This book is a gorgeous thing to look at. The color pallet, the layout...I just completely loved it and would buy a physical copy rather than an ebook as it's so beautiful. It's so well considered and a total joy to turn each page. Emma Norris has a really friendly, non-preachy voice in the advice she is giving in this book too. She speaks from a place of her own learning and not from a point of being an "expert." When it comes to working on the struggles that so many of us face in terms of overwhelm, the expectations we put on ourselves, and the destructive habit of comparing ourselves to others, that take is absolutely essential. In terms of the content, I would say this is more of a primer for those who are trying to be kinder to themselves whilst also getting their ish together. I'm slightly off the beginner blocks in terms of this topic (at least with regards to reading about it...applying the theory to my actual life and brain chat is a different story), so I can't say I learned anything new. However, I think it's helpful to hear these things talked about from different angles, and some of the things she said made certain concepts make more sense and seem more applicable than they have when I've heard them from other sources. This is a wonderful gift book for someone you want to show some loving kindness to...even if that person is yourself.

If you are new to the concept of mindfulness and productivity, this is the book for you. It's a beginner's guide that's probably best suited for people in their late teens and early twenties. It has good tips, but if you want more depth look elsewhere.

The end of one year and the start of another felt like the perfect time to pick up Emma Norris' self help guide, Progress Over Perfection. This compact, yet informative, little book gives readers tips and tricks in choosing progress over perfection. Norris stresses that you should not let the need to be "perfect" discourage you from going for your dreams. Rather, you should act now and worry about refinement later.

Divided into sections that cover many areas of personal and professional life, Progress Over Perfection helps readers tackle their goals and get closer to the life they truly want to live. From goal-setting to time management, to chaos and cultivation, to boundaries and self-care, Progress Over Perfection scratches the surface on a multitude of relevant self-help topics and serves as an introductory guide to creating a life you love.

I am a person who often feels as if I am not "doing enough" although I know good and well that I am a quite focused and accomplished individual. Some of the practices I have come across on my own and implemented were mentioned in Norris' book, so that reaffirmed that I am on the right track when it comes to goal-setting and cultivating my life. While I was familiar with much of the topics covered here, I did enjoy the refresher that Progress Over Perfection provided me.

Mindfulness with a twist: a focus on productivity and being your best self. A combination of business motivation and self-help book, this artfully presented book contains multiple tips and activities to help you hack your productivity without compromising your well-being.

This was an interesting book. I thought the information presented was well laid out and flowed well. I really enjoyed reading it and want to try and start implementing some of what I read.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I appreciated this book. It's so easy to make a statement such as 'progress over perfection' but I thought Norris made a thoughtful argument for how to actually follow through with that mindset. Lovely book. I want to purchase a tangible copy for myself.

One of my favorite quotes is "Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good" and that is exactly what this book reminds me of! I am a complete perfectionist and this book was a nice reminder to help me move on from that and to achieve my goals, track my accomplishments, and to be more stress free! Norris did a great job on this book!!

This is a great read for anyone looking for inspiration, motivation, or wanting to rid themselves of perfectionist tendencies. Filled with beautiful illustrations, it's like going on a journey and is very fun to read. Beautiful message and delivered in an equally beautiful package.

I feel like this could have been a blog post rather than a whole book. It wasn't terrible, it was pretty, it just was kind of meh.

This book is a gorgeous thing to look at. The colour pallet, the layout...I just completely loved it, and would buy a physical copy rather than an ebook as it's so beautiful. It's so well considered and a total joy to turn each page. Emma Norris has a really friendly, non-preachy voice in the advice she is giving in this book too. She speaks from a place of her own learning and not from a point of being an "expert." When it comes to working on the struggles that so many of us face in terms of overwhelm, the expectations we put on ourselves and the destructive habit of comparing ourselves to others, that take is absolutely essential. In terms of the content, I would say this is more of a primer for those who are trying to be kinder to themselves whilst also getting their ish together. I'm slightly off the beginner blocks in terms of this topic (at least with regards to reading about it...applying the theory to my actual life and brain chat is a different story), so I can't say I learned anything new. However, I think it's helpful to hear these things talked about from different angles, and some of the things she said made certain concepts make more sense and seem more applicable than they have when I've heard them from other sources. This is a wonderful gift book for someone you want to show some loving kindness to...even if that person is yourself.

I'd call this a beginner's guide to mindfulness and productivity. If you've ever read a book or even a long blog post about either topic, there won't be much new info in here. It's nicely presented and has a real Oliver Bonas/Anthropologie vibe – the mint/gold/indigo/baby pink colour scheme would match perfectly with any display at those shops, and I expect to see the book on sale there.

I wanted to know how to actually value progress over perfection, as the title suggests, but that's not really what this book is; it has some simple, gentle tips, but for anything requiring deeper insight it suggests you see a therapist. Which... okay, fair enough, but it felt like a bit of a cop-out. The title (intentionally or unintentionally) reminded me of the well-known cognitive behavioural therapy book Mind Over Mood, so I (fairly or unfairly) expected something along the same lines: quite hard-hitting, psychologically insightful, and with lots of practical exercises to do.

But it's not that. It's a nice, chatty book that would be great for someone in their older teens or early 20s who's never read about mindfulness or productivity before, but would be interested in it.

So lots of good stuff here, but I thought this book would be for me, an underachieving, perfectionist early 30s woman. But I feel even more underachieving than when I started because the things that Emma talks about seem way more than I'm even capable of - at no point ever am I gonna be capable of a side hustle, for example. I'd just like to get my chores done!

