The "horiz This book went beyond the productivity and organizational system introduced in GTD, and focused on the higher levels of life management. The "horizons of focus" seemed much more hand-wavey and arbitrary than the GTD system. Even after referring to the material repeatedly, I've had trouble figuring out how to apply the horizons of focus to my life.
It seems like a good attempt at addressing important and challenging questions, but ultimately I felt that it fell short. Mar 08, Ron rated it really liked it Shelves: nonfiction , business , motivational , organization , gtd , productivity. This book digs a little deeper into the principles Allen laid out in Getting Things Done , spending a bit more time on each of the steps in his process for dealing with what's on your mind, and on the varying levels of perspective we have on our life, from fundamental principles to that thing we've got to do right now.
It's an inspiring system for gaining control and perspective over your life, enabling you to move forward with greater clarity.
I'm still learning to apply GTD consistently, but eve This book digs a little deeper into the principles Allen laid out in Getting Things Done , spending a bit more time on each of the steps in his process for dealing with what's on your mind, and on the varying levels of perspective we have on our life, from fundamental principles to that thing we've got to do right now.
I'm still learning to apply GTD consistently, but every step forward I take with it has been really helpful, and this book did a good job of setting me straight on why that is, and what I still have to gain. We all know that feeling of being "in the zone" and that's the sort of feeling that David Allen wants people to experience as often as possible he uses the phrase having a "mind like water" to describe it.
Allen has a unique perspective that at the end of the day, you just have a list of things you feel like you need to do and you will feel stress and angst over those things whether they are personal or professional.
Highly recommended for anyone who feels like they have too much stress in their life or has too much to do. You'll quickly realize that the issue is not quantity of to-do's, but organizing and gaining the proper perspective on them! Apr 18, Shawn rated it it was amazing Shelves: audiobooks , read I though this book would help explain some things I may have not focused entirely on and help me reach the mind like water stage.
Not only did it explain those areas, it helped me focus on every area I was weak in but didn't realize it. This book re-energized the entire process and I thought I was already excited for the process before that.
Jan 23, Cathleen rated it it was ok Shelves: non-fiction. I like David Allen's system, but this book was hard to get through. It tended to be redundant and wordy.
He could have edited the book to highlight and explain his core principles and have added additional strategies. It would have been a more productive use of time to reread Getting Things Done. Jan 05, Deanna added it. This time around felt like plain rehash rather than good reminders or fresh inspiration. This one's 3. Nov 27, Derek Neighbors rated it liked it. Really good content, but a lot of rehashing from original GTD.
It is pretty dry so unless it's a topic you are really interested in you will have a hard time getting through it. Mar 28, C. I am back to re-reading Getting It All done and I really feel like I have a much better sense of how to make it work.
I tried before, but I'm going to try again. Wish me luck! I read this book thanks to Blinkist. And it actually heightened my fucking stress levels. I listened to his first book yesterday, which was complicated enough. This book not only repeated some of the things from the first book, but it added extra information, which was even more confusing. I am dissatisfied. The key message in this book: To be productive you must take control of your daily actions. Start capturing all your ideas and tasks on paper, and organize them into meaningful hierarchies acco I read this book thanks to Blinkist.
Start capturing all your ideas and tasks on paper, and organize them into meaningful hierarchies according to your bigger goals in life. Actionable advice: Take care of quick tasks immediately. If it is likely to take you less than two minutes — for example, sending off a quick email — do so immediately. If it takes longer, try to delegate it to someone else. Adhering to these two rules will work wonders in keeping your inbox at a minimum.
Keep lists in your email programs. You can manage your various to-do lists effectively by embedding them in your email system. For example, in MS Outlook, you can use the Notes function to compose and maintain lists, or in Gmail you can simply keep all your lists as email drafts under different subject headings, editing them as required.
Sep 28, Nola Redd rated it really liked it. There are two kinds of people who read the original book, Getting Things Done: those who have heard of the system and want details on the implementation, and those who have had the book shoved on them by an over eager friend or family member trying to help them improve their life guilty.
