Book Review: The Joy of Missing Out by Tanya Dalton

About the Book

This book is two things. It’s an eye-opener to the fact that we don’t have to do a million things to be productive (or successful). And it’s a coach that helps us trim the fat, get real with our purpose, and start living more intentionally-Goop 

Dalton helps readers by teaching us to focus on the most important things and create our own operating systems that are exclusive to our lives as individuals. By doing this, we can simplify and make life even better- San Francisco Book Review

Dalton’s ground-up approach to productivity teaches readers to identify their real priorities and, in doing so, cut their massive to-do lists down to size by learning to say no to the tasks that pull them away from their North Star-Grateful

Overwhelmed. Do you wake up in the morning already feeling behind? Does the pressure of keeping it all together make you feel anxious and irritable?

Tanya Dalton, CEO and productivity expert, offers you a liberating shift in perspective: feeling overwhelmed isn’t the result of having too much to do — it’s from not knowing where to start.

Doing less might seem counterintuitive, but doing less is more productive, because you’re concentrating on the work you actually want to be doing. Through this book, you can learn how to:

• Identify what is important to you and clarify your priorities.
• Develop ways to streamline your specific workflow.
• Discover your purpose.

Named Top 10 Business Book of the Year by Fortune magazine, The Joy of Missing Out is chock-full of resources and printables. This is a legitimate action plan for change. Once you reject the pressure to do more, something amazing happens: you discover you can finally live a guilt-free, abundant life.

My Review

Stop me if this sounds familiar, but I have a lot of goals for myself for the year of 2022. Amongst the goals are reading a personal growth book at least every other month and having a more balanced schedule. I’m in the midst of a divorce that included moving from Iowa to Las Vegas (and a complete upheaval of my social my life) plus I recently launched a brand-new business. I have a lot of responsibilities, a bursting to-do list every day, and also try to take care of myself emotionally and mentally – and of course, physically.

That leads me to searching the Prime library looking for books that could help me with these goals. When I saw The Joy of Missing Out, the title immediately struck me. With my social life changing so much, I’ve realized I have a hard time saying no to activities with friends and discovering amazing locations in my new home. Because I’ve been trying to do everything, I often find myself finishing my work responsibilities and other to do list items at three am or waking up at four am to get an early start on my day. I quite literally needed to understand how to find the joy in missing out.

I got so many ideas to try out while reading this. I wrote down notes, nodded my head, shouted “AH HA” a few times, and so on. While not every part was for me – I didn’t look into the printables but they are a nice option for those looking for a little extra help – I’ve already implemented a lot of small changes in my work day. I started to understand my schedule wasn’t always making the most sense and the result was making me work – wait for it – harder and not smarter. I appreciated the bite size chapters and the personal stories Tanya brought into this one, and I closed the book with new changes to try, motivated to look at my business with a fresh perspective and inspired to live a happier and more productive life.

4.5 stars