PraiseforGettingThingsDone

"The Season's Best Reads for WorkLife Advice .. . my favorite on organizing your life: Getting Things Done ...
offershelpbuildingthenewmentalskillsneededinanageofmultitaskingandoverload."
SueShellenbarger,TheWallStreetJournal
"I recently attended David's seminar on getting organized, and after seeing him in action I have hope ... David
Allen'sseminarwasaneyeopener."
StewartAlsop,Fortune
"Allendropsdownfromhighlevelphilosophizingtothefinedetailsoftimemanagement.Takeaminutetocheck
thisoneout."MarkHenricks,Entrepreneur
"DavidAllen'sproductivityprinciplesarerootedinbigideas...butthey'realsoeminentlypractical."
KeithH.Hammonds,FastCompany
"DavidAllenbringsnewclaritytothepowerofpurpose,theessentialnatureofrelaxation,anddeceptivelysimple
guidelinesforgettingthingsdone.Heemploysextensiveexperience,personalstories,andhisownrecipefor
simplicity,speed,andfun."FrancesHesselbein,chairman,boardofgovernors,TheDruckerFoundation
"Anyonewhoreadsthisbookcanapplythisknowledgeandtheseskillsintheirlivesforimmediateresults."
StephenP.Magee,chairedprofessorofbusinessand
economics,UniversityofTexasatAustin


"Atrueskepticofmostmanagementfixes,IhavetosayDavid'sprogramisawinner!"
JolineGodfrey,CEO,IndependentMeans,Inc.and
authorofOurWildestDreams
"Getting Things Done describes an incredibly practical process that can help busy people regain control oftheir
lives.Itcanhelpyoubemoresuccessful.Evenmoreimportant,itcanhelpyouhaveahappierlife!"
MarshallGoldsmith,coeditor,TheLeaderoftheFuture
andCoachingforLeadership

"WARNING: Reading Getting Things Done can be hazardous to your old habitsofprocrastination. David Allen's
approachisrefreshinglysimpleandintuitive.Heprovidesthesystems,tools,andtipstoachieveprofoundresults."
CarolaEndicott,director,QualityResources,New
EnglandMedicalCenter

PENGUINBOOKSGETTINGTHINGSDONE
David Allen has been called one of the world's most influential thinkers on productivity and has been a keynote
speakerand facilitator for suchorganizations asNew York Life,the World Bank, theFordFoundation,L.L.Bean,
and the U.S. Navy, and he conducts workshops for individuals and organizations across the country. He is the
president of TheDavid AllenCompanyandhasmorethantwentyyearsexperienceasamanagementconsultantand
executive coach. His work has been featured in Fast Company,Fortune, the Los Angeles Times, The New York
Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.GettingThingsDone has been published intwelve
foreigncountries.DavidAllenlivesinOjai,California.

Getting
ThingsDone
TheArtofStressFreeProductivity

DavidAllen


PENGUINBOOKSPublishedbythePenguinGroupPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.,375HudsonStreet,NewYork,NewYork
10014,U.S.A.
PenguinBooksLtd,80Strand,LondonWC2RORL,EnglandPenguinBooksAustraliaLtd,250CamberwellRoad,Camberwell,
Victoria3124,Australia
PenguinBooksCanadaLtd,10AlcornAvenue,Toronto,Ontario,CanadaM4V3B2PenguinBooksIndia(P)Ltd,11
CommunityCentre,PanchsheelPark,NewDelhi110017,IndiaPenguinBooks(N.Z.)Ltd,CnrRosedaleandAirborneRoads,
Albany,Auckland,NewZealandPenguinBooks{SouthAfrica)(Pty)Ltd,24SturdeeAvenue,Rosebank,Johannesburg2196,
SouthAfrica
PenguinBooksLtd,RegisteredOffices:80Strand,LondonWC2RORL,England
FirstpublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyVikingPenguin,amemberofPenguinPutnamInc.2001PublishedinPenguin
Books2003
5791086
CopyrightDavidAllen,2001Allrightsreserved
THELIBRARYOFCONGRESSHASCATALOGEDTHEHARDCOVEREDITIONASFOLLOWS:Allen,David.Getting
thingsdone:theartofstressfreeproductivity/DavidAllen.p.cm.Includesindex.ISBN0670899240(he.)ISBN014
20.00280(pbk.)1.Timemanagement.2.Selfmanagement(Psychology).I.Title.BF637.T5A452001646.7dc2100043757
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
SetinAdobeCaslonDesignedbySaraE.Stemen
ExceptintheUnitedStatesofAmerica,thisbookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnot,bywayoftradeorotherwise,be
lent,resold,hiredout,orotherwisecirculatedwithoutthepublisher'spriorconsentinanyformofbindingorcoverotherthan
thatinwhichitispublishedandwithoutasimilarconditionincludingthisconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpurchaser.