Well, this is the book you should be sharing with those unfamiliar with the GTD world or why anyone should even care abt it. Not only d There are two kinds of people who read the original book, Getting Things Done: those who have heard of the system and want details on the implementation, and those who have had the book shoved on them by an over eager friend or family member trying to help them improve their life guilty.
Not only does it provide a framework, it also explores the benefits of 'a mind like water'- to quote the author's oft-used expression.
For those like me who have struggled to implement gtd in daily life, this book also provides encouragement and motivation. It's not perfect - there are a few too many 'and then this fortune CEO told me how GTD had changed their company and his [always his] life' type stories for my taste.
And it's definitely not as in depth as the original GTD - if this was actually your first read, you'll want to check the oft-referenced original for more details on implementation. But this book provides enough to whet the appetite and get you started.
I'm ready to share it with my loved ones over the more daunting original how to book. Oct 20, Erica rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. This was a great read even the second or third time around.
It helped me realize what I need to focus on to get my life re-organized and find ways to continue to move my life forward, no matter what chaos the universe may through my way. And does it like to!!! I also feel this would still be a good starter for someone not familiar with GTD as it shows the structure, skills, and processes needed to pick it up and utilize it in the most useful and efficient way possible!
I love Getting Things Done This was a great read even the second or third time around. I love Getting Things Done and have been using it for over 5 years now. David Allen has an amazing way of being able to simplify things down to a few standard questions and from there you're able to determine everything that you need to do to get what you want out of life.
Jan 19, Sherry rated it liked it. David Allen makes some valid points in his followup to his quintessential productivity hit Getting Things Done, which I've read twice. I swear by this method. While I agree with his assertion that you need a way to control and manage the inputs to your brain GTD and that needs to be balanced against perspective, I thought this book was unnecessary.
He could have included a few expanded chapters David Allen makes some valid points in his followup to his quintessential productivity hit Getting Things Done, which I've read twice. He could have included a few expanded chapters about control and perspective in his revised and updated edition of GTD, especially when a lot of the material he outlined in the "persepctive" portion of Making It All Work were highly repetitive.
This book was just overkill about his GTD methodology. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one ». Readers also enjoyed. Self Help. About David Allen. David Allen. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. David Allen is a productivity consultant who is best known as the creator of the Getting Things Done time management method. He is the founder of the David Allen Company, which is focused on productivity, action management and executive coaching.
His Getting Things Done method is part of his coaching efforts. He Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He was also one of the founders of Actioneer, Inc. Books by David Allen. Jodi Picoult never intended to write a book about the pandemic. Read more No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now ». Quotes from Making It All Wor Only you will know the answer to that, and only in the moment.
Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Are you confused about how to get promoted and grow at your company? Are you struggling to overcome rejection and self-doubt in your career? Then you need to read this book. Building a successful career is harder than. Screwing the System and Making it Work. Who is responsible for juvenile delinquency? Mark D. The TV set happened to be turned to one of the most popular quiz programs.
The fellow being quizzed had been on the show for several weeks. He could answer questions on all sorts of subjects, many of which seemed nonsensical.
After the fellow answered a particularly odd question, some-. I've sized him up. That' expert' can't think. He can only memorize. In fact, maybe that's too much. Never underestimate your own intelligence, and never overestimate the intelligence of others. Concentrate on your assets. Discover your superior talents.
Remember, it's not how many brains you've got that matters. Rather, it's how you use your brains that counts. Manage your brains instead of worrying about how much IQ you've got.
Remind yourself several times daily, "My attitudes are more important than my intelligence. See the reasons why you can do it, not the reasons why you can't. Develop an "I'm winning" attitude. Put your intelligence to creative positive use. Use it to fmd ways to win, not to prove you will lose.
Remember that the ability to think is of much greater value than the ability to memorize facts. Use your mind to create and develop ideas, to find new and better ways, to do things. Ask yourself, '11m I using my mental ability to make history, or am I using it merely to record history made by others? I'm Too Old or Too Young. You've heard hundreds of people of all ages explain their mediocre performance in life something like this: 'Tm too old or too young to break in now.
