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Don't Read this Book: Time Management for Creative People
Don’t Read This Book focuses on how to make choices about everything you do in your daily life and workplace. The book is packed with advice, models and exercises on time management.
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2016
80 people are currently reading
958 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
January 17, 2021
Dicas legais sobre gestão de tempo e aquilo que decidimos priorizar. Achei tudo bem acessível. O livro é um tanto repetitivo por vezes e não aborda tantos tópicos como poderia, mas em geral é uma boa leitura. Algumas citações me fizeram revirar os olhos porque não acho que J3ff B3zos ou 3lon Musk sejam boas inspirações.
April 3, 2018
The title says it aloud: don't read this book. It was much of a disappointment. It is either a prolonged essay or a heavily abbreviated book, and thus not really manage to be either. In the end of the book the writer confesses that the book was originally 45000 words but due to the agreement with the publisher, the book was condensed into 22000. Of course, at this point I cannot know if half of the book left out would be interesting or useful, but it still made me ponder what was lost.
Anyway. The main idea of To Don't List is good. We have more ideas (heh) than we have time to actualize, and we must prioritise the ideas we focus on, and the book gives some tools for that. However, I would wanted to read more about the concrete examples of the method and the experiences of the users - rather than leafing pages filled with nonsense doodles and quotes written in letters so large that one sentence needs two pages.
The book has also some good insights like "stay in the box" instead of "think outside of the box" meaning that limiting choices and setting boundaries can actually generate more ideas than being allowed roam free. It reminds that quality needs time, and that sometimes it is ok or even necessary to accept that the results are only mediocre at best. It emphasises the importance of saying no, and highlights some cases (like coffee dates and meetings with a vague goal) that might be just a waste of time.
However, some of the themes are out of the focus of the book that concentrates on time management. Like, how will the guidelines creating a #hashtag for marketing yourself actually help in time management? If they do, the book doesn't tell how.
Also, the book is filled with contradictories that are not handled at all. At first the advice is to do things for love, not for money - and later on the advice is to do what you are told, take the money and run. Another advice is to do only the things that you love to do so much that you would do them even if no-one would see the result; and then the advice is that if the thing does not fit to your hashtag (!) or if it does not have a market, you should not do it. Whattahell should I think about these contradictory ideas and advices?
The book is not all bad, but to be honest, I would have been more satisfied if I had read it as an article in a magazine or in some webpage than as a book that I paid 16 euros for. Might be my own fault though: should have believed what the cover told me not to do.
Anyway. The main idea of To Don't List is good. We have more ideas (heh) than we have time to actualize, and we must prioritise the ideas we focus on, and the book gives some tools for that. However, I would wanted to read more about the concrete examples of the method and the experiences of the users - rather than leafing pages filled with nonsense doodles and quotes written in letters so large that one sentence needs two pages.
The book has also some good insights like "stay in the box" instead of "think outside of the box" meaning that limiting choices and setting boundaries can actually generate more ideas than being allowed roam free. It reminds that quality needs time, and that sometimes it is ok or even necessary to accept that the results are only mediocre at best. It emphasises the importance of saying no, and highlights some cases (like coffee dates and meetings with a vague goal) that might be just a waste of time.
However, some of the themes are out of the focus of the book that concentrates on time management. Like, how will the guidelines creating a #hashtag for marketing yourself actually help in time management? If they do, the book doesn't tell how.
Also, the book is filled with contradictories that are not handled at all. At first the advice is to do things for love, not for money - and later on the advice is to do what you are told, take the money and run. Another advice is to do only the things that you love to do so much that you would do them even if no-one would see the result; and then the advice is that if the thing does not fit to your hashtag (!) or if it does not have a market, you should not do it. Whattahell should I think about these contradictory ideas and advices?
The book is not all bad, but to be honest, I would have been more satisfied if I had read it as an article in a magazine or in some webpage than as a book that I paid 16 euros for. Might be my own fault though: should have believed what the cover told me not to do.
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March 25, 20250/5
Краще б я послухався назви😄
Це зовсім не те що я очікував. Написано досить примітивно, автор розжовував очевидні (для мене) речі по декілька разів.
Власне, однієї поради я таки дотримався з книги. А саме не витрачати час на непотрібні речі, тому цю книгу я закинув😁🤝🏼
Краще б я послухався назви😄
Це зовсім не те що я очікував. Написано досить примітивно, автор розжовував очевидні (для мене) речі по декілька разів.
