Making It All Work by David Allen Summary

Making It All Work builds on David Allen’s iconic GTD® (Getting Things Done®) method, offering advanced strategies to achieve stress-free productivity. It emphasizes balancing control (organizing commitments) and perspective (aligning actions with life goals) through frameworks like the Five Steps of Workflow and Horizons of Focus. The book teaches readers to manage priorities across work and personal life using actionable systems.

Professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone overwhelmed by competing priorities will benefit. It’s ideal for GTD® practitioners seeking deeper implementation and those new to productivity systems. Allen’s methods help individuals struggling with burnout, multitasking, or aligning daily tasks with long-term objectives.

Yes, particularly for readers familiar with Getting Things Done who want advanced techniques. It refines core GTD® principles, offering tools like the Natural Planning Model and Horizons of Focus to clarify goals. Critics note some repetition from Allen’s earlier work, but the structured frameworks justify the read.

1. Control: Systematically organizing tasks using workflows like capturing, clarifying, and reviewing.
2. Perspective: Aligning actions with life’s “horizons,” from daily tasks to lifelong purpose. Allen argues mastering both eliminates overwhelm and enhances decision-making.

While GTD focuses on task management basics, Making It All Work explores the psychology of productivity, emphasizing vision and purpose. It introduces the Horizons of Focus model (ranging from ground-level tasks to 50,000-foot life goals) and integrates workflow strategies with big-picture thinking.

This model categorizes priorities into six levels:

1. Current actions (immediate tasks)
2. Projects (short-term outcomes)
3. Responsibilities (roles and goals)
4. 1–2 year goals
5. 3–5 year vision
6. Life purpose
   Allen recommends weekly reviews to align tasks with these horizons.

• “Control without perspective is micromanagement; perspective without control is crazy-making.”
• “If you don’t pay attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”
  These emphasize balancing productivity systems with intentional focus.

The book’s outcome-focused planning helps break transitions into actionable steps. By defining desired results (“What’s my next action?”) and using the Natural Planning Model, readers can systematically navigate career changes without overwhelm.

Some reviewers find it repetitive if familiar with GTD, and note its systems require significant upkeep. However, fans praise its actionable advice for aligning daily tasks with long-term goals.

While Atomic Habits focuses on habit formation, Allen’s book provides a comprehensive productivity system. Making It All Work is more tactical, with frameworks for organizing tasks, whereas Clear’s work emphasizes incremental behavior change.

Its principles address modern challenges like remote work burnout and information overload. The Horizons of Focus model helps prioritize in an era of constant distractions, making it a timeless resource for maintaining clarity amid rapid change.