Getting Things Done with 100+ Instant Productivity Hacks for Every Day by George Ilian – A Book Review

As a work at home parent, you may feel that every day you are juggling more and more tasks.  Sometimes doing so can be frustrating and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

In George Ilian’s book, GettingThings Done with 100+ Instant Productivity Hacks for Every Day, he offers valuable suggestions for improving your productivity so you can have more time to spend with family and friends or just relaxing.

The book is a short read, but it includes practical, effective solutions to improve your time management skills.  The real value in this book isn’t the read itself but in implementing the many strategies to become more productive.

Book’s Contents

Section 1: Basic Productivity Hacks

Some of these basic productivity hacks you likely already do (or know that you should do), like turning off your electronics to get more done, scheduling time to work during your most productive time of the day, and taking breaks to recharge before working again.

However, this chapter is packed with productivity hacks and likely suggests several you have not considered or used.  I especially like his suggestion to model your behavior after other productive people’s and to be preventative (don’t let things pile up so you have a major task to conquer when you could have done a little bit every day to keep the job small and quick).

Section 2:  At Work “Hacks” to Improve Your Productivity

Did you know lighting can make a huge difference in your productivity?  That’s just one tip suggested in this chapter.  Another tip is resisting answering the phone or an e-mail while you’re doing productive work so you don’t distract yourself, resulting in more time spent getting back to the place you were in your productive work.  

I found the tips in this chapter really helped me identify where I was (unknowingly) wasting my time at work and how to improve that situation.

Section 3: At Home Productivity Hacks

Learn to say no to commitments so you have more time to get your work done.  Also, learn to say no to social media.  Ilian suggests you set a time just ONCE a day to check your social media accounts.  If you’re like me, this is a huge behavioral change, but it can free up a lot of time in your day depending on how often you check Facebook and other social media accounts.

Section 4: Food and Exercise Productivity Hacks

Take care of yourself health-wise so that you’re able to focus on your work.  Some of Ilian’s tips include practicing yoga; eating small, nutritious meals packed with protein; and exercising every day.  He also advocates grocery shopping just once a week and cooking in bulk so you don’t need to spend up to an hour every evening cooking a meal and cleaning up.

Section 5: Technology Productivity Hacks

There are a bundle of apps that can help you do everything from managing your business, filing an expense report, tracking your level of physical activity in a day, and posting the same thing to all of your different social media accounts.  Technology-minded individuals will love learning about the many productivity apps now available.

Section 6: Boosting Your Productivity Through Your Mind

Our minds are perhaps our most powerful productivity tool, but too often, we let our thoughts derail our progress.  This chapter is full of excellent productivity hacks, but three of my favorites were avoiding the “what ifs” (since they likely won’t occur anyway), letting go of perfection, and staying in the moment.

Is This Book Right for You?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your workload or with juggling family and work responsibilities, you’ll likely benefit from this book.  At only $2.99 on Kindle (or FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription), it’s a bargain and will pay for itself immediately.

Not all of the productivity hacks will be new ones to you, but combined together, this book gives you powerful tools to help you to get your work done and still enjoy the rest of your life, too.