Afterpage

Getting Things Done

David Allen

For people juggling many projects and commitments who feel their head is full of loose ends. Good for managers and freelancers. If you have only a few clear tasks, it may be more system than you need.

A week with this book

A short summary today, then one small action a day for six days. Free for your first book.

Getting Things Done David Allen

Free for your first book. No card. One click to stop.

Day 1

The ideas the week uses

David Allen argues that stress comes less from having too much to do than from keeping track of it in your head. Get every commitment into a trusted system, decide the next action for each, and your mind is free to focus.

  1. Capture everything. Every unfinished commitment, big or small, is an open loop that tugs at your attention. Allen says to collect all of them into a few inboxes outside your head.
  2. Clarify the next action. For each item, ask whether it's actionable. If so, what's the very next physical step? Vague items like “taxes” become clear ones like “find last year's return.”
  3. The two-minute rule. If the next action takes less than two minutes, do it now. It takes longer to track it than to finish it.
  4. Projects and lists. Allen defines a project as any outcome you want within a year that needs more than one step. Keep a list of projects and separate lists of next actions, sorted by context, like calls, computer, or errands.
  5. The weekly review. Once a week, empty your inboxes, update every list, and look ahead. Allen treats this as the habit that keeps the system trustworthy, and therefore keeps it working.

Where it overreachesThe full system has many parts and can turn into a hobby of organizing. Allen wrote it before smartphones, and the revised edition updates the tools more than the ideas.

Days 2 to 7

How to apply Getting Things Done

10 to 20 minutes each, with a two-minute version for a bad day.

Printable week card (one page)

  1. 2Empty your headSpend 15 minutes writing down every open loop in your life, one per line, without sorting.
  2. 3Find the next actionGo through yesterday's list and write the next physical action for at least ten items.
  3. 4Make a projects listList every outcome you're committed to that takes more than one step.
  4. 5Sort actions by contextSplit your next actions into lists by where or with what you can do them.
  5. 6Set up a someday listMove everything you're not committed to doing soon onto a Someday/Maybe list.
  6. 7Do your first weekly reviewSpend 20 minutes reviewing all your lists, calendar, and inboxes, and update them.

Sample

Day 3, in full

This is what lands in your inbox that morning.

AfterpageDay 3 of 7 · Action

Find the next action

Today’s action · 10 to 20 minutes

Go through yesterday's list and write the next physical action for at least ten items.

How

For each item, ask: what is the very next thing I'd do? Make it concrete and visible, starting with a verb: “Email Sam to ask for the invoice,” not “sort invoice.” Do any that take under two minutes right away and cross them off.

Why this one

Allen argues that things stay stuck because the next action hasn't been decided. Clarifying it turns worry into a step.

If today is a bad day

Pick one item and write its next action as a verb sentence.

In short

Questions about this book

Who is Getting Things Done by David Allen for?

For people juggling many projects and commitments who feel their head is full of loose ends. Good for managers and freelancers. If you have only a few clear tasks, it may be more system than you need.

What are the main ideas in Getting Things Done?

David Allen argues that stress comes less from having too much to do than from keeping track of it in your head. Get every commitment into a trusted system, decide the next action for each, and your mind is free to focus. Capture everything; Clarify the next action; The two-minute rule; Projects and lists; The weekly review.

What do you do in the Afterpage week for Getting Things Done?

Day 1 is a short summary. Then one action a day, each 10 to 20 minutes: Empty your head; Find the next action; Make a projects list; Sort actions by context; Set up a someday list; Do your first weekly review. Day 7 also has a recap.

Where does Getting Things Done overreach?

The full system has many parts and can turn into a hobby of organizing. Allen wrote it before smartphones, and the revised edition updates the tools more than the ideas.

What is the first action in the Getting Things Done week?

Empty your head. Spend 15 minutes writing down every open loop in your life, one per line, without sorting. If you only have two minutes: Write down the ten things most on your mind right now.

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