should have a procedure for reviewing cases on a regular basis after they have been fully organized. GTD teaches you to start any business by making a list of all tasks and problems, with which your head is stuffed... Only then can the significance of the list positions be assessed.

With the help of only priority problems, it is impossible to decompose goals by types and sublevels. But each of the sublevels needs non-priority, but specific forces and means.

The systems I've been researching seem to suggest the same thing. Their authors proceed from the fact that you can always start (from scratch) right away with a holistic view of your perspective; that you will "formulate" tasks at once, determine the forces and means and ensure the balance of your affairs.

Good luck! Have you seen at least one person whose life was so simple? Practical situations are much more complicated than such an idealized mise-en-scene.

We stubbornly try to control our world, we try to control the situation, but we are constantly under the pressure of new information and blows of fate. We grow and change our own ideas about our own prospects.

If all of the above factors are not taken into account, nothing will come of it. And with the GTD system, everything will work out!

Allen David_ It's okay. doc

You will improve your self-organizing skills

You will be able to put in order not only professional affairs, but also an avalanche of personal information

BOOK OUTLINE

David Allen. How to keep things in order. Principles of a fulfilling and stress-free life. Publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber", M. - 2010

Plans are the outward manifestations of a person's inner free will.

annotation

A vital question for a modern person: how to keep everything under control, act effectively and not be exhausted? Getting Things Done (GTD), outlined in his book Getting Things Done, has saved thousands of readers from the rubble of current affairs.

This book is about GTD - about “ personal extended thinking system»And how to properly configure GTD for trouble-free operation.

Feel the freedom! 006

1. Introduction 008

2. Phenomenon GTD 018

3. Starting the system and keeping it running 059

4. Basic principles of self-organization 072

5. Full control: fixing 092

6. Full Control: Assessment of Significance 126

7. Full control: ordering 160

8. Full Control: Inspection and Analysis 206

9. Full control: execution 216

10. Complete control: using the 245 system

11.Gaining Perspective 255

13. Ten Thousand Feet: 274 Projects

14. Twenty Thousand Feet: Focus Areas and Areas of Responsibility 287

15. Thirty Thousand Feet: Goals and Objectives 297

17. Fifty Thousand Feet: Purpose and Principles 315

IS. Outlook: Revisiting Grade 's Gardens 331

19. How to keep the system running 337

20. Conclusion 358

Feel the freedom!

To complete the route, you need a map. This metaphor also applies to the routes of our lives. In his new book, Keeping Things Tidy, David Allen presents his GTD approach as a roadmap to help you achieve your goals in unpredictable circumstances. ...

This book is the result of a lot of work. Self-organization is not about putting everything around you in a sterile order. Her goal is freedom.

The feeling of freedom will constantly accompany you, and many things will fall into place.

Vitaly Kolesnik ,

dedicated to personal development and productivity

1. Introduction

The art of moving progress consists ofis to keep order by making change and make change by keeping order.

Alfred North Whitehead

To make life meaningful, we must be able to start and finish our businesses.

After all, the components of success are correctly done choice and its efficient implementation.

The same principles and methods apply to any of the tasks, and things will go well if you understand the essence and purpose of the work, create plans and monitor their implementation.

When mechanism everyday life is not thought out, opportunities for self-realization are reduced.

And if you care about family, health and well-being; if you want to realize your creativity and satisfy your need for relaxation, it is necessary to treat all questions like a business.

Gradually, I began to understand exactly what I had to say with my new book.

The book presented itself to me as a practical guide to “guaranteed access to all opportunities” in work and personal life.

Specific approaches may vary depending on which one is optimal for this moment... For example, at the beginning of the day, they clear the accumulator of incoming documents of unnecessary papers, and in the afternoon they organize a brainstorming session on an important project.

A few words for those already familiar with the GTD system

Speaking of GTD, I divide people into three groups:

1. Those who believes as if he had mastered this system (which is far from reality).

2. Those who have mastered a part of the system, but do not use it in full and understand it.

3. Those who have mastered GTD and apply it at the "advanced user" level.

For the second group, I want to encourage the extended use of GTD.

