Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

“Most of us have, in the past seventy-two hours, received more change-producing, project-creating, and priority shifting-inputs than our parents did in a month, maybe even in a year.”

Here, Allen explains why society requires his organizational methods. His assertion that readers have to deal with far greater input than previous generations establishes the new challenges of the 21st century. The phrase “most of us” creates a sense of inclusivity, suggesting that the majority of people (including the author) share these issues.

“Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax.”

Allen introduces one of his key goals: achieving a state of “relaxed control.” The statement is designed to intrigue readers as creating power and relaxing appear to be two contradictory states. The author uses a common device of the genre by addressing the reader directly. The pronoun “your” creates a rapport with the reader, reinforcing the power of Allen’s message.

“Anything that does not belong where it is, the way it is, an “open loop,” which will be pulling on your attention if it’s not appropriately managed.”

Allen introduces the idea of open loops—a key concept to understanding his methodology. He emphasizes how open loops distract focus if they are not taken care of within an effective system.

“We need to transform all the “stuff” we’ve attracted and accumulated into a clear inventory of meaningful actions, projects, and usable information.”

“Stuff” is another term Allen uses to describe open loops. Here, he begins to outline the process of transforming amorphous “stuff” into well-defined and actionable items.

“Things rarely get stuck because of lack of time. They get stuck because what “doing” would look like, and where it happens, hasn’t been decided.” 

Allen argues that most tasks remain uncompleted because they remain undefined in terms of what needs to be done about them. He suggests that “to-do” lists are ultimately unhelpful if they fail to clearly define the next physical action that must be taken. Deciding on next actions is a key stage of GTD’s methodology.

“There is no reason to ever have the same thought twice, unless you like having that thought.”

Here, Allen emphasizes the waste of time and energy involved in thinking about open loops without recording them. He points out that if open loops are captured immediately, the brain is freed from having to think about them again.

“There is always more to do than you can do, and you can do only one thing at a time. The key is to feel as good about what you’re not doing as about what you are doing at that moment.”

Allen suggests that the key to a stress-free life lies not in working harder but in having a clear overview of all commitments. Once this is achieved, it is possible to focus on present work without worrying that more urgent tasks may have been overlooked.

“The key ingredients of relaxed control are (1) clearly defined outcomes (projects) and the next actions required to move them toward closure, and (2) reminders placed in a trusted system that is reviewed regularly. This is what I call horizontal focus.”

The author summarizes the basic components of his organizational system: setting up lists of projects, deciding on next actions, and creating reminders of next actions. Once these structures are in place, a “horizontal” perspective of all ground-level work is achieved.

“You need no new skills to increase your productivity and reduce your stress—just an enhanced set of systematic behaviors with which to apply them.”

Allen’s persuasive rhetorical skills are displayed as he again directly addresses the reader. He assures his audience that they already possess the skills to increase productivity and reduce stress levels. All they need to do is adjust their habits by following his organizational system.

“If it takes longer than a minute to file something in an easily retrievable format, you’ll likely stack it or stuff it somewhere instead. Besides being fast, the system needs to be fun and easy, current and completed.”

Allen’s advice on filing research materials highlights the link between ease and efficiency—a central theme of the book. The author recognizes that if this process is time-consuming, readers will avoid doing it, and their organizational systems will quickly become outdated.

“Until you’ve captured everything that has your attention, some part of you will still not totally trust that you’re working with the whole picture of your world.”

Discussing the process of capturing, Allen emphasizes the importance of collecting all open loops from the mind and from the physical environment. He argues that short-term memory will only relinquish remembering open loops once they are all safely stored elsewhere.

“The two-minute rule is magic.”

Allen’s two-minute rule states that if a task can be done in two minutes or less, it should be completed immediately. The author claims this simple habit has transformed many of his clients’ lives. The two-minute rule is another example of GTD’s association of ease with efficiency.

“The inherent danger in the digital world is how much data can be spread into how many different places so easily, without coordinating links.”

The 2015 edition of Getting Things Done is revised to consider technological advances. However, Allen remains wary of switching to digital databases, claiming that few software applications allow the storage of all relevant information in one place. His preference is for a primarily paper-based system.

“Trying to create goals before you have confidence that you can keep your everyday world under control will often undermine your motivation and energy rather than enhance them.”

Allen critiques “top-down” workflow methodologies focusing on higher goals and principles as the first priority. The author believes it is almost impossible to view workflow from this level until the mundane day-to-day workflow is effectively managed.

“Clear the deck, create a context, and do some creative project thinking. You’ll then be way ahead of most people.”

The author believes that gaining control over ground-level work frees the mind to think more creatively about projects. He motivates readers to get to this point by claiming they will then have a competitive advantage over “most people.”

“When people with whom you interact notice that without fail you receive, process, and organize in an airtight manner the exchanges and agreements they have with you, they begin to trust you in a unique way. More significantly, you incorporate a level of self-confidence in your engagement with your world that money cannot buy.”

Allen’s tone shifts from practical to inspirational as he describes the psychological benefits of implementing his system. He tells readers that, as efficiency equates to reliability, their relationships with others will improve, and they will enjoy increased self-trust.

“The sense of anxiety and guilt doesn’t come from having too much to do; it’s the automatic result of breaking agreements with yourself.”

Allen returns to the concept of uncaptured open loops to expand on their psychological effects. He asserts that open loops create stress and guilt because they represent broken “agreements” with the self. As a result, we begin to perceive ourselves as unreliable.

“Maintaining an objective and complete inventory of your work, regularly reviewed, makes it much easier to say no with integrity.”

Here, Allen discusses the theme of maintaining boundaries around work. He argues that it becomes easier to turn down unnecessary commitments when one has established a clear overview of all work obligations.

“When the only thing on your mind is the only thing on your mind, you’ll be ‘present,’ in your ‘zone,’ with no distinction between work and play.”

This is Allen’s description of a “mind like water” —the ultimate goal of GTD. A martial arts simile, “mind like water” is a relaxed state of mental clarity where one is rewardingly engaged in the present task.

“When a culture adopts “What’s the next action?” as a standard operating query, there’s an automatic increase in energy, productivity, clarity, and focus.”

Toward the end of his book, Allen reveals his “mission” to make GTD techniques a cultural standard. Here, he encourages readers to imagine how productive society would be if everyone adopted the habit of deciding on next actions.

“Everything on your lists and in your stacks is either attractive or repulsive to you—there’s no neutral ground when it comes to your stuff.”

Here, Allen identifies the psychological reasons for procrastination. Given a choice between all the items that require their attention, people are inevitably drawn to the ones they find most “attractive.” As a result, “repulsive” tasks are delayed until they become urgent. For this reason, the author insists that nothing should ever be returned to the in-tray.

“Avoiding action decisions until the pressure of the last minute creates huge inefficiencies and unnecessary stress.”

The author outlines the pitfalls of what he describes as “back-end” thinking. He identifies back-end thinking as a key contributory factor to stress which, in turn, impairs focus. Allen’s solution is “front-end” thinking, where next actions are decided in advance.

“Getting things going of your own accord, before you’re forced to by external pressure and internal stress, builds a firm foundation of self-worth that will spread to every aspect of your life. You are the captain of your own ship; the more you act from that perspective, the better things will go for you.”

Here, the author claims that adopting a front-end approach to workflow will positively impact all aspects of his readers’ lives. Using the inspirational metaphor of becoming “captain of your own ship,” he creates a powerful vision of success to which his readers can aspire.