Власне, однієї поради я таки дотримався з книги. А саме не витрачати час на непотрібні речі, тому цю книгу я закинув😁🤝🏼
January 2, 2017
I'm not usually very interested in self-help books. I stumbled across this one at the library and I liked the title, the style, and am also interested in learning about other people's time management systems. Nerdy, I know. But as someone who has a lot of work to accomplish in unstructured time I'm interested in learning ways to use my time better.
This book did not teach me a lot of new things but did reinforce a lot of things I know that I should be doing. It's filled with some good tips for sure and it's a very easy, straightforward read.
This book did not teach me a lot of new things but did reinforce a lot of things I know that I should be doing. It's filled with some good tips for sure and it's a very easy, straightforward read.
May 17, 2019
This book is mildly amusing and full of entertaining stories and pictures, but it can be seen as a promotion of a tool that the author helped create called a "To Don't List" that is an app on Apple but not apparently on Google phones at present. More to the point, if that is all that this book had to offer it would not be very impressive, but this book does have more to offer than a sales pitch and so it is worth appreciating as a way to encourage creative people to do more by doing less. Rather than indulging in calls to multi-task, the authors urge the reader to pick the most important things to do, the things that both inspire our passions and that we can do better than others, and to focus on these few important things. Presumably, the authors assume that that which is not to be done is going to be passed on to someone else, which may be an optimistic scenario for some people. Nevertheless, the book does assume that its market is going to be creative people who have already achieved some degree of success in life as entrepreneurs or managers or something of that kind, at least.
This book is a short one at about 150 pages, many of them filled with pictures and drawings that make the overall word count of the book quite low and as a result make this book an easy one to read even for those who have a busy schedule. The book begins with a discussion of why creative people need time management, mainly because creative people have lots of ideas and it is impossible to flesh out all of them, especially when one adds all the mundane activities that fill our lives and waste our time. After that the author introduces the aforementioned "to don't list" that he will return to in this book over and over again. Finally, the author divides the rest of the book into three chapters that look at how creative people can use time management in three aspects of life, namely life, work, and projects. When it comes to life, the author urges readers to make a plan. When it comes to work, the author points to the importance of creating a routine. Finally, when it comes to projects, the author posits that it is necessary to leave out extras.
What elevates this book from a simple sales pitch which could be moderately irritating to something that is worthwhile and generally enjoyable to read is the way that the author weaves his own stories and those of other people into his discussion. The author is realistic, pointing out that it might be necessary to do projects that do not thrill or interest someone but that can be done to pay the bills, but that once one has enough passionate and profitable projects that one no longer needs to work merely for money as is the case for so many people. Likewise, the author tells a humorous story of a woman whose dream job was to work at a company that made Apple's original mouse, which if I remember it correctly was a horrible one-button monstrosity. The advice the author gives, even if it is a bit strident, is certainly good advice. Individuals should, as much as possible, seek to pare down life as much as possible so that creation can come through routines that focus our lives on what we do best and most profitably, a fine assumption if one can outsource that which one does not like to do or do well to others.
This book is a short one at about 150 pages, many of them filled with pictures and drawings that make the overall word count of the book quite low and as a result make this book an easy one to read even for those who have a busy schedule. The book begins with a discussion of why creative people need time management, mainly because creative people have lots of ideas and it is impossible to flesh out all of them, especially when one adds all the mundane activities that fill our lives and waste our time. After that the author introduces the aforementioned "to don't list" that he will return to in this book over and over again. Finally, the author divides the rest of the book into three chapters that look at how creative people can use time management in three aspects of life, namely life, work, and projects. When it comes to life, the author urges readers to make a plan. When it comes to work, the author points to the importance of creating a routine. Finally, when it comes to projects, the author posits that it is necessary to leave out extras.
What elevates this book from a simple sales pitch which could be moderately irritating to something that is worthwhile and generally enjoyable to read is the way that the author weaves his own stories and those of other people into his discussion. The author is realistic, pointing out that it might be necessary to do projects that do not thrill or interest someone but that can be done to pay the bills, but that once one has enough passionate and profitable projects that one no longer needs to work merely for money as is the case for so many people. Likewise, the author tells a humorous story of a woman whose dream job was to work at a company that made Apple's original mouse, which if I remember it correctly was a horrible one-button monstrosity. The advice the author gives, even if it is a bit strident, is certainly good advice. Individuals should, as much as possible, seek to pare down life as much as possible so that creation can come through routines that focus our lives on what we do best and most profitably, a fine assumption if one can outsource that which one does not like to do or do well to others.