A few words for those for whom the GTD system is still unknown

Getting Things Done can be a useful additional resource to help you step by step through your productivity system. I focus the readers' attention on the key GTDs, and explain why they have different effects on different people, what positive results can be achieved through new opportunities for their application, what negative consequences can arise if these principles are ignored.

How to use this book

Recording devices should always be at hand. While they may not come in handy, having a pen will make you feel confident: it is a tool to set yourself up for value anytime, anywhere.

Act as if you will definitely find something useful for yourself in any situation, and this will become an "automatically fulfilling prophecy" for you.

You will learn about the models that can be used in consulting, because in the process of writing this book, I spoke with a lot of smart, successful, creative people who admitted their interest in the GTD system and believed that they could do a hundred times more if knew how to apply this technique in full.

Concept of success

Why did you buy this book?

What attracted you to her?

What do you hope to get after reading it?

Let me help you.

Think:

What would it be like if you had the ability to easily regain control of the situation every time you lose it?

Do you like feeling confident?

What new risks would you be willing to take on knowing that you own such tools?

What success could come to you?

I guarantee that if you are willing to experiment, a little concentration and mastery of a few simple techniques will be enough for you to achieve this level and even exceed the intended result.

We will work through the different levels of your activity as we read, but you will have to be patient so as not to lose sight of the ultimate goal. You must constantly remember about it.

(V: As "Word" provides support in working with texts, so "Forpost" should in every possible way support the work with plans! This is for working with Buchatsky Jr.!}

A book about trusting your answers

This book teaches you to understand the tools and apply techniques that will help you develop self-confidence, which means you can trust your decisions. This is my main task.

Understanding the problem provides a foothold, freedom from stress and optimal solutions.

2. The GTD Phenomenon

As the chaos of a thunderstorm brings the rain that gives life, so in society, times of success are preceded by times of disorder. Success comes to those who can withstand the chaos.

I Ching. Book of Changes

GTD- this is not a system of ethical assessment and not a movement for a completely transparent organization, which is supposedly more important than the unstructured creative process itself.

David Allen p. 199

Analyzing the reasons for the popularity of GTD, I can distinguish four factors:

Its concepts work, and the mechanism of this work is transparently clear.

They can be easily realized by any person with the help of ordinary tools that are always at hand.

The range of problems that GTD solves continues to grow rapidly globally.

The proposed holistic model touched on something that resonates with the human soul on many levels - deep and intuitive inherent in savvy people.

These concepts work

Can anyone apply these principles?

And will they always provide a result?

I followed all the procedures meticulously, striving to obtain an adequate set of core principles that would collectively make up the GTD system.

It turned out that they are effective precisely because they are based on mechanism for project implementation and our work on projects.

The scope of application of GTD or its elements seems to be limitless.

GTD and IT - harmony of high technologies

I noticed how quickly the number of GTD supporters in the blogosphere, high tech and IT segment began to grow. Why was it received here with such enthusiasm?

After all, I am like all the lazy people, of whom there are so many on the planet. Almost everyone I know who is a computer freak also falls into this category,

and programmers - everything, and always - stubbornly labor, trying to invent something that would free from stubborn labor.

Among the thousands of users of popular corporate desktop software such as Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, there was little demand for features such as Task or To-Do.

Difference of GTD from other models and systems

Speaking of "personal self-organization", we mean gaining control over our mental state and over the situation in the world around us.

This goal cannot be achieved with the help of “just ordinary activities”.

To solve such a problem, you need to fix and assess the significance (for the future) of everything incomprehensible in the world, and then delete everything that has nothing to do with you.

With the help of only priority problems, it is impossible to decompose goals by types and sublevels. But each of the sublevels needs non-priority, but specific forces and means.

Good luck! Have you seen at least one person whose life was so simple? Practical situations are much more complicated than such an idealized mise-en-scene.

If all of the above factors are not taken into account, nothing will come of it. And with the GTD system, everything will work out!

