A complete and accurately defined list of projects, kept current and reviewed on at least a weekly basis, is a master key to stress-free productivity.
– David Allen
Beginning drivers seem to make a lot of jerky movements with the wheel. Actually they're making smooth movements to very short horizons.
– David Allen
Decide the outcome and the action step, put reminders of those somewhere your brain trusts you'll see them at the right time, and listen to your brain breathe easier.
– David Allen
'I need milk' and 'I need to decide whether to buy this company' both tie up space in psychic RAM. The solution is simple. Write it down. Look at it. Do it or say to yourself 'not now'.
– David Allen
I've experienced (more times than I like to admit) avoiding slightly uncomfortable conversations with others I should have had on the front end and then endured much more excruciating ones on the back end.
– David Allen
If you want to catch fish, and really enjoy the sport, you will maintain your lures and line in some organized fashion. The best at it will always have their tackle ready.
– David Allen
It's hard to be fully creative without structure and constraint. Try to paint without a canvas. Creativity and freedom are two sides of the same coin. I like the best of both worlds. Want freedom? Get organized. Want to get organized? Get creative.
– David Allen
'Land on Mars' as a project still comes down to something like 'Call Fred about the Mars budget proposal' that can be accomplished as soon and as easily as any other activity in our inventory of work at hand.
– David Allen
Mosquitoes can ruin the hunt for big game.
– David Allen
My opinion is that anybody offended by breastfeeding is staring too hard.
– David Allen
Once a week, do a thorough review of all your projects in as much detail as you need to. If you do, your systems will work. If you don't, no system will work.
– David Allen
So in order to achieve clarity and be fully and positively engaged in what you're doing, you must (1) know the goal or outcome you're intending and (2) decide and take the next physical move to propel you in that direction.
– David Allen
Sometimes the greatest gain in productive energy will come from cleaning the cobwebs, dealing with old business, and clearing the decks.
– David Allen
The next time you want to hires someone and are evaluating performance and skill sets, look at the person's ability to get ready fast. When has she been really surprised (positively or negatively)? How long did it take her to integrate it and navigate a positive response?
– David Allen
There's a subtle but critical difference between something that is long term and something in the category of 'someday/maybe'. Either a project is an open loop to close, as soon as possible, or it is not.
– David Allen
Tricks are for the not-so-smart, not-so-conscious part of us. To a great degree, the highest performing people I know are those who have installed the best tricks in their lives.
– David Allen
Well, guess where most of those fires and crises come from? Correct - from secondary things that were ignored because of all the fires and crises. This syndrome does not self-correct, it self-perpetuates.
– David Allen
When most people sit down to make a list, they're actually trying to combine all five of the phases we've defined for mastering workflow: collect, process, organize, review and do.
– David Allen
Where do most people hang out socially at home? The kitchen. No more maids, no more servants. Today, most of us live another lifestyle entirely, in which we're all in it together, and that's the fun.
– David Allen
You don't have time to do any project, because you actually can't do a project - you can only take action steps.
– David Allen
Your brain has an in-built mechanism for finding patterns you've programmed because of where you've put your attention. Solutions, innovations, and success come not from greater intelligence or creativity but from what we notice because of where we point those attributes.
– David Allen
Your power is proportional to your ability to relax.