I can't do what I want to do or am capable of doing because of my age handicap. And it's unfortunate. They think their age is wrong, so they don't even bother to try. The 'Tm too old" variety is the most common form of age excusitis. This disease is spread in subtle ways. TV fiction is produced about the big executive who lost his job because of a merger and can't find another because he's too old.
Executive looks for months to find another job, but he can't, and in the end, after contemplating suicide for a while, he decides to rationalize that it's nice to be on the shelf. Plays and magazine articles on the topic 'Why You Are Washed Up at 40" are popular, not because they represent true facts, but because they appeal to many worried minds looking for an excuse.
How to Handle Age Excusitis Age excusitis can be cured. A few years ago, while I was conduct- ing a sales training program, I discovered a good serum that both cures this disease and vaccinates you so you won't get it in the first place. In that training program there was a trainee named Cecil. And I'm too old for that now. I'm forty.
I used the old medicine, "You're oniy as old as you feel," but I found I was getting nowhere. Too often people retort with "But I do feel old! I said, "Cecil, when does a man's productive life begin?
Cecil," I saicj, "you're forty, How many years of productive life have you spent? Cecil saw he still had many opportunity- filled years left. He switched from thinking ''I'm already old" to 'Tm still young. It's one's attitude toward age that makes it a blessing or a barricade. Curing yourself of age excusitis often opens doors to opportunities that you thought were locked tight.
Finally, he concluded that the one thing he wanted more than anything else was to be a minis- ter. But when he thought about it, he found he was too old. After all, he was forty-five, had three young children and little money.
But fortunately he mustered all of his strength and told himself, "Forty-five or not, I'm going to be a minister. Five years later he was ordained as a minister and settled down with a fine congre- gation in Illinois. Of course not. He still has twenty years of productive life ahead of him. I talked with this man not long ago, and he said to me, ''You know; if I had not made that great decision when I was forty-five, I would have spent the rest of my life growing old and bitter.
Now I feel every bit as young as I did twenty-five years ago. When you lick age excusitis, the natural result is to gain the optimism of youth and feel of youth. When you beat down your fears of age limitations, you add years to your life as well as success.
A former university colleague of mine provides an inter- esting angle on how age excusitis was defeated. Bill' was gradu- ated from Harvard in the s.
After twenty-four years in the stockbrokerage business, during which time he made a modest fortune, Bill decided he wanted to become a college professor. Bill's friends warned him that he would overtax himself in the rugged learning program ahead. But Bill was determined to reach his goal and enrolled in the University of Illinois-at the age of fifty-one.
At fifty-five he had earned his degree. He's happy, too. He smiles when he says, 'Tve got almost a third of my good years left. Defeat it by refusing to let it hold you back.
When is a person young? The 'Tm too young" variety of age excusitis does much damage, too. About a year ago, a twenty- three-year-old fellow named Jerry came to me with a problem. Jerry was a fine young man. He had been a paratrooper in the service and then had gone to college.
While going to college, Jerry supported his wife and son by selling for a large transfer- and-storage company. He had done a terrific job, both in college and for his company. But today Jerry was worried. Schwartz," he said, 'Tve got a problem. My company has offered me the job of sales man- ager.
This would make me supervisor over eight salesmen. H "Well," he continued, "all eight men I'm to supervise are from seven to twenty-one years older than I. What do you think I should do? Can I handle it? Just remember these three points and everything will work out just fine: first, don't be age conscious.
Back on the farm a boy became a man when he proved he could do the work of a man. His number of birthdays had nothing to do with it. And this applies to you. Ask them for their suggestions.
Make them feel they are working for a team captain, not a dicta- tor. Do this and the men will work with you, not against you. Leaders in all fields soon fmd they are younger than many of the people they supervise. So get used to having older men work for you. It will help you a lot in the coming years, when even bigger opportunities develop. He loves the transportation busi- ness, and now he's planning to organize his own company in a few years.
Youth is a liability only when the youth thinks it is. You often hear. That you've got to have either gray hair or no hair at all in order to gain an investor's confidence is plain nonsense:'What really matters is how well you know your job.
If you know your job and under- stand people, you're sufficiently mature to handle it. Many young people feel that they are being held back because of their youth. But the people who really count in the company will not. Demonstrate that you have ability and positive atti- tudes and your youthfulness will be considered an advantage.
