Getting Things Done for Teens: Take Control of Your Life in a Distracting World

by David Allen

An adaptation of the business classic for a new generation--a guidebook to help teens create a fruitful and effective future

Getting Things Done has been translated into dozens of languages and sold over a million copies, establishing itself as one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate in personal organization. Getting Things Done for Teens offers a fresh take on David Allen's classic by adapting it for the next generation. Framing life as a game to be played, it offers simple methods that teens can use to win.

The essential how-to manual for stress-free productivity, Getting Things Done for Teens will not only help modern kids navigate the unprecedented amount of "stuff" that enters their lives each day, but also give them a set of tools so that they can gain momentum and confidently take on whatever comes their way.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Productivity, Business, Parenting, Reference, Psychology

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

David Allen is an American author and productivity consultant. He created the time management method Getting Things Done.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though its target audience is teens, I found this version more in line with my own productivity needs as I don't work in the corporate world. Additionally, I found this version, with its numerous visuals, highly approachable and easy to implement in the real world.

[Christina Pilkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 4.5 stars

Ever since I read David Allen's book Getting Things Done about 15 years ago and started to faithfully follow his system, my productivity and the ability to take on a lot of things at once in my life and not constantly feel stressed or overwhelmed has skyrocketed.

I've been able to homeschool my kids (boy/girl twins) while teaching other homeschooling classes, plan extended travel with my family including traveling to all 50 states, trips to 6 different countries and 3 Caribbean islands all by the time my kids turned 15. We also have extended family on both sides that we spend a lot of time with, I work hard to make sure 80% of our meals are home cooked, and I keep a routine for keeping the house clean. I've worked as a meet director for my son's gymnastics (who has to practice 20 hours per week), regularly read 180 plus books a year and write reviews for them and plan as many local trips with my family each year as I can.

I say all this because I'm pretty ordinary. GTD has helped so many people accomplish so much more out of life than they ever thought possible. So, I knew that when my kids were sophomores, I would create a time management class for them using the Getting Things Done for Teens as our core curriculum.

While I think the original book is better, this book especially written for teens does a great job at laying down the foundation for the entire GTD philosophy. Kids learn the steps of capture, clarify, organize, reflect and engage. I think at times the examples and language used were a little bit cringy (I wonder if they had a group of teens beta read this book), but besides it clearly being written by an older adult, it did an amazing job at clearly laying down the program in simple, easy-to-learn-steps.

If you are familiar with the GTD system, have read any of David Allen's books or listening to the GTD podcast, or if you would like to give any teens in your life the ability to accomplish almost anything they set out to do, I'd highly recommend reading this book!

[Heidi Tighe · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways, this book is more accessible than the original. If you are a GTD fan or even familiar with the method and you're looking for ideas to help your teenagers get organized, I think this would be a good place to start. Of course, we'll see how it goes when I try to actually introduce it to my teenagers.

[AliceTrevett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great addition to any stressed teen's bookshelf. As someone who has struggled with issues with time management, (as most people do) this book has helped me astronomically. It has some very helpful tips and tricks, such as putting thoughts in bins. It's easy to understand and simple, but it is extremely useful. It has a nice modern design and helps get work done. In short, I'd recommend this book to anyone, whether you are currently in school or not.

[Reza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book at the beginning of my last year of GCSE's with the all defining exams upcoming at the end of the year. I was very stressed out about revision and didn't know where to start. However this book changed that. It gave me self-confidence and I began to implement its teachings (such as breaking down tasks into smaller sub sections) subconsciously. Despite the cancellation of the exams due to the pandemic, I think the book will stay with me forever, as the things mentioned really apply to people of all ages, not just teens. In addition, the use of pictures really helped to develop a greater depth of understanding. I highly recommend it to everyone.

[Tatyana Naumova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хоть я и не подросток, почерпнула много нового

[Jackson]

This book is about how to get your life together for teens. This book can be used to help you with life at home or school and more. It taught me how to control me life and make it easier. This book will help you when you reach the age where you start to lose your mind. It gave many good tips and advice for me to do and worked very well. It taught me to remind. myself to do my work and not to wait for the last second.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful ideas! If I taught a study skills class this would be a basis for each of my students.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my projects, which is now obviously on the backburner because of the 'Ronie, is thinking about helping 9th grade students organize themselves; specifically, how do you keep track of a writing project that lasts 3-4 weeks? When I think back to my own experience, I'm skeptical about what can work. I think the first struggle here is that getting/being organized feels personal to me and is based on perceived need. I didn't have a reason to be organized in high school, not a compelling reason anyway. Even in college, I just had a pile in the corner of my room where I tossed all my books and notebooks. Each day, depending on my schedule, I'd wade through the pile and get what I needed. And that worked fine! My first inkling that I needed to get organized because it would help me in my life was my first year teaching at 22 -- and then by 28-- I was like OK, I really need to get it together now. And now at 36, I mostly have it together. OK, so how to you convince a 14/15-year-old kid that building these executive functioning skills would be a good idea and would help you feel more in control of your life right now? I don't know.

