In this book, David Allen shares his breakthrough methods for stress-free productivity. While in today’s fast paced world it is easy to feel overwhelmed with the sheer volume of things to do, there is a way to actually get things done. The trick is to get it out of our heads and into a trusted system that we can use whenever we need to. It is only when our minds are clear and our thoughts organized that we can achieve effective results.

Chapter 1: A New Practice for a New Reality

The methods presented in this book are based on two basic objectives. The first is to capture ALL the things that need to get done (regardless of time frame) - and get them into a logical, trusted system outside of your head and off your mind. Second, is to discipline yourself to make front-end decisions about all the “stuff” you let into your life so that you always have a plan for the “next actions” that you can implement at any moment.

The Problem: New Demands Insufficient Resources

Almost everyone nowadays has a sense of having so much to do and not enough time or resources to do it. This results in a lot of stress and anxiety. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Work no longer has clear boundaries.
2. Our jobs keep changing.
3. The old models and habits are insufficient.
4. There is confusion between the “big picture” versus the “nitty-gritty” – the company’s mission and vision and end goals versus everyday tasks such as returning calls and emails and filing for instance.

The Solution: The “Ready State” of the Martial Artist

Think for a moment about how it would feel to be one hundred percent in control of all the things you had to do, instead of having the vague suspicion that the things you have to do are actually controlling you. It IS possible. There is a way to stay stress-free, and get meaningful things done with minimal effort across the whole spectrum of your life and work.

The “Mind Like Water” Simile

In Karate, they say that one must have a “mind like water” in order to describe the position of perfect readiness. When throwing a pebble into the water how does the water respond? The answer is that the water responds appropriately to the force and mass of the input then returns to calm. In this same way, we must respond in the appropriate manner to “stuff” that comes up in our lives and return to calm. Clearing the mind and being flexible are essential.

The Principle: Dealing Effectively with External Commitments
The stress that people experience in their lives comes from inappropriately managed commitments they either make or accept. These are called “open loops”. These open loops are made up of agreements that we make with ourselves, whether big or small, that we haven’t done yet. It can be as big as closing the deal with the client, to something as small as buying new toothpaste.

Our subconscious mind keeps track of all these incompletes, or open loops, and drags our attention from the things at hand. Anything that you have accepted some sort of internal responsibility for, whether personal or business related, is an open loop.