On the David Allen Framework

This week’s learning draws inspiration from Ready for Anything by David Allen.

Last week, we dealt with 5 things that get in the way of us being productive. This week, we will continue on the productivity journey.

In the picture below, we have David’s 5 step process beautifully illustrated. David’s 5 process involves:

1. Collect: Put in all your thoughts in the ‘Bin’ or collection tray.
2. Process: If actionable, decide on whether it is a ‘2 min’ action or ‘project’. If not, ‘trash it’, ‘someday it’ or ‘reference it’
3. Organize: If it is a ‘Project’, then decide outcomes and break down the actions.
4. Review: Decide if you plan to ‘do’, ‘delegate’ or ‘defer it’.
5. Do: Get it done!


On first glance, this can look VERY daunting. My suggestion –
1. Read through the whole illustration 3 times and understand it.
2. Plan on implementing 1 step every week!

This system works incredibly well and applies not only to tasks but also to email. More on that next week!

Here’s to ninja-like productivity this week!