When comparing Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity vs The ONE Thing, the Slant community recommends Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity for most people. In the question“What are the best books on Productivity?” Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity is ranked 1st while The ONE Thing is ranked 7th. The most important reason people chose Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity is:
A lot of different techniques are introduced (such as a filing system and planner) which can be overwhelming. The author breaks everything down into smaller steps that can be completed immediately.
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Pros
Pro Breaks everything down into steps
A lot of different techniques are introduced (such as a filing system and planner) which can be overwhelming. The author breaks everything down into smaller steps that can be completed immediately.
Pro Teaches to mage focus rather than time
Pro Holistic concept from capturing to doing stuff
Pro A lot of free talks available about GTD
Pro Teaches you to avoid wasting time on figuring out what to do next
A fair bit of time gets spent either switching between tasks, or figuring out what to work on. Getting Things Done teaches you the importance of narrowing your focus and having a plan of where to spend your time.
Pro Great approach for those who are easily overwhelmed
Having a long to-do list can be overwhelming for some, and can cause people to jump back in forth between tasks hoping to get through the list faster.
The ONE Thing teaches the flaws with multitasking and emphasizes the importance of focus for increasing productivity.
Pro Challenges you to question the importance of your tasks
The authors challenge the idea that all tasks are of equal importance. They encourage you to question the tasks you feel need to be accomplished, allowing you to focus on the tasks that are more important.
Pro Ideal for those in business/management
Cons
Con Does not consider technology
Getting Things Done, including the most recent update (2015), includes very little about incorporating technology into the process (such as tracking apps) that could speed up the process.
Con Repetitive, infomercial-like writing style
A large majority of the book is filler writing, repeating the few initial lessons in various different wordings.
Con Impractical message
The author dismisses the idea of a work-life balance, calling it a lie. This book is mostly beneficial for those who don't mind sacrificing their life outside of work for more productivity in the office.
Con Pre-marked points throughout the book
The author has marked different points throughout the book for emphasis by underlining some key points in what looks like pencil.
This can be distracting as your eyes immediately jump to the emphasized lines.