Stress-free productivity does exist

In my last article I discussed how the enormous amount of stimuli to which we are exposed can generate situations of overload and stress, diminish our attention span and, ultimately, negatively affect the management of our commitments.

Continuing with the theme of the previous post (coping with the increasing complexity of life) and digging a little deeper, the key to coping with any situation is to stay calm and focus on what is really important.

Don’t you have the feeling that the world is getting more and more complicated, that you have more and more responsibilities and things to do, and that you don’t have the resources to cope with all these things adequately?

A couple of decades ago I made the worst financial decision of my life. I invested almost all of my savings in a company that went bankrupt a few months later. Although at the time it seemed like a fairly rational decision (although not without risk), the truth is that it wasn’t. I made that decision in a moment of euphoria, just after I had made a small amount of money with a similar investment shortly before.

Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done is probably David Allen’s least known book. It was published in 2003 and consists of a compilation of 52 articles that delve into different aspects of the GTD methodology. Aspects such as having a clear vision to be more creative, approaching work in a productive way, creating structures that work and knowing how to relax despite being on the move.