12 Ideas For Reading + Enjoying Nonfiction Books!

Christi Hegstad April 10th, 2024

While chatting with a friend, our conversation – unsurprisingly – veered toward books. She looked at all the page flags in my most recent read, listened as I gushed excitedly about my current book, and realized that I had been to multiple bookstores and libraries (note the plural) in the past week.

“You are such a nerd!” she (lovingly) said.

Believe me, this is not the first time I’ve been called a nerd. I am a proud book nerd, word nerd, nerd in general. It’s even declared in the About page of my website! I wear this label with delight.

In addition to frequently being called a nerd, I am also frequently asked how I read so much – particularly nonfiction. I tend to read about 100 books a year, and while I haven’t crunched the numbers, I suspect about 40% of them are nonfiction. I’m starting off this year with more nonfiction, however: Of the 26 books I’ve read so far, 15 have been nonfiction, with several five-star reads among them (hooray!).

If you’d like to weave more nonfiction into your life, I’ve generated a dozen ideas to help, along with some book suggestions as well. Let’s see if one of these resonates with you!

1. Think about your why.

If you’re familiar with me or my work, this first idea will come as no surprise – I suggest considering the purpose behind nearly any endeavor or action. In terms of reading, when you think about why you’re picking up a particular book, it can help you engage with it more fully as well as hopefully gain what you need from it.

Whether you’re reading to learn something new, to advance in your work, to gain tips for organizing your kitchen, or to feel inspired, reflecting on this in advance can help you read through that lens.

2. Choose what you love.

What lights you up? If you select a nonfiction book that matches an interest, passion, or goal, you may find yourself picking it up more easily and frequently.

A couple years ago I set a mileage goal for walking/running. Often while out on the trail, I would listen to audiobooks like The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal or Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor and Michelle Hamilton. Not only did this make my miles super enjoyable, I often went further than planned simply so I could continue listening!

3. Explore something new.

What’s a topic you know very little about? What niche subject intrigues you? Reading about something brand new to you, or of which you have little background knowledge, can be a fun exploration into nonfiction. I am currently reading The Dictionary People by Sarah Ogilvie and find it fascinating, in part because I’ve never really thought deeply about how the Oxford English Dictionary came to fruition – and now I am learning from an expert!

Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know, and finding out can be a thrill.

4. Discuss the book with others.

This is why Your Best Self and many other book clubs exist: to bring a community of people together to chat about what we’re reading and learning. One of my favorite aspects of a group conversation is discovering how everyone picks up on different things from the same text. We all have unique life experiences, so different highlights and takeaways will stand out for each of us.

In addition to the book club environment, finding a reading partner can be another way to enjoy a nonfiction pick. Maybe you and a friend decide to read a chapter a week and check in with each other via text or over coffee every Friday. This can add richness to the experience and keep you motivated, too.

5. Look at the reference section, or back cover blurbs, of a book you enjoyed.

Well-researched nonfiction will typically include a list of other books, articles, and resources in the back. If you finish one book and want more, turn to the references and see what stands out for you. Years ago, I saw the book Mindset by Carol Dweck cited so frequently that I simply had to read it; it is now one of my all-time favorite nonfiction books!

Our second quarter pick for Your Best Self book club is Slow Productivity by Cal Newport, which has about a dozen pages of reference notes in the back to prompt further reading. The back cover can also be a source for finding authors you enjoy; Slow Productivity includes blurbs by Oliver Burkeman, Johann Hari, and others, for example.

6. Try different formats.

If you’ve tried nonfiction in print form before and haven’t felt satisfied, consider trying it on audio, or vice versa. Shaking up the method of reading can change the entire experience.

In addition to experimenting between print, audio, and ebook, consider different writing formats as well. A few years ago I read Good Talk by Mira Jacob; prior to that, I don’t believe I had ever read a graphic memoir. It was such a unique way to read someone’s life experience!

7. Look into the fiction authors you love.

You might be surprised to discover that some of your favorite fiction writers have also published memoirs, essay collections, or other nonfiction works as well. This can provide an excellent starting point for nonfiction, since you’ve already enjoyed something by the writer.