I don't know, but I don't think this book is the thing because it's pretty intensely personal and pretty robust. I like GTD, personally, but I can't imagine how we would roll it out as a system in a school.

[Galyna Kozynets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Читала, щоб зрозуміти, коли підсовувати цю методику доньці.

Чудово було знову зануритись в «атмосферу» порядку та системності. Адже, за принципом GTD я живу вже років 15. І це одне з найкращих рішень в житті.

Тут класно розписані всі основні моменти організації справ з ілюстраціями та схемами.

Не впевнена, що інфо зацікавить наразі мою 10-річку, але за декілька років буду наполягати на прочитанні.

Така структуризація реально дуже полегшує життя.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pre-read for my daughter’s 7th grade school year.

[Mia Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting Things Done for Teens breaks down strategies and planning ideas. It starts off by telling you two parts of your brain, the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex or known as Myggy and Cortland. The only protagonist I would say is me because this book is a self-help book. This took place every time I read the book and when I had time to read it. The 3 main things in the book are the 5 Steps, Levels of Focus, and Planning map. These are all ways to help you get your stuff done in the most easiest and lest stressful way. At the end it asks if you're ready just like the begging but this time I said yes.

[yasmin ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is exactly what i needed! it was really helpful to have a guide to navigate the mess that is my life and my room :) if anyone's feeling super lost during this lockdown, this would be a great read.

[Lyndah Pulliken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great work with tools for helping anyone not only teens to get organized and have their life in place regardless of the level that they are in school or life.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had tried to read the original GTD quite a few times, but really struggled to get through it. I just didn’t relate to the examples he was sharing, which seemed to mainly be targeted to middle-aged men that are CEOs and have a family. But I still really wanted to implement the methodology, so I kept trying. Until I found this beautiful little book!

It simplified GTD into a way I could finally read and understand. The examples were more catered towards high schoolers, but I could deal with that.

Whilst, a few months on, I do admit that I haven’t been successful in implementing the GTD methodology, this book did change my life in many ways.

The main way it changed my life, and the technique I use almost daily, is the planning map. It entails taking some time before embarking on any project, big or small, to define why you’re doing it, the vision you have for it, brainstorm how you’ll go about doing it, organise your thoughts and select a next action. It has got me started on so many projects I was procrastinating on, regardless of how difficult they seemed.

I’d 100% recommend this book to anyone looking to get their life in order.

[Richard Tubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those not familiar with GTD, it stands for "Getting Things Done", a productivity methodology that I've found life-changing.

GTD is very popular amongst technology folk like myself, as it provides a logical, consistent way to get things done!

Anyway, the original GTD book was released by David Allen in 2001 and has gone on to sell millions of copies.

In 2018, GTD for Teens was released. It's aimed at both children, and people who work with/care for children.

I decided to read GTD for Teens while I was attending the GTD Summit in Amsterdam.

As a relatively new step-Dad to two children -- 12-years old and 14-year old boys, I was intrigued as to how GTD could apply to their world.

Firstly, as a 42-year old man, life as a child has got a lot busier than when I was a kid. There is more homework, projects, peer pressure, demands and everything facing kids today than I ever faced. I'd argue that kids today need GTD to stay on top of everything, and this book can help parents to prepare their kids with coping techniques.

Secondly, as a life-long GTD-er, I found this book (with its simple explanation of concepts and nice diagrams!) a really good refresher of what GTD is and how it helps.

For any adult who has bought GTD but never got through it, I'd actually recommend reading GTD for Teens!

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library on a whim to see if it could somehow help me focus for school. While the book itself obviously didn’t make my focus any better, it definitely provided some clarity and advice for how to handle things. This book is the e only self-help book that I’ve ever liked (even though I’ve only read like 2 before this one). The content is super simple but very helpful if your mind is cloudy. It’s advice on managing your life. It’s practical. I would go out and buy this even after reading it so I can take my own notes in the book. (Also it doesn’t actually require you to read. You could just skim over the headings or pictures and get the point. That’s why I like it so much)

[Darin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising good even if you're not a teen. I got several good restatements of GTD theory ("stuff hunt", the concept of X "ready"), and the examples of the actual process are really clear. There are a couple of silly things about it that obviously got added to get kids and teens to understand that weren't really needed (Miggy and Cortland, primarily), but otherwise highly recommended.

