Make Time for This Book

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If Self-Care for the Real World was a little too celeb-insta-glam for your taste, Make Time might be more your speed. This is the "dude version" of the self-care guide, written by two former Google guys who've been experimenting with their own time management strategies for years now. In this book, they've compiled 87 of their favorite techniques for focusing on what's important every day. And none of them contain ingredients you can't pronounce or expensive spa treatments to turn back the clock.

I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical about this book when I heard the title. Was I subjecting myself to 200+ pages of some high-achievers telling me I should be sleeping less and accomplishing more? But one look at the table of contents calmed my nerves. Between the hand-drawn cartoons and strategies like "take a day off" and "go on the dark chocolate plan," I could tell this wasn't just another Lean In. 

In fact, this book could easily be retitled Make Spoons for those of us who struggle with time management due to chronic illness. While you'll learn about everything from the historic Atlantic crossing of the HMS Deptford in 1761 to the science of caffeine and its effects on the human brain, it all boils down to the four basic components of the Make Time framework: Highlight, Laser, Energize and Reflect. The 87 tactics listed numerically in the book are just an a la carte menu of ways to implement these four strategies in your day-to-day life. 

Here's a spoonie-friendly breakdown of the four steps to productivity: ​

Highlight: Start each day by choosing a focal point.

Translation: Choose your #1 priority. Just one. Stop freaking out about the 63 other things you think you need to do. What's the one thing that truly matters today?

Laser: Beat distraction to make time for your Highlight.

Translation: Eliminate spoon-wasters. Where are you using spoons on other people or things that really don't matter? Delete the apps, say no to helping with the bake sale and dedicate those spoons to your Highlight.

Energize: Take care of your body to recharge your brain.

Translation: Practice self-care. You can't pour from an empty cup. Make doable exercise, healthy eating and rest priorities so you can give your Highlight the attention it deserves. 

Reflect: Adjust and improve your system every day.

Translation: None needed! Find out what works for you and quit doing things that don't contribute to your priorities.

I've read quite a few productivity books over the last several years, and some are more helpful than others. (Some are downright offensive.) This one, however, just might help you make a dent in your to-do list, or at least eliminate some of your unnecessary to-dos altogether. Make Time is a lesson in focusing on what's important by eliminating all the extraneous bullshit in our days. It's a spoonie-friendly plan for getting shit done. 

Have you read Make Time? Tell me what you think in the comments, and find even more bonus content here.