Years ago, after reading excellent novels by Barbara Kingsolver, I found myself equally engrossed in her memoir, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Likewise, last year – I believe for the first time ever – I had an author on both my top ten fiction and nonfiction lists of the year! (If you’re curious, it was Ann Patchett, and I enjoyed both These Precious Days [nonfiction] and Tom Lake [fiction] in the same year.)

8. Pick an essay collection or anthology.

Collections are a wonderful entry into nonfiction for a number of reasons: You might more easily dip in and out of them; they are often perfect for dividing into consistent reading experiences, such as one essay per day or week; they can introduce you to a variety of authors and/or perspectives within a particular topic of interest.

In recent years I’ve read some wonderful collections that also taught me a great deal. Two that stand out in my mind are Disability Visibility, edited by Alice Wong, and It’s Not About The Burqa, edited by Mariam Khan.

9. Designate certain times for nonfiction.

I know a number of people, myself included, who choose an inspirational text to read while sipping their morning beverage. A few pages each morning can start your day off on a positive note, plus over time those few pages a day equal an entire book completed.

I typically have a fiction and a nonfiction book going at any given time, and I will often read the nonfiction during pockets of availability throughout the workday (over lunch or while waiting for an appointment, for instance) and then savor some fiction in the evening or before bed. It helps me keep both books moving forward but can also prevent me from spending any precious reading time wondering what to read!

10. Create your own ‘curriculum’ or project.

What topic would you love to expand your learning around? Try curating a list of book possibilities, perhaps with the help of a bookseller and/or librarian, and setting up your own private learning curriculum. Depending on how you like to plan, you might even structure it like a syllabus with timelines and so on. (If that makes you cringe, though, no problem – you might prefer having a selection of themed books that you can move back and forth between.)

There are a number of project-style books that could provide inspiration in this regard, too. Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project comes to mind, as does Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes.

11. Read about people you admire.

Memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies can all provide insight into the lives of people you admire. Historical figures, present-day leaders, business owners, actors, scientists, comedians, activists … the list of possibilities goes on.

Make a list of people from or about whom you’d love to learn more, or simply search through a list of memoirs and see which one sounds intriguing. Audiobook memoirs are often narrated by the author, which can add a bit of extra impact to the reading experience.

12. Let yourself be surprised.

While putting thought and intention into your nonfiction reading choices can provide excellent value, allow yourself to be swept away by something that – for whatever reason, or perhaps for seemingly no reason whatsoever – just piques your interest. Sometimes entering a book with no expectations can lead to a remarkable read!

I have found this to be true many times over. Two years ago, I heard about Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and, although I knew very little about it, I decided to pick it up. Spoiler alert: it showed up on my top ten list later that year! I currently have another of her books, Gathering Moss, on hold and am hopeful for a similar experience.

I hope this sparks ideas for you as you venture into, or further into, the world of nonfiction! What other ideas would you add? And what nonfiction book stands out in your mind? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reading Wrap-Up – March 2024!

Christi Hegstad April 3rd, 2024

For a book lover, little compares to the feeling of being fully engrossed in a book: Those experiences when you excitedly look for pockets of time throughout the day to pick the book up, stay up past your bedtime reading, and want to reread it as soon as you turn the final page.

To experience that three times in one month felt absolutely magical!

After some bookish ups and downs in February, March truly delivered. I read 12 books, 8 of which were nonfiction, and I rated nearly all of them 4 or 5 stars. A true thrill for a book nerd!

Trying to choose my favorite nonfiction of the month actually resulted in a three-way tie:

The Perfectionist’s Guide To Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler

How To Walk Into A Room by Emily P. Freeman

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

I plan to share stand-alone reviews for each of these, and I have touched on them briefly on Instagram, so I won’t go into detail here. In addition, I’ll be facilitating group discussions on all three of these in the months to come, so stay tuned for details to join in!

What book has inspired, informed, and/or drawn you in lately? Please share!

