20,000 Days And Counting by Robert D. Smith

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Book review: 20,000 Days And Counting by Robert D. Smith

20,000 Days presents breathtakingly simple strategies and concepts that, once applied, will enable readers to be 100% present and intentional with every passing minute of every day, for the rest of their lives….On the 20,000th day of his life, the author sent an email that inspired and reminded a group of people of all ages to live in the moment. This group now includes you. - Excerpt from publisher’s book description

This book is chock full of simple yet truly thought- (and life-) altering principles for becoming a more productive individual in the life we live, with a view towards an eternity that we’ll have no reason to dread. I usually shun self-help and motivational type books but I am glad I read this one. Although not featuring Scripture throughout for the most part, the author shares key Scriptures at the beginning on the wisdom of numbering our days and other similar biblical exhortations. This provides a great foundation for the principles shared. Each chapter is preceded by salient quotations on the topic of Time and Productivity from past voices which were so gripping that I highlighted almost all of them.

Of all the principles shared the one that jumped out at me most was ‘Motivation is a myth.’ The author says:
“Believe me. You cannot motivate people to do any one thing. Even yourself. Never try to motivate yourself or anyone else to increase productivity. Instead, do the opposite: Increase your productivity, then the motivation will follow."

I reflected on my own experiences and could see the truth in this. My attempts at motivation in itself have often been very short-lived to downright failures. However, whenever I did just set my mind to it and accomplish a task, I found I was more likely to feel satisfied and attempt another.
Because I was also intrigued by the author’s calculation of his days lived thus far, I followed the information provided to the author’s website where I was able to input my birth date for a calculation of how many thousands of days I’ve been alive. It really does bring perspective if you will soak it in and be reflective!

The author says that the book was designed to be read in about an hour. I am not a slow reader and I did use just a few minutes at points to re-read key points and reflect on my own experiences, but this took me about 2 hours to finish in one sitting. If the topic is of particular interest to you and you intend to see how these tips can be applied to your own life, I reckon you will also need more than one hour to finish it.

If you struggle with a feeling of purposeless, procrastination, or just a nagging sense of not living up to your full potential despite some achievements, this book would be an asset to you. But reading it won’t be enough; you will also have to choose differently in your everyday life to see changes - Or as another principle in this book states: ‘You only have two choices, yes and no. I recommend 20,000 Days And Counting and give it 5 of 5 stars in its genre.


BookSneeze® provided me with a complimentary e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review only.