About This Episode
<p>For more than 40 years, <a href="https://davidallen.substack.com/about" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>David Allen</strong></a> has worked with individuals and organizations around the world to help them stay clear, focused, and productive—without burning out. He is the author of the mega-bestseller<strong><em> </em></strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143126563?tag=offsitoftimfe-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity</em></strong></a>.<em> </em>Subscribe to David's Substack at <a href="http://davidallen.substack.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">davidallen.substack.com</a>.</p><p><strong>This episode was originally published in September 2019. Show notes: </strong><a href="https://tim.blog/2019/09/03/david-allen-getting-things-done/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>https://tim.blog/2019/09/03/david-allen-getting-things-done/</strong></a></p><p><strong>This episode is brought to you by:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://shopify.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Shopify</strong></a><strong> global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: </strong><a href="https://shopify.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Shopify.com/tim</strong></a></li><li><a href="https://www.eightsleep.com/tim/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5</strong></a><strong> sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: </strong><a href="https://www.eightsleep.com/tim/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>EightSleep.com/Tim</strong></a></li><li><a href="https://drinkag1.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>AG1</strong></a> <strong>all-in-one nutritional supplement: </strong><a href="https://drinkag1.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>DrinkAG1.com/Tim</strong></a></li><li><a href="https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/?utm_source=timblog&utm_medium=timblog&utm_campaign=podcast-sponsorship" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>5-Bullet Friday</strong></a><strong>, my very own free email newsletter: </strong><a href="https://tim.blog/friday" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>https://tim.blog/friday</strong></a></li></ul><p><strong>Timestamps:</strong></p><ul><li>[00:00:00] Start.</li><li>[00:03:12] As David once told Chase Jarvis: "Your mind is made for having ideas, not for holding ideas." What did he mean by this?</li><li>[00:06:06] What are the first questions and exercises David presents when he begins coaching high-functioning but overwhelmed people?</li><li>[00:08:28] What are the consequences of breaking an agreement with yourself, why are you most likely to break such an agreement, and what are your options for recovering from a broken agreement?</li><li>[00:11:35] David's best tips for renegotiating an agreement when the need arises.</li><li>[00:17:01] Where does David keep his backlog?</li><li>[00:18:25] What are the pros and cons of keeping track of information in digital versus analog format?</li><li>[00:20:00] As a teenager, what did David want to be when he grew up?</li><li>[00:24:08] What did David's college and career path look like, and how did it steer him toward understanding models for navigating life's complexities?</li><li>[00:25:48] What David can piece together from Berkeley, 1968 and the long list of careers that followed — leading to the formation of the principles detailed in GTD.</li><li>[00:30:32] What mentors does David credit as being instrumental in his creation of GTD?</li><li>[00:33:09] What are next action decisions, and how do they differ from what people generally put on their to-do lists?</li><li>[00:36:24] The capture list, the two-minute rule, and emptying the in-basket.</li><li>[00:37:22] Top-down versus bottom-up systems and understanding the hierarchy of priorities.</li><li>[00:43:02] What led to the Allens' relocation to Amsterdam, and what quality of life improvements have he and his wife noticed since moving there?</li><li>[00:48:29] How long did it take for the Allens to go from thinking about the possibility of moving from Ojai to Amsterdam to actually going through with it?</li><li>[00:50:50] What does David consider his most fruitful — though seemingly counterintuitive — life decision?</li><li>[00:55:34] One of David's mentors in Berkeley claimed to have extra-sensory abilities. Did David ever experience evidence of this in person?</li><li>[00:56:58] David shares a particularly difficult period of time in his life, what led to it, and what happened in its aftermath.</li><li>[01:01:21] What does the word "spiritual" mean to David?</li><li>[01:02:14] What does David's meditation practice look like these days — and what does he recommend for someone who wants to start meditating?</li><li>[01:02:58] What was David's biggest takeaway from the time he spent in a mental institution?</li><li>[01:04:05] Does David ever feel overwhelmed or unfocused? If so, how does he deal with it?</li><li>[01:05:02] Are there any new beliefs, behaviors, or habits that have materially improved David's life in the last handful of years?</li><li>[01:06:19] Books (aside from his own) that David has gifted or recommended most to others.</li><li>[01:07:13] What are David's bedtime and morning routines, and how much sleep does he get every night?</li><li>[01:08:48] Is there anything about GTD David wishes more adherents would heed? Does anything important get commonly missed?</li><li>[01:10:25] What are the steps of the GTD weekly review? Does David recommend doing it at any particular day or time?</li><li>[01:12:40] Are there certain categories of things to which David simply says "No" as a default?</li><li>[01:14:00] How does David filter unpleasant people out of his life?</li><li>[01:14:52] Why GTD is intended as a force for freedom and creativity, not a yawnworthy paean to rigid structure — as Brad Keywell, Howard Stern, Will Smith, and Robert Downey, Jr. can testify.</li><li>[01:18:58] Is the GTD weekly review inherently a solo process, or can it involve someone's group, staff, or family?</li><li>[01:19:38] What does David use to organize his email?</li><li>[01:20:58] Does David use any particular app or program for pulling material like articles or references from the Web?</li><li>[01:22:13] Are there any quotes by which David tries to live his life?</li><li>[01:22:48] What would David's billboard say?</li><li>[01:23:16] Does David still have hope that people will do something with the space created by GTD to answer life's bigger questions?</li><li>[01:25:35] Parting thoughts.</li></ul><p><br /></p><p><em>*</em></p><p><strong>For show notes and past guests on </strong><a href="https://tim.blog/podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Tim Ferriss Show</em></strong></a><strong>, please visit</strong> <a href="https://tim.blog/podcast/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-description" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/podcast</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>For deals from sponsors of </strong><a href="https://tim.blog/podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><em>The Tim Ferriss Show</em></strong></a><strong><em>, </em>please visit </strong><a href="https://tim.blog/podcast-sponsors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/podcast-sponsors</strong></a></p><p><strong>Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (<em>5-Bullet Friday</em>) at </strong><a href="https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/friday</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>For transcripts of episodes, go to </strong><a href="https://tim.blog/transcripts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/transcripts</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>Discover Tim’s books: </strong><a href="https://tim.blog/books" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>tim.blog/books</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p><p><strong>Follow Tim:</strong></p><p><strong>Twitter</strong>: <a href="https://twitter.com/tferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">twitter.com/tferriss</a> </p><p><strong>Instagram</strong>: <a href="https://instagram.com/timferriss/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">instagram.com/timferriss</a></p><p><strong>YouTube</strong>: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/timferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">youtube.com/timferriss</a></p><p><strong>Facebook</strong>: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/timferriss</a> </p><p><strong>LinkedIn: </strong><a href="http://linkedin.com/in/timferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">linkedin.com/in/timferriss</a></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>