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

I've been following Adrienne Herbert on Instagram for quite a few years now and I've always found her energy, enthusiasm and dedication very inspiring, so I was really looking forward to reading her first book. She communicates these elements with tremendous ease in Power Hour, which is written in an amicable, conversational style that strongly resembles the way in which she writes on her social media, website & newsletter.

For someone who has read books on personal development before - or books that fall under the (in my opinion) ambiguous category 'smart thinking', a lot of the information/research presented in Power Hour will be familiar territory. Herbert simply brings this content together in a manner that builds the case for the import, life-changing effects of introducing the concept of power hour in one's everyday life. Having said that, the latest chapters, especially the one on the importance of strong social ties, although passionately written, were not as tightly connected to the main topic of the book. They were interesting to read but I didn't quite see how they affect the power hour (in her opinion, at least).

What adds texture and makes the book more interesting are the sporadic references to interview abstracts from the synonymous podcast, where the reader can gain insight into the habits and lifestyle of other, successful early birds.

I initially assumed that Herbert's book would centre on how to implement a power hour and the benefits of doing so. Instead, her book builds on her successful inspiring podcast about how to achieve personal goals and is bookended by chapters offering advice about creating a power hour (which, personally, I found the most useful overall). The majority of Herbert's book explores topics such as movement, purpose and sleep. These are all things of which one must investigate and take control in order to thrive. The overall effect of the book is extremely motivating, as Herbert is good at making the lifestyle and mindset changes she suggests seem clear and easy to do. Be prepared, however, Herbert's 'you can do anything' approach does not make allowances for those whose health (physical or mental) may not permit them to pursue life as ruthlessly as she encourages.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Power Hour. I've read a lot of books prior regarding morning routines and making the most out of the time you have in a day and found this book had lots of new tips and approaches towards creating routine and making time to pursue your passion. I found the discussion on movement really refreshing considering the message you usually hear is to incorporate exercise into your life, whereas reframing and focusing on movement felt a lot more motivating. My two favourite moments (I couldn't pick!) were the thought that you had a limited amount of summers left so how will you spend them (I straight away thought about how I could spend x amount of Christmasses) and towards the end of the book where Adrienne asks 'You've just had the best year - what's happened' and sets a task on focusing forward.

I have learnt so much through reading ‘The power hour’. I found it an inspirational and informative read. This is a book that really gets the reader thinking about how they are living their life, what they want to change and how to achieve it.

Author Adrienne, shares her story and we learn how she has overcome challenges in her life to achieve success, and she shares her secrets so we can do the same. She achieves this without pretention, and in a very accessible way that makes the book a pleasure to read.

There are so many useful strategies from Adrienne herself in addition to insight she has gleamed from numerous high achievers she has interviewed in her podcast of the same name.

This book offers practical strategies in addition to inspiration to help us identify and reach our goals.

I particularly loved chapters relating to sleep, daily movement and personal relationship. This book really is all about life and how to do / make it better!

My thanks to NetGalley, Author and Publisher for the opportunity to review this inspirational book in exchange for an advance copy.

Based on the idea that everyone can spend one hour per day on themselves to achieve their goals. Develop a growth mindset and unlock your potential- you know you're worth it. Highly recommended by Fearne Cotton so you know it must be good.

A very positive and inspiring read. I would urge everyone to read this, especially in the current circumstances.

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

Who wouldn’t want an extra hour in their day? An hour, just for them and their goals?
But would you be prepared to get up an hour earlier to achieve them?
In Power Hour Adrienne Herbert will give you all the reasons why you should consider doing this and defuse all the excuses. And as it’s very nearly 2021 there may be no better time to be thinking of how you can line up all your ambitions. 2020 has been a tough year for everyone and your plans may have been derailed by COVID but now’s the time to get back on track.
I speak as one who did get up at 5am for over 18 months and can vouch for how much it helped me to move forward at a difficult time in my life. I always felt that I’d achieved something first thing every day and that put the day in focus.
As the author says, at that time the world is silent and no one knows that you’re up. It’s an hour for you to do what you want before the world rushes in again. A way of focussing.
I enjoyed the book, it’s written in an easy, conversational style with lots of good quotes from other authors and speakers. There are also questions for you to consider and answer which made me think more deeply about my own plans after this terrible year.
The author also discusses how and why she decided to have her own power hour and what she did with it which was a fascinating part of the book.
‘Swallow the frog’ wasn’t a phrase that I had heard of before but I understood the concept of dealing with something that you don’t want to do or have been avoiding. I recognised that one only too well!
This is a book aimed at people who may be intending to make a New Year resolution or a change in their lives to find more time for themselves or their future plans. The chapters cover the power of movement, sleep, purpose and also how to create powerful habits.
It doesn’t have all the answers but, like most self-help books, it does contain some gold plated nuggets which I found helpful and will apply to my own ambitions.
My thanks to Random House Cornerstone and Netgalley for an ARC.

