Progress Over Perfection: A Guide to Mindful Productivity

by Emma Norris

Emma Norris guides you in setting purposeful plans that are right for you and nurturing a healthier approach to prioritizing, so you can live a more value-based life. She'll guide you through mono-tasking, batch working, productivity, and resting—not quitting.

Being busy or constantly on the go doesn’t always mean we are being productive. Sometimes, it can feel like we are doing too much and accomplishing too little. Or we can have lots of plans and not know exactly where to start achieving what we want. This can make us feel overwhelmed and burned out, leaving little room to figure out what we want to do and lots of room to doubt ourselves.

Having more mindful productivity habits can combat these challenges by helping you keep track of your goals and accomplish them. You can pick the right methods to achieve things without feeling stress, anxiety, or the pressure of external factors while also improving your focus and living a purposeful life. Life doesn’t always go as planned, and when that happens we want to be prepared to be our most productive selves.

Each chapter of this book is tailored to help you achieve mindful productivity. You'll learn to:
Pursue progress over perfection
Embrace the chaos
Set boundaries
Create realistic objectives
Practice mindfulness
And much more
You’ll not only nurture a more stress-free lifestyle, but also learn to embrace the unexpected challenges that may come your way. You will learn how to cultivate productivity into your everyday routine, so you are able to achieve anything you set your mind to without the pressure of doing everything.

With Mindful Productivity, you’ll find the courage and the resolve to do what you want to do without having to compromise your plans to fit the pressures of everyday society. It’s possible to be your true self and achieve anything you want, even among the chaos.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Mental Health, Personal Development

144 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2020

Reviews

[Kirsty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd call this a beginner's guide to mindfulness and productivity. If you've ever read a book or even a long blog post about either topic, there won't be much new info in here. It's nicely presented and has a real Oliver Bonas/Anthropologie vibe – the mint/gold/indigo/baby pink colour scheme would match perfectly with any display at those shops, and I expect to see the book on sale there.

I wanted to know how to actually value progress over perfection, as the title suggests, but that's not really what this book is; it has some simple, gentle tips, but for anything requiring deeper insight it suggests you see a therapist. Which... okay, fair enough, but it felt like a bit of a cop-out. The title (intentionally or unintentionally) reminded me of the well-known cognitive behavioural therapy book Mind Over Mood, so I (fairly or unfairly) expected something along the same lines: quite hard-hitting, psychologically insightful, and with lots of practical exercises to do.

But it's not that. It's a nice, chatty book that would be great for someone in their older teens or early 20s who's never read about mindfulness or productivity before, but would be interested in it.

[Ell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectionism is the mountain that has no peak…..such a great quote provided by Emma Norris! In today’s fast-paced, competitive world so many of us believe we can and should strive for perfectionism in all aspects of our lives. But this can lead to more stress than reward. Progress Over Perfection instructs us to prioritize boundaries, balance and progress for a more fulfilling life. The takeaway tips provided are helpful and practical. The overall message of the book is inspiring and grounding. The tone is conversational and educational. Five stars!

[kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

it’s cute and semi-inspiring !

[SadieReadsAgain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a gorgeous thing to look at. The colour pallet, the layout...I just completely loved it, and would buy a physical copy rather than an ebook as it's so beautiful. It's so well considered and a total joy to turn each page. Emma Norris has a really friendly, non-preachy voice in the advice she is giving in this book too. She speaks from a place of her own learning and not from a point of being an "expert." When it comes to working on the struggles that so many of us face in terms of overwhelm, the expectations we put on ourselves and the destructive habit of comparing ourselves to others, that take is absolutely essential. In terms of the content, I would say this is more of a primer for those who are trying to be kinder to themselves whilst also getting their ish together. I'm slightly off the beginner blocks in terms of this topic (at least with regards to reading about it...applying the theory to my actual life and brain chat is a different story), so I can't say I learned anything new. However, I think it's helpful to hear these things talked about from different angles, and some of the things she said made certain concepts make more sense and seem more applicable than they have when I've heard them from other sources. This is a wonderful gift book for someone you want to show some loving kindness to...even if that person is yourself.


I was kindly sent a NetGalley of this title by Rock Point in return for a review. All thoughts are my own.

[Katherine Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma Norris' practical guide to overcoming the paralysis of perfectionism is a timely addition to current conversations about self-sabotage (and a timely addition to my personal bookshelf as I come towards the end of my PhD!) The first few chapters left me a little worried that the book was going to guide me about how to be productive *in spite* of perfectionism insofar as it offered (very good!) advice regarding how to work more effectively. The real gems of the work appear in the second half of Norris' guide, however, where she tackles the specifics of perfectionism in more detail than I have come across before. The chapter 'Learning to Rest, not Quit' was a particularly striking example of this. The actionable tips included at the end of every section are highly effective, and almost never too pithy, and the question prompts appended to these tips make implementing Norris' advice in a relevant way to your personal situation seem highly achievable. I am grateful that Norris acknowledges the fact that productivity is a privilege, however I felt an acknowledgement that the interaction of hard work and perfectionism is often far from the main thing holding an individual back from achieving there goals was noticeably absent. Personally, the tone of the text sometimes verged on condescending, rather than encouraging, and phrases like 'cray-cray' felt a little out of place. That said, the value of the tools I take away from this text far outweigh this quibble.