5 Ways To Put Your Purpose Into Action

Christi Hegstad March 27th, 2024

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of hearing dozens of community leaders and difference-makers share their personal Purpose Statements with all of us in the room. I’ve helped facilitate the Community Connect program through Lead DSM for nine years now, and this unique graduation ceremony never gets old!

I truly believe one of the most significant ways we can change our world and live to our highest potential is by clarifying, and honoring, our individual purposes. In that spirit, and in celebration of our Community Connect graduates, I thought I’d share 5 practical ways you can intentionally put your Purpose Statement into action, starting today!

Filter Your Decisions.

Over the years, I’ve had clients share how their Purpose Statement helped them decide on everything from career paths to philanthropy to family activities to how to spend their leisure time. Your Purpose Statement can serve as a powerful lens through which you can filter myriad choices that come your way.

‘Right The Ship.’

If you’re feeling ‘off’ in a situation, it can often be connected to your core values not being honored. When you are clear on your values and purpose, you can more easily pinpoint what’s off and take the appropriate action.

Live Authentically + Wholeheartedly.

One cool aspect of your Purpose Statement is that it isn’t specific to a particular role or life category; your purpose applies whether you are at home, at work, volunteering, traveling abroad, or in the checkout line at the grocery store. Knowing and honoring who you are at your core can help you live more true to yourself in all situations.

Pre-Screen Your Actions.

Part of my Purpose Statement is to ‘inspire positive action.’ Before I post on Instagram, hit ‘publish’ on a blog, or say ‘yes’ to an activity, I like to pause and ask myself, ‘Does this have the potential to inspire positive action?’ If not, I tend to rethink whether or not this is truly an action I want to take.

Make Your Difference.

When you see where your purpose overlaps with the world’s – or your corner of the world’s – needs, that’s where the magic happens! There’s nothing quite like making a difference in such an aligned, intentional, purposeful way.

If you’ve uncovered and written your Purpose Statement, I hope this refresher helps. If you haven’t yet clarified your purpose and would like to, we can typically do this within three coaching sessions – email me and I’ll be happy to share more details.

Here’s to making your meaningful, purposeful difference! The world is better for it – and for having you in it.

Hosting Your Own ‘Executive Session’

Christi Hegstad March 20th, 2024

Between back-to-back meetings, reacting to in-the-moment needs, handling the endless stream of emails, and navigating all the unexpected events in any given day, when do you find time for visioning, strategizing, or moving high-level projects forward?

For many, such time feels like a far-off luxury.

For others, such visionary work occurs once a year at a corporate offsite or leadership retreat.

If you spend the entire day ‘putting out fires,’ you may not even get to your own actual work until after hours – leaving the idea of visionary, strategic, or high-level project initiatives in the ‘that sure would be nice’ realm of someday.

Yet as a leader and difference-maker, crafting a compelling vision and moving the needle on long-term, high-level pursuits is likely expected of you.

And as an achiever, these are probably areas on which you’d love to spend more time.

So far, we haven’t discovered a way to increase the number of hours in a day. So what can we do?

Enter what I call Executive Sessions.

Essentially, an Executive Session is a period of time routinely blocked on your calendar purely for visioning, planning, strategizing, and the like. A time during which you close your door (or go elsewhere), turn off notifications, and immerse yourself in some deep work.

You can choose how often and for how long. A weekly one-hour Executive Session can work wonders, but if you’re starting from zero, even an hour a month can prove fulfilling.

I’ve coached a number of clients to weave Executive Sessions into their routines. They’ve used this valuable time for all manner of high-level projects, from work toward an award or distinction, to creating systems to more efficiently support their teams, to dreaming about a change they’d love to make and then actually setting it in motion with subsequent sessions.

The possibilities here are endless, and the benefits are, too!

A few suggestions as you consider adopting Executive Sessions into your calendar:

* Choose a time that seems realistic. Monday morning may already be too hectic, but what about an hour on Friday afternoon?

* Like with Results-Oriented Time Blocking, decide in advance how you will spend it – and honor it as you would a doctor’s appointment.

* Although you’ll likely be tempted, do not use this time to catch up on emails or other administrative tasks. This high-level hour is for high-level work.

