Explore the most impactful and insightful quotes and sayings by David Allen, and enrich your perspective with the wisdom. Share these inspiring David Allen quotes pictures with your friends on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or your personal blogs, completely free. Here are the top 168 David Allen quotes for you to read and share.
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought. - Henri Bergson -- David Allen
First of all, if it's on your mind, your mind isn't clear. Anything you consider unfinished in any way must be captured in a trusted system outside your mind, or what I call a collection bucket, that you know you'll come back to regularly and sort through. -- David Allen
Anything you consider unfinished in any way must be captured in a trusted system outside your mind, or what I call a collection tool, that you know you'll come back to regularly and sort through. Second, -- David Allen
When people know they have a process in place to handle any situation, they are more relaxed. When they're relaxed, everything improves. More gets done, with less effort, and a host of other wonderful side effects emerge that add to the outcomes of their efforts and the quality of their life. -- David Allen
Anxiety is caused by a lack of control, organization, preparation, and action. - David Kekich -- David Allen
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. - Mark Twain -- David Allen
The greater the volume of thoughts you have to work with, the better the context you can create for developing options and trusting your choices. -- David Allen
Stress such as you experience in exercise is what creates builds focus, strength, and the capability for expanded expression; and the same is true for any kind of performance. -- David Allen
Your ability to generate power is directly proportional to your ability to relax. -- David Allen
Suffice it to say that something automatic and extraordinary happens in your mind when you create and focus on a clear picture of what you want. -- David Allen
It is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head. - Sally Kempton -- David Allen
The trick is to ensure not so much that what you are doing is, for you, the right thing, all the time (how, ultimately, could you know that for sure?) but that you are firmly in the driver's seat with a functioning process for discovering and engaging with your best choice. -- David Allen
It's easier to change directions if you are in motion. -- David Allen
If you don't pay attention to the things that have your attention, you'll give them more attention than they deserve. -- David Allen
Most of us have, in the past seventy-two hours, received more change-producing, project-creating, and priority-shifting inputs than our parents did in a month, maybe even in a year. I -- David Allen
Others need more physical horsepower. Some need very little of either. -- David Allen
Life is denied by lack of attention, whether it be to cleaning windows or trying to write a masterpiece. - Nadia Boulanger -- David Allen
You don't actually do a project; you can only do action steps related to it. When enough of the right action steps have been taken, some situation will have been created that matches your initial picture of the outcome closely enough that you can call it done. -- David Allen
Healthy skepticism is often the best way to glean the value of what's being presented - challenge it; prove it wrong, if you can. That creates engagement, which is the key to understanding. -- David Allen
A renegotiated agreement is not a broken one. -- David Allen
The reason most organizing systems haven't worked for most people is that they haven't yet transformed all the stuff they're trying to organize. As long as it's still stuff, it's not controllable. -- David Allen
art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all care and worry is probably one of the secrets of our great men. - Capt. J. A. Hatfield -- David Allen
Don't just do something. Stand there. - Rochelle Myer -- David Allen
The number of coulds, shoulds, might-want-tos, and ought-tos they generate in their minds are way out beyond what they have recorded anywhere else. Many -- David Allen
The problem is, is when your focus is created by a crisis, then the frontal lobe shuts down essentially, the frontal cortex which is your intuitive intelligence. So you get very clever and very stupid in a crisis. Also, you pump adrenalin into your body from what you - physiologically you'll crash. -- David Allen
Trust yourself to do what you really feel like doing, and what you feel like doing will change. Don't, and it will plague you. -- David Allen
We're never really taught that we have to think about our work before we can do it; much of our daily activity is already defined for us by the undone and unmoved things staring at us when we come to work, or by the family to be fed, the laundry to be done, or the children to be dressed at home. -- David Allen
We can never really be prepared for that which is wholly new. We have to adjust ourselves, and every radical adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem: we undergo a test, we have to prove ourselves. It needs subordinate self-confidence to face drastic change without inner trembling. - Eric Hoffer -- David Allen
Strength; just the ability to generate a focused thrust with speed. But a tense muscle is a slow one. So the high levels of training in the martial arts teach and demand balance and relaxation as much as anything else. Clearing the mind to being open and appropriately responsive is the key. -- David Allen
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but the way out is through. -- David Allen
If we didn't have any stress, we'd never grow and you'd probably wouldn't test your mettle and you'd probably wouldn't come up with a lot of creative stuff that people come up with by being somewhat on the edge. -- David Allen