Success criterion = removing barriers

The effectiveness of GTD is easier to understand if you try to look at the situation as a whole from the point of view of removing any obstacle to performance.

For many years I wondered why GTD is most actively interested in just those readers who do not really need it. Why? The answer is simple: it is for this group of people that a deep understanding of the negative consequences of systemic interference is characteristic.

If a person is already doing well, and he has lost interest in improving his performance, then he is deeply indifferent to such systems. The popularity of GTD is due to the shortage of people who, in life or work, own at least some system that can remove obstacles.

GTD has become a situation management tool. It allows you to maintain stability in the face of a variety of growth forms, changes and fluctuations.

Versatility and ease of implementation of the system

To implement GTD in life (almost immediately), you do not need to acquire a software product or master new skills. Common sense is enough. The only requirement is that you have some kind of tool for recording information and a safe place where you can keep your to-do lists correctly.

I have not found any particular category of people that GTD would be more suitable than the rest. It is used by corporate presidents, artists and project leaders, entire families and clergy, students and retirees.

We have delivered GTD training to Fortune 50 corporations, family businesses and government agencies. We introduced this system to representatives of healthcare and energy, transport and aerospace, science and education, and almost all spheres of business.

She was equally perceived in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Estonia, Canada and Brazil. We also found no differences in the perception of methodology based on personality type, learning style, or gender.

Growth of problems and understanding of the need to solve them

If GTD only helped to solve unique problems, or was a panacea for minor problems, it would be foolish to expect its popularity.

People are increasingly experiencing stress, a sense of loss of control over the situation. Awareness of the need to restore peace of mind is growing all over the world.

What do we all want? We want more freedom and less work. We want to be prepared for the unexpected. We are all desperate to learn how to manage - no, not information - things! And understand how all our affairs affect each other.

When the amount of fluctuation goes off scale

I am often asked: "What is the novelty of your method in terms of those factors that cause stress?" My answer is always simple: “GTD methods are nothing new. The novelty is solely in increasing the frequency of updating tasks without stress. "

Change is always stressful. The new is inevitably associated with a reconfiguration of relationships and a change in the idea of oneself. So it was, and so it will be.

Today, in just three days, there are so many global changes, there are so many new projects and as many reevaluations as happened during the youth of our parents during the year.

They endured stress more calmly. We live in conditions of constant stress: new technologies allow any information to settle in your mailbox, and a voice message is capable of blowing up your inner world and destroying priorities at any time.

Not information, but overloads

Popular self-help systems are focused on solving two problems: time management (time management) and information management. Their solution is to simply reload your projects into the system of your choice.

Usually a timetable and hourly schedule are used, counted as pace, space, sorting, choice of tools and technologies. But neither time nor information alone can become a source of stress?

You cannot control time: this is hyperbole. You can only direct your actions and focusing your attention. Time only helps to understand under what constraints, that is ( where and when) you need to allocate specific resources ( strength and funds).

If you manage your business effectively, the time factor is neutralized. You don't have a sense of resource scarcity or imbalance.

Overloads become a real problem in these conditions. Nature helps us to relax due to its organic nature and variability.

The information that comes to us from nature is obvious and leaves positive memories. The information received by e-mail is often stupid and even harmful.

You open the folder, read the email, understand and evaluate it, and then systematically integrate the incoming messages. In this case, the load is such as if you are faced with a hundred bears during the day.

As practice shows, you can cope with such stress in a proven way, applying in relation to each of the positions effective techniques and consciously sorting the incoming information into the appropriate folders.

This is what GTD teaches. And she works in hard system mode.

The ability to "get things in order" is easy to develop

A factor in the widespread adoption of GTD was the increased requirements for its own efficiency. The world is increasingly demanding the ability to quickly put things in order and achieve goals. Enthusiasm and innovation are critical factors. And if a company or an individual cannot fulfill the plan, here any, even the most wonderful ideas are useless.

