Getting things done.. is it to complicated?

[FutureBillionaire]

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[Cron]

I was considering getting a copy since many people on this site speak highly of it. I read the reviews on Amazon. The people who did not like the book wrote what you did, that the system is needlessly complex.

Here is a link to what I wrote about my favorite time management book. You can probably read it for free from your local library or buy it for about $4 since it has been around for a few years:

Book Review: "How To Get Control Of Your Time And Your Life" by Alan Lakein

[Matt Willard]

I personally think it's a bit overcomplicated. It took me a bit to realize that pursuing what I want and my habit of procrastination are what's holding me back, and not how I do things per se. If it's up your alley, great, but be sure to always try before you buy if possible, and always make sure you know WHAT the problem is before searching for tools to fix it. In your case, is there anything holding you back from your goals, or do you have the need for more organization?

[mrpinto]

... and GTD might be a good way of helping you find them. If there's one overriding message in the book, it's that most of us have way more entering out minds on a daily basis than we are able to deal with or even consciously recognize. You're probably right that those are your two major goals, but that's just the beginning. The "things" in "Getting Things Done" refers to everything that you have to think about. You might be trying to remember to buy toilet paper at the store tomorrow, or to get directions to a New Years party, or clean the bathroom, or any number of small minutiae. The point of the GTD setup as a whole is to sort big projects (building a business) into little actions, combine those actions with all the other little stuff, and sort them all appropriately so that all you need to deal with at one time is one thing.

I read GTD with some skepticism last spring, but decided to put it to a 30 day trial. The results of my efforts were largely positive. I wouldn't say that the system is overly complicated, but it's certainly not trivially simple. To clarify, it takes a careful reading and a bit of hands-on effort to internalize. Re-reading some choice chapters a few weeks later wouldn't hurt either. Really, if you can start your own business, you can certainly learn GTD. In fact, at this point, I shudder to think how I would ever tackle something as complicated as starting a business without GTD to make sense of it all!

There are a number of physical calendar/notebook solutions and software packages out there for Mac or PC that will help you implement the system suggested in GTD. Even if you don't end up using "the system," it's entirely worth reading the book anyway. Allen offers a number of insightful comments on how we as humans interact with the loose ends that bombard us every day.

[Cron]

Originally Posted by mrpinto

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Chances are there are more than two things that you want to do and GTD might be a good way of helping you find them.

I agree. Any good time management book will make you think about what you want to spend your time on from the big picture, not just teach you how to get through your day.

HOW TO GET CONTROL OF YOUR TIME AND YOUR LIFE has a wonderful exercise for discovering what your priorities are for your life, for the next 5 years, for the next 6 months and for right now. The exercise takes only 15 min and you will probably get to it in about only 30 min after starting to read the book.