Making It All Work

Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life

By: David Allen

Narrated by: David Allen

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

The companion to the blockbuster best seller, Getting Things Done.

Since its publication in 2001, Getting Things Done has become, as Time magazine put it, "the defining self-help business book" of the decade. Having inspired millions of readers/listeners around the world, it clearly spoke to an urgent need in an increasingly time-pressured society. Now, in the highly anticipated sequel Making It All Work, Allen unlocks the full power of his methods across the entire span of life and work. While Getting Things Done functioned as an essential tool kit, Making It All Work is an invaluable road map, providing both bearings to help you determine where you are in life and directions on how to get to where you want to go.

©2008 David Allen (P)2008 Penguin Audiobooks

Order Getting Things Done, not Making It All Work

Admittedly, I am a big fan of David Allen's techniques for improving one's productivity/sanity. However, David Allen is trying to stretch his concepts into more marketing $ money with this latest release. If you choose this book as an intro to the GTD method, it would lack the practical depth as his orginal "Getting Things Done" book. If you are already a student of the GTD method, I doubt you would find anything materially different here. Instead, choose to re-read "Getting Things Done". Sorry so harsh. On the contrary, "Getting Things Done" is brilliant...so there, I'm even.

An inspiring and essential look at GTD

This is a fantastic and inspiring book.

First I'll get the quibbles out of the way. While this version is "unabridged", it does not include the start-of-chapter quotes from the hardcover version. There aren't many of them, and their absense doesn't affect the material in any way, but I loved the quotes and wished they had been included in the audio version. Also, if you find the first chapter or two slow-going or tedious, keep listening it does get much better.

If you are new to David Allen's work and have not yet read (or listened to) "Getting Things Done", then you really should begin with that book and come back to this one later, after you've been working with his methods for a while.

However, if you're already using the GTD system then this book is an incredible follow-up to the first one and an absolute must-read to take your use of GTD to a new level. It explains and clarifies many of the concepts that I found most difficult to understand in the first book (horizons of focus, for example), and it delves into how the GTD system can be used to help you get perspective on your life and tie your deepest values and life vision to your everyday tasks.

It is narrated by David himself and he does a great job - there's just nothing like hearing an author's words in the author's own voice, especially when he's a good speaker.

What can I say people, if you're a GTD-er there is no better use of a credit than this.

Loved it

Simple, effective, and even fun at times to apply these intensely practical lessons in my everyday life. As good as "Getting Things Done." Will probably listen to it again next year for a refresher!

Wonderful

I am a big fan of David Allen's Getting Things Done and this book, Making It All Work, extends those concepts to a new level. The author does a nice job reading the book and is more clear in this work on how to apply the GTD concepts in practice. I have found his insights very useful in reducing my stress at work, but would suggest reading Getting Things Done first.

lifechanging experience

That book changed my life

Disappointing after loving GTD so much

Let me lead by saying that Getting Things Done completely transformed my life. I've used it's principles heavily over the last two years and have accomplished so much I never thought possible.

Making it All Work, on the other hand, simply rehashes much of Getting Things Done. It also spends quite a bit of time talking about how wonderful GTD is. After reading it I cannot point to a single new principle I will adopt or use.

Do yourself a favor and read Getting Things Done. If you have already read it you might consider re-reading it over purchasing this book.

insipid rehash

GTD was a good book. this is just a reahash of lot of well known concepts. its all over the place and just a marketing tool for self aggarandisation. avoid

I was hoping for more...

I really wanted to like this book. As a mom with a special needs kiddo, an infant, and a full time career...I can use all of the help and advice I can get. Sadly, despite being in my car for 10 hours a day I just could NOT get through the first couple chapters of this book without wanting to run my car into a wall. Im fairly new to the world of audio books, so maybe it was just poor narration? I dunno, all I can say is I wanted to fall asleep.

Just what I needed to read

What did you love best about Making It All Work?

Making It All Work was the book I needed to read to get a handle on my business and my life. It offers clear and concise recommendations on how to use the concepts of David's earlier book "Getting Things Done" to improve your life.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best was the flexibility of the recommendations and how practical it is.

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

This book is as good as "Getting Things Done", but I think you should read "Getting Things Done" first.

Boring

I love GTD, but this one really was very boring to me I just didn't get into it at all. I don't even think I finished it and I can't even remember one thing that stuck with me after reading it.

A great addition to GTD

This really does help to clarify some of getting things done. It's not a critical listening but very good.

Basically GTD rehashed

It was a good book, but very much suffers from the law of diminishing returns as much of the material is just a reworking of the same ideas expressed in the original GTD.