The reason that deadline actually can work very well for you is what it forces you to do is make decisions. -- David Allen
Why do people complain that there's no time to get their work done? Because there is more work to do than the work they think they have to do. -- David Allen
There is usually an inverse relationship between how much something is on your mind and how much it's getting done. -- David Allen
Anything that causes you to overreact or underreact can control you, and often does. -- David Allen
At at any point in time, knowing what has to get done, and when, creates a terrain for maneuvering. -- David Allen
One missed e-mail, untracked commitment, or decision avoided can have hugely magnified consequences. -- David Allen
Most of the stress people experience comes from inappropriately managed commitments they make or accept. Even -- David Allen
Many of us hold ourselves back from imagining a desired outcome unless someone can show us how to get there. Unfortunately, that's backward in terms of how our minds work to generate and recognize solutions and methods. -- David Allen
You don't manage priorities, you have them. -- David Allen
The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. -- David Allen
I think positive stress is actually a good thing. It's sort of the stretch goal "Wow, let me see how much faster I can run" or "Let me see how many more ideas I can generate in five minutes." -- David Allen
Rule your mind or it will rule you. - Horace Between -- David Allen
Thinking in a concentrated manner to define desired outcomes is something few people feel they have to do. But in truth, outcome thinking is one of the most effective means available for making wishes reality. -- David Allen
Isn't it interesting that people feel best about themselves right before they go on vacation? They've cleared up all of their to-do piles, closed up transactions, renewed old promises with themselves. My most basic suggestion is that people should do that more than just once a year. -- David Allen
You won't see how to do it until you see yourself doing it. -- David Allen
Virtually every problem that would show up in your business can be traced back to communications; somebody didn't talk to somebody about something. -- David Allen
Trusting yourself and the source of your intelligence is the most elegant lesson of experiencing freedom and manifesting personal productivity. -- David Allen
Organizations must create a culture in which it is acceptable that everyone has more to do than he or she can do, and in which it is sage to renegotiate agreements about what everyone is not doing. -- David Allen
Not being aware of all you have to do is much like having a credit card for which you don't know the balance or the limit - it's a lot easier to be irresponsible. -- David Allen
A lot of people have nothing very well organized, and a lot of people have nothing, very well organized. -- David Allen
It's fine to decide not to decide about something. You just need a decide-not-to-decide system to get it off your mind -- David Allen
'I need milk' and 'I need to decide whether to buy this company' both tie up space in psychic RAM. The solution is simple. Write it down. Look at it. Do it or say to yourself 'not now'. -- David Allen
You can't manage time, you actually only manage what you do during time. So the management issue is not so much about time, it's more about how do you manage your focus, how do you manage your actions and your activities in terms of what you do. -- David Allen
Minute-to-minute and day-to-day you don't have time to think. You need to have already thought. -- David Allen
Your brain has an in-built mechanism for finding patterns you've programmed because of where you've put your attention. Solutions, innovations, and success come not from greater intelligence or creativity but from what we notice because of where we point those attributes -- David Allen
When time itself turned into a work factor, personal calendars became a key work tool. -- David Allen
Every now and then go away and have a little relaxation. To remain constantly at work will diminish your judgment. Go some distance away, because work will be in perspective and a lack of harmony is more readily seen. -- David Allen
You increase your productivity and creativity exponentially when you think about the right things at the right time and have the tools to capture your value-added thinking. -- David Allen
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. - WILL ROGERS -- David Allen
Getting things done, and feeling good about it, means being willing to recognize, acknowledge, and appropriately manage all the things that have your consciousness engaged. Mastering the art of stress-free productivity requires it. -- David Allen
There's a lot of reasons why deadline-driven may actually - it's not necessarily a bad thing, it just all it does is it speeds up and makes you a little proactive about decision making. -- David Allen
Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they've started. -- David Allen
If you're at zero backlog, it's a whole lot easier to change priorities. -- David Allen
The great secret about goals and visions is not the future they describe but the change in the present they engender. -- David Allen
Every decision to act is an intuitive one. The challenge is to migrate from hoping it's the right choice to trusting it's the right choice. -- David Allen
Taking the inventory of your current work at all levels will automatically produce greater focus, alignment, and sense of priorities. -- David Allen
Once a week, do a thorough review of all your projects in as much detail as you need to. If you do, your systems will work. If you don't, no system will work. -- David Allen
People allow themselves to get distracted; I think ultimately, probably the biggest thing that gets in the way of people doing what they ought to be doing at any point in time is distraction. -- David Allen