Emma Norris' practical guide to overcoming the paralysis of perfectionism is a timely addition to current conversations about self-sabotage (and a timely addition to my personal bookshelf as I come towards the end of my PhD!) The first few chapters left me a little worried that the book was going to guide me about how to be productive *in spite* of perfectionism insofar as it offered (very good!) advice regarding how to work more effectively. The real gems of the work appear in the second half of Norris' guide, however, where she tackles the specifics of perfectionism in more detail than I have come across before. The chapter 'Learning to Rest, not Quit' was a particularly striking example of this. The actionable tips included at the end of every section are highly effective, and almost never too pithy, and the question prompts appended to these tips make implementing Norris' advice in a relevant way to your personal situation seem highly achievable. I am grateful that Norris acknowledges the fact that productivity is a privilege, however I felt an acknowledgement that the interaction of hard work and perfectionism is often far from the main thing holding an individual back from achieving there goals was noticeably absent. Personally, the tone of the text sometimes verged on condescending, rather than encouraging, and phrases like 'cray-cray' felt a little out of place. That said, the value of the tools I take away from this text far outweigh this quibble.

What an amazing book, I'm going read and re-read this again and again. I feel like it was written for me, especially regarding my terrible habits of failing at multitasking and every diet healthy eating change I've ever tried to make.

I feel this will help in all aspects of life, home, work, health etc. The book is beautiful and made me feel better just looking at it. Thank you for the great advice Emma.

This like many self help books of this variety reiterates the same concepts. Although, if you can come across something you didnt know before or take at least 1 or 2 things from a book like this than its done its job. Id never heard of binuaral beats before but I looked it up and listened to a few different varities and found myself quite relaxed and focused as she describes them to be. I definitely see myself implementing those into my routine. I like the wabi sabi concept as well, I hadnt heard it like that. The little mindfulness examples and self care examples were beneficial to me I felt. On a whole, since I was able to come away from reading this with some motivation and improvement techniques, this book was worth a quick little read.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this for a review.

This is a somewhat motivational book and guide. It goes over how to make goals and be mindful of what it is you’re doing. Ways to keep track of your goals and to stride for progress.

This is a high level easy read book on beating perfection and making progress towards your goals. It includes lots of other areas too and is presented in a conversational way. It is good for dipping into and doesn't go into any real depth. Great for people new to self help or anyone just wanting a pick me up. The design of the book is very calming too with its lovely gentle artwork and well spaced out uncluttered pages. It is a good book to gift or to keep on your desk for a bit of light therapy during the day.

Note: I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Progress Over Perfection breaks the myth that productivity is about spending every minute possible on legitimate projects. Using the concept of mindful productivity, Norris shows readers how to prioritize effectively and schedule enough time to recharge. With these methods, Norris proves to readers the importance of taking time to oneself before taking on big projects and reaching out to others.

Before becoming a book blogger/reviewer, I was a personal development and lifestyle blogger, which is what Norris does as well. That being said, a lot of the topics covered in this book are topics I'm very familiar with. Some are ones I'm still working on/discovering myself in my career. Others cover topics well-known to personal development content creators, such as time-blocking, practicing mindfulness, and discovering one's self-worth. And while this book only covers these topics and tips at a high-level, it is a good start to making healthy habits and changes to everyday life and work.

Throughout the book, there are different sections that fit under the productivity umbrella, from goal-setting to designing your perfect day. In each chapter, Norris explores the concept and provides tips and action items to get started. There are also interactive pages in each book that provides activities such as questions and visualizations. These help the reader apply the concepts to their everyday lives.

A big theme in this book is how easy it is to give to others without making room for self-care. This includes not taking the time to take care of one's own needs, or saying yes to everything out of guilt. The book also discusses the true definition of perfectionism, and how most perfectionists don't realize that the definition applies heavily to them. These were the two most valuable concepts in the book. I find with many people (especially myself) that setting boundaries is incredibly difficult if you're a people-pleaser. And if either of these things apply to you, Progress Over Perfection provides actions that you can take to ensure that you're setting boundaries and giving yourself the care that you need in order to stay productive.

While Progress Over Perfection does provide tips and direction on a variety of topics related to productivity and personal development, it does take these topics from a high-level. If you've been reading books like these for a while, or otherwise familiar with a lot of these topics through blogs or videos on these topics, many of them may be very familiar to you. Additionally, if you've been working in your field for a while, you've probably learned about much of the topics covered here through experience. And while the author does provide a variety of examples, from content creators to office employees to mothers, this book does have a specific target audience. I'd recommend this book most to those just starting out in their careers, in school, or in their early twenties. Not to say that older audiences can't benefit from the topics presented here, but I think most of the topics will be new to those who have less experience in their fields or don't engage with this kind of content often.

Overall, Progress Over Perfection is a good starting point for those looking to find balance in their lives. It provides many action items for people who want to work on mindful productivity and need a place to start.

This is a lovely little book. The color palette and pallets are beautiful. They are both calming and engaging making this self-help book seem warm instead of commanding.
Emma Norris did well making teh text easy to read and understand. She also makes great use of pull quotes, sidebars and bullet points. Each one breaks down teh important parts for teh reader so there is no confusion.
I got a lot out of Progress over Perfection; it taught me something I really needed to learn.

I loved this book, I thought it was a brilliant resourceful book for those struggling with perfection. I feel like I took a lot away with me and it feel like I was able to relax a little more. I also liked the use of the colours within the book, I thought that was soothing and relaxing. Definitely one for the book shelf to keep referring to when you’re in a slump.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.