Chapter 3

Being More Productive

An Interview with David Allen and Tony Schwartz

by Daniel McGinn

David Allen is a productivity consultant and the author of the best seller Getting Things Done, which outlines the list-driven efficiency system adherents call by its acronym: GTD. Tony Schwartz, the author of the bestseller Be Excellent at Anything, is the CEO of The Energy Project, which helps people and organizations fuel engagement and productivity by drawing on the science of high performance.

In this edited conversation with HBR, they discuss the distractive pull of e-mail, how they’ve been influenced by each other, and why you should do your most important task first thing in the morning (even though only one of them does).

HBR: Let’s start ...

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