Ready for Anything

In his bestselling first book, Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen presented his breakthrough methods to increase efficiency. Now "the personal productivity guru" (Fast Company) shows readers how to increase their ability to work better, not harder-every day. Based on Allen's highly popular e-newsletter, Ready for Anything offers readers 52 ways to immediately clear your head for creativity, focus your attention, create structures that work, and take action to get things moving. With wit, inspiration, and know-how, Allen shows readers how to make things happen-with less effort and stress, and lots more energy, creativity, and effectiveness. Ready for Anything is the perfect book for anyone wanting to work and live at his or her very best.

Autorentext

David Allen is president of The David Allen Company and has more than twenty years experience as a consultant and executive coach for such organizations as Microsoft, the Ford Foundation, L.L.Bean, and the World Bank. His work has been featured in Fast Company, Fortune, Atlantic Monthly, O, and many other publications.

Inhalt

Introduction: Making It Easy to Take It Easy xvii PART I: CLEAR YOUR HEAD FOR CREATIVITY or Getting the Loose Ends to Leave You Alone 1 1. Cleaning up creates new directions. 3 2. You can only feel good about what you're not doing when you know what you're not doing. 6 3. Knowing your commitments creates better choices of new ones. 9 4. Getting to where you're going requires knowing where you are. 12 5. Infinite opportunity is utilized by finite possibility. 15 6. Two commitments in your head create stress and failure. 18 7. Priorities function only at the conscious level. 21 8. Closing open loops releases energy. 24 9. If it's on your mind, it's probably not getting done. 26 10. Creativity shows up when there's space. 29 11. The deeper the channel, the greater the flow. 32 12. Worry is a waste. 35 13. You are not your work. 38 PART II: FOCUS PRODUCTIVELY or What's the Point of a Point of View? 41 14. For more clarity, look from a higher place. 43 15. You won't see how to do it until you see yourself doing it. 46 Waking Up Again to Making It Up Again 16. Working hard enough is impossible. 49 17. Energy follows thought. 51 18. The clearer your purpose, the more ways to fulfill it. 54 19. Best is much better than good. 57 20. A change in focus equals a change in result. 60 21. Perspective is the most valuable commodity on the planet. 63 22. You have to think about your stuff more than you think. 66 23. You don't have to think about your stuff as much as you're afraid you might. 69 24. If you know what you're doing, efficiency is the only improvement opportunity. 72 25. Only one thing on your mind is "in the zone." 75 26. The value of a future goal is the present change it fosters. 78 PART III: CREATE STRUCTURES THAT WORK or It's Hard to Stay on Track Without Rails 81 27. Stability on one level opens creativity on another. 83 28. Form and function must match for maximum productivity. 85 29. Your system has to be better than your mind for your mind to let go. 87 30. Response ability improves viability. 90 31. Your system is only as good as its weakest link. 92 32. The effectiveness of your system is inversely proportional to your awareness of it. 95 33. Function follows form. 98 34. You can't win a game you haven't defined. 100 35. Whenever two or more are responsible for something, usually nobody is. 103 The Inner Committee 36. Prime your principles instead of policing your policies. 106 37. Use your mind to think about your work, instead of thinking of it. 109 38. You are thinking more valuably than you may think. 111 39. The necessity to plan and organize is inversely proportional to your perceived resources. 114 Why the Human Race Is Taking So Long to Evolve PART IV: RELAX AND GET IN MOTION or How to Be Where the Action Is 117 40. You're the only one playing your game. 119 41. Too controlled is out of control. 122 42. The better you get, the better you'd better get. 125 43. Trusting your action choice requires multilevel self-management. 127 44. Your power is proportional to your ability to relax. 130 45. Surprises, expected, are no surprise. 133 46. The longer your horizon, the smoother your moves. 136 47. You speed up by slowing down. 139 48. You don't have time to do any project. 141 49. Small things, done consistently, create major impact. 144 50. You have to do something to know something. 146 51. It's easier to move when you're in motion. 149 52. The biggest successes come from the most failures. 151 PART V: REMIND YOURSELF OF THE FUNDAMENTALS or Common Sense Isn't That Common 155 THE FIVE PHASES OF WORKFLOW MASTERY 157 PROCESSING AND ORGANIZING WORKFLOW 160 THE NATURAL PLANNING MODEL 161 THE WEEKLY REVIEW 163 Afterword 165