David Allen (@gtdguy) is one of the world’s most influential thinkers on productivity, and his 35 years of experience as a management consultant and executive coach have earned him the titles of “personal productivity guru” by Fast Company, one of America’s top five executive coaches by Forbes, and among The American Management Association’s top 10 business leaders.

David’s bestselling book, the groundbreaking Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, has been published in thirty languages, and the “GTD” methodology it describes has become a global phenomenon, being taught by training companies in 60 countries. David, his company, and his partners are dedicated to teaching people how to stay relaxed and productive in our fast-paced world.

Enjoy!

Intro [00:00]
“Your mind is made for having ideas, not for holding ideas.” [06:55]
Exercises for the high-functioning but overwhelmed [10:05]
The consequences of breaking an agreement with yourself [12:45]
On renegotiating that agreement [16:05]
Where does David keep his backlog? [19:13]
Keeping track of information in digital versus analog format [20:47]
What did David want to be when he grew up? [22:34]
What did David’s college and career path look like? [27:21]
From Berkeley in 1968 to Getting Things Done (GTD) [29:16]
Mentors [34:38]
What are next action decisions? [37:27]
The capture list, the two-minute rule, and emptying the in-basket [41:04]
Top-down versus bottom-up systems [42:08]
The relocation to Amsterdam [47:58]
David's most fruitful life decision? [55:07]
Evidence of extra-sensory abilities? [1:00:28]
A particularly difficult period [1:02:16]
What does the word “spiritual” mean to David? [1:07:18]
What does David’s meditation practice look like? 1:08:20]
The biggest takeaway from the time he spent in a mental institution [1:09:10]
Does David ever feel overwhelmed? [1:10:43]
Beneficial new beliefs, behaviors, or habits [1:11:54]
Recommended books [1:13:28]
Bedtime and morning routines and sleep [1:14:33]
What do people not get about GTD? [1:16:27]
What are the steps of the GTD weekly review? [1:18:28]
What David says no to [1:21:06]
On filtering out unpleasant people [1:22:46]
Is GTD about freedom or structure? (Ask Brad Keywell, Howard Stern, Will Smith, and Robert Downey, Jr.) [1:23:49]
Is the GTD weekly review a purely solo exercise? [1:28:46]
Apps David uses [1:29:30]
Favorite quotes [1:32:29]
What would David’s billboard say? [1:33:08]
What David hopes people will do with the space created by GTD [1:33:43]
Parting thoughts [1:36:27]

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About Tim Ferriss:
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running.

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