Summary: David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, uses lists so he doesn’t have to make a plan. This may seem counter-intuitive but it’s actually extremely intuitive thinking. As soon as something crosses your mind it it best to deal with it immediately in the most appropriate way. Most of the time that means writing an action item down on a list to do later. But addressing thoughts as they occur to you, even if that just means acknowledging it and planning on saving it for later, frees up your mind so the real critical thinking can be done on issues that really matter. David Allen is a productivity consultant who is best known as the creator of the time management method known as “Getting Things Done”. He is the founder of the David Allen Company, which is focused on productivity, action management and executive coaching. His “Getting Things Done” method is part of his coaching efforts. Allen has written four books, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, which describes his productivity program, Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life, a collection of newsletter articles he has written, Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life, a follow-up to his first book and in 2015 a completely rewritten version of his first book Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity was published.