* Consider ways to be held accountable to this time when other things want to creep in and overtake it. I’ve had coaching clients commit to sending me a quick message following their Executive Session; knowing that someone else is waiting to hear about it can serve as a helpful motivator.

You may look at your calendar and immediately deem this idea impossible. But consider it a challenge: What changes could you implement to allow an Executive Session within the next 60 days? What recurring monthly meeting is coming to an end and could now be replaced with this session? How would you feel at the end of a 3-hour stretch focusing solely on a high-importance, game-changing project?

In the words attributed to Nelson Mandela, “It always seems impossible until it is done.” And once it is done, I bet you’ll experience such profound benefits that you will want – and will find ways – to make it part of your routine!

Need Motivation? Try A Goal Immersion

Christi Hegstad March 13th, 2024

How many times have you reached the end of the year only to have no recollection what goals you set twelve months prior?

Or maybe you’re struggling to remember them even now, three months in!

If you tend to have a ‘set it and forget it’ relationship with your goals, or if you find your motivation waning over time, consider what I refer to as a goal immersion.

For example, let’s say you set a goal to run a half-marathon. You craft your training plan and start the year strong, but your drive begins to fade a few weeks later.

First and foremost, I recommend reconnecting with your WHY. What’s the purpose behind your goal? What prompted you to set it in the first place?

If you still consider it a purposeful goal worthy of continuing, consider how you might surround yourself in motivation. In this example, you could:

* Subscribe to a running magazine and have a visual prompt every month. (Or make a monthly date with your local library for the same purpose.)

* Follow a running-focused podcast.

* Set motivating milestones and rewards, such as obtaining new running shorts when you complete a certain number of miles without stopping.

* Join a nearby running club.

* Incorporate a running check-in into your Weekly R+P.

* Periodically watch an interview with a runner on YouTube.

* Hang a few running-related photos around your home, office, or exercise equipment.

When I set a goal like this in the past, I also found it motivating to listen to related audiobooks while out on the trails. Kelly McGonigal’s The Joy of Movement and Deena Kastor’s Let Your Mind Run are two such books that come to mind!

You can implement this strategy on more loosely-defined goals, too. Want to engage in a more positive mindset, for instance? How might you begin fueling yourself with positivity?

Immersing yourself in the goal in a variety of ways can help keep it present, interesting, and varied. Consider all five senses as you ponder different ways to take in your goal.

One caveat here: Goal immersion doesn’t mean ‘all goal, all the time.’ You don’t want to overwhelm or overload yourself, nor will it benefit you to put on blinders to anything but your goal. You’re simply aiming to keep your goal present and inspired so you can maintain your progress.

How might you experiment with a bit of goal immersion this month?

My 3-Point Checklist For Purposeful Goals

Christi Hegstad March 6th, 2024

If you struggle at all with goals, you are definitely not alone.

Maybe you set them but they feel arbitrary.

Maybe they seem like the ‘right’ goals but you feel unmotivated by them.

Or maybe you set them and forget them.

As we approach the start of a new quarter, I thought I’d do my part to bring an element of purpose into your goal-setting process. I’m sharing three criteria that I encourage you to keep at the forefront when setting your goals.

These criteria may not show up on many of the traditional goal-setting lists, but when it comes to meaningful achievement, I find them incredibly important.

First, is your goal MEANINGFUL?

Why does this goal matter to you? Why is it important? What will be different as a result of achieving the goal?

Answers to questions like these will help ensure your goal is truly meaningful for you, not just an expectation or a ‘should.’ And getting clear on the purpose behind your goal is, in my opinion, the number one motivational tool in your tool kit!

Running your goal through the lens of your core values can also help solidify its meaningfulness.

Second, is your goal POSITIVELY IMPACTFUL?

When you look at the immediate effects of your goal, as well as the longer-term ripple effects, what kind of difference might it make? And is that difference a positive, purposeful one?

You may think your goal to run a marathon is all for you, for example, but what about the people you inspire along the way? The people who watch you from a distance and think, ‘Maybe I could do that, too’? The people who benefit from coaching you, partnering with you, training with you, running alongside you, and/or cheering you on?