I’ve been making an effort this year to read more personal development books. Some have been hits, some misses. But Power Hour is a hit.

I’ve never listened to the podcast Adrienne runs, Power Hour, but I think I’m going to start to. I really liked Adrienne’s voice in this book, and I hope that will transfer over to the podcast.

The central point of Power Hour is waking up at 6 am or before. So you have an hour in the morning before the rest of the world wakes up. The idea is that you fill this hour with intention: work on your business, work on your health, work on the thing you never seem to have time to work on.

I like that Adrienne does emphasise the importance of sleep. She dedicates an entire chapter to explaining how important it is for us to get seven to nine hours of sleep at night. She also references the book Why We Sleep by Mathew Walker, which is highly informative on the topic. Instead of forcing yourself to wake up an hour earlier than usual, she recommends you go to bed an hour earlier at night, so waking up earlier comes naturally.

Most of the book is dedicated to encouraging you to really look at your life and work out what you want. She has whole chapters dedicated to mindset, health, sleep, and personal networks. There were parts of the book I skimmed because they’re not applicable to my life, but most of it I found really interesting.

Adrienne’s writing in Power Hour is personable. So it feels like a friend talking to you and offering you (good) advice. A lot of the content I’ve seen in other places, but I really liked the way it was delivered in this book. Which makes it more powerful, and makes me more likely to take it on board.

I came away from reading it feeling really inspired. I also feel like I’m making the right choice in pursuing what I want to do with my life, rather than doing what’s ‘sensible’ or expected of me.

This is a book I’ll be looking to buy a physical copy of. I don’t plan to wake up before 6 am, but I will take forward the idea of using the first hour of my day to do something that’s important to me and that will set me up well for the rest of the day.

This book is a game-changer. It is inspirational and backed up by science and research. Lots of practical advice. I’ve read many similar books but this is one of the best I’ve read. A book I will be going back to time and time again. And I will be buying copies for many of my friends and family too.

Thank you so much for allowing me an advanced copy of this incredible book. I hadn’t heard of the author before coming across this. As soon as I read the blurb I knew this was the book for me. Adrienne is an extremely inspiring and focussed woman. I haven’t listened to her podcast but will certainly be now. She pulls together what she has learnt interviewing highly successful people for her podcast and her own thoughts on The power hour. What would you do if you had an extra hour a day? Exercise, learn a new language, meditate or journal? Anything Is possible if you make time to achieve your goals. Adrienne offers lots of advice and tips which all can be achieved by waking up an hour earlier. I have read other similar books on this topic but this felt much more real and relatable to me. I will certainly be starting my own power hour. This is the perfect book for starting a fresh new year!

If you didn’t know already, I LOVE self-help non-fiction books. I am always on the lookout for ways to improve myself and my lifestyle, and though I don’t do big overhauls or changes, I find that making small changes does really impact me and I find it much easier to stick to.

Herbert’s Power Hour (an extension of her podcast of the same name, which I hadn’t heard before but will definitely listen now!) is a simple statement: how much extra could you achieve if you got up an hour earlier? The book doesn’t suggest you need to try and change the world or take on a huge project, but that hour could be used for running, writing a book or even reading more books!

The book offers tips to help you identify your goals, personal anecdotes from Herbert, as well as tips about sleep, healthy eating and how best to view your goals. It’s also pretty short, so gets to the point quickly and doesn’t waste your time with any fake wisdom.

I f you're a regular reader of self help books / psychology books I'm not sure you'll find masses in here that's new. However, it's nicely pulled together and packaged, and the author's key message of making the first hour of the day a power hour of getting stuff done is a good one.