David Allen: Getting Things Done Interview – Getting your Startup Under Control: Business

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“If it helps your business. If you can do business better, something there that is worthwhile and useful. I think a combination of underlying principles and practical applications.”
- David Allen, interviewed in Fast Company.

David Allen, Author of “Getting Things Done,” by Kevin Ohannessian in Fast Company

Has productivity changed as technology has evolved, from the utility of iPhones to the connectedness of Facebook? We continue our examination of the business book Getting Things Done with an interview of author David Allen.

Why do you think the book was so successful and resonated with the business world?

I think people were hungry for a model that was hip enough and current enough to deal with the kind of world everyone was in. Most of the other models that had to do with time management or personal organization or any of that all had good stuff, but most of it was way too structured for the speed and volume of change that people were dealing with.

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TechCrunch TV’s Andrew Keen recently conducted several interviews with David Allen.  This entertaining segment starts out on the topic of how to get things done in American government, and then moves to other points of interest for GTD fans.

(The video is streaming from TechCrunch TV, so you may need to give it a moment to load.)

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Lots of interesting nuggets in this new interview recorded by Andrew Mason over at the 8BIT podcast.  David answers a wide range of questions, including if he personally procrastinates.  Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

“The ability to make a creative mess, I think, is the optimal state to be in terms of your productivity, creativity, and it’s just a cool place to be.”

-David Allen

Listen now (about 20 minutes)

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Vacations enhance productivity, according to David Allen, quoted in Karen Leland’s column on Huffpost Business.

What’s your plan for a summer vacation? Or is it a staycation for enjoying your home? And how connected will you be to work, while you’re on vacation?

How Vacations Help the Business Brain

In exactly 12 days, I will be going away on a 10-day vacation. The thought of this impending time off from the daily in and out of work exhilarates me — and worries me.

On the pro side is the anticipation of rest, renewal and relaxation. Weighing in on the negatives are preparing to go in the first place and a heavier workload when I return. 

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You’ll find a great selection of free GTD podcasts with David Allen and his senior staff available here.

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David Allen discusses key GTD principles for increasing performance and being productive while avoiding the trap of getting bogged down with emerging technologies. This is a video interview on Live Digital with Shelly Palmer. The segment with David begins at 10:08.

(The video is streaming from Live Digital, so you may need to give it a moment to load.)

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There’s a terrific new interview with David Allen and Tony Schwartz in the Harvard Business Review.  It’s an in-depth discussion of the importance of having a system for making choices wisely and managing your energy effectively.

Being More Productive

An Interview with David Allen and Tony Schwartz by Daniel McGinn

Is the secret to effectiveness the right system or the right state of mind? Two leading experts weigh in.

David Allen and Tony Schwartz knew of each other’s work for years, but they’d never met. . . .  Then last summer Allen dropped in on a presentation that Schwartz was giving at a trade show. In the months since, they’ve gotten together several times to talk about their approaches to improving the performance of knowledge workers. In this edited conversation with HBR, they discuss the distractive pull of e-mail, how they’ve been influenced by each other, and why you should do your most important task first thing in the morning (even though only one of them does).

Read more. 

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David Allen was on MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown,” giving tips on how to stay productive in a fast-paced, high-tech world.  True to form, David condensed elements of his Horizons of Focus and 5 Phases of Workflow models into this short video.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(The video is streaming from MSNBC, so you may need to give it a moment to load.)

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What does David Allen say the most common misconceptions are about GTD?  What did David want to be when he was growing up?  Does Getting Things Done really save time versus just doing the work?  Listen to this fun, informative podcast with GTD Times community contributor Mike Vardy and David Allen. (23 minutes)

Listen to more free podcasts from the David Allen Company

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