But I argue that anyone can learn how to achieve goals, although it is still widely believed that some people are naturally more productive, while others are not initially capable of it (this preconception is characteristic of successful sales managers!)

And in the field of creativity and innovation, it was believed that a person from birth is endowed or deprived of a talent for discovery and creativity. This is not the case.

If you strictly follow the rules, then at the exit any person will receive a heap of creative and innovative ideas and solutions.

There is a simple but specific process for getting your affairs in order. Its regulations are at the heart of the GTD system. And this process should be studied.

We all have something intuitively fundamental

In GTD, in the course of its explanation, subtle moments appear, rooted in the psyche in particular - intellect and aesthetics. I doubted that I would be able to clearly explain this process.

We strive to interact with the world in an impartial manner, but at the same time without connecting linear formal logic and principles of the inductive approach. (Of course, we are capable of this kind of thinking, but the manifestations of the surrounding reality do not fit into the framework of these rational categories.)

It seems that there is something deep in the soul (impulse) that without consistent argumentation so inspires and leads.

But for most people, this impulse does not always offer a coherent and sound objective plan, but only a successful local fragment of the plan - some secluded course of action... Evaluating your experience, you will find in it the presence of this predestination, which did not seem obvious to you, and therefore you did not even try to use it.

After all, a huge number of cases that you were engaged in were unexpected. However, you quickly drew the necessary conclusions and acted. In other words, you have always been engaged in developing your specific attitude to events: your inner conceptual project and what you encountered in the environment have always been interconnected.

The most productive way of action is this alternation: first, looking for options to improve your usual lifestyle, then choosing the tools and techniques for analyzing and implementing these new ideas. GTD is equally effective at organizing information from both external and internal sources.

To launch these "self-acting" mechanisms, you do not need to specially prepare and first think about something. After all, we perceive, evaluate, sort, unconsciously plan and execute all our lives.

The basic GTD formula makes this whole process conscious and allows you to productively bring your ideas to life.

It is a system to help you discover what you already have

We are loaded with loads of things to do. We do not have enough time even to highlight the most important ones. Will GTD help you stop being held hostage to "routine" and chaos? Sure, I say.

Considering the accumulated cases, you highlight the most important of them at the moment. The only condition- you must be full of creative energy, recognize the situation and remove obstacles.

You will need tools that will help you understand and articulate your abilities and capabilities in this world as fully as possible. The good thing about GTD is that it doesn't impose its goals on anyone. It only provides functions to help you return the most in a simple way control over the situation.

The GTD system has its own style.

GTD, of course, is not too simple and has a certain level of difficulty. It is important that in a specific situation you will receive a "roadmap" from her that opens up prospects. Please remember that GTD is not so much a system as a systematic approach.

GTD provides the same approach to everything with. than you can face in life. For her, everything is simultaneously important, but at the same time not essential: how are you with the fulfillment of your mission? Fine. Do you need to feed your cat? Wonderful. And if certain questions don't bother your heart, don't waste energy thinking about them.

I would say the GTD is delicate. It is often used in delicate situations: intricate problems deprive us of peace and sleep, occupy our attention; in such cases, the GTD system turns into a kind of anchor that allows you to evaluate problems and "ground" disturbing thoughts for a more accurate understanding of the essence of the problem.

So what exactly is a GTD system?

For those who are not yet familiar with the GTD system, I would like to briefly list some of its key principles.

GTD is adjustable common sense system. With its help, having a list of regularly monitored tasks, you can focus on your external and the inner world, do right choice at the right moment. GTD is a lightweight, phased and effective method achieving high productivity without stress.

Among its main features:

Capturing information that arouses your interest;

Setting goals and developing plans for issues that matter to you;

Ranking reminders and information into appropriate categories that meet your needs;

Monitoring the state of affairs simultaneously across six horizons of your tasks (mission, vision, goals, focus areas, projects and plans events).

Following GTD instills confidence in strength, allows you to reduce overload and release a powerful stream of creative energy. With its help, you can learn to flexibly manage any details and nuances of your life.

