Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done by David Allen

Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done Reviews

• 
  Reggie

  I made a really big push with the GTD system this year. I listened to the GTD Live audio sessions and then I read Ready for Anything. More than ever I'm relying on GTD to manage my life.
  
  What I learned this time around is how connected organization and creativity are. We're either being creative and making new stuff, or else trying to organize all the stuff that we have created so that we have more space (psychological or physical or otherwise) which will then allow us to be creative again.
  
  The format of this book is nice because each principle is just a page or two long. It's easy to pick it up at any time. Some of the principles really hit home, a few didn't help me much. I really like all the quotes; each principle includes several quotes from a wide variety of people. I marked up many of them for future reference.
• 
  Vaishali

  My 2nd time reading this book ; it's that good, because it's so spiritually nourishing. Full of revelations on staying in the zone, and how tweaking to stay inside requires way less effort.
  
  Quotes :
  -------
  
  "... Though most people, when they think about it say, 'No - your head is probably not the best place to keep something in a trust-worthy fashion' they still keep over half their life in there."
  
  "I have a vision that 25 years from now, every 12 year old on the planet will say 'Why did you ever keep things in your head?' What an old-fashioned and dumb thing to do.' "
  
  "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." - Plutarch
  
  "Creativity shows up when there's space... How is limited. Clear the pipes and you attract and foster new productive thinking that almost happens by itself."
  
  "Years ago a mentor of mine - who consulted with healthcare organizations - told me that whenever the front office of a clinic cleaned up its backlog of claims and paperwork and streamlined its flow, patient volume invariably increased dramatically. He suggested that as long as the reception staff experienced new business as creating more stress due to clogged systems, they would unconsciously turn it away."
  
  "God forgives those who invent what they need." - Lillian Hellman
  
  "Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle." - Michaelangelo
  
  "Find out what's stressing you and deal with it now, if you want to be truly effective at all levels at once."
  
  "Your power is proportional to your ability to relax."
  
  "The history of productivity is the history of personal freedom."
  
  "To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders." - Lao Tzu
  
  "Don't eliminate fear, but transcend it to diffuse its paralyzing effect."
  
  "People with the most elevated view of what they are doing perform the most elegant-looking actions."
  
  "There is no rest for the wicked, and the righteous don't need it." - English proverb
  
  "We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about." - Charles Kingley
  
  "The people who need what we [at the David Allen Company] do the least are the people who use it the most. Why? Because they're already in the driver's seat and already in motion... It's easier to move when you're in motion... I've never known anyone to get carsick when she was driving the car. A much deeper level of equilibrium is accessed when you actually take charge of the moving vessel. The main reason you'll feel much better when you implement the methods of collecting, processing, organizing, and intuitively managing the total inventory of your work is not that it creates less to do. It's because it automatically puts you back in the driver's seat, at the center of your universe. You become cause, instead of effect."
  
  "Missiles and rockets are off-course most of the time they are in the air. They get where they're going because they continually course-correct."
  
  "Play a game you can win, and lose as much as you need to, to get there."
  
  
  
  .
• 
  Russell Allison

  I'm a big fan of David Allen, but this book was a big disappointment. Its a series of 52 essays that are reprints from Allen's newsletters and website, and they tend to be short, pithy, and reasonably readable pieces that riff on the core principles of Allen's Getting Things Done book. However, the problem with it is that after 2-3 of these things, they bleed together, and you're reminded that all the good ideas were in the original book. Others might like it more than me -- Allen spends lots of time on principles versus tactics in this book, with a massive amount of quotes that are Zen driven. I mainly was motivated to reread Getting Things Done as the best ideas here (Ubiquitous Capture Tool, Weekly Review, psychic RAM) were all described more practically in the previous book.
• 
  Deanna

  2018 update; I reread David Allen about every year. It gets both simpler and more complex every time.
  
  
  
  Sometimes when I read this one along with the others in the series I'm disappointed, this time I enjoyed it the most of the 3. It's the most personally insightful and personable of his books.
• 
  Duc

  I received ‘Ready for Anything’ (RfA) as a belated birthday present from my sister. She saw it on my Amazon wish list. This came as a surprise. I don��t remember putting it on the list. Earlier, I dismissed this book in a conversation with Jennifer George, who thoroughly analyzed the text. I’ve been wondering several points about this slim book. I want to make comparisons to it as investigations into the organization philosophy. This book was born after ‘
  Getting Things Done’. In the order of thing, ‘Ready for Anything’ is the egg. If I compare the two, Ready for Anything is the philosophy in which GTD is the systematic execution, a methodology, where as Ready for Anything is a philosophy. There are some 52 short sections, which can be read as or compare to Koan. At times they are like Koan, because of they are mysterious in nature. At times, it’s hard to understand without a through understanding, and systematic practice of GTD. At times, RfA is a ‘Cliffnote’, a synopsis for the real text. Even though it is written after GTD, I wonder if this could have been a prequal, a predecessor, a subconsciousness lurking underneath GTD. It acts as if an introduction to the systematic execution of a process. In some ways, I prefer RfA, as it is not as dogmatic as GTD nor is it as instructional. It is rather a pondering about a methodology, a pretense for the rigor which is spelled out in GTD. The marvel of it is that, as systematic as GTD is, people who have read it devised their own system. GTD methodology is flexible. Another book by David Allen could not have conjure up a better scheme. It is better to revisit the existing scheme with new eyes and perspectives. I think that this is what RfA does best.
  Posted by ducly Filed in Diary | Edit
• 
  Andrew Saul

  For those who use GTD this book is a great refresher on why you're doing it, and is excellent chance to look again at each of your processes and change them up if needed.
  