In quick recap, the cure for age excusitis is: 1. Look at your present age positively. Think, 'Tm still young," not 'Tm already old.
Compute how much productive time you have left. Remember, a person age thirty still has 80 percent of his pro- ductive life ahead of him. Life is actually longer than most people think!
Invest future time in doing what you really want to do. It's too late only when you let your mind go negative and think it's too late. Stop thinking "I should have started years ago. He pointed out that upward of 40, persons are killed each year in so-called traffic accidents. The main point of his talk was that therds no such thing as a true accident.
What we call an accident is the result of human or mechanical failure, or a combination of both. What this traffic expert was saying substantiates what wise men throughout the ages have said: there is a cause for everything. Nothing happens without a cause. There is nothing accidental about the weather outside today. It is the result of specific causes.
Yet hardly a day passes that you do not hear someone blame his problems on 'bad" luck. And it's a rare day that you do not hear someone attribute another person's success to "good" luck. Let me illustrate how people succumb to luck excusitis. I lunched recendy with three young junior executives.
The topic of conversation that day was George C. Why did George get the position? These three fellows dug up all sorts of reasons: luck, pull, bootlicking, George's wife and how she flattered the boss, everything but the truth. The facts were that George was simply better qualified. He had been doing a better job. He was working harder. He had a more effective personality. I also knew that the senior officers in the company had spent much. My three disillusioned friends should have realized that top executives don't select major executives by drawing names from a hat.
I was talking about the seriousness of luck excusitis not long ago with a sales executive of a machine tool-manufacturing company. He became excited about the problem and began to talk about his own experience with it. Hearing John tell the good news, he rather enviously congratu- lated him and then said, 'Well, John, you're lucky again! John had been working on that customer for months. He had talked repeatedly to a half- dozen people out there.
John had stayed up nights figuring out exactly what was best for them. Then he got our engineers to make preliminary designs of the equipment. John wasn't lucky, unless you can call carefully planned work and patiently executed plans luck.
Assume for a moment that General Motors were to be completely reorganized on the basis ofluck. To carry out the reorganization, the names of all employees would be placed in a barrel. The first name drawn would be president; the second name, the executive vice president, and so on down the line.
Sounds stupid, doesn't it? Well, that's how luck would work. Accept the law of canse and effect. Take a second look at what appears to be someone's "good luck. Take a second look at what appears to be someone's 'bad luck. Success receives a set- back; he learns and profits, But when Mr. Mediocre loses, he fails to learn. Don't be a wishful thinker. Don't waste your mental mus- cles dreaming of an effortless way to win success.
We don't become successful simply through luck. Success comes from doing those thiflgs and mastering those principles that produce success. Don't count on luck for promotions, victories, the good things in life. Luck simply isn't designed to deliver these good things. Instead, just concentrate on developing those qualities in yourself that will make you a winner.
Don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of. Such soothing remarks may give us fear relief for a few minutes or maybe even a few hours.
But the "it's-only-in-your- imagination" treatment doesn't really build confidence and cure fear. Yes, fear is real. And we must recognize it exists before we can conquer it. Most fear today is psychological. Worry, tension, embar- rassment, panic all stem from mismanaged, negative imagina- tion. But simply knowing the breeding ground of fear doesn't cure fear.
If a physician discovers you have an infection in some part of your body, he doesn't stop there. He proceeds with treat- ment to cure the infection. The old "it's-only-in-your-mind" treatment presumes fear doesn't really exist. But it does. Fear is real. Fear is success enemy number one. Fear-uncertainty, lack of confidence--explains why we still have economic recessions.
Fear explains why millions of people accomplish little and enjoy little. Truly, fear is a powerful force. In one way or another fear prevents people from getting what they want from life. Fear of all kinds and sizes is a form of psychological infec- tion. We can cure a mental infection the same way we cure a body infection-with specific, proved treatments. First, though, as part of your pretreatment preparation, condition yourself with this' fact: all confidence is acquired, developed.