The system allows you to strictly adhere to the principles of productivity, while providing freedom in the choice of methods. The mentoring experience, during which we practiced the most advanced work organization technologies, helped to polish the GTD system.

Three models of GTD system

The GTD system is a simple compilation of three models. I myself discovered and checked them in the process of communicating with people who daily needed to clarify their life situations and choosing a course of action.

Here short description these three models. I will explain later how they work and how to work with them.

Workflow management

The workflow management model consists of five steps *:

Collection / identification;

Sorting;

Ordering;

Review of the state of affairs;

Execution.

* A more detailed diagram is presented in Appendix IV.

It is a technique designed as a way of collecting / identifying, analyzing, organizing, and managing "routine" lists. That is, what we must systematize and defeat.

The methodology involves capturing raw input material, making decisions, organizing results into categories, evaluating the system as a whole and its individual parts, and choosing the right one. option action. She is, so to speak, " works with options»

This GTD component is the most basic tool capable of immediately increase productivity.

Natural planning

Typically, the workflow model involves planning and managing projects, but does not consider them as goals in themselves. Sorting information (in e-mail, in the tray of incoming information or in the minutes of meetings) is associated with the isolation and initiation of projects as appropriate ideas appear and with the development of an action plan for the implementation of these projects.

Often you have to work on achieving goals that require careful thought. These include, for example, your wedding, a new website, writing a book, or a long-awaited vacation.

For planning and implementing such projects, I have formulated a simple model with five phases.

In the early days of management consulting, the topic of Project Planning was of secondary interest to my clients.

They usually asked the same question: "Which model or software is best for planning a project?" It seemed to them that the developments in this area were either too simple or too complex.

I talked to them about the usual approach to planning, where we think about things, not really trying to organize them. It is gratifying to note that, at the same time, in most cases we are not very clearly aware of how we are doing all this.

Even just leaving the house to work in the garden, we are somehow engaged in a kind of planning, taking our tools with us. In my opinion, it is generally impossible to live the day without planning your actions.

Regardless of whether large or small project is at work, our consciousness in the process of translating ideas into reality naturally goes through a five-stage process that looks like this *;

Purpose and principles;

Vision;

Brainstorm;

Ordering;

Planning for follow-up activities.

Whether we are hatching a plan, whether we are aware of our purpose, the direction of thoughts and the model of behavior are determined by our system of values. Then we develop vision, that is, your idea of what kind of reality would satisfy us.

See Appendices II and 111.

Failure to comply with the standard plunges us into stress, and we begin to generate ideas on how to achieve the realization of our vision (brainstorming). Next, we start sorting the ideas received by component, priority and priority - our personal action plan is formed.

This planning model is natural. It can be used like effective method focusing forces and means without any unproductive stress and allows you to form a "vertical" slice of reflections necessary for all sorts of projects, situations and topics.

There is still - prioritization.

Focusing horizons

Management is just the allocation of limited resources (forces and means), implying mastery of the art of choice, or the art of prioritization.

It has always seemed to me that the way time management models drive the prioritization process is worthless. It is not worked out, it does not take into account the factors that really influence our actions.

We all naturally prioritize, but we can further optimize this process. For this purpose, I identified six focusing horizons and investigated their influence on our choices.

I discovered the focusing horizons somewhat by accident. I was once asked to organize a coaching session for a top Wall Street executive. The main problem for this man was "too many meetings." His assistant fought off employees who were eager to make an appointment with the boss. The schedule was packed months ahead.

When I came to his office, he closed the door and immediately asked beseechingly: "What should I do with this schedule?" I decided to start by clarifying the perspective, and on the board that hung by his desk, I wrote down my version of such important points as:

Purpose and principles;

Vision;

Areas of responsibility;

Projects;

Action plans.

Each of these levels had its own content. And before I had time to complete the list, my counterpart exclaimed: "I understand!" - "What do you understand?" I asked. “No, I'm not talking about meetings. This is me about my children! "

After that, he came to grips with the analysis of his own people, convinced that our meeting would help him understand the reasons for his severe overload. After all, it dawned on him that endless meetings had robbed him of a lot of time that he could usefully spend communicating with his growing sons.

