Book Recommendations for Getting Things Done

[Hideo]

Is it ok to post on these forums a list of books, which might be of use for GTD users? Is it considered "advertising", which this forum prohibits?

 

[John Forrister]

Hi Hideo,

It's fine, and a great idea. We just try to avoid having individuals promote their own products and services, so we keep the discussion around GTD.

-- John

 

[Hideo]

Here we go. These books form the cornerstone of my Life Management System. Getting Things Done is great, however, there is much more to life, that simply staying on top of a daily office grind. These books helped me a lot to build my life acumen and organize myself throughly.

• "Life Management System" - Paul Miller
• “Ready for Anything” – David Allen
• “Creative Visualization” – Shakti Gwain
• “Imagination First” – Eric Liu and Scott Noppe-Brandon
• “Flow” - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• “Creativity” - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• “The Thinker’s Toolkit” – Morgan D. Jones
• “How to solve (just about) any Problem” – Greg Z. Fainberg
• “Unlimited Power” – Antony Robbins
• “Maximum Achievement” – Brain Tracy
• “Goals” – Brain Tracy
• “The Success Principles” – Jack Canfield
• “The Twelve Universal Laws of Success” – Herbert Harris
• “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” – Steven R. Covey
• “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” – Robert Kiyosaki
• “Cashflow Quadrant” - Robert Kiyosaki
• “Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing” - Robert Kiyosaki
• “Think and Grow Rich” – Napoleon Hill
• “Power Networking” – Donna Fisher and Sandy Vilas
• “Conversationally Speaking” – Alan Garner
• “How to Win Friends and Influence People” – Dale Carnegie
• “People Skills” – Robert Bolton
• “Messages” – Matthew McKay, Marta Davis and Patrick Fanning
• “The Seven Pillars of Health” – MD Don Colbert
• “Eat, Drink and be Healthy” – MD Walter C. Willett

 

[Cpu_Modern]

I think it is Brian Tracy, not Brain Tracy, but this is forgiveable I guess.

 

[TesTeq]

Should I read books?

Should I read books about making my life richer or should I make my life richer?

 

[ArcCaster]

Nice list!

I've been hearing about flow for years, but have never read Csikszentmihalyi's book.

If I read it, will I learn anything in addition to the fact that flow is a desirable state, can take 15 to 20 minutes to get into, and can be dissolved with a simple interruption such as a phone call or text message?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Cpu_Modern]

If I read it, will I learn anything in addition to the fact that flow is a desirable state, can take 15 to 20 minutes to get into, and can be dissolved with a simple interruption such as a phone call or text message?

Ha, that 's about it, nice summary. I would add 1 thing: the flow is a "desirable state" because it is the state in which learning is happening faster, learning in the broader sense and the personality is build. Similar to how we need sleep to "process stuff" (hehe) we also need regular flow experiences to build up the wiring. I wouldn't be surprised if one day somebody finds out that many cases of ADD, OCD etc are due to lack of flow over the long-term.

 

[ArcCaster]

I ordered the book this morning.

My hope is that he explains some assumptions or prerequisites that I am overlooking.

I have worked and played 'in flow', would prefer to always work there, but currently am not. Glad to have a reminder to revisit this.

Rob

 

[ArcCaster]

Should I read books about making my life richer or should I make my life richer?

Some people would say that change starts from within. Books can help with this inner change. Then, of course, it really gets interesting when you start to apply your revised inner vision to the world and your life.

So interesting, in fact, that when I say "theoretically, it looks easy; how hard could it be?", people who know me start laughing

 

[cwoodgold]

I started getting into flow more often when reading "Find Your Focus Zone" by Lucy Palladino. She talks about being aware of whether your adrenaline level is too low or too high, and doing things to adjust it.

Books by Edward de Bono on thinking processes (e.g. "The Mechanism of Mind")

"What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better" by Dan Baker

"Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by David Burns

"How to Live Longer and Feel Better" by Linus Pauling (about the importance of
vitamins and other essential nutrients for health)

 

[Tom.9]

creativity and more

I absolutely recommend

Roger Von Oech: A Kick in the Seat of the Pants

He uses 4 "hats" you can wear while doing something:
explorer, artist, judge, warrior

It is full of good ideas how to become creative, while it is less theoretical and more imaginative than GTD.

However, I think his "hats" or phases correspond in some way to the GTD workflow:

explorer ~ mind sweep
artist ~ organizing
judge ~ processing
warrior ~ doing

 

[DenaDahilig]

I absolutely recommend
Roger Von Oech: A Kick in the Seat of the Pants
However, I think his "hats" or phases correspond in some way to the GTD workflow:

explorer ~ mind sweep
artist ~ organizing
judge ~ processing
warrior ~ doing

I love that you're able to compare those two... and you're right, they do seem to correspond, don't they! I especially like the explorer metaphor for the mind sweep. I often feel like I'm in unchartered waters, or at least trying to dredge through familiar waters that I've neglected or forgotten how to navigate.

Now back to warrior-ing...

Dena

 

[mcogilvie]

+1 for “The Thinker’s Toolkit” – Morgan D. Jones

I use material from it occasionally in lectures. It's a good elementary introduction to analytical problem solving.