No one is born with confidence. Those people you know who radiate confidence, who have conquered worry, who are at ease everywhere and all the time, acquired their confi- dence, every bit of it. You can, too. This chapter shows how. During World War II the Navy made sure that all of its new recruits either knew how to swim or learned how-the idea being, of course, that the ability to swim might someday save the sailor's life at sea.
Nonswimming recruits were put into swimming classes. I watched a number of these training experiences. In a superficial sort of way, it was amusing to see young, healthy, men terrified by a few feet of water. In a deeper sense, it was a sad sight.
Yet all that stood between them and the defeat of that fear was one drop into the water below. On more than one occasion I saw young men "accidentally" pushed off the board. The result: fear defeated. This incident, familiar to thousands of former Navy men, illustrates just one point: action cures fear. Indecision, postpone- ment, on the other hand, fertilize fear. Jot that down in your success rule book right now.
Action cures ]far. Action does cure fear. Several months ago a very troubled executive in his early forties came to see me. Worriedly, he explained, ''I'm afraid of losing my job. I've got that feeling that my days are numbered. Sales fignres in my depart- ment are off seven percent frolll a year ago.
This is pretty bad, especially since the store's total sales are up six percent. I've made a couple of unwise decisions recently, and I've been singled out several times by the merchandise manager for not keeping pace with the company's progress.
My assistant buyer senses it. The sales- people see it, too. Other executives, of course, are aware that I'm slipping. One buyer even suggested at a meeting of all head buyers the other day that part of my line should be put in his department, where, he said, 'It could make money for the store.
Finally I cut in and asked, 'What are you doing about it What are you trying to do to correct the situation? First, start this afternoon to move those sales figures upward. We've got to face it. There's a reason your sales are slipping. Find it. Maybe you need a special sale to clear out your slow-moving merchandise, so you'll be in a position to buy some ftesh stock. Perhaps you can rearrange your display counters. Maybe your salespeople need more enthusiasm. And it would probably be wise to talk privately with your merchandise manager.
He may be on the verge of putting you out, but when you talk it over with him and ask his advice, he'll certainly give you more time to work things out. It's too expen- sive for the store to replace you as long as top management feels there's a chance you'll fmd a solution. Quit acting like a drowning man. Let people around you know that you're still alive.
Then he asked, "You said there are two kinds of action I should take. But just in case, it's good to have an offer or two. Remember, it's ten times easier for a man with a job toget another job than it is for someone unemployeq to connect. I made a number of changes, but the most basic one was with my salespeople. I used to hold sales meetings once a week, but now I'm holding one every morning. I've got those people really enthusiastic. I guess once they saw some life in me they were ready to push harder too.
They were just waiting for me to start things moving again. Last week my sales were well ahead of a year ago and much better than the store's average. I got two job offers since we talked.
Naturally I'm glad, but I've turned them both down since everything is looking good here again. Hope is a start. But hope needs action to win victories. Put the action ptinciple to work. Next time you experience big fear or little fear, steady yourself Then search for an answer to this question: What kind of action can I take to conquer my fear? Isolate your fear. Then take appropriate action. Below are some examples of fear and some possible action cures.
Embarrassment because of Improve it. Go to a barbershop personal appearance. Shine your shoes. Get your clothes cleaned and pressed. In general, prac- tice better grooming. It doesn't always take new clothes. Fear of losing an important Work doubly hard to give better. Correct anything tha t may have caused customers to lose confidence in you.
Fear of failing an examination. Fear of dungs totally beyond 'fum your attention to helping your control. Go out trol, such as a tornado or an into your yard and pull up airplane out o,f control. Play with your children. Go to a movie. Fear of what other people Make sure that what you plan to may think and say. Then do it. No one ever does anything worthwhile for which he is not criticized. Fear of making an investment Analyze all factors. Then be or purchasing a home.
Make a decision and stick with it. Trust your own judgment. Fear of people. Put them in proper perspective. Pin it down. Determine exactly what you are afraid of. Then take action. There is some kind of action for any kind of fear. And remember, hesitation only enlarges, magnifies the fear.