As a rule, when deciding different tasks we, sometimes not even realizing what is happening, work without distinguishing them or separating them, all six at once levels.

We all have purpose, values and vision. Making an idea a reality, we must simultaneously control several key areas of our work and life, and at the same time adhere to certain standards and principles.

We all have projects, by completing which we will fulfill certain promises to ourselves. We all perform some actions on the basis of assigned tasks, using in our work a certain number of focusing horizons out of five known.

At the same time, the choice of actions to be taken directly affects the performance at the highest focusing horizon.

This is the essence of prioritization: the more the action taken brings you closer to fulfilling its purpose, the higher its value to you.

Focus horizons are not the only thing to consider when deciding what to do, say, three fifteen minutes tomorrow afternoon. When answering this question, you need to consider practical things like timing, excitement, and location. The proposed six-tier structure provides a reliable tool with which we can think through any situation systematically *.

How to combine these models

Recently I realized that all my methods deal with several key aspects of controlling the development of a situation and perspective, regardless of the subject, place and circumstance. I have reduced the number of GTD techniques to two main parts, which, in essence, are ways of understanding processes.

*Cm. Appendix VII.

People cannot grasp the concept of “loss of horizontal orientation” as easily as the concept of “loss of control”. The concept of “loss of vertical orientation” is not as easy for them as “loss of perspective”.

The art of managing a workflow of “collecting / identifying, sorting, organizing, reviewing the status and execution of cases” provides control over the situation. The natural planning model and focus horizons give a sense of perspective.

Planning horizons are a planning model for general scenarios. They are an example of hierarchical thinking, which allows you to assess the significance of the entire "routine" and correct the situation.

Here are the important operator questions that require clear answers:

Why are we doing anything at all at this moment?

What is the expected result (WHAT)?

What and from whom do we need the components to complete the work (FROM WHOM)?

What is the follow-up plan (WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, FOR WHOM and for what COST should be done)?

This system is nothing more than the art of focusing

GTD is primarily the art of focusing, that is, eliminating everything that distracts. It is a set of tools to help you focus on the mode and timing of actions needed to achieve a goal.

Having lost control of the situation, you will not be able to concentrate on anything and you will not be able to answer a single operator question (regarding this event).

If control over the progress of tasks at all focusing horizons is suddenly lost, it becomes important to regain a sense of perspective, to restore focus.

Hence the second subtlety of the art of management: the development of the correct analysis algorithm, which is used to review the state of affairs and subsequent predictive adjustments to everything related to the area of attention on all horizons of focus.

The above is embodied in practical measures at every given moment. Regardless of the degree to which you are aware of your actions within the framework of the concept of "five stages and six levels", you should never stop working.

Then the concept will provide the main thing: that you always stay firmly in the saddle, confidently managing the process of identifying and selecting options for action.

GTD system: the mental foundation

V last years I see a steady interest in the concept of "emotional intelligence". Common sense interpreted in it as the ability to control their feelings. This has a lot to do with personal effectiveness and professional results.

Communication, collaboration, teamwork and managed relationships become important factors professional life, which makes it helpful to focus on the emotional component.

However, I maintain that the rationale for our theories lies in the field of mental intelligence! We must manage the process of thinking, constantly honing it. I do not deny people and the ability to think.

We just do not bother ourselves with this activity and do not use our potential with due efficiency. The reason for this is banal laziness.

For example, we do not have an obsessive desire to tidy up mail and phone records, and this nullifies the effectiveness of actions in general. And in the same way, the result is rewarded with an overly emotional or, conversely, an indifferent attitude to the matter.

The role of thought control in these situations should not be underestimated. The concept of "thinking" in its broadest sense means the process of the emergence of emotions under the influence of thoughts, but not vice versa.

Have your mind no consciousness of its own

People seem to me to be more than reasonable beings. Analyzing the motives of their actions, I, of course, make a distinction between thinking and consciousness.

