Blogging Through "Getting Things Done" by David Allen (Part 1 The Introduction)

I'm starting a series of posts here on the Accuquest Blog about productivity. (Normally I would imediately fall asleep or click off this page at the word productivity) For that reason alone I'll try to make this entertaining and humorous as much as I can so that I don't lose interest either. If you're anything like me you have a million ideas cross your mind as you see patients, answer the phone, charting etc... Also if you're anything like me it is often a miracle if one of these ideas actually goes from conception to implementation. Even on a day where I have a full schedule I still have some down time. Sometimes I use this well and pick up an extra task where I left off but so often I end up just doing the next urgent thing that comes up. I guess this is better than ignoring work and letting it pile up but I know my time is not even close to being used intentionally. I've found that because I'm allowing my time to be used this way the short-term almost always gets in the way of the long-term. I could go on a political rant just about now about our economy and how Wall Street has probably been acting just like me for more than a decade and that's how we are now in the mess we're in but I'll spare you (mainly because I really don't even know how to spell economics much less how it works). Back to the issue at hand. I'm going to write a few summaries here on this blog (if all goes well) of the book, Getting Things Done by David Allen. I've had this book reccomended to me by numerous friends and acquaintences over the last few years so I decided it was time to read it. Feel free to ignore these posts or send me hate mail to the following address brian@accuquest.net (trust me it's my address:-) if this doesn't interest you in the slightest. Even if no-one reads this but me it helps me to summarize and process what I've read in the book.

So far I've blocked out my schedule, buckled down, put my nose to the grind stone (whatever that means) and read the introduction (about 3 pages). Yes productivity is now my middle name, seriously I legally had it changed to Curtis Productivity Watson (I just pronounce it with a french accent to impress people).

Here are a few introductory thoughts from the book. David Allen states that his overall purpose in writing this book is, "Teaching you how to be maximally efficient and relaxed, whenever you need or want to be(p. xi)" Allen goes on to state that he has developed this system over the last few decades of organizational consulting. He breaks the book into 3 main parts:

1. Part 1 describes the whole game, providing a brief overview of the system and an explanation of why it's unique and timely, and then presenting the basic methodologies themselves in their most condensed and basic form (p.xiii-xiv)
2. Part 2 shows you how to implement the system. Its your personal coaching, step by step, on the nitty-gritty application of the models. (p. xiv)
3. Part 3 goes even deeper, describing the subtler and more profound results you can expect when you incorporate the methodologies and models into your work and your life.

Now I know most of you are on the edge of your seat. "What comes next?! I must know! I will not rest until Curtis gives me more riveting summaries on a *%#@ ing productivity book!!!" I will try to read and write about the book in a timely manner but as I've already stated I'm in great need of an overhaul in how to organize my life so if you don't mind I have many pressing things that I need to put off and do later. Hopefully I will be writing more soon. In the meantime you're welcome to grab the book and follow along and leave a comment or your own thoughts.