"Getting Things Done offers a new approach to getting your life under control We still call them nine-to-five jobs, but only on rare occasions do we switch off our computers at 5pm and head home. More often than not, we're still at the office around 7pm catching up on the never-ending workload. Being overworked - not finding enough time to cope efficiently with the load - is a common complaint. And, let's face it, things aren't going to change any time soon. What can change, however, is how we deal with the piling pressure. David Allen, author of the international bestseller "Getting Things Done, believes he has the key. "It's possible for a person to have an overwhelming number of things to do and still function productively with a clear head and a positive sense of relaxed control. That's a great way to live and work, at elevated levels of effectiveness and efficiency. With more than 20 years of experience as a management consultant, executive coach and educator Allen has become a theorist on productivity. But don't mistake "Getting Things Done for a time management manual - it's so much more. Allen has created a Zen-like method of learning how to achieve a "high performance state. Today "work has shifted from being "assembly-line, make-it, and move-it activities to what has been termed "knowledge work. "Now for many of us, there are no edges to most of our projects. Most people I know, explains Allen, "have at least half a dozen things they're trying to achieve right now, and even if they had the rest of their lives to try, they wouldn't be able to finish these to perfection. To complicate matters even further, job descriptions have become fluid. During a seminar, Allen asked people if they were doing only the job that they were hired to do. In response, he recalls that he rarely sees a raised hand in the audience. As the edges of our projects disintegrate, the traditional time management and organizational tools don't meet our new demands. As any "crackberry - that is, Blackberry addict - will tell you, the hi-tech gadgets that are meant to make our life easier only seem to raise the pressure. His system is based on two key objectives: First, "capturing all the tasks that need to be accomplished into a methodical system outside of your head; and second, becoming disciplined about how to make decisions about all your "inputs so that you can make room for "next actions. The key to honing your mind, says Allen, is to experience a state of "mind like water - as martial artists refer to it. "It's a condition of working, doing, and being in which the mind is clear and constructive and things are happening. Achieving this "productive state is the premise of Allen's work philosophy. "Think about the last time you felt highly productive. You probably had a sense of being in control; you were not stressed out; you were highly focused on what you were doing. and you felt you were making noticeable progress toward a meaningful outcome. Though it may sound more like a theory, Allen offers step-by-step methods on how to put it into practice. It's simple, but does involve changing the way you do things, and it's not going to happen overnight. Think of it as a diet: you can follow a strict regimen for a few days and start to see positive changes, but if you go back to your old habits the weight will pile back on. The same goes for "Getting Things Done . It's a change in lifestyle, or "workstyle as the case may be. The book carefully takes you through Allen's system, with practical examples on how to apply it to your own work. Putting the system into place is no easy feat - it requires time and commitment, but just knowing that it will put an end to the constant pressure you now feel it is worth giving it a try. If you, like so many others, are feeling overwhelmed by work and that it's consuming your everyday life, then definitely get your hands on a copy of "Getting Things Done. Allen's method is no quick fix, which is most likely the key to its long term success. Not only will you get your work life under control, you'll get things done and do them well. "You will also want to savor life in ways that seem increasingly elusive if not downright impossible if you're working too hard, Allen assures readers. And wouldn't it be great to find time to hone your golf swing? Getting Things DoneBy David AllenPiatkus Books Ltd, 2001Available at Diwan Bookstore
