David Allen's amazing book on productivity sets up a wonderful blueprint to help us all get the most out of our day by managing our workload better, avoiding distractions enabling us to - get things done.

1. The Art of Stress Free Productivity
Getting Things Done

2. Productive State
Visualize the last time you felt highly productive
Sense of being in control
No stress
High level of focus on what you were doing
Time disappeared (is it lunchtime already?)
You made noticeable progress toward a
meaningful outcome

3. Basic Requirements for Managing
Commitments
If it’s on your mind, your mind isn’t clear
Unfinished business must be captured outside of your
mind
You must clarify your commitment and decide what you
have to do
Once decided on actions to take, keep
reminders of them organized in a system
you review regularly

4. Exercise Time
Write down the project or situation that is most on your
mind at this moment
In one sentence, describe your intended successful
outcome for this problem
Write down the very next physical action required to move
the situation forward
What resulted in the clarity you might have experienced?
TIME TO THINK

5. Managing Action
This is the key to managing all of your “stuff”
The real problem is lack of clarity and definition about
what a project really is and the next-action steps
required
Projects are overwhelming because you can’t do a
project at all; you can only do an action related to it
Clarify things on the front and not back end allows
you to reap the benefits of managing action

6. Getting It All Out of Your
Head
With a mind functioning like a computer, you have
limited RAM
Focus is lost
Your mind reminds you of things when you can’t do
anything about them
Paper, electronic, etc. - get them out of your head

7. Mastering Workflow
Collect
Process
Organize
Review
Do

8. Collect
Manage your open loops by capturing data into
containers
Physical in-basket
Paper based note taking devices
Electronic note taking devices
Voice recording devices
Email

9. Collect
The three requirements of collection
Every open loop must be in your collection system
and out of your head
You must have as few collection buckets as you can
get by with
You must empty them regularly

10. Process
You can’t organize what’s incoming; you can only
collect and process
Organize the actions you’ll need to take based
on the decisions you’ve made about what needs
to be done

11. Review
Weekly review
Gather and process all your “stuff”
Review your system
Update your lists
Get clean, clear, current and complete

12. Do
Trust your intuition
Four Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the
Moment
Context
Time available
Energy available
Priority

13. Natural Planning Techniques
Vision/outcome
Have a clear picture of what success looks like
Reticular activating system - create and focus on a
clear picture of what you want
View the project from beyond the completion date
Envision WILD SUCCESS
Capture features, aspects, qualities you
imagine in place

14. Brainstorming
Mind mapping
Distributed cognition
Don’t judge, challenge, evaluate or criticize
Go for quantity and not quality
Put analysis and organization in the background

15. Next Actions
What is the next action?
Decide on the next actions for each of the
current moving parts of the project
Decide on the next action in the planning
process, if necessary
The habit of clarifying the next action on
projects, no matter the situation, is
fundamental to staying in relaxed control

16. Time To Start
Setting up Time, Space & Tools
Time - 2 days
Space - your own in-basket and place to process
paper
Tools include basic office supplies, automatic labeler,
file folders

17. “Stuff”
EVERYTHING that is not filed, left on your desk or work
space goes in your in-basket
Trash what you know is trash
Be careful of the purge and organize bug
Write out each thought, idea, project or thing that has
your attention; write it on a sheet of paper and
put it in the in-basket

18. Getting “In” to Empty
Process the top item first
Process one item at a time
Never put anything back into “in”

19. Organizing/Setting up the
Right Buckets
A Projects list
Project support material
Calendared actions and information
Next actions lists
A Waiting For list
Reference material
A Someday/Maybe list

21. Managing Email

22. Keep Your System
Functional
Weekly Review
Process your notes
Review calendar
Empty your head
Review Projects
Review Next Actions

23. SimpleGTD

24. iGTD

25. Tickler File
Helps manage
non-actionable
items for future
Holds agendas
Reminders

26. Additional Resources
www.davidco.com
www.43folders.com
http://lifehacker.com/
http://www.lifehack.org/
http://www.lifeclever.com/
http://www.productivitycafe.com/
http://zenhabits.net/2007/05/massive-gtd-resource-list/
http://www.diyplanner.com/
http://simplegtd.com
http://lifedev.net/

27. For More Great Information
Visit
www.jeffreypickett.com
and receive a free guide
on other ways to improve your life
and make this year your best