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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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How to Be a Productivity Ninja summary
Graham Allcott
Worry Less, Achieve More and Love What You Do
25 mins
Brief summary
How to Be a Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott gives practical, easy-to-implement tips to improve your productivity and reduce stress. It helps readers to become more efficient and organized in both their personal and professional lives.
Table of Contents
How to Be a Productivity Ninja
Summary of 8 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 8
You can train yourself to become a productivity ninja.
There’s no shortage of books, apps, and programs promising to help you achieve extraordinary levels of productivity. They’ll teach you how to run on 3 hours of sleep a night, work on 17 tasks at once, and answer your emails in nanoseconds. In short, they’ll turn you into a productivity superhero – or so they promise.
Here’s the problem with that. Superheroes don’t exist. And unless you happen to get bitten by a radioactive spider, you’ll never achieve anything you could really call superhuman levels of productivity.
Ninjas, on the other hand, do exist – and not just the ones trained in Japanese martial arts. In the world at large, the term “ninja” simply means a person with elite skills and a focused mindset. By employing the right techniques, anyone can become a ninja.
The key message is: You can train yourself to become a productivity ninja.
What qualities does a productivity ninja have?
To begin with, a ninja keeps her cool. Even when a ninja has a spiraling to-do list, she cultivates the calm mindset needed to tackle tricky decisions and balance competing priorities. She has processes in place to ensure that no task slips through the cracks. As a result, she’s never overwhelmed.
A ninja is ruthless, too. She says no to tasks and obligations that don’t serve her ultimate purpose, and she doesn’t tolerate unnecessary interruptions and distractions.
On top of that, a ninja is weapons-savvy. But remember, we’re talking about a productivity ninja here. She doesn't carry swords or throw stars; instead, her weapons of choice are well-honed workflows and time-management tricks – a suite of organizational tools that she can skillfully apply as needed.
Here’s another quality a productivity ninja possesses: she’s unconventional. She’s not afraid to take risks or challenge the status quo if it means getting things done quicker and better. She slashes through bureaucracy to take the shortest route between to-do and done.
A ninja is also agile – she handles her workload efficiently and is a pro at knowing when to pivot between tasks. She’s always prepared to drop everything to respond to an opportunity or extinguish a threat.
Finally, despite all those amazing qualities, here’s one thing a ninja is not: perfect. Sometimes, she’ll miss a deadline or forget a task or spend the morning scrolling through Instagram instead of tackling her to-do list. And that’s OK, because it isn’t perfection she’s aiming for – it’s consistency.
Are you feeling ready to unleash your inner productivity ninja? The next blinks will tell you how.
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What is How to Be a Productivity Ninja about?
How to Be a Productivity Ninja (2014) transforms old-school time-management techniques and productivity advice into a twenty-first century handbook on how to work smarter – not harder. Adapted to the realities of contemporary work and life, it’s filled with practical guidance and exercises for boosting productivity.
How to Be a Productivity Ninja Review
How to Be a Productivity Ninja (2019) reveals the secrets to mastering productivity and achieving more in less time. Here's why this book is a must-read:
- It provides a wealth of practical techniques and strategies that can be immediately applied to increase productivity and reduce stress.
- The book offers a holistic approach to productivity, focusing on mindset, organization, and technology, making it a comprehensive guide for productivity enthusiasts.
- With its engaging and relatable examples, the book keeps readers hooked, ensuring that the topic of productivity remains interesting and anything but mundane.
Who should read How to Be a Productivity Ninja?
- Chronic procrastinators who’d like to get more done
- Habitual multitaskers who can’t seem to follow through
- Anyone who’s scared of their overflowing inbox or novel-length to-do list
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How to Be a Productivity Ninja FAQs
What is the main message of How to Be a Productivity Ninja?
The main message of How to Be a Productivity Ninja is mastering your productivity by adopting ninja-like techniques and strategies.
How long does it take to read How to Be a Productivity Ninja?
The reading time for How to Be a Productivity Ninja varies, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is How to Be a Productivity Ninja a good book? Is it worth reading?
How to Be a Productivity Ninja is a valuable read for those seeking productivity mastery. It provides practical techniques and actionable advice.
Who is the author of How to Be a Productivity Ninja?
The author of How to Be a Productivity Ninja is Graham Allcott.
What to read after How to Be a Productivity Ninja?
If you're wondering what to read next after How to Be a Productivity Ninja, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey
- Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
- Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
- Work Simply by Carson Tate
- Solving the Productivity Puzzle by Tim Ringo
- The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
- Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte
- Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal
- Extreme Productivity by Robert C. Pozen
- Atomic Habits by James Clear