HBR Guide to Being More Productive

by Harvard Business Review

Productivity starts with you. Every day begins with the same too many tasks on your to-do list and not enough time to accomplish them. Perhaps you tell yourself to just buckle down and get it all done—skip lunch, work a longer day. Maybe you throw your hands up, recognize you can't do it all, and just begin fighting the biggest fire or greasing the squeakiest wheel. And yet you know how good it feels on those days when you're working at peak productivity, taking care of difficult and meaty projects while also knocking off the smaller tasks that have been hanging over your head forever. Those are the times when your day didn't run you—you ran your day. To have more of those days more often, you need to discover what works for you given your strengths, your preferences, and the things you must accomplish. Whether you're an assistant or the CEO, whether you've been in the workforce for 40 years or are just starting out, this guide will help you be more productive. You'll discover different ways Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Genres: Productivity, Business, Self Help, Nonfiction, Management

256 pages, Paperback

Published July 18, 2017

Reviews

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to sift through books like this but they have some good advice. Like most business self-help books there are usually at least two competing ways to approach each aspect of productivity and neither is necessarily better. The trick is to figure out what is intuitive for yourself. And those little reminders can be great. I also have the opposite problem from most people in the book - I have an enormous amount of time but find it difficult to get anything done, partially for health reasons and partially because I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. So I'm trying to lean on books a bit to make up for a lack of work skills developed naturally.

[Henry Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not earth shattering but this book has some useful insights and is a quick read. Worth the time to check out.

[Ms_prue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book of former blog posts. The size of this book is weird; this series is formatted into a small tablet-sized paperback, which makes it pretty much impossible to read one-handed and you have to open both sides quite firmly to see inside the book because there's so much spine and so little page width. That's right - a paperback with usability issues. The mind boggles.

[Sarah Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

First few chapters were great and very helpful exercises. The rest of the book was just small chapters with summaries of various studies and lacked actual practical advice.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some good takeaways here, fast reads.

"Planning your week typically takes 30-60 minutes, and project planning takes much longer."
From Elizabeth Grace Saunders, "You May Hate Planning, But You Should Do It Anyway." In HBR Guide to Being More Productive, p. 37.

"...keeping an eye on the plan and making adjustments is just as important as delivering a complete product—it maintains process stability." Ibid p. 39

[Ian Burrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life most of the HBR series these short articles vary greatly - some are insightful, some less so and some contradict each other. Nevertheless, there is enough here of value to make this a worthwhile read. Not all the advice will tick your box but you'll find something here if you are looking to improve your productivity toolkit.

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

📕 Why (Not) to read this book (Target Audience)

A book plenty off practical tips, that lacked novelty. Most off them I read before.

👀 How this book changed my daily live (Takeaways)

Sprints Are the Secret to Getting More Done

⁉ Spoiler Alerts (Highlights)

You May Hate Planning, but You Should Do It Anyway.
Make Time for Work That Matters.
The Two Things Killing Your Ability to Focus: Hyperconnected state & Meetings
Gazing at Nature Makes You More Productive
Finding Meaning at Work, Even When Your Job Is Dull
Don’t Obsess Over Getting Everything Done Before a Vacation: Accept That Work Will Be Fine Without You
Ease the Pain of Returning to Work After Time Off: Stay in stealth mode

[Brennan Hoem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a highly informative book! Short and simple tips that when put into action, can significantly increase productivity. The advice on staying motivated, time & task management, and creating an environment conducive to work resonated with me. For example, I now create a task list of things to get done before the week starts and adjust it as the week progresses. In addition, instead of taking coffee breaks on my phone I go around the office firing up co workers. Finally, I assign less important, urgent tasks to other departments so I can have more time to maximize sales.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, many chapters didn't resonate with me, but still here and there I could read great advice and probably I wouldn't have discovered many things on procrastination, as chapter 25 from Heidi Grant, or on the problem of focussing. Also finding out that problems like "the nagging colleague" or "how to make travelling productive" are taken into account was relieving for me.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly decent. My favorite part was when it talks about how if you're negatively motivated (like you're afraid of the embarrassment of failure) rather than positively motivated (like you're excited about the idea of success), you should just lean into that negative motivation, lol. Kind of dark, and it kind of reveals how MBA types are sort of sociopathic. However, I respect the grind.

