I read most of Allen's book but felt the best takeaway was asking "was it actionable". This question helps me get through the majority of my planning, but I don't bother with incorporating much else. The truth is I try to keep my life mostly in the digital world. I do a monthly cleanup of paperwork and followup to tie as many loose ends as possible. And I let technology filter and manage the rest of my information flow.

Allen's system was simple for most, but I found it needlessly complicated. This is his prescription: http://cyprych.neostrada.pl/_images/processing.png

I opt for the very low-maintenance system I described in exchange for a tolerable amount of chaos. Until I can afford a personal assistant, this will have to be and have stopped investing time into improving my system in pursuit of more satisfying improvements for myself.

*I like to leave the bookmark poking out about two-thirds of the way through the book and keep it on my bookcase in the living room for everyone to see.