Use your mind to think about things, rather than think of them. You want to be adding value as you think about projects and people, not simply reminding yourself they exist. -- David Allen
When we truly need to do is often what we most feel like avoiding. -- David Allen
Change - even change meant to improve our lives - creates stress. We can get comfortable with our problems. -- David Allen
The most experienced planner in the world is your brain. -- David Allen
Simple, clear purpose and principles give rise to complex and intelligent behavior. Complex rules and regulations give rise to simple and stupid behavior. - Dee Hock -- David Allen
But if you don't decide what needs to be done about your secretary's birthday, because it's "not that important" right now, that open loop will take up energy and prevent you from having a totally effective, clear focus on what is important. -- David Allen
You need no new skills to increase your productivity - just a new set of behaviors about when and where to apply them. -- David Allen
There are no interruptions, really - there are simply mismanaged occurrences. -- David Allen
(1) collect things that command our attention; (2) process what they mean and what to do about them; and (3) organize the results, which we (4) review as options for what we choose to (5) do. -- David Allen
Decide the outcome and the action step, put reminders of those somewhere your brain trusts youll see them at the right time, and listen to your brain breathe easier. -- David Allen
Almost every project could be done better, and an infinite quantity of information is now available that could make that happen. -- David Allen
It was helpful to be able to call a lawyer ... it turns out, that not only did they help me, but they really helped the whole community ... -- David Allen
Water is what it is, and does what it does. It can overwhelm, but it's not overwhelmed. It can be still, but it is not impatient. It can be forced to change course, but it is not frustrated. -- David Allen
We need to transform all the "stuff" we've attracted and accumulated into a clear inventory of meaningful actions, projects, and usable information. Almost -- David Allen
Klara Sztucinski, and Elliott Kellman. The administrative -- David Allen
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. - Albert Einstein -- David Allen
[T]he last thing a fish notices is water. -- David Allen
Creativity and freedom are two sides of the same coin. I like the best of both worlds. -- David Allen
Some people have to move, physically, to "get" something. But if you're stuck in a chair, that's not your limitation - it's simply not an optimal condition for you. -- David Allen
Nothing is really new in this high-tech, globally wired world, except how frequently it is. -- David Allen
Chaos isn't the problem; how long it takes to find coherence is the real game. - Doc Childre and Bruce Crier -- David Allen
An infinite number of things in the universe are held back from you only by your altitude and attitude. -- David Allen
Even if you've already decided on the next step you'll take to resolve a problem, your mind can't let go until and unless you park a reminder in a place it knows you will, without fail, look. -- David Allen
Capturing ideas and input will become more and more critical as your life and work become more sophisticated. As you proceed in your career, for instance, you'll probably notice that your best ideas about work will not come to you at work. -- David Allen
The hardest thing about being productive is not the work, but the split second it takes to decide to take control. -- David Allen
You are the captain of your own ship; the more you act from that perspective, the better things will go for you. -- David Allen
If you don't fall off the wagon regularly, you're not playing a big enough game. -- David Allen
Review your list as often as you need to get them off your mind. -- David Allen
Want freedom? Get organized. Want to get organized? Get creative. -- David Allen
There are no interruptions, only mismanaged inputs -- David Allen
Creating "ABC" priority codes and daily "to-do" lists were key techniques developed to help people sort through their choices in some meaningful way. -- David Allen
Mosquitos ruin the safari. -- David Allen
Write all your notes and quotes on separate three-by-five-inch cards. Then, when you get ready to organize your thinking, just spread them all out on the floor, see the natural structure that emerges, and figure out what's missing. -- David Allen
The value of goals is not in the future they describe, but the change in perception of reality they foster. -- David Allen
Anything that does not belong where it is, the way it is, is an "open loop," which will be pulling on your attention if it's not appropriately managed. In -- David Allen
A successful executive is one that solves bigger problems than he/she creates. -- David Allen
At any point in time, the first thing to consider is, what could you possibly do, where you are, with the tools you have? -- David Allen
The focus we hold in our minds affects what we perceive and how we perform. -- David Allen
Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. -- David Allen
Reacting is automatic, but thinking is not. -- David Allen
If not controlled, work will flow to the competent man until he submerges. - CHARLES BOYLE -- David Allen
A Keyring? Achievements? These are not WoW-specific things. They are common sense. They exist in the real world. -- David Allen
Decision-making when things show up instead of when they blow up is actually a habit that can be developed and enhanced. The trick is to get used the clean feeling of having decided, instead of sitting on a fence. -- David Allen
If you don't pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves. -- David Allen
Horizontal" control maintains coherence across all the activities in which you are involved.