Think in layers when you consider this element: You, your family, friends, coworkers, community, and the world at large, for starters. Never underestimate the power of a positively impactful goal!

Third, are you EMOTIONALLY CONNECTED to your goal in some way?

I used to encourage clients and workshop participants to make sure their goal excited them in some way. Over the years, however, I have come to learn that many of our goals – some of my own included – are designed to bring a sense of calm, peacefulness, balance, or contentment. The ‘excitement factor’ may not always fit.

I do believe, however, that some form of emotional connection will help you get started as well as sustain your motivation along the way.

I often discern it this way: How will I feel once I’ve achieved this goal?

And as an immediate followup question: How can I start feeling that today?

It may sound a little woo-woo, but the emotion behind your goal can serve as a powerful, practical function when you encounter obstacles along the way.

Your goal can still include other criteria, of course, such as being specific and measurable. I encourage you to consider incorporating the above three factors as well. The combination can lead to practical, purposeful achievement – the kind that can truly make a difference!

February 2024 Reading Wrap-up!

Christi Hegstad February 29th, 2024

I’m not sure if I was in a reading slump or just preoccupied with other things, but a good part of February involved either not reading much or not particularly loving what I was reading. Fortunately my bookish experience turned around in the last couple of weeks – I finished several books, including two of my favorites, within the last few days of the month!

In total, I read 8 books in February: 4 nonfiction and 4 fiction. My favorite nonfiction of the month was The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, a fascinating and infuriating account of someone who stole a significant amount of art in the 1990s and 2000s – in broad daylight, in plain sight, without violence, during museum operating hours. I really enjoy Finkel’s narrative style and appreciate the amount of research and care he puts into his projects. I felt the same way when I read The Stranger in the Woods by him a few years back.

Other nonfiction I enjoyed this month included Sunshine Girl by Julianna Margulies (one of my favorite actors, and she reads the audiobook), Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools by Tyler Staton, and Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal.

Let me know if you’d like me to expand on any of these, or to share my fiction reads as well! In the meantime, what was your favorite book this month?

Lessons Learned – February 2024

Christi Hegstad February 28th, 2024

For me, February was a month of new experiences, facing some fears, and trusting. Here are a few of my ‘take-home lessons’ from the month, also known as my monthly note-to-self:

1. Be a beginner.

Several firsts occurred this month, and often in front of others. I survived! And in every single instance, I learned.

2. Change what’s yours to change.

Part 2 of this – and often the harder part – is to also let go of, adapt to, or make peace with what isn’t.

3. Don’t try to keep all the balls in the air, all the time.

Instead of trying to juggle 783 responsibilities all at once and all the time, choose the ones that matter most, and focus energy and attention there.

4. Make your own sunshine.

I noticed the gray skies and shortened daylight periods were really getting to me, so I added some twinkle lights and another small lamp to my office. Voila! Helpful additions until spring sunshine returns.

5. “Fix or delete.”

I first heard this phrase from one of the hosts of the Books Unbound podcast and it has stuck with me ever since. If something is taking up mental energy, either fix it or delete it – rather than letting it linger endlessly in your psyche.

6. Learn from history – specifically your own.

Our own personal histories are often our best teachers. When did you feel on top of your game, what factors contributed to that, and which of those might you bring back now?

7. Leverage the all-or-nothing.

Instead of lambasting your all-or-nothing tendencies, look for places to lean into them. Saying, ‘I won’t drink any soda during Lent,’ for example, can be easier than trying to play ‘will I / won’t I’ in each individual situation.

8. Design a vision board for your time.

Map out your ideal week, including how many hours you ideally spend at work, how many evenings you eat dinner as a family, what you do during your free time. It may not happen overnight, but this offers a vision to move towards.

9. Ask, ‘What lights you up?’

Mastering the crossword puzzle, listening to baroque music, reading mysteries, walking the dogs, learning genealogy… little compares to hearing (and watching!) people talk about their passions!