Take action promptly. Be decisive. Much lack of self-confidence can be traced directly to a misman- aged memory. Your brain is very much like a bank. Every day you make thought deposits in your "mind bank. When you settle down to think or when you face a problem, in effect you say to your memory bank, ''What do I already know about this? Your memory; then, is the basic supplier of raw material for your new thought.
The teller in your memory bank is tremendously reliable. He never crosses you up. If you approach him and say; "Mr. Teller, let me withdraw some thoughts I deposited in the past proving I'm inferior to just about everybody else," he'll say; "Certainly; sir.
Recall how you failed two times previously when you tried this? Recall what your sixth-grade teacher told you about your inabil- ity to accomplish things Recall what you overheard some fellow workers saying about you Teller goes, digging out of your brain thought after thought that proves you are inadequate.
But suppose you visit your memory teller with this request: "Mr. Teller, I face a difficult decision. Can you supply me with any thoughts which will give me reassurance?
Teller says, "Certainly, sir," but this time he delivers thoughts you deposited earlier that say you can succeed. Recall how much confidence Mr.
Smith placed in you Recall what your good friends said about you Re- call Teller, perfectly responsive, lets you withdraw the thought deposits you want to withdraw.
After all; it is your bank. Here are two specific things to do to build confidence through efficient management of your memory bank. Oeposit only positive thoughts in your memory bank. Let's face it squarely: everyone encounters plenry of unpleasant, embarrass- ing, and discouraging situations.
But unsuccessful and success- ful people deal with these situations in directly opposite ways. Unsuccessful people take them to heart, so to speak. They dwell on the unpleasant situations, thereby giving them a good start in their memory. They don't take their minds away from them. At night the unpleasant situation is the last thing they think about. Confident, successful people, on the other hand, "don't give it another thought. That fIne engine would soon be a mess, unable do what you want it to do.
Negative, to unpleasant thoughts deposited in your mind affect your mind the same way. Negative thoughts produce needless wear and tear on your mental motor. They create worry, fi'ustration, and feelings of. They put you beside the road while others drive ahead. Put good thoughts in your mem- ory bank. This boosts confIdence. It gives you that "I-sure-feel- good" feeling. It helps keep your body functioning right, too. Here is an excellent plan.
Just before you go to sleep, deposit good thoughts in your memory bank. Count your bless- ings. Recall the many good things you have to be thankful for: your wife or husband, your children, your friends, your health. Recall the good things you saw people do today. Recall your little victories and accomplishments. Go over the reasons why you are glad to be alive. Withdraw only positive thoughts from your memory bank. I was closely associated several years ago in Chicago with a fIrm of psychological consultants.
They handled many types of cases, but mostly marriage problems and psychological adjustment situations, all dealing with mind matters. One afternoon as I was talking with the head of the fIrm about his profession and his techniques for helping the seriously maladjusted person, he made this remark: "You know, there would be no need for my services if people would do just one thing.
Many marriage difficulties, for example, involve the 'honeymoon monster. They come to me as much as five or ten years later. It's my job to uncover and explain the source of their diffi- culty to them and help them to see what a triviality it really is. In an article in Cosmopolitan magazine, "The Drive Toward Self-Destruction," Alice Mulcahey pointed out that upward of 30, Americans commit suicide each year and another , attempt to take their own lives.
In lay terminology she suffered from severe depression. She looked back on every incident of her life as being an unhappy experience. Her school days, her marriage, the bearing of her children, the places she had lived all were thought of negatively.
She volunteered that she couldn't remember ever having been truly happy. And since what one remembers from the past colors what one sees in the present, she saw nothing but pessimism and darkness. The paint- ing was very cleverly done and could be construed to be either' a sunrise or a sunset. The psychologist commented to me that what a person sees in the picture is a clue to his personality.
Most people say it is a sunrise. But the depressed, mentally disturbed person nearly always says it's a sunset.
But I can, with the patient's cooperation, help the individual to see his past in a different light. That's the general treatment I used on this woman. I worked with her to help her to see joy and pleasure in her past instead of total disappointment. After six months she began to show improvement. At that point, I gave her a special assignment. Then at her next appointment with me on Thursdays r d go over her list with her.
I continued this sort of treatment for three months. Her improvement was very satisfactory.
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