Book Review: Making It All Work by David Allen
Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life
Mar 4, 2009
Making It All Work is a process for gaining control and perspective and has application in every facet of life. The eleven parts described can be used collectively or individually for anything and everything. These eleven parts explore and expand on the earlier book: Getting Things Done, but you do not need that book to progress with this one.
Getting Things Done [GTD]
The author notes that readers fell into three groups:
- Those who think they got it, but didn't really get it.
- Those who got some of it and realize they didn't really apply it like they should.
- Those who really got it, and really implemented it on an "advanced" level.
The author challenges readers in:
- Group 1 to take another look into what a total productivity model really involves.
- Group 2 to use Making It All Work to help make the processes "stick"
- Group 3 to reinforce successes and use recent enhancements
Making It All Work
The challenge of Making It All Work is expressed as "reinforce and deepen the understanding of core GTD principles - why they work, what positive results can be achieved with an almost infinite range of applications, and what negative consequences ensue when they are ignored". It is composed of a workflow for gaining control: collect, process, organise, review and do as well as a "horizons of focus" or priority mechanism for both the long term and short term. Or, expressed differently, gaining control and perspective.
Control and Perspective
The author takes the reader through the productivity model for control:
- Capturing - collecting everything that has some attention
- Clarifying - understanding the importance of what has attention and what may need to be done with it
- Organising - categorising and storing so that it can be recalled or used as and when needed
- Reflecting - consider store to update its content or provide new perspective
- Engaging - what action to take now?
- Next action - what to do next?
And for perspective:
- Projects - what must be completes now or with a year?
- Areas of focus - what must be maintained on a regular and ongoing basis?
- Goals - what personal objectives need to be achieved?
- Vision - what is long term success?
- Purpose/Principles - why do this?
Benefits of Gaining Control and Perspective
By focusing the mind and eliminating distraction the individual will have the benefits of gaining control and perspective. The author's feedback on those benefits include:
- More productive individual, teams and cultures
- Improved execution
- Clearer priorities
- Reduction of stress
- Cessation of procrastination
- More balance, energy and motivation
- Greater focus
- Fulfilment of more potential
Making It All Work
This book explains personal productivity and the underlying principles for gaining control and perspective regarding all aspects of life. For those who have read GTD it may offer an expansion and updated explanations but nothing significantly new. For those looking for some way to improve their focus and productivity this book offers a step by step process that can be used in totality or in parts. The heart of this book could have been expressed much more succinctly but some may prefer the subject exploration and depth of explanation. On the whole a worthwhile read to those seeking improved productivity.
Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life by David Allen. Piatkus 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7499-4103-1
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