10. Trust.

In yourself, in others, in the fact that everything is going to work out.

What lessons were brought to the forefront for you this month?

Key Takeaways From Hidden Potential

Christi Hegstad February 21st, 2024

This blog was originally published on the Dog-Eared Books website.

Are you living up to your highest potential? Are you helping others do the same?

Would you like to?

We all have the capacity to accomplish great things and make a meaningful difference, and Adam Grant’s latest book, Hidden Potential, offers guidance and ideas for doing just that. This book is a fantastic read at any time, but particularly at the start of the new year – with insights we can apply to our growth and goals throughout 2024 and beyond!

If you’re new to Adam Grant, he holds quite an impressive background: he’s an organizational psychologist, a top-rated professor at The Wharton School, the author of multiple books (including one of my all-time favorites, Think Again), a highly-viewed TED Talk presenter, a podcast host, and more. His research and writing have been widely published and acclaimed, including an article you may have come across when it went viral in 2021 about languishing – a topic he also addresses in Hidden Potential.

Grant brings his research, experience, and signature voice to every page of this latest release. Interspersed with stories, personal examples, and even cartoon drawings, readers can easily find themselves fully engaged in the text while learning practical strategies to implement in work, relationships, and life.

For starters, Hidden Potential is a terrific resource for:

• Getting unstuck – including identifying what may have brought us to feeling stuck in the first place, such as burnout or boreout (more on that below). “A rut is not a sign that you’ve tanked. A plateau is not a cue that you’ve peaked,” explains Grant. “They’re signals that it may be time to turn around and find a new route.”

• Enhancing motivation. From practicing music scales or sports drills repeatedly, to thriving even in repetitive work routines, Grant shares inspiring stories of people who have put the book’s concepts into practice and boosted their motivation as a result. I love the example of Nurse Quick Shot, an allergy nurse who used the concept of harmonious passion (described fully in the book) to bring ideas into her work that made it more enjoyable while also putting her patients at ease.

• Helping others fulfill their potential, whether our children, students, employees, team members, or others with whom we connect. From the questions we ask, to the behaviors we model, to the coaching we offer, to numerous other areas, Hidden Potential highlights the value in uncovering and fulfilling our own potential while also supporting others in doing the same.

Grant is exceptional at providing evidence-based suggestions in a conversational tone, offering a wide range of examples to help us relate them to our own experience. I’ve never had dreams of becoming an astronaut, for example, but in reading the story of José Hernandez – an individual Grant highlights who did have that dream and overcame significant odds as he pursued it – I found myself taking tips from his experience and applying them to the goals and dreams I do have. Reading such profound stories of real-life people taking action to fulfill their highest potential is inspiring in and of itself; partnered with actionable practices we can put into place makes us unstoppable.

Throughout Hidden Potential, we are also introduced to a number of concepts that may be completely new to us but become so useful once learned. A new-to-me word I mentioned earlier – boreout – is one such example: Unlike burnout, which Grant describes as the emotional exhaustion we experience when we feel overloaded or overwhelmed, boreout is the emotional deadening we experience when we are under-stimulated. Both impact our capacity to engage at our highest potential but can stem from different sources. Other concepts include languishing, deliberate play, and harmonious passion, to name a few. Being able to recognize what we’re experiencing, as well as give it a name, may help us formulate solutions and/or get the help and support we need in order to thrive.

I particularly appreciate Grant’s point about how fulfilling our potential isn’t only about setting new goals or achieving greater heights; it’s also found in resilience, shifting gears, and bouncing back. We may feel like we’re failing – or at least not succeeding – when we discover we need to slow down or backtrack a bit, and thus berate ourselves for not moving more quickly. “Beating yourself up doesn’t make you stronger,” writes Grant, “it leaves you bruised.” Recognizing growth even in the challenging times is a valuable part of unleashing our hidden potential – an easily-overlooked but important reminder.

If you’ve read Hidden Potential and want to discuss it, or if you haven’t read it yet and want to learn more, join me on January 24, 6pm, at Dog-Eared Books in Ames! During this inaugural session of Your Best Self book club, we’ll chat about the book’s standout stories, helpful concepts, and how we can apply the ideas to our lives, work, and interactions. It will be an engaging conversation and a fabulous way to kickstart the new year!

