Book Review: Get-It-Done-Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More

When I was contacted about reviewing Stever Robbins' Get-It-Done-Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More, I admit, I was puzzled.  I have, at best, a minuscule readership (Hi, Mom!), while Stever gets 80,000 iTunes downloads a second (or something like that -- I get confused by the numbers).  I did discover that Stever, like me, is an MIT grad (which explains his strange fixation on zombie reanimation), so maybe that's it.  Whatever the reason, I found the idea appealing.

That led to the question: is this book -- which in all honesty is geared primarily toward the business world -- something of any interest to a creative?  I assume that those of you who didn't have to put up with me for 9 months before the rest of the world did are here reading this blog not because you care that much about my journey as a creative, but because you want your own creative journey and are looking for ways to make that a reality.

In that case, Get-It-Done-Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More is worth the read.  Whether you spend most of your time being a creative and want to eke out a few more minutes of writing or painting in your day; or whether your prime hours are spent in an office, school, or store and you want to ease your life so you have more time in the evenings to create, there's something in the book for you.

Like most self-help books, this one contains dozens of tips and tricks to achieve the desired result, in this case Working Less and Doing More.  Also like other self-help books, not every tip or trick will be of use to you.  For me personally, I found the sections on overcoming procrastination, overcoming distractions and focusing, and not wasting time to be of the most use, though his Spartan opinions on checking email (only 3 pre-defined times per day???  How can I live?) would probably be a great help to many of us.  In short order, the 9 Steps are:

1) Live on Purpose -- defining what our lives are really about, and figuring out what steps and actions we need to take to really achieve that life.

2) Stop Procrastinating -- it took me forever to read this chapter because I kept doing the dishes, doing the laundry, washing the bathroom, cleaning the cat, oiling the ceiling fan, reading the news, surfing the web ...

3) Conquer Technology -- this one was a big one for me, actually.  Ways to make you the Master of your technology, not your technology the Master of you.

4) Beat Distractions to Cultivate Focus -- ways to overcome interruptions and multitasking.  I particularly loved his "Say No" philosophy (I try to do this as much as possible anyway, but it's always nice to hear it again), and his "Days" -- grouping tasks to be done together so some days are "Focus Days" (days where deep, creative thought is needed), "Admin Days" (paperwork, minutiae, and the like), and "Spirit Days" (days where you recharge your batteries and your soul).

5) Stay Organized -- I consider myself fairly organized, so the ideas in this chapter weren't as much use to me, but I know most of the people I come into contact with are frighteningly disorganized, so I'm sure this chapter could free up hours of time for many people.

6) Stop Wasting Time -- aligning your tasks with the Purpose you discovered back in step 1, and focusing on the 80/20 rule -- the idea that 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions, and focusing on that 20%.

7) Optimize -- finding ways to do tasks (especially repeated tasks) more efficiently by coming up with systems.  This is especially good for repeated tasks where you'll be doing the same thing the same way -- set up a system and save yourself time.

8) Build Stronger Relationships -- since it's people who get things done in the world, Stever shows you how to get them on your side and use them to help get your work done in less time, while helping them get theirs done, too.

9) Leverage -- using a small amount of effort up front to get huge results in the end.

What makes Stever's advice so useful is the rationale behind it all -- the Industrial Revolution and modern technology were all supposed to free up our time so we could get the same amount of work done in less time and have more time for leisure.  Instead, we filled those hours we freed up with more work.  Life's about more than work, and this book will help you reclaim some of those hours, which (along with a healthy dose of saying "No") will free you up to pursue other, more important things in life, like being a creative.

With insight, humor, and an excessive reliance on zombie-related metaphors, Stever Robbins guides the reader on a journey of self-discovery, realization, and change that will lead to a more relaxing and creative life.  Get-It-Done-Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More is a good read for anyone who wants more free time, or just likes reading about other people's plots to take over the world with the undead.