On a recent roadtrip from Arkansas to west Texas, I listened to David Allen’s follow up to Getting Things Done. I’m always a sucker for books on time management and figuring out to accomplish more with our limited time while still keeping work and personal life in balance.
Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life began as a search for information for a piano pedagogy course that I’m currently teaching. I was searching for recommendations about managing long-term tasks and planning for their successful execution. One quote from Allen’s book grabbed my attention and my heart, becoming the basis of much of the work we are doing in my class: “A map is a futile tool until we know where we are.”
For anyone looking for help with time management and productivity, I highly recommend Getting Things Done (which I’m actually re-reading at the moment). Ready for Anything builds upon some of the concepts presented in the earlier book, but as a stand-alone work lacks the depth and impact of Allen’s previous book. Do yourself a favor and go for the real “meat and potatoes” book on the subject instead.
Reading for Me 