[Karen07 · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Progress over perfection’ offers a variety of strategies to increase your productivity as well as your wellbeing. The writing is concise and conversational. At least the earc of this was also beautifully designed using colors and typography to its fullest advantage. The book does not reinvent the wheel though. Pretty much all of the strategies are well-known to people who have already read a self-improvement book or blog. For someone new to this area, ‘Progress over perfection’ would be an excellent intro into the field.

[Aparna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the tips, I already follow

Some were helpful

The humor sprinkled in between was enjoyable.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I thought it was a brilliant resourceful book for those struggling with perfection. I feel like I took a lot away with me and it feel like I was able to relax a little more. I also liked the use of the colours within the book, I thought that was soothing and relaxing. Definitely one for the book shelf to keep referring to when you’re in a slump.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to my sweet daughter for buying this for me for Christmas! I enjoyed the bite-sized chapters and the lovely gold infused illustrations throughout. The author does a great job of teaching how to be productive and successful while still enjoying life and practicing mindfulness. I appreciated her down-to-earth (without sounding preachy) style of writing that made it easier to connect with. I’ll definitely keep this book for future reference!

[Julie Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐.5

Note: I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Progress Over Perfection breaks the myth that productivity is about spending every minute possible on legitimate projects. Using the concept of mindful productivity, Norris shows readers how to prioritize effectively and schedule enough time to recharge. With these methods, Norris proves to readers the importance of taking time to oneself before taking on big projects and reaching out to others.

Before becoming a book blogger/reviewer, I was a personal development and lifestyle blogger, which is what Norris does as well. That being said, a lot of the topics covered in this book are topics I’m very familiar with. Some are ones I’m still working on/discovering myself in my career. Others cover topics well-known to personal development content creators, such as time-blocking, practicing mindfulness, and discovering one’s self-worth. And while this book only covers these topics and tips at a high-level, it is a good start to making healthy habits and changes to everyday life and work.

Throughout the book, there are different sections that fit under the productivity umbrella, from goal-setting to designing your perfect day. In each chapter, Norris explores the concept and provides tips and action items to get started. There are also interactive pages in each book that provides activities such as questions and visualizations. These help the reader apply the concepts to their everyday lives.

A big theme in this book is how easy it is to give to others without making room for self-care. This includes not taking the time to take care of one’s own needs, or saying yes to everything out of guilt. The book also discusses the true definition of perfectionism, and how most perfectionists don’t realize that the definition applies heavily to them. These were the two most valuable concepts in the book. I find with many people (especially myself) that setting boundaries is incredibly difficult if you’re a people-pleaser. And if either of these things apply to you, Progress Over Perfection provides actions that you can take to ensure that you’re setting boundaries and giving yourself the care that you need in order to stay productive.

While Progress Over Perfection does provide tips and direction on a variety of topics related to productivity and personal development, it does take these topics from a high-level. If you’ve been reading books like these for a while, or otherwise familiar with a lot of these topics through blogs or videos on these topics, many of them may be very familiar to you. Additionally, if you’ve been working in your field for a while, you’ve probably learned about much of the topics covered here through experience. And while the author does provide a variety of examples, from content creators to office employees to mothers, this book does have a specific target audience. I’d recommend this book most to those just starting out in their careers, in school, or in their early twenties. Not to say that older audiences can’t benefit from the topics presented here, but I think most of the topics will be new to those who have less experience in their fields or don’t engage with this kind of content often.

Overall, Progress Over Perfection is a good starting point for those looking to find balance in their lives. It provides many action items for people who want to work on mindful productivity and need a place to start.

[Kaja]

I think this book was decent. It had some good points on why you should prioritize progress over perfection and how to create a more conscious space around your day and work. The content is good. Not anything new for me personally, which is something I generally don't like. Some of the examples speak clearly to which kind of people this book is meant to touch - city dwellers, hurried lives - and I wish that it for once could be used anything else since it's a) overused in my opinion, but understandable why, b) include other people, other demographics. However, I can't really blame a book for hitting is audience well. The design support the same theme. A bit too heavy and girly for my own personal taste, but self-improvement books do have the tendency to be this type of cheerful.

I liked it. Informative. Pretty design.

[Mackenzie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This like many self help books of this variety reiterates the same concepts. Although, if you can come across something you didnt know before or take at least 1 or 2 things from a book like this than its done its job. Id never heard of binuaral beats before but I looked it up and listened to a few different varities and found myself quite relaxed and focused as she describes them to be. I definitely see myself implementing those into my routine. I like the wabi sabi concept as well, I hadnt heard it like that. The little mindfulness examples and self care examples were beneficial to me I felt. On a whole, since I was able to come away from reading this with some motivation and improvement techniques, this book was worth a quick little read.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this for a review.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Setting personal boundaries - You wouldn't let someone you know steal from your bank account, why let them do it with your time and energy? They're equally limited resources!

