Getting Things Done
So I'm about ¾ of the way through a book called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen. You hear about this book all over the place, from Digg to Slashdot to people's blogs -- hell there's an entire website called 43 Folders inspired by concepts in this book. So with all that hype, I finally go so curious that I went and picked it up. And when I got to Borders, it was the last copy on the endcap!
Contrary to what people might think about a "productivity" book, it's not about how to cram more stuff into your schedule. It's more of a nuts-and-bolts approach to actually freeing your mind up from worrying about all the stuff you have to do so you can actually feel good about NOT doing one thing so you can do another.
Really, what David is talking about here is common sense, but it's just that it's very well organized common sense. I don't really think I'm the target audience for this book -- it seems aimed more at mid-level manager types who have a wife and kids and all kinds of things up in the air. Which is fine, because I think it makes it easier for me to put some of his ideas into practice. I am super busy, I mean I have a house to take care of, school, work, a band, etc.
Bottom line: is it worth $15? Yeah, I think so. I bought it, and I'm putting things into practice even as I write this. Good book.