Master Your To-Do List
Getting Things Done
by David Allen
Productivity
TL;DR
Okay, the TLDR is: your brain is trash at remembering stuff, so get everything out of your head (Capture). Then, figure out what each piece of sh*t is and what to do about it (Clarify). Put that sh*t where it belongs (Organize). Look at all your sh*t regularly so you don't forget anything (Reflect). And finally, actually do the sh*t (Engage). It's a system to stop feeling like a hot mess and actually get stuff done by managing your commitments externally.
Key Chapter
Chapter - Capture: The Art of Getting Stuff Out of Your Head
Alright, so this chapter is all about how your brain is a terrible storage device. Seriously, trying to remember everything is like trying to hold water in your hands. It's gonna spill. The big idea? Get literally everything out of your head and into some kind of 'inbox.' Could be a notebook, an app, whatever. Just dump all the random thoughts, tasks, ideas, and worries somewhere external. This frees up your brain's RAM so you can actually think and do stuff, instead of constantly trying not to forget that one weird thing you need to do later. It's the first step to not feeling like you're drowning in mental clutter.
Key Methods and Approaches
Brain Dump
(AKA: Capture)
Description:
Get all the random sh*t floating in your head written down somewhere, anywhere.
Explanation:
Your brain is like a cheap phone with no storage left. It keeps crashing because it's trying to remember everything. This method is like offloading all your blurry photos and screenshots to the cloud so your phone can actually run apps again. Just get it out!
Examples:
Writing down 'buy more ramen' on a sticky note.
Adding 'email that weird professor' to a note on your phone.
Dumping a random idea for a side hustle into a voice memo.
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