There are lots of good books on about how to deal with an overwhelming workload. So how do you revolutionise your home and worklife so you have more free-time, and less overtime. Here’s a review of three classic texts.
1. Getting Things Done – David Allen
The book has provides a new approach to managing commitments, through processing and priortising. At first glance, you might think David Allen is merely suggesting that you make some lists. His method is more sophisticated than that. I found his system pretty easy to grasp. It was even fun to set-up. The simple workflow can be put in place on a spreadsheet. I found it really helpful to have a sense of the volume of my workload. His approach gives you more control and inspires productivity. As a result, it should reduce your stress levels too.
Buy Getting Things Done: How to Achieve Stress-free Productivity
2. The 4-Hour Work Week – Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss thinks you should outsource your life and do whatever you want. Part of me finds the whole thing rather far-fetched. I don’t believe most bosses value performance over presence. I have yet to find a boss who happy for me to check in regularly, whilst riding my motorcycle to India. Whilst I agree they should, the ones I’ve worked for would rather have me within their direct sight on a regular basis (to make sure I was not having too much of a good time!)
Though overall, his philosophy does point to a material fact. In the twentieth first century, the world is smaller and better connected than ever before. Then why are so many of us still stuck in hamster cages with strip lighting? There are more flexible ways you can work, to achieve more and enjoy life.
Buy The 4-hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich
3. How to be Free – Tom Hodgkinson
How to be Free is a wonderful book, because it tells you a lot of stuff about the modern world that you know, but refuse to acknowledge. We all need to slow down, consume less, laugh more and stop striving for the next big thing. How to Be Free points to the absurdity of the modern world. Are the values that drive us the right ones to have? Tom Hodgkinson thinks not, and proposes instead a return to medieval values. This idea is not as bonkers as it first sounds. It certainly provides a lot of food for thought.
