The Art of Living: Self-Management—How to Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century

Audio engineer El Baba debuts with an intriguing blend of meditative mindfulness and productivity hacking geared toward those with a dedicated interest in maximizing their time. He begins by analyzing management consultant David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” methodology, which teaches a holistic productivity mindset, arguing that Allen’s methodology represents a much-needed shift that will help people engage in their life and naturally reap the benefits of productive activity. El Baba then lays out his “art of living system,” which focuses on “self-and-life-management, self-direction, attention management and control, commitment management, good decision making and judgement,” and “the optimal way to deal with information.” He does this through a rather complicated process that involves prioritizing, color-coding, and tracking items including goals, outlines for projects, habits, and even grocery lists. Each category is then discussed in-depth, with tips on task prioritization and developing productive routines. This will appeal to those who enjoy hyper-organization programs like bullet journaling, but it may be overly complicated for those with a less fervent desire to improve their time management. (Self-published)