Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor

We feel swamped. The solution to our struggle with time management, Raynor says, is Jesus Christ. First, we have peace in Him. Second, He shows us how God manages time.

Raynor looks to the Author of time to help us know how we address time. In that sense, in addition to a how-to book, this is a why-do book. It centers on the gospel. We are encouraged to redeem the time, manage our time wisely and carefully. (Eph.5:15-17) The result is not more time for our own pleasures but to further the kingdom.

Raynor explores seven principles drawn from the commands of Jesus or the way He lived His life. Stories, science and Scripture are combined to for the foundation and illustrations of the principles. Tested practices are suggested for each principle. He also offers resources and tutorial videos at his website.

While many of the practical suggestions will not be new, the reasons behind them may be. One that impressed me was solitude (silence). We are well aware of the distraction of technology and that we need to control it. Raynor reminds us of the many times Jesus sought solitude, even when crowds were pursuing him. That gave me a truly spiritual reason to temper social media time.

This is a good book for readers who are interested in the spiritual principles behind good time management. You'll get valuable insights into how our time relates to God and His mission. You'll find practical strategies too. But, as Raynor says, this is not a quick fix. It took him more than a decade to work out his own time management. It's hard work, he says, but worth it.

You can read an excerpt here.

You can watch the book trailer here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Jordan Raynor is a serial entrepreneur and national bestselling author who has helped millions of Christians around the world connect the gospel to their work through his podcasts, devotionals, and books. He also serves as the executive chairman of Threshold 360, a venture backed tech start-up that has built the world's largest library of 360-degree virtual experiences of hotels, restaurants, and attractions. He is a sought after speaker on the topic of faith and work. He was selected as a Google fellow twice and served in the White House under President George W. Bush. He lives in Tampa with his wife and daughters.

Waterbrook, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

A Minute to Think by Julie Funt

Life is crazy busy. What if we stop and take a moment to think? What if we add space in our daily life to do so?

I'm old enough to remember boring times, times of day dreaming, time before the incessant media and activities. Now we need to be reminded, “Thinking is time well spent.” (17) How does that happen in this performance oriented era? How do we move away from thinking unfulfilled time is somehow an enemy?

Funt encourages businesses to schedule white space, time with no assignments for employees so they have time to think without performance pressure and without distractions. She encourages us to not fill up those natural times of white space, such as waiting in the grocery line, at stop lights. Don't destroy that space with busy work, podcasts, etc.

Funt helps us understand what white space is (and is not), how to schedule it, and how to craft wedges of time. She writes about dealing with email (touching it less and compose it better), saying no, questions for streamlining meetings, identifying the thieves, developing a reduction mindset, and more. She gives encouraging examples of CEOs who have benefited from dedicated white space.

This is a good book for people who are tired of the performance race, tired of working instead of living. One can experience a fulfilling life that includes time to think and dream and reflect. This book gives the encouragement and tools to do so. Start right now by giving yourself permission to sit for ten minutes and do nothing, just being satisfied with life.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Julie Funt is a featured keynote speaker, advisor to Fortune 500 companies and founder and CEO of the training firm Juliet Funt Group. She encourages companies to free themselves from the burden of busy work, having advised a number of major organizations. You can find out more at https://www.julietfunt.com/.

Harper Business, 288 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Zilker Media. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

Indistractable by Nir Eyal with Julie Li

Who hasn't glanced up at the clock and been surprised at the time? How had I spent so much time on social media? Did I still have time to get my tasks done for the day?

Reading this book helped me understand our love affair with all those devices that distract us. Programmers of social media design their sites so we want to check just one more post. Eyal and Li help us control those distractions so we can live the life we want and experience the incredible power of following through on intentions.

They address the issues of internal triggers, those discomforts that lead us off track. They tackle external triggers like notifications and texts. They provide practical strategies like creating time boxes and turning off notifications. I was surprised about their information on multitasking and doing it the productive way. They have good sections on strategies for the workplace and helping our children realistically deal with tech devices.

I found this book to be very informative and helpful. I feel I have the tools to help me craft the daily life I choose, not one that is sucked away by pesky distractions. You can find out more and get free resources at https://www.nirandfar.com/ .

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Nir Eyal taught behavioral design at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business at NirandFar.com.

Julie Li cofounded NirandFar.com, where she works to bring the latest insights on time management, behavioral design, and consumer psychology to a growing global audience.

BenBella Books, 300 pages.

Take Back Your Time by Morgan Tyree

Another time management book? Yes, but this one comes at the issue with some fresh considerations. Tyree emphasizes choice. Since we all have 24 hours each day, what we choose to do in those hours makes the difference. She helps us determine our purposes, those areas we feel God is calling us to focus on, then establish priorities. She also writes about recognizing our strengths and unique abilities, personality styles and energy levels. She helps us evaluate our commitments. Knowing our purpose and priorities helps us to say no to requests.

