Time management is the phrase of the century. Everyone dreams of knowing how to use their time most efficiently and productively. Unfortunately, there is no one-trick to master this difficult skill.
In fact, it seems that almost every day, more and more people discover a new way to manage their time most effectively.
Some of those tips can actually be very useful, while others don’t work well for the majority. Overall, the best way to know is to try at least a few popular recommendations for the expert. This is why we have found the top 5 books that can help you plan your time better.
Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
Have you ever had this difficult daunting task on the agenda that you tried to avoid till the very end? Of course, you did. We all know what it feels like. Whenever we have a big and scary thing to do, we tend to postpone it to the last moment so we wouldn’t have to face it.
Like when you have a paper to write, and you spend the entire day wondering, “Should I find someone to write an essay for me or start it myself?” Well, this book teaches us that such tendencies are not good for your productivity. Brian Tracy believes that people would do much better if they start with the things that scare them the most.
The book’s name comes from a famous saying. It states that if you start your day with eating a frog, it will ultimately be the worst thing to happen to you that day.
Hence, it can be a perfect way to get the scary things out of your way. Tracy writes that you should always start your day with the hardest tasks. Meaning you need to start with the most challenging task, as it is the secret to the most productive day.
Pressed For Time by Judy Wajcman
We all have a feeling sometimes that technologies steal our time, don’t we? We waste so much time simply staring at the screens of our devices. Judy Wajcman writes that this time shouldn’t be wasted.
We just need to change our approach towards how we use the technologies in our lives. We need to view our devices as our friends, not enemies.
After all, it would be possible to make essays order without our smartphones, right? By approaching technology in Wajcman’s way, we can become more productive than ever before.
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
It feels like people in the past could work less, earn more, and still have time to enjoy their lives. These days, though, we are in a constant rush to make things happen. We never keep with the pace of the world and feel like we always need to do more. Well, Ferriss doesn’t want to maintain such a mindset any longer.
He argues that our productivity depends on how we approach things. We don’t have to work more to make more. In fact, we can do way less than we are already doing and still drastically increase our income.
The trick is to get your work done in the most effective way possible. This is what this book tries to teach us.
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam
A famous author, Laura Vanderkam, also agrees with the notion of doing the most important things first. She writes that people tend to measure time in hours when the right way would be to count every hour.
Only when people start noticing where they spend every hour of their existence, they start to understand and appreciate their time. People who understand that every moment of their life counts tend to use their time more efficiently, Vanderkam argues.
Overall, she says that starting your day with the “heavyweight” tasks will positively affect one’s productivity throughout the day.
Getting Things Done by David Allen
It is also important to remember that time-management is not only about productivity but stress relief. We want to worry less about our time and pace. David Allen writes exactly about that. He tells us that the ability to relax is the key to a productive and happy life. Sometimes, it’s better to pay for an essay and have some time for yourself than to stress over it and to waste your time.
The Bottom Line
All of these books can serve you as great helpers in your pursuit of better time-management. Just remember that to make these rules work, you’ll actually need to commit to them. Integrating new rules into your life is never easy. Though if you stick to them, you will be surprised with how much time on your hands you will end up with. Good luck!