Book Review: Getting Things Done

by David Allen

Published: 2001 (Updated Edition: 2015)

Review published: September 14, 2025

What I Learned / My Take

The big message: Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. Allen’s system helps you capture everything pulling on your attention (tasks, reminders, projects, worries), get it out of your head, and into a trusted system—so nothing gets lost and your mental energy is free.

GTD is built around five steps: Capture (collect everything on your mind), Clarify (process what it means), Organize (put it where it belongs), Reflect (review and update), and Engage (just do it). These steps are simple to say, but surprisingly deep to practice.

“Anxiety is caused by a lack of control, organization, preparation, and action.” – David Kekich

One of my biggest takeaways: Anything you’re tolerating, worrying about, or need to remember is using up your mental energy—even if you’re not working on it right now. There is usually an inverse proportion between how much something is on your mind and how much it’s getting done. The more you trust your system, the more you can let go and focus.

“The Hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” GTD is a call to slow down, get organized, and act intentionally. Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you, and often does.

The “next action” principle is a game-changer: For every project, always define the very next physical action you need to take. This turns vague intentions into concrete steps, making progress automatic. “The beginning is half of every action.” (Greek proverb)

Have a place for everything: Use inboxes, lists, calendars, and files—but keep them simple and review them often. The most important thing is that reference should be just that—information that can be easily referred to when needed.

.The weekly review is crucial: Gather and process all your “stuff.” Review your system. Update your lists. Get clean, clear, current, and complete.

“Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs.” (Vaclav Havel) GTD isn’t just about getting more done—it’s about being able to relax, think bigger, and actually enjoy life, even when you’re busy.

“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”

If you’re not clear on why you’re doing something, you can never do enough of it.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one.” (Mark Twain)

Ultimately and always, you must trust your intuition. But there are many things you can do to increase that trust: stay clear about your purpose, review your lists, keep things current, and never be afraid to adjust your system as your life changes.

The “Six-Level Model” for reviewing your work is a powerful mental map—from

• Runway: current actions. This is the accumulated list of all the actions you need to take.
• 10,000 Feet: Current Project. Creating many of the actions that you currently have in front of you are the thirty to one hundred projects on your plate.
• 20,000 Feet: Areas of Responsibility. You create or accept most of your projects because of your responsibilities, which for most people can be defined in tent o fifteen categories. Example: your job needs you to learn cyber skills, your personalize want to be a marathon, and swimmer. Your financial plan is to buy a house...
• 30,000 Feet: one –to-Two- Year goals: what you want to be experiencing in the various areas of your life and work one to two years from now.
• 40,000 Feet: 3-5 years Vision: Projecting three to five years into the future generates thinking about bigger categories.
• 50,000 Feet: Life. This is the “big picture” view. Why does your company exist? Why do you exist? The primary purpose for anything provides the core definition of what its “Work” really is.

Would I recommend it?
Yes—especially if you ever feel overwhelmed, scattered, or like you’re always behind. Getting Things Done is for anyone who wants to achieve more with less stress and more peace of mind. It’s not just a productivity method—it’s a way to live and work better.

Memorable Quotes & Big Ideas:

• “Anxiety is caused by a lack of control, organization, preparation, and action.” – David Kekich
• “We can never really be prepared for that which is wholly new. We have to adjust ourselves, and every radical adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem: we undergo a test, we have to prove ourselves. It needs subordinate self-confidence to face drastic change without inner trembling.” – Eric Hoffer
• “The Hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” – Anonymous
• “Life is denied by lack of attention, whether it be to cleaning windows or trying to write a masterpiece.” – Nadia Boulanger
• “Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax.”
• “If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.” – Shunryu Suzuki
• “Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you, and often does.”
• “You can fool everyone else, but you can’t fool your own mind.”
• “Between the time you woke up today and now, did you think of anything you needed to do that you still haven’t done? Have you had that thought more than once? Why? It's a waste of time and energy to keep thinking about something that you make no progress on.”
• “Rule your mind or it will rule you.” – Horace
• “We need to transform all the ‘stuff’ we’re trying to organize into actionable stuff we need to do.”
• “The beginning is half of every action.” – Greek proverb
• “Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs.” – Vaclav Havel
• “There is usually an inverse proportion between how much something is on your mind and how much it’s getting done.”
• “There is no reason ever to have the same thought twice, unless you like having that thought.”
• No matter what the setting, there are five discrete stages that we go through as we deal with our work:
  • We collect things.
  • Process what they mean.
  • Organize the results of the process.
  • Review all options.
  • Act.
• “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein
• “The most important thing to remember here is that reference should be exactly that – information that can be easily referred to when required.”
• “Review your lists as often as you need to, to get them off your mind.”
• The weekly review is the time to:
  • Gather and process all your ‘stuff’.
  • Review your system.
  • Update your lists.
  • Get clean, clear, current, and complete.
• “You have more to do than you can possibly do. You just need to feel good about your choices.”
• “You've got to think about the big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” – Alvin Toffler
• “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” – Will Rogers
• “Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.” – George Santayana
• “People love to win. If you’re not totally clear about the purpose of what you’re doing, you have no chance of winning.”
• “Celebrate any progress. Don’t wait to get perfect.” – Ann McGee Cooper
• “When you land on the real purpose for anything you’re doing, it makes things clearer. Just taking two minutes and writing out your primary reason for doing something invariably creates an increased sharpness of vision, much like bringing a telescope into focus.”
• “If you’re not sure why you’re doing something, you can never do enough of it.”
• “Is your purpose clear and specific enough?”
• “Simple, clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behavior. Complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid behavior.” – Dee Hock
• “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein
• “You won’t see how to do it until you see yourself doing it.”
• “You often need to make it up in your mind before you can make it happen in your life.”
• “The best way to get a good idea is to get lots of ideas.” – Linus Pauling
• “Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only one you have.” – Emile Chartier
• “A few seconds a day is usually all you need for review, as long as you’re looking at the right things at the right time.”
• “Ultimately and always, you must trust your intuition. There are many things you can do, however, that can increase that trust.”
• “It is impossible to feel good about your choices unless you are clear about what your work really is.”
• “The best place to succeed is where you are with what you have.” – Charles Schwab
• “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain
• “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” – David Allen
• “If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.” – David Allen
• “You can do anything, but not everything.” – David Allen
• “The key to managing commitments is to capture everything that has your attention.” – David Allen
• “What’s the next action?” – David Allen
• “There is usually an inverse relationship between how much something is on your mind and how much it’s getting done.” – David Allen
• “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
• “Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.” – David Allen
• “Don’t use your mind as an office. Use your mind to be creative, not as a storage closet.” – David Allen