[Hari Saravanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book about productivity. every teenager must read and this could be the starter/beginner for someone who needs to be productive, even this is perfect for adults too.

[Andrew Jang · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many distractions when it comes to daily living, such as a phone alert. People's digital habits are constantly distracting them, having a negative effect. There are also times where people feel heavily stressed. To properly handle these feelings, the reader can start with the 5 steps. The first part of the 5 steps is to capture stuff. People can use the bucket method, where you capture all your tasks and thoughts for later. The second step is to clarify. To clarify means to decide with the stuff. If the stuff is actionable, you take the next action. If not, the stuff can get recycled or trashed. The third step is to organize. To organize means to sort items with similar meanings. You can sort the stuff into three maps. The calendar, next actions, and projects. The fourth step is to reflect. There are three levels of review. Daily, weekly, and levels of focus review. Daily reviews are looking back at your calendar and next actions list. Weekly reviews are to get clear and to get current. And the levels of focus review mean knowing where you are headed and why you are headed there. The last step is to Engage. Engaging is the step where you choose an action and do it. Engaging is to do an action in a specific given time frame. The second part of GTD is the levels of focus. There are 6 parts in the levels of focus. First, you figure out your purpose, then you vision what you'd like to be true in the future, after, you get your goals. Goals are personal. It is what you want to personally achieve. After getting your goals, come areas of focus. Areas of focus are the major parts of your life that you are to maintain. The last two parts are projects and actions. Projects take multiple actions to complete them. Actions are what you need to do and actions you can take. The third and last part of GTD is the planning map. The planning map composes of 5 parts. The first part is the purpose and standards. Purpose and standards define the boundaries for getting from where you are to your outcome. Purpose describes the point of the action and the standards set your boundaries. The second part of the planning map is the vision. The vision is what success looks like to you. The vision describes the goal in detail. The third part is brainstorming. Brainstorming is all the questions that you have along the way. The thoughts and ideas can potentially make the vision come true. The fourth step is to organize. Organizing is to put all categories in place to achieve your goal. The fifth and last step is the next action. The next action doesn't have to be completed right away. The next action can be something that you can complete later. After reading about the 3 tools of Getting Things Done, there are also visuals that can help the reader understand the topic better.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are positive qualities of this book, such as the recommendation to list incomplete tasks to allow yourself to have a mind of peace. However. I found the advice to be repetitive and inapplicable to all cases. Regarding the recommendation not to use your email as a to-do list, I believe their recommendation makes the task of remembering more complex, whereas Malcom's Razor suggests the path of least effort may be the most effective. I do agree that having other lists to supplement your general to-do list is helpful, but several of their recommendations are already satisfied by our modern tools. Google maps allows you to save locations you are interested in visiting. Overdrive with the online Public Library has a built-in tool to track which books you are interested in. Youtube and other streaming services allow you to save your interested songs or other media. I find the wisdom in this book adds more challenges than support. Although it is a good opportunity to strike a young mind as it challenges the ready to reflect on their personal experiences and determine for themselves if the list tool is useful to them.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are planning to get organized for the semester or think life is getting to you as a teen, then this is what you read. This gives you general but mainstream and gives good advice often talked about on the internet by productivity YouTubers, bloggers, and influencers. Some even refer to this method and the original Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity as the "Bible of productivity" so do what you need to with that information. The illustrations that further prove the points made are quite fantastic and overall, I had a fun time reading this.
Ps: If you do end up reading this and decided to try out the GTD system for yourself, I cannot recommend NOTION enough which is a planning, database, and note-taking app free for personal use and I personally have been using it for my school notes for about and a year. And for personal management for some months now. (Not sponsored btw)

[Liz Busby · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was 15 or so, I purchased a book on student organization from a college bookstore while at EFY. That book changed my perspective on schoolwork and revolutionized my system for accomplishing them. Later in college I learned about GTD from a friend who carried a little notebook in his pocket as a "capture" device.

Now I have a teenage son who is in desperate need of a wakeup call about being responsible. I picked up this book to see if it could be as lifechanging for him as my book was for me. I'm pleased to say that this is not only a great book for helping a teen be organized, it's a fantastic review of GTD principles for anyone. I already made a slight tweak to my productivity system since I read it.

