I have just read a book that really resonated with me and has already started to transform my daily routines. It's called How to save an hour every day, by Michael Heppell which I read as an audio book, narrated by the author himself. The concept is to look at the things you do during a day and how you approach doing them and assess whether a) you really NEED to be doing them (do you really need to hoover the house every day); b) you really SHOULD be doing them (can you delegate, or push back); c) you could I be doing them in a more EFFICIENT way (do a job, just that job, until it's finished). I have really, REALLY found this little book useful. I have got very stressed by "not having enough hours in the day" to do all the things I think I should or want to be doing. I know it's early days, but this book has already helped me to be more focused. My biggest weakness is to start a job, then let myself get interrupted by emails or other people or by another job that's also on my to do list ... and then try and restart that job later, or maybe next week, So, I spend time going over stuff I've already done to remind myself of where I was ... anyway, you get the picture. This book has helped me to turn a corner with this tendency and I've already completed jobs that have been loitering for ages. It's a real sense of achievement to actually feel like I'm making positive steps every day. I've also dumped my massive TO DO list, which I diligently wrote out each day, rewriting things that were on it from the previous day, and then adding more things every day - and then, just to make sure I'd ticked something off, do a couple of the really easy things. Now I focus on the MUST DO's - up to 5 a day (and they can be work and home related ... this is NOT just about your working life, but home too), and they become the centre of your attention. I have found that on most days, I not only do those five, but other things also get done as if by accident. The aim of the book is to save you an hour a day which you can spend on something you really would rather be doing - whether that's exercise, more quality time with the family, taking up a hobby, gardening, whatever. There are some liberating ideas, and I know I'm going to be revisiting the book from time to time to pep myself back up again if I feel I'm flagging once again. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone struggling to find time they didn't think was there for them.
My STAR rating: FIVE.
Length: 192 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99 (Audible)
Other formats available: print; ebook.
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