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Getting Things Done: The Science behind Stress-Free Productivity

Heylighen, Francis and Vidal, Clément (2007) Getting Things Done: The Science behind Stress-Free Productivity. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Allen (2001) proposed the “Getting Things Done” (GTD) method for personal productivity enhancement, and reduction of the stress caused by information overload. This paper argues that recent insights in psychology and cognitive science support and extend GTD’s recommendations. We first summarize GTD with the help of a flowchart. We then review the theories of situated, embodied and distributed cognition that purport to explain how the brain processes information and plans actions in the real world. The conclusion is that the brain heavily relies on the environment, to function as an external memory, a trigger for actions, and a source of affordances, disturbances and feedback. We then show how these principles are practically implemented in GTD, with its focus on organizing tasks into “actionable” external memories, and on opportunistic, situation-dependent execution. Finally, we propose an extension of GTD to support collaborative work, inspired by the concept of stigmergy.

Item Type:Preprint
Keywords:personal productivity, personal information management, time management, task management, praxeology, situated and embodied cognition, stigmergy, information overload.
Subjects:Psychology > Applied Cognitive Psychology
Philosophy > Decision Theory
ID Code:5904
Deposited By: Vidal, Clément
Deposited On:15 Jan 2008 23:55
Last Modified:11 Mar 2011 08:57

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