3 Steps Toward Purposeful Productivity

Christi Hegstad February 14th, 2024

My favorite kind of day includes a blend of two key ingredients:

Productivity + Peacefulness.

I greatly appreciate when I can go to bed at night knowing I’ve accomplished some purposeful tasks and activities while also experiencing peaceful moments along the way. Frazzled, harried, completely-stressed-out just doesn’t do it for me, regardless of how much I achieve.

Over the years, I have gathered the key strategies that help me experience my favorite kind of day as frequently as possible, which have come together as one of my most-requested keynotes: Run Your Day (So It Doesn’t Run You!). And while different seasons of life call for different actions, here are three that have stood the test of time:

1. Results-Oriented Time Blocking

We all probably recognize that blocking time on our calendar for a specific activity, and honoring that time block for that specific activity, are two separate actions – one much easier than the other. I can’t tell you how many times I used to block an hour for a project, then spend the first 25 minutes trying to decide what exactly I’d do and gathering the necessary materials!

To optimize your valuable time, I suggest adopting what I call Results-Oriented Time Blocking. This primarily involves deciding in advance what, specifically, you will walk away from that time having completed.

Instead of blocking two hours to work on your book, for example, specify that you will complete the outline for chapter 4 or that you will edit pages 56-85. Write this result right into your calendar if possible, to a) remind you to gather necessary supplies in advance, and b) direct your mind immediately upon starting the time block.

Click here for a how-to article on Results-Oriented Time Blocking.

2. Weekly R + P

“Time flies.” Do you agree?

If you’ve ever reached a milestone birthday or the end of a year and wondered where the time went, you can probably relate. And if you’ve ever gotten to that moment and couldn’t recall how you spent the time or what you had to show for it, I highly recommend the Weekly Review + Planning session, or Weekly R+P.

Once a week, maybe on Friday afternoon or Sunday evening, dedicate a bit of time to reflect on how you spent the previous week and to prepare for meaningful success in the upcoming one. You can decide what your Weekly R+P entails; mine includes documenting a few wins, challenges, and lessons learned, for starters.

You could spend as much as an hour on this – maybe brewing a favorite coffee or tea and making it a bit of a ceremony – or complete it during your 15-minute bus ride home. You might adapt this as a monthly and/or quarterly practice, too.

I’ll admit, when I just thought about my 2023, I formed a very different picture in my mind than when I actually reviewed my year’s worth of R+P notes. The year kind of threw me for a loop (as I wrote about last week), but the regular documentation reminded me how much I had grown, achieved, connected, and learned. I was so grateful for this actual data when my mind wanted to tell a different story!

Click here for an in-depth article on the Weekly R+P.

3. Daily Top 3

Really, all this step requires is a pen, a sticky note, and the decision to prioritize!

There’s a saying that if everything is important, then nothing is important; we must do the best we can with our finite amounts of time and energy. So if your Tuesday to-do list boasts 73 items and you weigh them all equally, chances are you won’t wrap up your day feeling very purposeful or productive.

All those tasks may be important – just not equally important. Choose which three matter most today, separate them out from the master list (here’s where the pen and sticky note come in handy), and commit to those actions – even if the day goes off-script and nothing else gets accomplished.

Click here for more insight on prioritizing and choosing your Daily Top 3.

Crafting More of YOUR Favorite Days

What does purposeful productivity look, feel like, and mean to you? Which of these strategies might help you experience it more regularly?

If crafting more productive and peaceful days sounds right up your alley and you’d like to do more of it, I’d love to share more of my favorite strategies with you, as well as provide the tools I use to support them. Feel free to inquire about a speaking engagement for your staff, conference, or leadership retreat! Or check out my other popular sessions to help bring meaning to work, purpose to life, and achieve bold + difference-making goals.

To more fulfilling, peaceful, purposefully productive days in the year ahead!

Author Archives: Christi Hegstad