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.

Good and light!

This book is really nice. It is helpful and has it nice light feeling. I recomend it to anyone looking to lighten their load!

Too many acronymns; assumes prior insight

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It depends.. The speaker uses many acronyms and references to other goal-setting material, and the content assumes that the listener already has all of this knowledge. It takes perhaps halfway through the book before some of it starts to make sense. If someone had prior knowledge of some of these terms that the author uses (like GTD) then sure, I would recommend. But not for just picking up off the shelf.

Would you recommend Zen to Done to your friends? Why or why not?

It depends.. The speaker uses many acronyms and references to other goal-setting material, and the content assumes that the listener already has all of this knowledge. It takes perhaps halfway through the book before some of it starts to make sense. If someone had prior knowledge of some of these terms that the author uses (like GTD) then sure, I would recommend. But not for just picking up off the shelf.

What aspect of Fred Stella’s performance would you have changed?

The speaker's tone was soft and lilting, not high-performance nor energetic. I suppose this is to play on the "zen" idea, but if I am looking for goal setting motivation, I'd expect to hear energy and excitement in the speaker. His delivery was more spa-like.

Was Zen to Done worth the listening time?

I suppose. I will listen to it again for some of the nuggets that were worth learning.

excellent read

this quick, simple book is easy to follow and embrace. it is highly recommended for anyone with organization challenges.

ZTD is Simple, Effective

What did you love best about Zen to Done?

I loved the author's focus on changing your habits, and the step-by-step instruction is well-articulated. Found myself taking notes!

What did you like best about this story?

See above.

Have you listened to any of Fred Stella’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NA

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

NA

Solid information, but narrator killed it

What made the experience of listening to Zen to Done the most enjoyable?

The information was a nice amendment to the GTD system by David Allen.

Would you recommend Zen to Done to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend the book, but not the audiobook.

What didn’t you like about Fred Stella’s performance?

He sounded computer generated.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Sigh. No.

Great, but unpolished

Fantastic improvement on GTD but the author's grammatical errors can be distracting. Still, I've listened to it a dozen times.

I like it

It's flexible and simple. Similar to what I do already but a few useful insights and a nice short book.

great for improving upon GTD, but read Allen first

material is great, but you will be able to better understand it after reading (or at least getting very familiar with David a
Allen's GTD). it does address some of the key concerns i had with regular GTD and makes it a bit simpler to implement. the key important thing missing in ZTD from GTD is the "next action" concept I found very useful in GTD

Simple and practical

A simple system to implement and keep using. I have been quite happy with GTD and curious to hear about a more structured approach. An evolution, rather than revolution of GTD.

Short but sweet

I listen to this every now and then, but the whole book is done in my drive and lunch.
If GTD is overwhelming then give this a try.