I especially love section three, which consists of little experiments to run to test out whether GTD is helpful or not. Sometimes teens won't believe you unless they do it on their own, and these provide some great options for little challenges to give them. I will return and report back on how these go over with my specific teen. Pray to the parenting gods for me.

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Allen provides a helpful layout for organizing and dealing with all the "stuff" in teens lives. The REDS system for dealing with clutter in their lives is helpful. His system claims that everything in a room, backpack, locker, etc. fits as Reference, Equipment, Decor, or Stuff. I like the idea that rounding up "stuff" in a room or space can help bring clarity. Going through the REDS system or various checklists can give teens the peace and control to deal with the challenges that come their way. Might help children/teens who haven't given much thought to this sort of organization management. We've worked through rooms, trips, projects, etc. in much this way with our children for years, so it feels a little painful spelling it out and breaking into steps.

Read for a secondary ELA curriculum review board in our school district. Nothing objectionable and probably worthwhile for some teens who haven't had this sort of structure or example in their lives.

My ratings in this genre are always unfair, because self-help is one of my least-favorite genres.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't review the effectiveness of a system I haven't tried yet, but I can review the book itself. This book had everything I wanted out of an introduction to the GTD system without all the stuff I'd heard about the original and updated books, namely outrageous complexity, Russian nesting dolls of systems within systems, and drrrrryyyyy writing. Instead I got a couple of compelling chapters that made the case for the system and then an explanation of how GTD works in theory and practice. It's still complicated! I immediately restarted the audiobook once I finished it, this time with a notebook and pen. But it's manageable, and it's justified why I should try it.

I've read reviews stating that the pictures, especially charts, are helpful and clearer than those in the other GTD books. I can't speak to that as an audiobook listener, but I can say that the narrator was excellent. Much of my actual pleasure in listening to this was from his delivery of the material.

[Peter Sciarrino · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned how to manage my schedule and some helpful tips to keep me engaged and use my time Wisely. In the book it taught me that I can look at my location, time, and energy to decide what is the most important thing to do now. By thinking about what I am doing before I do it I can effectively use my time to complete the most Important tasks efficiently. When I am at home I can do subjects like English math and social studies but when I am outside I can do film. If I plan this before I do my homework I will manage my time better. Time Management is the key to success especially when I have a lot to do on my schedule. Because I have extracurricular activity's after school Planing out my day with strategy's I learned from the book. This book taught me how and why I should focus on important goals and how to time manage.

[Dane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting Things Done for Teens was a very informative book that has so far helped me handle stress and keep myself more organised. This book doesn't only help the stay organized but it made me think more about the perspective of other people, I now think more about someone else perspective whenever I am in a argument or thinking about someone else's decision. This book has also tough me that there is a deference between being selfish and self-care. This book tough me that I should always worry about myself first and think about others once I have my priorities covered. I differently recommend this book to any young teenagers because it will pave the way for the next couple years in your life.

[Ryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book Getting Things Done for Teens: Take Control of Your Life in a Distracting World, it takes you through the life of a teenager and the struggles they face. Not only does it talk about mental health, but it tells me how too improve mine. One of my main take aways from this book is a "Mental Mind Sweep". Your life is filled to the maximum with this thing called "stuff". And one way to clear that stuff, is to do a mental mind sweep. Getting Things done for Teens has done nothing to improve my mental health and I find that it can very helpful for teens that struggle with anxiety, to much on there plate, and for teens with any mental health issues.

[Leesjuf V]

Ik heb dit boek niet volledig uitgelezen. Het is een informatief boek, dus dat hoeft ook niet helemaal. Mocht je als volwassenen al bekend zijn met de methode Getting Things Done, dan is dit boek heel gemakkelijk te volgen en krijg je echt goede tips hoe je hiermee met tieners/pubers aan de slag zou kunnen gaan. Echter is het een aanpak die best veel discipline van jezelf vraagt en ik denk dat het ook lastig is om leerlingen dit echt aan te leren en de vraag is ook of ieder kind hiermee is gebaad. Echter kun je er goed elementen uithalen om leerlingen te ondersteunen op het gebied van leren plannen en een opgeruimd hoofd te krijgen.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Loved this in theory, but from a parental standpoint even I was overwhelmed by what it suggests teens do. Allen lines out an approach to life and thinking where hyper organization is key. As a result, the book reads like instructions on how to turn your life, habits, and your very brain into what looks like a computer filing system. Then, Allen repetitively asks you to analyze how you feel at the end of tasks, while filing and sorting into categories all along the way. Basically, this is Marie Kondo for brains. As more of a creative type, I balk at this sort of rigidity. However, I do think a lighter approach using the methods Allen presents would be greatly beneficial.