Manage Your Day-To-Day

A great practical set of ideas about how to tame your creative potential. The core idea of the book (and the guys from 99u.com) is that the creative world is too obsessed with “idea generation”, but in reality creative work takes 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. The content is then provided in four chapters, each focused in specific requirements to integrate the creative mindset in your life: (1) Routines: the set of habits/actions/behaviors you practice in a daily basis (2) Focus: the act of putting your whole attention on the task at hand (3) Tools: how to take control of technology and use it in your favor (in opposition of tech taking control over you) (4) The process: tips and advise about how to run the long-distance and keep the momentum. As a whole the message is clear, creative (personal) work requires quiet spaces and a specific mindset -key triggers, metrics used for motivation, the long-term goals in mind, etc-, uninterrupted focus in blocks of time, the leverage of tech tools and strategies to keep the pace in the long run.

Solid book with ideas and tips for managing one's day better and establishing better habits, routines, and creative processes. It's probably not going to be anything particularly new to anyone who is already a big fan of productivity books, but it's a solid intro and a good refresher for the start of a new year.

I really found this to be the kick in the butt I needed to start actively planning my writing and painting practice. While it was somewhat repetitive and not always relevant to me (I get like three emails a day), I think that if you're the kind of person who needs to hear what this book is saying it's worth it!

A short little compilation of essays by creative entrepreneurs writing about what works for them in doing their creative work. I'm a junkie for all things productivity and “life-hacking,” so I can't say I read anything really new or unusual. A good motivational read for times when you're lacking the drive to create or make a contribution towards your work. “Key Takeaways” at the end of each section was a nice touch to make the book more useful.