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TCK Publishing kindly provided me with a free e-book copy of Get It Done by Michael Mackintosh in exchange for a review. As the title suggests, this book is a guide to increasing productivity and getting meaningful projects done. I am always trying to be more organised and productive so I was excited to read this book and pick up some advice!
Who is Michael Mackintosh?
I had never heard of Michael Mackintosh before reading this book, so it was good to discover a new author. Here’s how he is described in the ‘about the author’ section of the book:
“Michael Mackintosh is an internationally renowned author, spiritual teacher, entrepreneur and mentor. He supports next-generation leaders and coaches as they reawaken their vision, unlock their genius, and systematically transform ideas into tangible impact, income and freedom – while enjoying the journey and staying in the now.”
You can learn more about Michael Mackintosh by visiting his website.
What is the content of this book?
Essentially, this book outlines a system you can follow in order to complete a big project in just 21 days. The system is divided into 3 parts:
- WHACK – doing the preparation needed beforehand to set yourself up for success.
- ACT – actually doing the project for 21 days
- RELAX – taking time to relax and celebrate after you have completed the 21 day program.
The book also contains plenty of ‘mind hacks’ and productivity tips. These include advice on beating procrastination, time management, overcoming resistance, accountability and avoiding distractions.
My experience reading Get It Done – What did I think?
My main observation of this book is that it could be condensed to half the length, or less, without losing any information. There is a lot of repetition, which I understand is probably used to help the author’s points sink in better, but I did feel it was far too repetitive.
I also felt that there was a lot of ‘waffle’ and hype leading up to each point, instead of getting straight into the content. This was especially true in the introduction of the book. There was also some conversational writing that I found a bit annoying. Along the lines of, ‘Are you awestruck? Has your jaw dropped? If not, go back and read the last paragraph again until it has sunk in!’. Not everyone is going to have a dramatic reaction like that even if they fully understand the author’s point!
That said, the author did make some really good points and I have definitely picked up some productivity tips. I especially liked the ‘mind hacks’ at the start of the book, and also the sections on accountability and setting up conditions and structures for success.
Would I use the 21-day method?
I think the 21-day method would work and it would definitely be a good method for getting a project done. However, it’s not revolutionary. There are many other systems in other productivity books that would get a project done just as effectively. Having read this book, I don’t plan to actually follow the 21-day system outlined in it. However, I will take snippets of advice from this system to apply to my life.
I have done ‘monthly challenges’ in the past that are similar to the 21-day system in this book. However, something I learned from this book is the importance of planning a break to allow yourself to celebrate and rejuvenate after completing a challenge. When I did monthly challenges, I would go straight on to the next month’s challenge without a break. In retrospect, I realise this caused burnout and it would have been better to have a break.
Would I recommend Get It Done?
If you are looking to improve your productivity in general, this book contains some good tips. However, you can probably find them written more concisely elsewhere. If you are looking for a specific system to follow in order to get an important or difficult project done, I think the 21-day system in this book has great potential to work for you.
While this wasn’t my favourite productivity book I have read, I did pick up a few good tips that I hadn’t considered before, so I am still glad I read it.
You can buy Get It Done on Amazon in a paperback or Kindle edition or visit TCK Publishing to find out about their other bestselling books and new releases.
I would rate this book 3 out of 5!
This sounds like a decent productivity book to try out. I need to find some inspiration somewhere! Thanks for this review and your thoughts!
I definitely learned some helpful tips from this book. Thanks for reading!
As I am always looking for ways to improve productivity, this sounds like a good book to read. Seems the “Whack” part is the key to success and the most difficult – so much more fun to just enthusiastically jump into a project.
I agree – the preparation is hard work but it can make a huge difference to whether your project is successful or not!
This sounds like a book I need! I don’t procrastinate but my blog has been on the back burner for a few weeks and I need to just get in there and get stuff done!
Rosie
It’s great that you already have good mastery over procrastination! I’m the same with my blog at times – there always seems to be so much that needs doing on it!
This sounds like an interesting concept, however, I feel like with my tendency to get distracted, having a 21-day approach is just too long. I need to work in shorter time frames if I plan on actually sticking with something lol That being said, I’m sure there are some great tips in the book that I could take and apply to a shorter time frame. After all, we could all use a little help at one point or another when it comes to productivity, right?
I can understand the 21-day approach feeling too long! I also don’t plan to follow the 21-day approach but I definitely learned some helpful productivity tips from the book. It had a section on avoiding distractions too!