David Allen in the New York Times

David Allen, author of Getting Things Done , writing in the New York Times :

How do you think most workers would respond if you asked them, “Do you feel more productive now than you did several years ago?” I doubt that the answer would be a resounding yes. In fact, even as workplace technology and processes steadily improve, many professionals feel less productive than ever.

It may seem a paradox, but these very tools are undermining our ability to get work done. They are causing us to become paralyzed by the dizzying number of options that they spawn.

Is there a way out of this quandary?

Short answer: yes. Allen’s article is a crash course in the practices described at greater length in Getting Things Done .

[I don’t have forty-three folders, and my label-maker has gathered dust for years, but Getting Things Done has helped me greatly in getting stuff done.]