The Pros and Cons of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" Time Management System

David Allen's "Getting Things Done" Time Management system has become extremely popular and can be very effective but it does have both positive and negative aspects. In this article we will be discussing the pros and cons of the "Getting Things Done" Time management system so that you can decide for yourself whether this is something that you would want to use.

The "Getting Things Done" Time Management System is Best Suited to Executives

The Getting Things Done Time Management system is extremely useful for executives and is a system which can be easily implemented by them, however if non-executives decide to use this system they may find that they need to make quite a few changes before it works for them.

The "Getting Things Done" System is Systematic and Methodical

The "Getting Things Done" time management system is systematic and methodical which means that the basic principles behind it are useful for everyone. Executives and non-executives alike can learn from the idea of going through things one at a time and never "leaving anything in the inbox".

The "Getting Things Done" System Has Too Many Folders for the Average Non-Executive

David Allen recommends a tickler file consisting of 43 folders - 12 for each month and 31 for each day, for most non-executives many of these folders would simply be wasted and would actually make life more difficult rather than easier.

The "Getting Things Done" System Encourages Action

The idea of creating next action lists, project lists and putting items from your inbox into various action categories encourages action. This is an advantage no matter who you are and discourages putting things off indefinitely. The two minute rule is also an excellent manner of preventing procrastination and gives you a sense of accomplishment to at least have some small items on your list done.

The "Getting Things Done" System is Very Paper Intensive

For those interested in conservation and the environment they may find David Allen's "Getting Things Done" time management system a bit too paper intensive. This time management system uses a number of different lists and files, if you are printing these out or writing them down you are going to go through a lot of paper. This may however be overcome by using time management software which can be used with this system.

The "Getting Things Done" System Cuts Down on Mental Clutter

The "Getting Things Done" time management system encourages writing things down, which helps to clear mental clutter and enable you to focus on the job at hand without forgetting about other tasks which need to be done.

In conclusion, there are a number of pros and cons to David Allen's "Getting Things Done" time management system. The main con mentioned by many people is that this system is particularly suited to executives and may need modification for the non-executive. It is also a very paper intensive system and for the non-executive system uses too many files and folders. The advantages of this system are that it does encourage organization, methodical and system thinking and action and encourages getting things done.