Author: Robert Pozen

I have a reluctance to pick up any book on productivity because, after reading about it for so long, they end up saying the same thing over and over. The only difference is the viewpoint and, sometimes, the examples.

Why get this one?

It came from an article on procrastination written by one of the foremost researchers of it in the world. This book is the one he kept referencing as part of his suggested solutions to the issue.

He also happens to be a professor in my hometown, which added to the allure of reading just one more book on the subject.

The first four chapters had a neat perspective on timeless productivity strategies, but interest wavered afterward. It is definitely geared more towards the executive or business manager who is already in the midst of their career and looking to get a handle on getting the most out of each day.

The section on email is a must read.

While there are suggestions we should get rid of email completely (a tongue and cheek title, but not too far off the mark), we’re currently in a cultural milieu of having to handle a constant influx of noise.

I would extrapolate this section (which was published in 2012) to everything you do online with a constant stream—social media, news sites, blog posts, etc. When you get to a point where you are in control of the data instead of the other way around, you can actually feel the anxiety (that you may not have known was present) melt away.

Is this extreme productivity?

Not really.

It’s simply Pozen’s answer to the question, how do you fit it all in?

If you want to know and try the ideas for yourself, it’s not a bad place to start.