Zen to Done

The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

By: Leo Babauta

Narrated by: Fred Stella

Length: 1 hr and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Zen To Done (ZTD) is a system that is at once simple, and powerful, and will help you develop the habits that keep all of your tasks and projects organized, that keep your workday simple and structured, that keep your desk and email inbox clean and clear, and that keep you doing what you need to do, without distractions. This book was written for those who want to get their lives organized and actually execute the things on their to-do list by changing existing habits. And let me say that changing your habits is possible. Using the habit-changing techniques I describe in this book, I have made many habit changes: I quit smoking, started running, started eating healthier, completed a marathon, doubled my income and got my finances in order, have almost eliminated my debt now, completed a triathlon, lost more than 20 pounds, and started a successful blog, and more. Read this book. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish with this productivity system.

©2008 Leo Babauta (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

flexible and as simple as one likes

I went through the book at about 80% to 90% speed and typed up notes throughout. I love how it provides 10 habits but reminds the reader that not all 10 are necessary depending on the individual. I also loved that it presents and even simpler ztd system that only involves 4 habits.
the book provides a method that I think may prove quite useful for someone like me whom is in general an unorganized mess but who also gets too bogged down with the complexity of other systems.
all that's left is for me to give this whole thing a real go but I find myself less stressed and fearful to implement this (as I did with gtd). Instead, I find myself excited to begin.

I hope to update this review once I've done the work to implement this into my lifestyle. But I will say for the price point and the duration of this book, I think it's definitely worth giving a shot.

Great book

Enjoyed listening to this book. He went right to it. I liked how he broke it down to manageable steps.

ZTD or GTD?

I was introduced first with GTD. GTD is excellent. But if I was to make a choice which product is more effective, simple, better result and succinct in delivering the goods... then ZTD gets my vote.

Simple productivity

If you could sum up Zen to Done in three words, what would they be?

Simplicity is key

What about Fred Stella’s performance did you like?

Lively, yet serious reading style is sometimes unnecessarily theatrical

Any additional comments?

Babauta provides step-by-step instructions on how to develop a productivity system without becoming overwhelmed. I've only implemented a few steps and already see a difference in productivity!

good info

basically a critique and opinion piece on how to implement David Allen's Getting Things Done system. I actually encountered Z T D first and read Allen's book after. If you've not read Getting Things Done yet you needn't bother. Z T D covers all relevant concepts and offers a better method of implementing them.

Eliminate trivial and do the important things

It's short and simple... it provides actions to absorb, practice, and slowly implement so they become habits. There isn't anything inspiring just steps to follow to narrow down your "to do" items to essentials and to start from important to trivial (unless you've delegated and eliminated them).

Decent information

There are a lot of acronyms to digest while listening but the information appears to be useful and heavily borrowed from other systems. But in a manner that says it's okay to try something if it doesn't work then modify it slightly which is not bad advice ever because it keeps you moving forward.

It's A Good One To Have In The Toolbox

If you are looking for some structure without structure it is worth checking out. It is not the silver bullet but it's not a dud either.

Worth a quick read, somewhat better than g2d

more practical and next steps to g2d, but still falls short of Zen up as just keep getting at it: collect, process, prioritize, do, everything in its place... rinse repeat ... helpful, but seems more relentless and omnipresent than Zen to me

Simple and Effective

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I cannot tell you how much i have struggled to get my life organised. The flow of this system worked for me. I had read GTD before and totally agreed with it's premise but never really implemented it in full (and then gave up). ZTD simplified the system in a way that gels with my way of thinking and working. I now carry a notepad everywhere (I am on on step 3 now) and even doing that one step changed my entire approach. After listening to this book I felt entirely capable of making the changes. The steps outlined do not require an entire overhaul of your life. If you are struggling to get yourself in order - this is the system you should look into. Simple, straightforward and very effective.
Thank you.

What other book might you compare Zen to Done to and why?

This is GTD as it should be - and I have listed to both books and the ZTD approach works for me. I love how you can organise you life with a notepad, a pen and some simple inboxes. Thats it!