I can say that thinking is the result of combining intelligence with intentions. Using consciousness and intuition helps differentiate concepts and make decisions.

If you've ever changed your mind, then you are capable of creative, focused thinking.

Consciousness is a great servant, but a terrible teacher. It is ready to remind you of the problem at the very moment when you are no longer able to change anything.

And empty reflections on problems and their real solution are completely different things. People are capable of generating great ideas, although they do not think about their true value.

Unfortunately, it often doesn't come down to managing the content of your ideas. But if you understand how this reactive and mechanical part of our thought processes works, then you have the key to victory in your hands.

We are not born with these abilities

At birth, no one is programmed to think: “What do we have in the asset? What do I want to achieve? What is the action plan? Who will do this? " In my life, I have met only a few people who have acted this way, considering it natural.

More often than not, people do not use their gift of structural thinking in their personal lives. The project manager in the company, having mastered the principles and methods, can conduct meetings, knows how, according to the plan to release to the market New Product etc., but may be helpless in applying the same principles to his relationship with his mother or to his personal finances, although in all cases, you can and should use the same methods.

Somehow one top manager got acquainted with my material and was surprised that I "Revealed the heuristic mechanism" of his company's success present in her inner culture at the value level.

However, he did not know how to teach these corporate values to his employees. GTD allowed him and his employees to logically understand and identify the methods of their own actions and bring them to the level where they, as a coherent model, became a logical part of the corporate training process for new employees.

Focusing issues are generally key to productivity.

To start the whole mechanism and keep it working, we must take care of our own way of thinking and the possibility of productively adapting the results of our thoughts to various fields of activity.

Attention Attention

How does a person's consciousness focus on his own attention and the ability to control it? This is what increasingly interests the minds of researchers. But it is surprising that a keen interest in the phenomenon of attention didn't demanded its study from the point of view of the scientific organization of labor.

Advances in technologies such as e-mail, instant messaging and cellular communications have made the issue of unnecessary costs due to the debilitating and fragmented distraction of human attention at the forefront.

At the same time, researchers have repeatedly tried to document the decline in business activity due to distractions to the level of loss of focus. However, economic losses were not measurable.

Nevertheless, based on the statistical data obtained on a decrease in the average concentration time and an increase in the relaxation period, it was possible to draw certain conclusions.

The companies responded by “attacking” it with their own developments under such names as “No Email on Fridays "or" Quiet hour ". These actions were designed to reduce losses due to mental noise, and free people for a creative-reflective process.

Most research on this problem concentrates on external factors: too much mail, too much (or little) interpersonal communication, too many changes, etc. Solutions that focus only on reducing the volume or speed of incoming information become, at best, temporary measures. , and at worst, lead to paralysis.

We need to be more mobile in the areas of thinking and action (two sides of the same coin).

After all, from birth we are happy owners of a consciousness that gives us the ability to think and gives us an amazing opportunity to solve the most difficult cases with the help of simple, properly composed, ordered and ranked lists.

Some of the information we get is really useful, but it can be distracting and stressful, reducing productivity and ability to focus.

One of the biggest benefits of GTD is that it helps you differentiate between creative thought processes and ineffective anxiety.

This does not require mastering the mysterious scientific disciplines or seek "mystical insight" (although both theorists and mystics consider GTD to be an effective method). Understanding the work of the intellect and the correct fixation of its products with the appropriate concentration of attention on the object of attention is as simple a matter as, for example, cooking dinner.

However, this only happens when you are doing business, and not hovering in the empyrean.

GTD system logic

Strength is determined by access to open space. I experienced the truth of this statement myself while studying martial arts. And the metaphor "water-like consciousness", which came from the philosophy of karate, has become widely used in connection with the application of GTD methods.

Water in all its manifestations corresponds to what it interacts with. And it happens without stress and waste of energy.

Likewise, when we are not distracted by anything, we get more opportunities to control our world. We acquire the ability to abstract from the solution of a particular problem, if it is necessary to focus on another. Flexibility and focus are real sources of strength.

