David Allen

Born 28 December 1945

Nationality: United States

American productivity consultant and author

Quotes

“First of all, if it’s on your mind, your mind isn’t clear. Anything you consider unfinished in any way must be captured in a trusted system outside your mind, or what I call a collection bucket, that you know you’ll come back to regularly and sort through.”
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Chapter 1
“If you’re waiting to have good ideas before you have any ideas, you won’t have many ideas.”
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Chapter 3
“[I]f it’s just you, attempting to come up with a “good idea” before defining your purpose, creating a vision, and collecting lots of bad ideas is likely to give you a case of creative constipation.”
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Chapter 3
“The big problem is that your mind keeps reminding you of things when you can’t do anything about them. It has no sense of past or future.”
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Chapter 1
“I suggest that you use your mind to think about things, rather than to think of them. You want to be adding value... not simply reminding yourself they exist.”
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Chapter 11

Books by David Allen in the order they were published, from Balntn Tg to Sci Fic (1978) to Protocols in the Classroom (2018).

Stephen R. CoveyWrites on personal effectiveness and habits, a similar practical self-management audience.
Cal NewportWrites on focus and organizing work for knowledge workers, including critiques of constant task-tracking.
Peter F. DruckerClassic management writer on personal effectiveness and time use in organizations.
Charles DuhiggWrites on habits and how routines shape behavior, useful for readers who want the psychology behind productivity systems.
Brian TracyProduces short, practical productivity and goal-setting books aimed at a general reader.