ForKathryn,myextraordinarypartnerinlifeandwork


viii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Finally, deepest thanks go to my spiritual coach, JR, for being such an awesome guide and
consistent reminder of my real priorities and to my incredible wife, Kathryn, for her trust, love, hard
work,andthebeautyshehasbroughtintomylife.

Contents
Acknowledgmentsvii
WelcometoGettingThingsDonexi

Part1:TheArtofGettingThingsDone1
Chapter1ANewPracticeforaNewReality3
Chapter2GettingControlofYourLife:TheFiveStagesofMasteringWorkflow24
Chapter3GettingProjectsCreativelyUnderWay:TheFivePhasesofProjectPlanning54

Part2:PracticingStressFreeProductivity83
Chapter4GettingStarted:SettingUptheTime,
Space,andTools85
Chapter5Collection:CorrallingYour"Stuff"104
Chapter6Processing:Getting"In"toEmpty119
Chapter7Organizing:SettingUptheRightBuckets138
ix


X
CONTENTS

Chapter8Reviewing:KeepingYourSystemFunctional181
Chapter9Doing:MakingtheBestActionChoices191
Chapter10GettingProjectsUnderControl211

Part3:ThePoweroftheKeyPrinciples223
Chapter11ThePoweroftheCollectionHabit225
Chapter12ThePoweroftheNextAction
Decision236
Chapter13ThePowerofOutcomeFocusing249
Conclusion257
Index261

WelcometoGettingThingsDone
WELCOME TO A gold mineofinsights into strategies forhowto havemoreenergy,be more relaxed,
and getalotmore accomplishedwithmuchlesseffort. Ifyou'relikeme,youlikegetting thingsdoneand
doing them well, and yet you also want to savor life in ways that seem increasingly elusive if not
downright impossible if you're working too hard. This doesn't have tobeaneitheror proposition.It is
possibletobeeffectivelydoingwhileyouaredelightfullybeing,inyourordinaryworkadayworld.
Ithinkefficiencyisagoodthing.Maybewhatyou'redoingisimportant,interesting,orusefulor
maybeitisn'tbutithastobedoneanyway.Inthefirstcaseyouwanttogetasmuchreturnasyoucanon
yourinvestmentoftimeandenergy.Inthesecond,youwanttogetontootherthingsasfast
Theartofrestingasyoucan,withoutanynagging
looseends.
themindandthebeathavingsleepingtheminutesisexactlythemoreemailAndmomentawithchild
whatbeerrelaxed,whateverinthefrontwithyouinishispotentialjustconfidentoughtyourofyou'reor
whatyou,hertostaffbedoing,neworyoucribthatdoing,afterspendingclientneedatwhateveryou'd
hours,midnight,asyou'retoafterprobablyabegazingfewyou'rethedoingthatdoinganswering
informalmeetingatlikeit.doing
yourto
powerdismissingallisthegreatprobablycaresecretsCaptain].men.ofandoffromA.oneworryour
ofit

Teachingyouhowtobemaximallyefficientandrelaxed,wheneveryouneedorwanttobe,wasmy
mainpurposeinwritingthisbook.
xi