But something slows us down ...

Working with e-mails from the boss, pondering an important thought, preoccupation with the unusual silence in the nursery, fighting the crisis in the department - all these are situations for which we find a solution. It also depends on many factors that make up our objective world at a given moment.

But if you indulge in fruitless reflection, instead of carefully thinking things over and to take for their solution, the state of "consciousness like water" will turn out to be an unattainable ideal, and deeds will take away a colossal amount of energy and strength.

It won't be fun at all if you take the experiences from one meeting with you to another; if you bring home problems to work or shift the burden of work issues onto the shoulders of the family.

But how does it all work? What is the logic behind the process?

Strength = Concentration

Concentrated energy creates momentum and impact. You cannot achieve an effect without concentration in anything, be it a game, interrupting the board with a blow of your palm, or a conversation with a teenager on sensitive topics.

Focus = Eliminate Distractions

Have you ever lost your sense of concentration? And what happened to your productivity? Who distracted you the most?

But everyone experienced these unpleasant moments, becoming a victim of hundreds of external circumstances that interfered - a loud noise, stranger, computer failure. Have you been distracted from your work by being in a quiet room? And how: after all, your own random thoughts are just as easily misleading as any extraneous factors.

Publisher: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2010

ISBN 978-5-91657-104-2

Number of pages: 400.

Contents of the book “How to keep things in order. Principles of a fulfilling life without stress ":

6 Feel the freedom!
8 1. Introduction
18 2. The GTD Phenomenon
59 3. Starting the system and keeping it running
72 4. Basic principles of self-organization
92 5. Full control: fixing
126 6. Complete control: assessment of significance
160 7. Full control: ordering
206 8. Full control: verification and analysis
216 9. Full control: execution
245 10. Complete control: application of the system
255 11. Gaining perspective
266 12. "Runway": action plans
274 13. Ten Thousand Feet: Projects
287 14. Twenty Thousand Feet: Focus Areas and Areas of Responsibility
297 15. Thirty thousand feet: goals and objectives
305 16. Forty thousand feet: vision
315 17. Fifty thousand feet: purpose and principles
331 18. Outlook: Revisiting Gracie's Gardens
337 19. How to keep the system running
358 20. Conclusion
363 Applications
386 about the author

The book will be useful both for those who want to learn how to plan their employment, and for those who are prone to constant fatigue, stress, anxiety due to the "routine" at work.

Description

Name: How to keep things in order. Making Work: Winning Game Work Business Life

This book is a continuation of the bestseller "". On its pages, the author tried to find an application for his GTD method not only at work, but also in a person's daily life. Work will be useful both for those who want to learn how to plan their employment, and for those who are prone to constant fatigue, stress, anxiety due to the "routine" at work.

David Allen himself wrote in the foreword: “Our reality and our tasks are becoming more difficult to formulate and ambiguous, as life is constantly becoming more complex. To start this whole mechanism and keep it working, it is worth thinking more about our way of thinking and applying the results of these reflections to various areas of our life and work. "

main idea of this book - the transformation of the GTD formula from a tool for a businessman into a universal mechanism for planning all employment - both at work and at home. This allows you to plan time, save it, avoid haste and the associated inconvenience. Allen's new creation is wider, deeper, and therefore larger.

about the author

David Allen- expert, consultant in time management and personal productivity. At the university, he majored in the study of American history. After graduating from college, D. Allen was looking for his place in life for a long time. By his own assurance, he changed at least 35 professions until he was 35. Today, Allen leads his own management and productivity coaching company, although he rarely conducts public workshops himself. He is also one of the founders of Actioneer Inc, a company that specializes in the production of office supplies.

The art of focusing. We put life in order. Express course on GTD methodology Publisher's preface to the new book by David Allen

Publisher's Foreword to David Allen's New Book

Personal review "How to keep things in order"

Alfred North Whitehead

Alfred North Whitehead

Contents of the book “How to keep things in order. Principles of a fulfilling life without stress ":

Description

about the author