"Vertical" control, in contrast, manages thinking up and down the track of individual topics and projects. -- David Allen
Interestingly, one of the biggest problems with most people's personal management systems is that they blend a few actionable things with a large amount of data and material that has value but no action attached. -- David Allen
Most stress they experience comes from inappropriately managed commitments they make or accept. -- David Allen
It seems that there's a part of our psyche that doesn't know the difference between an agreement about cleaning the garage and an agreement about buying a company -- David Allen
Your Brain is for having ideas not storing them. -- David Allen
It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do. - Elbert Hubbard -- David Allen
I would not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity. - Oliver Wendell Holmes -- David Allen
Let our advance worrying become our advance thinking and planning. - Winston Churchill -- David Allen
Without a gut-level sense that you are ultimately in control of what's happening to you, you won't even consider the option that you could manage it better. -- David Allen
Here's how I define "stuff": anything you have allowed into your psychological or physical world that doesn't belong where it is, but for which you haven't yet determined what, exactly, it means to you, with the desired outcome and the next action step. -- David Allen
The substantive issue is how to make appropriate choices about what to do at any point in time. The real work is to manage our actions. That -- David Allen
The right amount of complexity is what creates the optimal simplicity -- David Allen
You can do anything, but not everything. -- David Allen
Whereas purpose provides the juice and the direction, principles define the parameters of action and the criteria for excellence of behavior. -- David Allen
It's the nature of human experience, which is always in some form of motion, to veer off course - sometimes in major, but consistently in minor, ways. -- David Allen
It's a waste of time and energy to keep thinking about something that you make no progress on. And it only adds to your anxiety about what you should be doing and aren't. Most -- David Allen
My opinion is that anybody offended by breastfeeding is staring too hard -- David Allen
Procastination is not about not doing is about not doing and feeling crappy. -- David Allen
When you assess something as a problem instead of as something to simply be accepted as the way things are, you are assuming there is a potential resolution. -- David Allen
An idealist believes that the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run. - Sydney J. Harris -- David Allen
Complaining is a sign that someone isn't willing to risk moving on a changeable situation, or won't consider the immutable circumstance in his or her plans. -- David Allen
You've got to think about the big things while you're doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction. - Alvin Toffler -- David Allen
The balance you have between drive and patience may be your master key to success. -- David Allen
In general, the reason things are on your mind is that the outcome and the action step(s) have not been appropriately defined, and/or reminders of them have not been put in places where you can be trusted to look for them appropriately. -- David Allen
If the only tool you have is a hammer, it's hard to eat spaghetti. -- David Allen
You can do anything, not everything -- David Allen
When you start to make things happen, you really begin to believe that you can make things happen. And that makes things happen. -- David Allen
In Ireland we have a very old saying, When you can see the mountains it's going to rain and when you can't see the mountains it's raining. -- David Allen
Focusing on your values may provide you with meaning, but it won't simplify things. -- David Allen
People think a lot, but most of that thinking is of a problem, project or situation - not about it -- David Allen
Sometimes the biggest gain in productive energy will come from cleaning the cobwebs, dealing with old business, and clearing the desks - cutting loose debris that's impeding forward motion. -- David Allen
Focusing on values does not simplify your life. It gives meaning and direction-and a lot more complexity. -- David Allen
Get a purge for your brain. It will do better than for your stomach. - Michel Eyquem de Montaigne -- David Allen
you have to think about your stuff more than you realize but not as much as you're afraid you might. -- David Allen
A complete and accurately defined list of projects, kept
current and reviewed on at least a weekly basis,
is a master key to stress-free productivity. -- David Allen
Anyone with the need to be accountable to deal with more than what he or she can complete in the moment has the opportunity to do so more easily and elegantly than in the mind. -- David Allen
You can do anything, but you can't do everything -- David Allen
The more confidence you have that you can actually manifest things before you have all the knowledge and resources you might need, the more you can potentially overwhelm yourself with your own possibilities. -- David Allen
If you're not sure why you're doing something, you can never do enough of it. -- David Allen
The Value of Thinking About Why Here are just some of the benefits of asking why: It defines success. It creates decision-making criteria. It aligns resources. It motivates. It clarifies focus. It expands options. -- David Allen
You must use your mind to get things off your mind. -- David Allen
A great hammer doesn't make a great carpenter; but a great carpenter will always want to have a great hammer. -- David Allen
The sense of anxiety and guilt doesn't come from having too much to do; it's the automatic result of breaking agreements with yourself. -- David Allen
Distracting reactions about anything undermine a clear mind about anything else. -- David Allen
Things rarely get stuck because of lack of time. They get stuck because what "doing" would look like, and where it happens, hasn't been decided. In -- David Allen
You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool your own mind. -- David Allen
Mosquitoes can ruin the hunt for big game. -- David Allen
The hurrier I go, the behinder I get. - Anonymous -- David Allen
There is no reason to ever have the same thought twice, unless you like having that thought. I -- David Allen
Clarifying things on the front end, when they first appear on the radar, rather than on the back end, after trouble has developed, allows people to reap the benefits of managing action. Getting -- David Allen
Frankly, I'm more of a researcher, teacher,motivat or, and coach than I am an entrepreneur. -- David Allen
The better you get, the better you better get. -- David Allen
The real issue is how to make appropriate choices about what to do at any point in time. The real issue is how we manage actions. -- David Allen
Most people move actually into high performance in a crisis because that creates the kind of focus that creates high performance. -- David Allen
What you'll tend to avoid doing is probably the most important thing you need to do because it'll probably be the most daunting and the most potentially successful thing you could be doing and that's usually out of people's comfort zone. -- David Allen
