GTD origins

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KR.eativ: architects

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I have a book, first published in 1987, by Roger Black (ISBN 0-7181-2842-7) entitled "Getting Things Done" with a subtitle "A Radical New Approach to Managing Time and Achieving More at Work".

Does David Allen's work/book predate this? The earliest reference to David Allen's book I have found to date is 2001. I ask because Roger Black's book describes, for example, a very similar system for dealing with the "in-tray".

Just curious and interested.
 
He certainly was formulating his ideas well before 2001; the GTD system evolved over the course of several decades as he worked various jobs. He was also a management consultant before the book came out, during which time he finalized GTD. So there's no easy answer to your question.
 
GTD origins

David has often mentioned this " I learnt the key principle of Getting things done - What is the next action ?, from my friend and mentor Dean Acheson ( no relation to the US Secretary of State in the 50's)."

this article about David Allen in Wired magazine might be of interest:

http://tinyurl.com/2elm8u

- Vivek
 
KR.eativ: architects;63059 said:
I ask because Roger Black's book describes, for example, a very similar system for dealing with the "in-tray".
Click to expand...

I have the same book but I can't find mention of a similar system for dealing with the in-tray. To which section number are you referring? Section 56 talks mainly about piles and prioritising, though it does say 'Never handle a paper more than once'.

'The Organized Executive' by Stephanie Winston (1983) mentions the TRAF system (Toss, Refer, Act, File) which seems nearer the GTD workflow. However it does not mention Clarify, Organise for Deferred items.
 
The book by Bliss seems to have been published with different titles and perhaps different versions. I have a copy of one version, and It’s not much like GTD. Although there were many “time management” consultants in the 50’s and 60’s, the really influential product in the US was the Daytimer organizer, which was used to record billable hours as much as for supporting task prioritization (ABC). This went mainstream with the Dayrunner planner and the Franklin planner (later Franklin-Covey). Winston was early into the trend of “Professional Organizers” who worked with individual clients more than corporations. This happened as more woman were entering the professional work force. Winston’s “master list-daily list” system is a variation on ideas that were common then, but laid out very clearly in her book “The Organized Executive.”

From s’more strategic perspective, the really important figure was Peter Drucker, whom David Allen has mentioned. His book “The Effective Executive” defined what knowledge workers were supposed to do, why they existed, so to speak. I think Covey was more popular than Drucker, but also addressed some strategic issues. Neither one really addressed tactical issues of personal productivity (Covey’s original planner was not successful). I think David Allen is of a stature similar to Drucker, and GTD synthesizes a lot of strategic and tactical thinking about productivity into something new.
 
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