Getting Things Done – The Art of Stress-Free Productivity By David Allen               Penguin Books 2001 Fast Company magazine calls David Allen “The personal productivity guru” and, after reading “Getting Things Done”, you’ll know why.  This is a most practical yet comprehensive book on getting organized, acknowledging all the pressures and pitfalls that beset today’s busy executive or professional.    Its goal is to show readers how to be “maximally efficient and relaxed.”  Allen has a system for organizing everything by time and place so that nothing has to be held in your head – thus freeing up your mind to be focused on what you’re doing in the moment without distractions or nagging thoughts that there’s something you’ve forgotten.   His system provides detailed structure while allowing for optimal flexibility and rapid change in direction.  I’ve already started to implement some of his suggestions. Allen has a detailed system that works both horizontally and vertically.  It’s all summarized on a single “Workflow Diagram” that shows you how to organize all the “stuff” in your life (projects, phone messages, reference material, etc.)  He talks about how to get a handle on all your “open loops” and how to determine what the “next action” is on any given project or task you’re working on.  The “next action” concept is so simple yet powerful in terms of getting things moving when you’re stuck.  He has a system for tracking everything, including things you’re waiting for other people to do and even those dreamy ideas you may have for the future (he calls it your “someday/maybe” file.) The book is divided into chapters on Collection (Corralling your “Stuff”), Processing (Getting your “In” Basket to Empty), Organizing, Reviewing and Doing (Making the Best Action Choices).  In each of these 5 chapters, he drills down into the minute details of organizing (this is the “vertical” dimension).  He suggests, for example, that you gather things together based on where you will be doing them, not the project they may be related to.  So, for example, you’d have a “call” list for when you have access and time to make phone calls, a “computer” list for things you can only do when you’re at your computer, a list of things you have to buy the next time you’re at the mall, and so on.  The principle is to organize things in a way that fits the way work really happens on a day-to-day basis.  This book is a detailed blueprint for organizing your “stuff”,  clearing your mind, improving your efficiency and ultimately getting things done by taking action on the right things at the right time.  It’s well worth a read – and then, more importantly, acting on the information.