October 8, 2017
Pretty bad
June 7, 2017
J'aurais dû faire ce que me disait le livre... Des conseils très plats, qui relèvent du bon sens et n'amènent pas beaucoup de réflexion. Je ne tire pas grand chose de ce livre, qui se limitent vraiment à des cas pratiques très bateaux de la vie quasi administrative du freelance créatif et a peu d'application ailleurs.
October 14, 2025
Відверто слаба книга. Навіть не книга, а скоріше бізнес комікс. Багато вінегрету з чужих цитат, власних роздумів та загальних теорій. Історія про «Do not list” цікава, але як на мене - ще сира. Підняв оцінку з 3 до 4 виключно за рахунок класних ілюстрацій.
July 5, 2020
A must book for everyone who are on the creative fields or juggling much on projects!
October 14, 2020
I am a rebel. 😀
Good, concise book. So that you don't waste time reading about how to not waste time.
Good, concise book. So that you don't waste time reading about how to not waste time.
January 22, 2019
Awesome hand-book of countless priceless advice and someway not only for creative people actually!
You don’t know why you have such a great number of projects and how to manage them, do you? I mean to REALLY manage and not to retype from one list to another. This book will become an effective guide to real productivity for you and your life. I know what I’m talking about as I saw a bunch of such instructions but only these have helped me.
For example, I’ve already reviewed and polished my projects-to-do list. It’s really the beginning of success if you know what I mean.
By the way, the author launched an app helping to maintain your projects and objects and considering this book concept.
You don’t know why you have such a great number of projects and how to manage them, do you? I mean to REALLY manage and not to retype from one list to another. This book will become an effective guide to real productivity for you and your life. I know what I’m talking about as I saw a bunch of such instructions but only these have helped me.
For example, I’ve already reviewed and polished my projects-to-do list. It’s really the beginning of success if you know what I mean.
By the way, the author launched an app helping to maintain your projects and objects and considering this book concept.
April 27, 2021
Actually finished this a few days ago. I have been trying the To Do/To Don’t list and it’s working well for me. A lot of advice is pretty general, and the author acknowledged that he had to skimp down the manuscript considerably (which made it very easy to read). I like that the idea is to give it to other artists and build a local network this way. :)
My main takeaway: You can and you have to MAKE TIME for art. Most people don’t particularly care if you do art (but you do!). If you want a book that’s more about making art and living as an artist, try David Bayles and Ted Orland: Art and Fear — and The View From The Studio Door.
My main takeaway: You can and you have to MAKE TIME for art. Most people don’t particularly care if you do art (but you do!). If you want a book that’s more about making art and living as an artist, try David Bayles and Ted Orland: Art and Fear — and The View From The Studio Door.
September 29, 2025
Деякі цитати:
• Ідей у нас більше, ніж часу на їх утілення.
• Вони не втискають в обмежений проміжок часу якнайбілтше різних завдань, натомість відмовляються від усього несуттєвого. У своїй роботі вони зосереджуються лише на найважливішому.
• Усі винахожи роходять від попередніх ідей.
• Зробити все не просто неможливо, а й не потрібно.
•
• Ідей у нас більше, ніж часу на їх утілення.
• Вони не втискають в обмежений проміжок часу якнайбілтше різних завдань, натомість відмовляються від усього несуттєвого. У своїй роботі вони зосереджуються лише на найважливішому.
• Усі винахожи роходять від попередніх ідей.
• Зробити все не просто неможливо, а й не потрібно.
•
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2017
This book has some great organization and time management ideas. My favorite part of the book was the portion that talked about working in circles rather than linearly. This is something I want to implement right away.
July 31, 2021
Вот что скажу. В этой книге нет ничего ошеломляюще гениального и нового, но если прочитать вдумчиво и выполнить пару письменных упражнений, которые она предлагает, то она может быть довольно вдохновляющей.
До трёх ночи вчера писала планы, плюсы и минусы, и даже не заметила времени. А потому, спасибо автору за новые мысли и порцию мотивации!
Рекомендую к прочтению тем, кто, как я, немного застрял по жизни.
По традиции пара любопытных цитат:
Человеку свойственно заканчивать начатое дело, иначе возникает внутренний конфликт. Пока мы не решили задачу, нас не покидает чувство неудовлетворенности.
