?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Getting+Things+Done%3A+The+Science+behind+Stress-Free+Productivity&rft.creator=Heylighen%2C+Francis&rft.creator=Vidal%2C+Cl%C3%A9ment&rft.subject=Applied+Cognitive+Psychology&rft.subject=Decision+Theory&rft.description=Allen+(2001)+proposed+the+%E2%80%9CGetting+Things+Done%E2%80%9D+(GTD)+method+for+personal+productivity+enhancement%2C+and+reduction+of+the+stress+caused+by+information+overload.+This+paper+argues+that+recent+insights+in+psychology+and+cognitive+science+support+and+extend+GTD%E2%80%99s+recommendations.+We+first+summarize+GTD+with+the+help+of+a+flowchart.+We+then+review+the+theories+of+situated%2C+embodied+and+distributed+cognition+that+purport+to+explain+how+the+brain+processes+information+and+plans+actions+in+the+real+world.+The+conclusion+is+that+the+brain+heavily+relies+on+the+environment%2C+to+function+as+an+external+memory%2C+a+trigger+for+actions%2C+and+a+source+of+affordances%2C+disturbances+and+feedback.+We+then+show+how+these+principles+are+practically+implemented+in+GTD%2C+with+its+focus+on+organizing+tasks+into+%E2%80%9Cactionable%E2%80%9D+external+memories%2C+and+on+opportunistic%2C+situation-dependent+execution.+Finally%2C+we+propose+an+extension+of+GTD+to+support+collaborative+work%2C+inspired+by+the+concept+of+stigmergy.&rft.date=2007-12-01&rft.type=Preprint&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F5904%2F1%2FHeylighen-Vidal-GTD-Science.pdf&rft.identifier=++Heylighen%2C+Francis+and+Vidal%2C+Cl%C3%A9ment++(2007)+Getting+Things+Done%3A+The+Science+behind+Stress-Free+Productivity.++%5BPreprint%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F5904%2F