I’ve enjoyed reading Mr. Bregman’s column for the Harvard Business Review for a good while and he has put together many of his columns into an excellent book dealing with goals, focus, distractions and getting the right things done. I am the first to admit to my business / self-help book compulsion. If there’s a book which talks about goals and ways to do things better, I will read it.

One of the nice things about this book is its progression from the macro to the micro. It starts by looking at a small number of things you should focus on for the upcoming year, things which would improve your life, both personally and professionally. From there, Mr. Bregman brings you down to the daily level and helps break down your to-do list with an eye towards the yearly focus. One great thing is his realization that things come up during the day which you need to deal with but don’t have any relation towards your overall yearly focus. He calls this the ‘Other 5%’ and it’s nice to have some place for it. If you can do 95% and leave room for this, you’ll be so much further along than most. Finally, the progression ends at what you are doing moment-to-moment. This is where everything either works or doesn’t. You can have the greatest plan in the world but if you don’t stay focused on it, it won’t do anything but laugh at you from afar.

Overall, I liked this book and look forward to continuing reading Mr. Bregman’s column and future books.