***
Намного проще преуспеть в том, что у вас и так уже хорошо получается, чем научиться тому, что вам не слишком хорошо дается.
***
Реакция людей на идеи. Плохие идеи: “Это никогда не сработает”, хорошие идеи: “Может сработать”, отличные идеи: “Это никогда не сработает”.
***
Иногда срочность ценнее, чем высокое качество. Если вы будете постоянно откладывать завершение работы, процесс может оказаться бесконечным. Он потеряет динамику. Актуальность сойдет на нет. В конце концов все займутся другими делами. А вы будете пытаться добиться совершенства, хотя это уже никому и не нужно.
——>
Представить менее инновационное решение вовремя лучше, чем совсем не представить гениальное.
До трёх ночи вчера писала планы, плюсы и минусы, и даже не заметила времени. А потому, спасибо автору за новые мысли и порцию мотивации!
Рекомендую к прочтению тем, кто, как я, немного застрял по жизни.
По традиции пара любопытных цитат:
Человеку свойственно заканчивать начатое дело, иначе возникает внутренний конфликт. Пока мы не решили задачу, нас не покидает чувство неудовлетворенности.
***
Намного проще преуспеть в том, что у вас и так уже хорошо получается, чем научиться тому, что вам не слишком хорошо дается.
***
Реакция людей на идеи. Плохие идеи: “Это никогда не сработает”, хорошие идеи: “Может сработать”, отличные идеи: “Это никогда не сработает”.
***
Иногда срочность ценнее, чем высокое качество. Если вы будете постоянно откладывать завершение работы, процесс может оказаться бесконечным. Он потеряет динамику. Актуальность сойдет на нет. В конце концов все займутся другими делами. А вы будете пытаться добиться совершенства, хотя это уже никому и не нужно.
——>
Представить менее инновационное решение вовремя лучше, чем совсем не представить гениальное.
September 26, 2019
I like the book a lot. Some reviews point out that you cannot tell who is the target and it is true but I do not think that should stop you for taking the useful part for you.
The author main goals are clearly two 1. To take time from unnecessary things to make room for the things you want to do. I think that he is a bit dry (he underestimate the importance of connections with other people) but at the end of the day, I will shape his advice with my own views, perhaps 6 lines emails instead of 5.
The second part is helping you to choose a project when you have TONS of them. From the ones in your head, halfway and of course in the pile of I never do that again. This was very helpful. This author is so to the point that allows you to make difficult desitions. I think is nice to have a long term guide and of course short term projects.
I think this book is very useful if you pass the dryness but at the end of the day, it is almost an impossible decision not to do something and concentrate on a few things.
The author main goals are clearly two 1. To take time from unnecessary things to make room for the things you want to do. I think that he is a bit dry (he underestimate the importance of connections with other people) but at the end of the day, I will shape his advice with my own views, perhaps 6 lines emails instead of 5.
The second part is helping you to choose a project when you have TONS of them. From the ones in your head, halfway and of course in the pile of I never do that again. This was very helpful. This author is so to the point that allows you to make difficult desitions. I think is nice to have a long term guide and of course short term projects.
I think this book is very useful if you pass the dryness but at the end of the day, it is almost an impossible decision not to do something and concentrate on a few things.
December 27, 2019
Некоторые книги приходят тогда, когда они нужны. Это небольшая подборка советов по целеполаганию и селф-менеджменту. Читается легко и быстро. Есть упражнения, которые помогают обнаружить свои цели. Упор делается на однозадачность и отсекание лишнего. Нужно выбрать только три основные задачи, все остальное идёт в "список не дел". Понравились моменты про сотрудничество и профит/непрофит от него (1+1=3, то есть результат должен быть явно круче, чем когда работаешь один, иначе нет смысла во взаимодействии). Также приятно встретить напоминание про круговую разработку: советуют делать много набросков разных идей за 3 минуты, чтобы понять, что выгорит, а что нет, и уже потом прокачивать лучшие варианты.
August 18, 2018
Sweeping a lot of aspects of the creative process and time management ideas into the 'to don't' list left me feeling that what was left was the common sense steps. A nice writing style accompanied by sketched figures, it was easy reading and in some cases added a different perspective to the way a creative works. Overall though, I found it didn't make a huge impact, but I'll go away with perhaps more attention to what is in my to do list. Probably could have reduced the word count even further from the final cut of 22000....
