Get It Done
From Procrastination to Creative Genius in 15 Minutes a Day
What better place to start than with a book titled Get It Done? Sam Bennett, who runs a consultancy that helps creative people get “unstuck,” lays out an action plan replete with exercises—for discovering, prioritizing, executing, and tracking the progress of projects of any kind. Calming those non self-starters with the notion that “procrastination is genius in disguise,” Bennett offers liberating tools, including three “nearly miraculous daily habits,” a self-awareness exercise for readers to identify their heroes and heroic qualities, and, should success strike, sage advice for dealing with “the burden of celebrity.”
Especially useful is the author’s pragmatic approach to simply taking one logical step after another. Her book is a battle-tested guide (she has been teaching the methodology since 1996) that delves into the psychology behind picking the right projects, staying on track, managing perfectionism and self-doubt, maintaining enthusiasm, exposing one’s work to the world, and sustaining the effort over a lifetime.
While Bennett is non-judgmental, she is enthusiastically proactive, offering a verbal kick in the pants. For example, in one exercise, she writes, “Get out a piece of paper and write ‘Could Do’ at the top. I like ‘could-do’ lists because I find ‘to-do’ lists too dictatorial…We’re not trying to think of things that you will do for sure; we’re just brainstorming things that you could do. Maybe you will, and maybe you won’t—we don’t know yet. We’ll just have to see how you feel.” It is Bennett’s no-nonsense yet reassuring attitude that will undoubtedly help procrastinators rise above their roadblocks.
Reviewed by
Barry Silverstein
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
