Review: The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy

The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy by Chris Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Chris Bailey got interested in productivity as a high-school student and decided to take a year off after college to read, research, and experiment with various productivity theories. Although his blog captured his daily trials and tribulations, this book is the best of what worked and a fun way to learn how to become more productive.

Chris stresses that productivity is about accomplishment and not "efficiency" or being busy, and that in our knowledge economy it's as much about managing your energy and focus as it is about managing your time. His book is well organized and written, addressing each of these topics plus many others.

Since the book has too many tips to list, I will share the three I plan on implementing right away:
1. The rule of 3—pick 3 things to accomplish each day and at the end of the day, pick three things to accomplish the next, ensuring these are the top 3 things that will move you forward and that cannot be eliminated or delegated;
2. Keep master lists from where you take your current 3 to-do's, but also keep waiting-for lists, worry lists, and anything else you need to externalize so you free up your mental bandwidth to focus on the present;
3. Take more breaks to recharge and allow your mind to wander, which is where inspiration comes from, and be mindful about where you spend your time and on what, allowing for pauses and check-ins throughout the day so you can course direct if necessary.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone with too much on their plate and/or just trying to figure out how to be organized and more effective in what they do.