With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance. Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organized, we could turn ourselves into 24/7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.)
As whole-life-organizing systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk, The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket"
That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's commonsense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment; Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belabored, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to soccer moms (who we all know are more organized than most CEOs to start with). --Timothy Murphy
Books and Book Collecting
Books have been an undisputed favourite and a prominent source of information for individuals with a thirst for knowledge. Beginning with the advent of written language and the zest to document our history, books still are the first physical means of communication beyond spoken language and are synonymous with education the world over. Books act as a tutorial to millions around the world owing to the diverse subjects they encapsulate. Reading books quiet simply transforms a layman to a proficient speaker with an impeccable vocabulary and fairly good general knowledge skills.
Book collecting is a hobby thats passionately pursued by voracious readers, or as their famously termed ‘bibliophiles and is constantly evolving as a trend. With libraries, bookstores and book sellers feeding this need to read; people now have an endless choice and can avail of books catering to different genres. One can find fiction, sci-fi fiction, mysteries, fables, biographies, documentaries, fairy tales and fantasy stories as categories to name a few. As readers involve themselves in the aspect of book collecting, they learn of different genres and tend to choose a niche most suitable to their reading pleasure.
With the advent of the internet, online booksellers and virtual book collecting in digital formats, the domination of book collecting is gradually fading in the background as people turn to quicker means of data acquisition. However, for many avid readers, the significance of book collecting is perpetual and will live through the ages. The exclusive element of possessing rare books is an exhilarating feeling in its own right.
Books are the core of information as they bring an array of insights and facts to the table and throw light on different genres. Depending on various genres, books can be used to suit many purposes. Book collecting gives people the opportunity and choice to acquaint themselves with knowledge from various spheres in life and broaden their horizons of understanding.