Another new aspect of time management for me was to determine my daily cycles of productivity. Using her method, we can establish our best times to focus on tasks, our times we should be flexible, and the hours we can fill with what we want (and perhaps need for our own well being). She has a different way of writing out goals. She uses the acronym LIGHT rather than the familiar SMART.

Tyree includes time management tips too. We are reminded we need to say no sometimes. Finding cheerleaders was new to me. She offers free printable charts, such as time logs and calendars at her website to help in the discovery tasks.

Tyree tells lots of her own stories so the book is entertaining as well as informative. It's a good book for people who want to figure out how to organize their days considering their callings and their personalities.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Morgan Tyree has a BS in business administration with an emphasis in small business and entrepreneurship from the University of Oregon, and has worked in the fields of marketing, management, and human resources. She blogs weekly at Morganize with Me (www.morganizewithme.com), and contributes monthly to Organizing Junkie (www.organizingjunkie.com). She and her husband have three children and live in Fort Collins, Colorado. Photo Credit: Kristen Rush

Revell, 192 pages.

I received a complementary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

How to be a Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott

Graham reminds us that successful people are really no different than you or me in many ways. They have just learned to use tools, skills and have a special mindset. To help us become Productivity Ninjas, he starts with the characteristics: mindset of zen-like calm, ruthlessness, weapon savviness, stealth and camouflage, unorthodoxy, agility, mindfulness, and preparedness.

This is not a time management book. Time management is dead, Graham says. Attention management is the new game. Protecting your attention and how well you use it determines your success. His process of attention management includes capture and collecting, organizing, reviewing, and doing (CORD). He shows us how to determine our attention levels and then schedule tasks accordingly. He offers many practical ideas for regulating incoming information. His suggestions for incoming email are great. It will get your inbox to zero every day!

The book contains not just the tools and tips but the strategy behind them. The first part of the book is mostly strategy and I got a little impatient. But hang in there. All the great suggestions are eventually there in the book.

Graham is donating some of the royalties from the sale of the e-book version of this book to READ International, providing textbooks to schools in East Africa. To find out more about this organization, see www.readinternational.org.uk.

Behind every extraordinary achievement is an ordinary person. This book will definitely help you move toward your desired goals.

Graham Alcott was a chief executive for a charity then transition to freelance consulting. That got him interested in productivity. He is the Chair of READ International, a trustee of Centrepoint, and an acoustic singer songwriter. To find out more about the author and his work, visit http://www.thinkproductive.co.uk/.

Icon Books, 304 pages. You can buy the ebook here.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung

How in the world did we get so busy?

DeYoung was crazy busy and knew he needed to figure it out and work on change. So he wrote a book on it.

“I want to understand what's going on in the world and in my heart to make me feel the way I so. And I also want to understand how to change – even just a little.” (17)

He has three dangers to avoid (ruined joy, robbed heart, sick in spirit and body), seven diagnosis questions to consider (pride, God's expectations, priorities, kids, strangled soul, rest, our expectations). He ends with one thing you must do.

DeYoung admits he doesn't have some five point plan to cure our business. But he does have a one point plan – one thing you must do – that involves devotion to the Word and prayer. “Maybe devotion to Christ really is the one thing that is necessary.” (116)

If you are feeling yourself getting more of other stuff and less of Jesus, you need to read this book. He gives us the tools to look at our own life. DeYoung has suggested we have a hearty suspicion toward technology. We need to make boundaries. We need to bring our Christian theology to bear on the digital age.

“Maybe devotion to Christ really is the one thing that is necessary.” (116)

Go to http://crazybusybook.com/ for a free study guide, watch a trailer, and follow tweets on the book.

Kevin DeYoung is senior pastor at University Reformed Church, East Lansing, Michigan.

Crossway Books, 128 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith

Midway through his fifty fourth year, Smith realized he had been alive for nearly 20,000 days. He decided to take forty eight hours and put himself through a crash course to plan his next 20,000 days. He includes in this book the thoughts and actions he pledged to implement daily for the rest of his life in order to live with intense purpose, constant joy, and lasting influence.

There is really not much to this book. Smith says this book can be read in an hour. It can. (The last seven pages of the galley I read were endorsements.) He does share his own thoughts and maybe it worked for him. But this book is greatly lacking in the practical means to getting to that life of intense purpose. He does not include any techniques for goal setting, time management, or anything like that. His concept is pretty much that you just decide to live your life with purpose and it will somehow happen.

If this is the first book you will read on finding your purpose in life, etc., you may find inspiration in this book. If you have read other books on goal setting or productivity, you will probably not find anything new or helpful in this one. I have read lots of self help books and did not find this one to be particularly helpful.

Robert D. Smith has overseen the career of Andy Andrews for more than three decades. He has also served as a private consultant to numerous best-selling authors, speakers, entertainers, and organizations, educating them on the methods he has employed in his career.

You can find out more about him and calculate how many days you have been alive at www.TheRobertD.com.

Thomas Nelson Publishers, 144 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book for the purpose of this review.