Category: 2 – BUY it! (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: The big issue I faced here was that the audio book was narrated by David Allen himself and it just turns out that he’s a narrator who put me to sleep about 3 times. Having said that, the ideas in the book are very powerful and I’m sure reading the paper back would mean a whole different set of learning.

Top Lessons: 3 powerful concepts have stuck:

i) Maintain a bin: A bin is a place where you shelve ALL ideas/thoughts that require action. This makes sure you are always focused on the currrent job. So, whenever there is a new smart idea, it is filed away and reviewed again when it’s time to prioritize

ii) Inbox 0: The highest source of stress is an inbox with many emails. Make sure the number of emails is always 0! ‘Impossible!’ – you may cry. What about emails that need follow up/whose action is not in your control?

iii) Make a WIP folder: WIP is my own term for ‘Work in Progress’. You know what it’s for of course.. the aim is to keep the inbox to 0 emails.

Add on Mar 16, 2016: A full 8 years later, these 3 lessons are still critical in how I approach getting things done.