How many times have you promised yourself you’d get something done? Actually do the work for that goal? Make a change (for real this time)?… Only to flake out on your promise to yourself and maybe even others? 

You don’t actually have to count… I think everyone can relate to this.

In fact, there are a bazillion posts, podcasts, and tutorials out there about productivity and reaching your goals. Trust me, I’ve read a lot of them… and yet, it seems to be one of the biggest issues we face: unfilled dreams, goals, and potential.

Which is why it feels a little difficult to believe that one book could change any of that. Don’t worry, that would be my initial thought too but I have found The 12 Week Year to be the best productivity book I’ve ever read. 

I was super doubtful at first and I’m not going to lie, I thought it was kind of stupid. Josh, my husband had gotten ahold of the book and ranted and raved about it. Whereas, I was just kinda “meh” about the idea of it. But he went ALL in on it and watching his results made me curious enough to check it out for myself. 

Turns out, the secret to accomplishing your goals and being more productive than anyone else in your circle can be as simple as the method you use to map out your goals. 

That’s where the 12 Week Year comes in. 

The Best Productivity Book I’ve Ever Read

Here’s the gist of it…

You know how New Years comes and resolutions are made and by July, (okay, like the second week of February) we’ve made exactly zero progress on it?

Yeah, that’s because a calendar year is way too long to accomplish a goal. It’s like when we were given three weeks to write a paper in school and it took us the full three weeks; but when we were given three days to get a similar paper done, we got it done in three days instead of three weeks.

It’s called Parkinson’s Law – the idea is that work expands to take up the full amount of time allotted for it. 

A full calendar year to accomplish something? Time expands to get it done so far, it gets forgotten before the year is over. 

The 12 Week Year adjusts the timeframe in which you map out and accomplish your goals.

Here are the top 3 benefits reading The 12 Week Year has brought to my life:

1) My productivity has increased by 5X

The tagline is “get more done in 12 weeks than most people do in 12 months” and I’ll be honest, when you apply the methods, it’s true. 

I started applying the methods to my blog and I have literally gotten more done in this 12 week period than I did in the entire last year. It’s amazing and a little distressing at the same time. 

2) I get more rest time

As contrary as it might sound, I feel more rested now than I have in a long time. The method used in The 12 Week Year to map out goals makes it so that I feel confident everything will get done in working hours which gives me the ability to truly rest when and feel at peace when I’m not working. 

There’s also a week between each 12 week period called “the 13th week” that is specifically designed for rest, evaluation, and planning. They are meant to give you a break in between each 12 week year. It’s basically like taking 4 vacations in a calendar year guilt free.

3) It’s simplified my life

One of the reasons I think this is the best productivity book I’ve ever read is because the method it uses for mapping goals also simplifies your life. You only work on two to three goals at one time, you’ve mapped out exactly what tasks you’re going to do each week, day, and in blocks of time. 

The result is a lot less trying to figure out what to do, and a much simpler approach to getting the work done. 

One thing that’s really nice is that applying this method to your own work and life is a lot easier than you may initially think. The book guides you step by step through setting up your 12 Week Year plan and gives lots of tips and helpful ways to stay on track. 

If you’ve ever struggled to accomplish your goals, definitely check out this book! It’s been a life-changing resource for me and I’ve started hearing from lots of other people who have found it to be invaluable.