  For those who are new to GTD I think this might be the easiest way to get a taste of what's it all about in terms of why you should do it and the general beliefs that form the core of GTD.
  
  Read this book in bits, it's broken up into 5 minute chapters and I wouldn't read more than 2 at a time. Preferably just 1. This allows you to have a decent think about the ideas in each chapter and how they may apply to you.
  Even though it is a short book it is densely packed with ideas and questions so you have to take it slowly to get the best out of it.
• 
  Lost In A Fog

  I like David Allen's take, even when I don't agree with him. Like Chapter 7 about Prioritization. But I'm nitpicking.
  
  This is a nice follow on to
  Getting Things Done where David offers 52 short chapters each dealing with a different topic. Having spent some time working on GTD methodology I re-read this one and definitely took more from it than the first time!
• 
  Christina Pilkington

  If you are a fan of Getting Things Done and the David Allen Company, you'll want to read this book. It's such an encouragement to keep up the practices that help you life your life balancing the hundred different things you have going on at one time with a clear, relaxed mind.
  
  I'd highly suggest reading Getting Things Done the 2015 edition first, though. This book is meant to provide short tips that really hone in on the main principles of the book. It's like a master's guide for those already working within the system.
• 
  Noisy Deadlines

  Short chapters: each one exploring one aspect of the GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology. It's a collection of David Allen's newsletters throughout the years. It contains various of his famous quotes and some of his A-HA moments working with the methodology.
  The last chapter brings a GTD summary with the 5 steps, the weekly review, the natural planning model and the higher horizons. It still uses the old nomenclature before David Allen published the revised edition in 2015.
• 
  Chris

  David Allen is my super nerdy organizing your life boyfriend. This book is hot. It should be combined with his celebrated (I'm still raising a glass)
  Getting Things Done, better know in left/anarchist circles as the GTD Revolution.
• 
  Stephanie

  This is a great book whether you work, volunteer, stay-at-home, or some combination. The chapters are very short and to the point. Each one quickly summarizes a skill or technique that can be used to improve productivity and simplify life.
  
  I did not read his very popular book
  Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity before this one, but I am planning to go back and read it. Allen has a very conversationalist style that makes reading about productivity and organization easy and interesting.
  
  Allen emphasizes the importance of organized productivity as a way to increase creativity and performance. He talks often about creating structures that work for you rather than ones that you try to make work.
  
  I definitely recommend this book. I found lots of great information I can use at home and in my roles in the Junior League of Atlanta. He has a lot to offer in a very short book!
• 
  Tricia

  I found this book a nice review of the
  Getting Things Done system, and while a lot of what the essays are saying is general, I think anyone reading would be better off already familiar with GTD.
  
  These essays were a nice length, easily digested in a quick sitting with some interesting relevant quotes for each one. Some of them fire you up, some make you muse on your work and systems, but all succintly focus on an aspect of productivity, organisation, goals or structures.
• 
  Seemy

  I didn't get much from his original Getting Things Done book - and this book was not that different or better. Felt all over the place - and judging by reading other reviews here now it makes sense as I realise it's a rehash of his newsletters and articles - not book worthy of you ask me
  
  The only decent part was the very beginning talking about being prepared and "ready for anything" and what goes into that
  
  Besides that - it was random articles and no structure that id expect from a book with no transition or ease of follow reading a traditional book
  
  The chapters are best suited as stand alone newsletters, articles or podcasts etc
  
  Waseem Mirza
  
  http://www.WaseemMirza.net
• 
  Wouter

  I agree with other reviewers: If you want to get stuff done, read the original GTD book. In "ready for anything", each section is a tiny part of the GTD principle, more explained as a philosophy. David Allen explains more why we should use GTD but skips how (see other book). If you know that this book was published after GTD instead of before, this is confusing.
  
  Instead of reading this, I can heartily recommend "Getting Things Done". Ready for Anything is a nice reminder on why you should keep on using the system, but you should instead simply re-read GTD.
• 
  Nadya De Angelis

  It's a collection of random ideas about productivity – some are valuable, some are not so interesting. The problem is that there is no structure – everything is mixed together, which makes it very easy to forget as soon as you turn the page.
  
