Too much focus on the authors' life story and the tragedy of their existence which I didn't want to keep reading on and on because, come on, the death of a child is not an easy thing to stomach page in, page out. All the productivity info gets buried amid all this memoir-style writing, and it was a slog to extricate said tips and tricks and methods.
All in a book, it's a book about the tragedy of these authors' lives leading them to find productivity and not a productivity book at all.

A worthy inclusion in the books on productivity and time management. It seems like a new book of this type comes out every week, but the process of finding the method that works best for you is a truly useful. one.

Books that promise to unlock productivity hacks to unleash your potential, are by-and-large glorified case studies of the one time the author was successful wrapped in an overly self-congratulating sales pitch.

The opening chapters are typically overly burdensome hype about why you need to read what is coming next. Not Today skips that and opens with the heartbreaking journey of Erica and Mike and their son Ari's battle against a critical congenital heart defect.

The struggle to meet the demands of growing a business, caring for a spouse and raising a family is challenging to the best of us. To do it while living out of a hospital with a child requiring constant medical attention is a near impossible task.

It is against this seemingly overwhelming emotion and physical strain that Erica and Mike show why success requires careful and consistent management. Management of time, resources and our own bad habits.

Typically this is where most books stop. "Do this and you'll be a success". Erica and Mike however go deeper, having built the principles in the book on top of a large scale case study into what they refer to as "the XP", extremely productive people. Advice and habits are backed by metrics from the study.

Which is what sets Not Today apart from typical productivity hacking advice. Rather than trying to replicate a one-off process, Erica and Mike offer the rather simple, but obvious advice: If you want to be extremely productive, then copy the behaviors of extremely productive people.

Much of the 9 habits they detail will not be news to anyone who has picked up other books on productivity. They build on well trodden ground: track and manage time, focus on the most important task, work in short hyper focused bursts, etc. What the book does offer that is new, is a consistent and overarching framework to consistently repeat this process as well as self evaluation tools to track your progress. It is this reliance on tooling and metrics, both in their research and in their process for self-evaluation that really help to move the needle and force you into rebuilding healthy habits and working patterns that drive more productivity.

Not Today provides a framework that can be utilized in the most devastating and demanding events a family can go through. Erica and Mike demonstrate that building a higher level of productivity isn't just for those who show up at 5am and ignore anything beneath them. Even when the waves break your life into two and leave you with nothing but crumbs, you can find a way to move forward. To build and invest with what you have. Without a doubt, this is my new go-to for those looking for a detailed approach on how to work smarter, not harder.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book comes at a time where everyone is trying to learn how to be productive for improved mental and physical health. If you only read it for the wonderful story about their son, I would highly recommend this book.

Not Today introduces concepts on time management and making the most of your “T-I-M-E”. The authors present processes and steps to improve productivity while sharing their personal journey and how these techniques helped overcome challenges. Highly recommend Not Today for individuals looking for new insights on boosting productivity.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Not Today.

I honestly had incredible big expectations for this book. I thought if the authors could do so much while living with so much on their plate and in their hearts there must be some valuable lessons.

And all my expectations were fulfilled. And exceeded. This is a very complex and complete book about how to value your time and how to really organize your life in order to achieve your goals while actually living, not only working. I loved this about the book - it takes work as part of one's life and it teaches you how to make the best of your days, not only your working days. When you don't have a choice between work and life, when it's not a matter work - life balance, this book shows you how to approach the balance as a whole.

There are books out there that treat only one issue that this book covers, seeing so many techniques and tricks, and coming from a place of experience, was a real help. It is full of resources, not to mention at the end there is a full plan on how to implement the whole process.

As it took me some weeks to finish this book I got to see it's effect. I didn't yet go for the 90 days plan, but I started thinking differently about my time, about my treasured and mandatory time and started tracking. These alone have been super revealing, I discovered a lot about how I handle my time, and started obsessing about it! Just by reading this book.

While living great hardships, the authors don't look down on any struggle and understand change is hard. Ultimately, what I loved the most about this book was how much love and affection it was infused with, how much Ari was present and revered and just how heartfelt the writing was. There was a big dose of humanity that I haven't encountered in any productivity / time management book and this makes it absolutely invaluable.

I received a copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

The best productivity book I have read in my life! Most authors dont realize that time becomes fragmented once you have kids; its hard to achieve success in 10 minute slots! Even when we do find time it is hard to find motivation or clarity because our to-do list has a zillion items that need to be checked off!
This book is different because it helps you trim and complete the list.
The only hard part was reading some of the stories of Ari at the hospital, as it brought back memories of something similar (though not quite as devastating!) In the end, the book serves as excellent motivation to make the most of the TIME we have now, instead of making changes after it becomes manadatory!
Love the concepts - GIA, find your why, spiritual journey, etc.
No matter how productive you think you are, this book will teach you to be 10x better!

