Thursday, September 3, 2015

Taming the To-Do-List by Glynnis Whitwer

Procrastination. We've all experienced it. Whitwer says she was an expert in it. She has learned how to conquer it and she shares her ideas with us.

I like how she distinguishes filling our days with work and doing our best work. She wants to see us progress on our highest and best callings of life – work that makes the greatest impact on lives (ours and others). “Busy work is the thief of our best work,” she writes. Her goal for us is not to get more things done but to get the right things done.

She helps us understand procrastination and our motivation behind it. Once we've done that we can identify motivators to get us moving in the right direction. We look at the cost of decisions, the cost of procrastinating, stress (from procrastinating), fear, overload, perfectionism, decision making, will-power, time management, setting goals, identifying projects vs. tasks, prioritizing, and getting an accountability partner.

I really appreciate her comments on planning time for renewal, like Bible reading and other activities that energize us. She even wants us to take time to dream.

This book is not going to tell you how to create the best to-do list. It will help you understand how you can accomplish the most important tasks before you, slaying that procrastination dragon. The choice is still yours. Whitwer gives you the tools for getting the best things done. It's still up to each of us to follow through.

Food for thought: “What is God calling you to do that you haven't done yet?”

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Glynnis Whitwer is the executive director of communications for Proverbs 31 Ministries and contributor to their email devotional. She is the author of several books. She and her husband have five young adult children and live in Arizona. She blogs regularly at www.glynniswhitwer.com.

Revell, 208 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

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