  If you want to refresh the principles of GTD, better reread the original "Getting Things Done" book.
• 
  Jenifer

  Overly complicated, in my opinion, and redundant. Too many steps, presented too quickly, with little reflection and even less cohesiveness.
• 
  Tony Grimm

  Great to use as a daily reading to keep the GTD thoughts at the forefront.
• 
  Mahrous

  Getting Things Done (GTD) is a great book. It has really helped me a lot in organizing my life. David Allen in this book compiled the articles from his website about the details of GTD applicability, and the minutiae of GTD mentality. This book might answer the question of "why is GTD so useful, popular and timeless?". But the rationale of the GTD system in the main book is very enough. So, Don't read this book.
• 
  Geeta

  The book is full with lots of explanation and some good tips. I also like the little quotes on the margin. The author has extensive knowledge on the topic of productivity, getting organized etc. I would have enjoyed reading the book more if the language was fluid.
• 
  Joya Cousin

  Title felt like a companion book to David Allen's GTD program, as opposed to something stand-alone. Unfortunately not a lot of value added.
• 
  Scott

  There's nothing new in this book, but is a refinement of Allen's ideas on productivity. It's a good refresher and useful in improving GTD practice, but I'm glad I read the first book first.
• 
  Beth McClean

  I did enjoy the length of each chapter, as it was able to keep my attention. Although this book contained useful information for a work environment and keeping up with more 'corporate' tasks, I did not find it as considerate towards work-life balance or mental health. I also found that if the flowchart or steps at the end of the book were not present, I would not know where to start, especially with the repetitiveness I believed was in the book. The flowchart at the end was more useful than the rest of the book, unfortunately.
• 
  Viktor Zakharchenko

  Создатель теории GTD написал очень простую в восприятии книгу, аккуратно нарезанную на крохотные разделы, размер которых чуть ли не с линейкой замерялся (на самом деле да: bookmate показал 50% книги на 26 разделе из 52). Но это скорее плюс для "чтения в метро", чем минус. И, конечно, книга очень порадует любителей крылатых фраз. Даже хочется пожурить Дэвида, что 30% мудрости его книги - слова других людей. Но журить Аллена не будем : )
  Из лучшего:
  
  Наиболее одарённые представители человеческой расы наилучшим образом реализуют свой творческий потенциал тогда, когда не получают того, что хотят, и вынуждены компенсировать эту недостачу развитием и реализацией своих способностей и талантов.
  Эрик Хоффер
  
  Когда возникают неприятности, и всё идёт хуже некуда, всегда находится человек, который чувствует, что может разрешить проблему и желает взять командование в свои руки. Очень часто этот человек сумасшедший.
  Дэйв Барри
  
  Если у вас всё находится под контролем, значит вы éдете слишком медленно.
  Марио Андретти
• 
  Jay French

  I see what many of the other reviewers are saying when they say this is really nothing new -- this is just philosophical discussions of how to plan and therefore live better. I find that these kinds of books can provide topics for further reflection and can, if you happen to read it while thinking of a related topic, have a big impact on your thoughts and actions, and I found it valuable for that. It also serves as a reminder on the GTD system, which I personally needed six months after first reading it. As I listened to this audiobook, I was reminded of the beginning of the Kung Fu TV series, where David Allen could play the role of Master Kan -- the book has an oriental training feel, and I almost expected a "snatch the pebble from my hand" moment to validate I had captured the philosophy behind the system. It didn't quite get to that, but I felt this book is an OK, new-agey companion to GTD, providing reminders as to why it can work.
• 
  Julia Doherty

  This book really gave me the kick that I needed to get a bit more focussed on the projects that I want to achieve this year. So many things that he mentions in this book are basic "Getting Things Done" style, but sometimes you just need to be reminded of what you should be doing. It is too easy to slip back into old habits.
  
  Already I have "got stuff out of my head" and created projects on our project management system with break down tasks and due dates. Now I don't need to worry that I will forget these good idea now!
  
  I have also resurrected my "think it, ink it" theory, and I have a notepad with me at all times when I am out and about. I have also downloaded an application on my iphone for taking idea notes verbally for when I am out walking the dog, or in the car.
  
  I have pledged to create the habit of doing my list of "must do today" - which I had slipped into not doing.
  
  A good book and I would highly recommend listening to it!
• 
  Richard

  As a firm fan of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" methodology, I found this book to be a really useful reminder/refresher of some of the concepts and ideas.
  
  I'm very familiar with the GTD concepts and ideas, but sometimes need a reminder of *why* they are such a good idea in keeping me productive (and sane!) on a day-to-day basis. In this book, Allen provides some very easy to read chapters (2-3 pages each) which help identify what drives you, what holds you back and the steps you can take to implement GTD and be ready for anything.
  
  I especially like the quotes and insights offered as side-bars throughout the book.
  
  For any established GTD'er, I'd suggest this book is an essential read to have on your bookshelf, and a book that you'll want to refer to often as a refresher on why you're using GTD to stay in control.