Book Notes: Getting Things Done® by David Allen
“Anxiety is caused by a lack of control, organization, preparation, and action.”
— David Kekich
Even though our quality of life has never been better, we continue to add to our stress levels. We’re too distracted, take on more than we can handle, and our standards continually rise, making it hard for us to play catch-up.
What’s missing in our culture of knowledge work is a foolproof system for keeping track of what needs to be done, what should be done, or what should consider being done. What’s missing is a system for managing what’s on your mind.
Most often, the reason something is on your mind is that you want it to be different than it currently is, and yet:
- you haven’t clarified what the intended outcome is;
- you haven’t decided what the very next physical action step is; and/or
- you haven’t put reminders of the outcome and the action required in a system you trust
Until your thoughts have been clarified and decisions made, your brain can’t give up thinking about it. Even if you’ve already decided on the next step you’ll take, your mind can’t let go until you leave a reminder in a place you know you’ll look.