Not Today: The 9 Habits of Extreme Productivity tells the powerful story of what it’s like to have no time to get anything done and yet need to keep a business and a family afloat.
At times, it made me tear up: parents Erica and Mike Schultz lay their experiences of their son’s illness bare. It’s a book about how to be extremely productive and make the most of your time drawn on their experiences of having to manage a business around the edges of dealing with their son’s illness and being there for their other children.
It draws heavily on their research into the behavior of over 2,300 people. They’ve taken the results and categorized the survey population into a group called The XP (the Extremely Productive) and everyone else. By studying what the XP group does, they have created a set of 3 keys and 9 habits that lead to improved productivity. You can learn strategies and techniques to get more done – and this book will show you how.
For example, The XP (the extremely productive) are 3.5 times more likely than other people to start tasks they know they should be doing immediately.
The book is filled with facts like this, summarizing their research and what we can take from it. It’s a nicely laid out book, easy to read and the statistics are scattered through the book with great graphs.
If you don’t feel like you would ever qualify as an XP, then don’t worry. The book lays out exactly what you have to do to become more productive. And it feels very manageable.
Not Today (with the crossed out ‘Not’) looks like a strange title but it has a profound meaning. It comes from the idea that you shouldn’t procrastinate. Make the decision to do it today. Basically, get on with what you have to do in order to make progress. Whether you feel productive and just want to tweak what you are doing based on proven techniques or whether you feel like you’re not making the most of your time, this book will help you see what steps to take to get yourself on track for reaching your goals.
The authors have tested these principles to the max over the years they spent with their eldest child, Ari. The result is what they call The Productivity Code. It’s a set of three keys and nine habits that super-productive people have.
It also includes a 90-day productivity challenge to help you put those habits into practice.
Tip: Don’t skip the prologue!

I received a NetGalley ARC, and this is my honest review.

This book (the ARC version, at least) is so full of irrelevant personal stories, I had to stop reading and start treating it as a workbook. It opens with an editor's note saying you can't skip the prologue. YOU CAN TOTALLY SKIP THE PROLOGUE, and the introduction as well (which account for 16% of the book!). If a book is about productivity, it should be focused on the reader and their desire to increase productivity—not on whatever cathartic stories the authors want to tell in order to deal with a personal tragedy. There is a place for those stories, but a book on productivity is not one of them.

Not Today is an inspiring and motivational read which is essentially a toolbox on how to manage your time. The authors, Erica and Mike Schultz, went through an extremely difficult and heart-wrenching journey with their son, Ari. This is a prime example of people who took the lemons of their life and made lemonade. The authors use their story and expertise in time management to help and encourage others.
I found there to be many tools in this book that challenge the reader to stop making excuses and to become the most productive version of themselves that they can be (after all if anyone had excuses as to not getting things done, it was this couple.) Erica and Mike have ‘been there and done that.’ They came out the other side of their journey stronger and more effective time managers.
Unfortunately, a few profanities peppered throughout this book detracted from the overall positive message for me. While this won’t bother most people and the profanity wasn’t in great proportions, the book was written to professionals of high intellect, and to me, this detracted from the excellence of the book.
Not Today is a book geared towards self-motivated individuals looking to better themselves. It is a good read that will make you rethink and examine your overall productivity.

Not Today is a book of two halves that doesn't really come together. The story of their son's life and all the battles they fought was heart breaking and beautifully written. A real tribute to his life and the terrible struggles they had to endure as a family. However I found it too difficult to then switch to clinical instructions on time management presented like an academic text book. Complete with boring and unnecessary diagrams, and uninspiring methods. All the passion in the personal story was lost in these uninspiring interludes. It was full of quotes and studies as references a bit like an academic report. So thumbs up for the personal story and the bravery in writing it, thumbs down for the productivity bits, it just didn't come together.

Two things: first is that this book sets out to look at productivity beyond our job and into our life, and second is that this book has what you'd call a lot of things to do. Plenty of practical action to take and how to take it, so I feel more like it's a guide, one that you can only refer to when necessary.
It's not to be read in one sitting.
It's a resourceful book and I truly loved their 4-3-4 outlook on breaking down goals and pursuing them. Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

“Not Today” has a strong hook - the authors approach productivity from the perspective of a devastating loss, making personal productivity into something more than just corporate efficiency. The idea of productivity as a means to get the most from our lives, not just our jobs, is something that is often overlooked in other books of this type. However, a promising concept is bogged down by an overly complex execution, with the fundamental message getting lost in too many lists and systems. Ultimately this is a book that sacrifices the “why” for the “how” and is weaker for it.