I loved this book, particularly the paraphrased quote above. In Progress over Perfection, Emma highlights a plethora of ways to incorporate mindful productivity into everyday life. Not only is the book itself a beautifully laid out, calming gem, each chapter offers new and meaningful ways to set and smash goals.

As someone who has random spurts of productivity here and there, I found myself inspired to actually set a routine and get stuff done, after reading this book.

If you often find yourself, like me, getting easily distracted and falling out of routine, READ THIS BOOK. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, why not take a positive step towards mindful productivity?!

[Amy Block · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. 2.5 stars. A few good quotes and useful tidbits, but nothing revelatory here. This is a good entry-level read on how to build healthy habits and manage your life in such a way that you feel less overwhelmed and more satisfied. Specifically, the sections about monotasking and setting boundaries I found useful to keep in mind. But I felt like most of the information in this book I was already familiar with, both through years of working on myself in therapy, reading books about mental health, following self-help accounts on social media and just common sense. I also kept finding typos, which annoyed me!

[Vee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great intro guide to mindful productivity! This book provided a high level look at how to tie in mindful practices into productivity tools that can easily be applied in your every day. Many of these concepts were known to me but it did introduce some novel and interesting approaches (and also references, in case you wanted to learn more) that I found were really valuable. Would definitely recommend to someone who’s new to the topic and wants to implement actionable steps to leading a more productive life!

[Aeson Chappell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The examples provided were very heavily centred around young female business owners / entrepreneurs and this really limits the reach and audience for the book. It makes people who are struggling to even do basic living tasks feel worse about not achieving those expectations. Initially the book felt comforting because it was reassuring, gentle advice but the examples really contradicted this message. In the section about burnout it suggested taking a day or week off of work to rest but didn’t mention anything about people who need to work to afford to live.

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book. The color palette and pallets are beautiful. They are both calming and engaging making this self-help book seem warm instead of commanding.
Emma Norris did well making teh text easy to read and understand. She also makes great use of pull quotes, side bars and bullet points. Each ones breaks down teh important parts for teh reader so there is no confusion.
I got a lot out of Progress over Perfection; it taught me something I really needed to learn.

[Kirsten Lost 2022 · Rating 3 out of 5]

So lots of good stuff here, but I thought this book would be for me, an underachieving, perfectionist early 30s woman. But I feel even more underachieving than when I started because the things that Emma talks about seem way more than I'm even capable of - at no point ever am I gonna be capable of a side hustle, for example. I'd just like to get my chores done!

[Meeghan Kummer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick easy ready and gave me some good tips for ways to be more productive using a mindful approach. Trying to identify and set some goals for myself with kindness. One thing I learned was ways for me to "rest" and to avoid burnout with unfollowing some accounts. Will try her podcast.a day in progress.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of one year and the start of another felt like the perfect time to pick up Emma Norris' self help guide, Progress Over Perfection. This compact, yet informative, little book gives readers tips and tricks in choosing progress over perfection. Norris stresses that you should not let the need to be "perfect" discourage you from going for your dreams. Rather, you should act now and worry about refinement later.

Divided into sections that cover many areas of personal and professional life, Progress Over Perfection helps readers tackle their goals and get closer to the life they truly want to live. From goal-setting to time management, to chaos and cultivation, to boundaries and self-care, Progress Over Perfection scratches the surface on a multitude of relevant self-help topics and serves as an introductory guide to creating a life you love.

I am a person who often feels as if I am not "doing enough" although I know good and well that I am a quite focused and accomplished individual. Some of the practices I have come across on my own and implemented were mentioned in Norris' book, so that reaffirmed that I am on the right track when it comes to goal-setting and cultivating my life. While I was familiar with much of the topics covered here, I did enjoy the refresher that Progress Over Perfection provided me.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mindfulness with a twist: a focus on productivity and being your best self. A combination of business motivation and self-help book, this artfully presented book contains multiple tips and activities to help you hack your productivity without compromising your well being.

[Mikayla Spedding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read. Really gives you the inspiration you need without the bullshit that people give. Straight to the point and I read it in a day !! Honestly couldn’t recommend enough to anyone needing an extra push 🌻

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visually pleasing, easy to read, no frills. I thought this one would only be three stars but I’m glad I persevered. Very much written with the audience (millennial women) in mind.
I was a bit disappointed by the reference list, not many academic pieces.
Overall, would recommend

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are new to the concept of mindfulness and productivity, this is the book for you. It's a beginner's guide that's probably best suited for people in their late teens and early twenties. It has good tips, but if you want more depth look elsewhere.

[Regina Mosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful tips and tricks to make forward movement in your goals. However, if you don't have goals or struggle with making goals for yourself, this will not help with that. Overall, good information for the time spent reading.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been a blog post. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Tom Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that’s practical, humorous and easy to follow. Recommend to males and females.

[Deirdre Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There is several great tips I will be using in the future. I highly recommend this read!

[haliuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished this book recently. I really like that idea of woman working on them selves for themselves.

[Taylor Fiksdal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic information in this book, but useful for people who are new to mindfulness