{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "getting-things-done",
            "name": "Getting Things Done",
            "kind": "book",
            "website": "https://gettingthingsdone.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/books/getting-things-done",
            "tagline": "David Allen's method for capturing and organizing commitments",
            "summary": "Getting Things Done is a book by David Allen, first published in 2001. It describes a method for capturing open commitments outside the head, deciding the next action for each and reviewing the system regularly. Penguin publishes the print editions, and the author's company sells courses and coaching.",
            "developer": "Penguin",
            "author": "David Allen",
            "formats": [
                "print"
            ],
            "pricing": "paid",
            "price_note": "Print editions from Penguin; price varies by seller",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Concrete capture and review workflow",
                "Focus on next actions for tasks",
                "Author offers courses and coaching"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Says little about goals or deep focus",
                "Setup takes effort before the system helps"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "cover": "https://listme.name/assets/covers/getting-things-done.webp",
            "overview": "Allen's method asks readers to collect every open commitment in trusted places, decide the next physical action for each one and review the whole system on a regular schedule. The book's premise is that a clear mind and organized commitments produce better results with less stress. It presents the method as a complete workflow rather than a set of tips.\n\nThe method is practical and procedural, so it works as a system and suits people who manage many tasks. It says less about deep focus or goals than the other productivity books here, and it does not cover linked note-taking. Readers who want a method for linked notes will need How to Take Smart Notes. The author's company offers courses, coaching and a newsletter."
        },
        {
            "slug": "how-to-take-smart-notes",
            "name": "How to Take Smart Notes",
            "kind": "book",
            "website": "https://www.soenkeahrens.de/en/takesmartnotes",
            "page": "https://listme.name/books/how-to-take-smart-notes",
            "tagline": "Sönke Ahrens on note-taking and writing with a Zettelkasten",
            "summary": "How to Take Smart Notes is a book by Sönke Ahrens on a note-taking method based on the Zettelkasten, a system of linked index cards. The author's site lists a first edition in 2017 and a revised and expanded second edition in 2022, both published through CreateSpace. The site also offers a companion course.",
            "author": "Sönke Ahrens",
            "formats": [
                "print"
            ],
            "pricing": "paid",
            "price_note": "Print edition; free first chapter and appendix PDFs on the author's site",
            "free_to_use": false,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Clear method for linking and writing notes",
                "Revised and expanded second edition from 2022",
                "Free first chapter and appendix PDFs"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "The method takes practice to set up",
                "Not a task or project management tool"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "cover": "https://listme.name/assets/covers/how-to-take-smart-notes.webp",
            "overview": "The book explains how to take literature notes, write permanent notes in your own words, and link them so that writing grows out of research. Ahrens builds on the Zettelkasten practice associated with the sociologist Niklas Luhmann. The method is designed for long-form writing and study, not for task lists or quick capture.\n\nThe author's page lists the 2022 revised and expanded second edition, and it links the appendix of that edition and the first chapter as PDF files. Ahrens also sells a course that teaches the method, so readers can compare the book with the course. The method takes practice to set up and suits academic and long-form writers. It is less useful for people who want a task manager."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "productivity-and-note-taking-books",
            "name": "Productivity and note-taking books",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/productivity-and-note-taking-books",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "getting-things-done",
                    "rank": 3,
                    "score": 88.5,
                    "verdict": "A complete capture and review workflow for tasks and commitments, with concrete steps for each part. It is about task systems rather than attention or notes, so it complements Deep Work and Smart Notes here.",
                    "best_for": "Capturing and organizing tasks",
                    "spec": {
                        "level": "Beginner to intermediate",
                        "free_online": false,
                        "focus": "Capturing and organizing commitments into next actions"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "how-to-take-smart-notes",
                    "rank": 2,
                    "score": 90.5,
                    "verdict": "The most detailed note-taking method here, a Zettelkasten system for linking notes and writing from them. It takes practice and is not a task manager, so it suits writers and researchers.",
                    "best_for": "Zettelkasten notes and research writing",
                    "spec": {
                        "level": "Intermediate",
                        "free_online": false,
                        "focus": "Linked notes and writing from research"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "how-to-take-smart-notes",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/getting-things-done-vs-how-to-take-smart-notes",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/getting-things-done-vs-how-to-take-smart-notes.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}