[Matt Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book with multiple articles from being more productive, how to take breaks, how to motivate yourself, work at home and take vacations. Many good authors and articles sourced mostly from hbr.org.

[Shivai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great elucidation of ideas. There isn't anything in the book per se that you haven't heard of or don't know. But, perhaps text being written gives clearer perspectives. If nothing else, it gives you insights to other literature of the authors that can give an in-depth insight to a specific segment.

[Claire Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d give it 3.5 if I could. Some parts had great nuggets of info / tips, other parts not so much. I also found some chapter headings a bit misleading in regard to the content that was actually in them.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of different ideas. I wish I wrote down what I felt was the culprit of my lack of productivity before reading the book to help filter out some of the ideas (and become more productive at reading the productivity book :) )

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information but got repetitive near the end. I wasn't bothered by the fact that it's a collection of articles as opposed to an actual book. As far as I see it, I'm gaining quality information, presented in concise & effective explanations, with writing that isn't stale.

[Dee Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has given me a broader overview of myself. While I do not have my own organization yet, it still provides a better understanding of what to do with time and oneself. Overall a its a good read.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. A little dense but it is worth reading slowly and highlighting aggressively. The productivity ideas are really insightful, actionable and backed by research. This book is meant to have a permanent spot on your shelf for you to peruse any time you want to one up your productivity.

[Jeffrey Ning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consider tools and insights from the book to gain self-awareness, plan effectively, stay focus, motivate self, increase productivity, and enjoy self care - all in the name of higher productivity. You might encounter a few eureka moments through its pages.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought this was for being more productive on a personals level but was actually 200 pages of how to be a more productive office worker. i unfortunately will not be delegating my tasks and setting boundaries when i go on vacation.

[Dexter Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read on the plane. Applicable tips and tricks to make the most of your time, focusing on completing tasks and getting more real work done.

[Fadl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice practical ideas on how to get more productive . Some of these ideas are trivial and well known , but yet good to read them in quick organized way .

[Jie Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical tips for work situations. Well rounded articles that give both view points.

[Joseph Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book! Some chapters were hit or miss but since it is a review of the literature in productivity, if you find yourself in a chapter that is not doing it for you then you are always just 4-5 pages away from something totally different. Here are a few of the nuggets I found:
- Ch. 19: Mindfulness - Mindfulness at work means you are focused and concentrated on the task at hand as well as aware of distractions. It is the ability to have a sharp and clear head as you focus on one thing at a time. This is like a superpower as we live in a world where so many people lack the ability to focus their attention. The author recommends building into your day times to stop and be mindful until this becomes a habit and a part of how you operate.
- Ch. 25: Procrastination - This chapter covers procrastination and states that, in short, we procrastinate because we're afraid we'll screw up the task, we don't "feel" like doing it, or because the task is unpleasant. To remedy the procrastination caused by fear of failure, focus on what you will lose if you do not act quickly. Focus on the stick, not the carrot. To remedy procrastination caused by not acting because you don't feel like it, remember that there is nothing stopping you and feelings cannot stop you from doing anything. Ignore those stupid feelings! Lastly, if you are procrastinating because the work is unpleasant than create a detailed plan of action for when you will complete the task.
- Ch. 29: Self-Talk - Thinking in the second or third person when you silently talk to yourself can improve performance and help you make more objective, rational decisions. Replace "I should go do XYZ today" with "He should go do XYZ" of "(Insert your name) should go do XYZ." Mentally adopting a "fly on the wall" perspective on your work and problems before you can cause you to be more reflective and cool when faced with difficult situations.

[Mohsin Mahmood]

A good assortment of HBR articles on how to manage your time better and how to be more productive.