April 28, 2020
One of the best books I ever read on time-management and much more! If you have many ideas you want to work on but don’t know which one to start with, then this book is for you to read. If you have a project but not sure whether it will success or not, then this book will help you figure it out. The book give many advices and office hacks to help you in your daily and work life. I enjoyed how the book is designed with the use of illustrations and quotes and colors, which makes the book interesting to read in my opinion.
February 10, 2024
Terminei mais um livro sobre Ideias e Planeamento para Pessoas Criativas. Fala sobre o método da lista a não fazer, de qual é a nossa hashtag, de criar um plano de vida, opções de equipa, pontos a fazer ou a não fazer, fala da app todon'tlist, entre outros assuntos. No entanto, a certa altura do livro achei que podiam ter colocado os constrangimentos de um projeto criativo (para uns tempo, custo e qualidade, para outros tempo, custo e âmbito) Gostei muito do livro de tal forma que não parei de ler. Recomendo.
September 14, 2019
Le he dado una primera lectura y no sé, no termino de tener la propuesta muy clara. En realizar se trata de priorizar y centrarse en lo más básico para sacar lo fundamental hacia delante. De todas formas, volveré a leerlo y esta vez haré alguno de los ejercicios que propone para ver si le saco más rendimiento. Es muy fácil de leer, visualmente muy atractivo (se nota que el autor es diseñador gráfico) pero no acabo de estar convencida
June 12, 2021
I was intrigued by the title, so I borrowed the book! #BeingARebel 😎
I think I found this book at the right time - I was just exploring my options to become a freelancer and this book - according to the author, is mainly geared towards freelancers (though others can read too) - came right into my vision.
Lastly, I wanted the author to know that I had fun reading this book, just as how he had fun writing it. Cheers! :)
I think I found this book at the right time - I was just exploring my options to become a freelancer and this book - according to the author, is mainly geared towards freelancers (though others can read too) - came right into my vision.
Lastly, I wanted the author to know that I had fun reading this book, just as how he had fun writing it. Cheers! :)
November 17, 2023
The idea of the "To Don't list" is what attracted me spontaneously to this book. It is new, clever, alternative. The rest of the book not so much, and falling in the category of most time management books out there with the exception of nice sketches and diagrams. First pages are engaging, including the #hashtag concept, and then it gets boring. Book could have been a shorter booklet and make a bigger impact.
October 14, 2017
i’m an infographic fan & font enthusiast so the design was a happy thing. props for the ToDon’tList notion - will deffo look up the app.
but it wasn’t hugely well focused, & (like many books like this) left me cold from an ADHD point of view. sometimes the advice was ‘just concentrate effectively & don’t get sidetracked’. to which i’m like ‘well YES but...’
but it wasn’t hugely well focused, & (like many books like this) left me cold from an ADHD point of view. sometimes the advice was ‘just concentrate effectively & don’t get sidetracked’. to which i’m like ‘well YES but...’
November 25, 2019
This book was really helpful!! The app made by the creator of the book (ToDon’tList) is actually an app I use regularly to keep my life on track. Not only is it helpful from the perspective of a creative, but also from the perspective of someone with focus problems who sometimes has trouble with time management.
November 16, 2020
Книжечка с хорошей идеей, но ужасной реализацией. Начинается отлично, а дальше основная идея книги описывается всего несколькими предложениями и хорошим примером из жизни. Все. Больше там читать нечего, поэтому просто пролистал. Большая часть книги описание никак не связанных с основной идеей советов из интернетов. Текста мало, пользы мало, есть картинки. И как я на это купился?
December 14, 2020
Don’t Read This Book, by Donald Roos is a book that is one of its kind. This book has given me many ideas to put into practice in my daily life. The author really hits the nail on the head in presenting common time-related problems. All by all, I can really say with confidence that everyone can benefit from reading this book.
May 26, 2025
Very well designed as you'd expect from a UX/UI professional. No ground breaking concepts about time management but the idea of the "to don't list". It's true, simplicity is hard, prioritisation is extremely hard and that's what it's all about. Focus on the 1, 2 and 3, leave all the rest for another time.
December 19, 2018
Довольно неплохая книга и даже воды немного. Суть отражена в названии. Автор предлагает заниматься тем, что действительно нужно делать, а остальное отложить до лучших времен. Перечитаю потом еще раз, чтобы внушить себе.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews