Free to Focus
by Michael Hyatt
Hyatt's productivity book is organized around a simple promise: do less, better, by stopping first. The 'freedom compass' sorts work by passion and proficiency, and the weekly preview and ideal-week templates are the sort of tools people actually keep using. It is aimed at leaders and business owners but the method scales down to anyone with a calendar.
Read it if…
you are busy and successful and want to cut volume without cutting results.
Skip it if…
you have little control over your schedule; much of the method assumes authority to delegate and decline.
Three things you will actually use
- Design an ideal week before the real one arrives.
- Batch similar work; context switching is the hidden tax.
- Build a start and end ritual to keep work from leaking.
Do this first
List this week's tasks and mark which ones only you can do; delegate or drop one of the others.
Our verdict
Clean, executive-friendly and immediately applicable; a well-built system.
Compare with other Focus books
Getting Things Done
David Allen · Focus
The definitive system for people with too much on their plate; adopt the parts that fit.
CLICK TO SEE
Slow Productivity
Cal Newport · Focus
A humane corrective to hustle; best for people who have already proven they can work hard.
CLICK TO SEE
The Checklist Manifesto
Atul Gawande · Focus
Beautifully written and quietly persuasive; a book about humility disguised as process.
CLICK TO SEEBrowse all Focus book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.
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