Fewer Things, Better

The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

By: Angela Watson

Narrated by: Angela Watson

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Like most teachers, you want to use your life to make an impact - not only in the classroom, but in your family, community, and the world.

And yet it feels impossible to have that focus when you’re exhausted and overwhelmed. How can you make a difference when you’re distracted by never-ending paperwork, meetings, errands, and housework? How can you give the best of yourself when you’re bogged down with mundane tasks and unfulfilling obligations?

You’ll never have enough time to do everything. But there is a way to free up time, attention, and energy for the things that really matter: the activities that truly impact student learning; the practices that make you a more effective educator; and the routines that make your home and personal life more fulfilling.

Throughout this book, you’ll learn how to disrupt the status quo by challenging school and cultural norms. You’ll also discover how to create healthy boundaries, overcome feelings of self-doubt, release yourself from perfectionism, and decide what work/life balance looks like for you.

Fewer Things, Better will help you challenge the correlation between hours worked and effectiveness. It’s not about how much you’re working; it’s what you’re focusing on.

As you listen, you’ll gain clarity on what’s most important in every aspect of your life and work so you can allocate time to your biggest priorities. You’ll deepen the courage it takes to live with intentionality, so you can do more of what you love and let go of habits and expectations which aren’t serving you well.

It’s time to release yourself from the feeling of never having done enough.

It’s time to stop giving in to the pressure to be constantly busy.

It’s time to do fewer things, so what remains can be done even better.

©2019 Angela Watson (P)2019 Angela Watson

Reframing Your Mind

I agree with other readers/listeners that this is better for those who have not been teaching very long. There are some elements that I think can apply to everyone regardless of teaching experience. I definitely appreciated the reminder for reflecting on what matters and differentiating between what is sssential and what is non-essential in both of our work and our daily lives. Overall, I still would recommend this book to any educator who is looking for ways to balance one's life and change their frame of mind for how they approach their classroom workload.

Didn’t think I really needed this…

I didn’t think I really needed this books advice,but I did. Definitely going to share it with others.

Applicable!!

Loved that the book provided actionable and applicable solutions and “next steps” for enjoying life, reflecting on priorities and really doing the things valued most, better! It also profited a relief from guilt; not feeling defeated or “bad” for letting things go that never needed to have been prioritized in the first place!! Great listen!!!

Great support for teachers

Great book for finding balance! Lots of good self care ideas for non teachers too

Life-changing and worth every penny

This will be my third full year of teaching. I am known by almost every coworker I’ve worked with as the overachiever thatputs into much time and energy into my work. I have become so burnt out and frustrated with many of the things that go on in the schools I have worked in. I recently considered changing my profession. Then my coworker told me about this book. I am beyond grateful for her sharing this resource with me. This has restored my spirits and Strank send my will power to try and make a change in my life so that I can enjoy teaching once again as I did when I first started. This is by far the best book I have read in a long time for educators and is worth every penny! I even bought it as a physical book so that I can refer back to and annotate certain key ideas that I want to keep in mind!

Captivating content for teachers who are tired!

Angela's experience and commitment in education is extraordinary. I take all of her content to heart because it has helped me tremendously in my classroom and career.

Bold and Refreshing

As a new teacher, my second year is still tough. But with this book, the 40 Hour Club and the podcast by my side, I feel like Angela is a consistent mentor cheering me on.
Already I am known at my school for doing things differently and well. That is because I implement so many strategies outline here.

BEST Effective, Impactful Teacher Book for All

There is so much great insight in this book that I don't know where to begin. I hope Angela creates a one-a-day inspirational devotions calendar or even a monthly calendar with some of her overflow of top quotes. There is a wealth of information on creating balance/harmony in all areas of our lives that is conducive to us being effective, impactful teachers & humans, period. From student-teachers to seasoned teachers with decades of experience, you will gain an abundance of meaningful assets from Fewer Things, Better. Finished in a day & a half. now about to dive into the compatible workbook.

Wonderful book full of great insight and practical tips for teachers at any level

This book is full of practical tips for getting on a path of doing fewer things better! It has down to earth strategies to help anyone in the teaching world perform better on the things that really matter. It helped me to see what I need to take care of for myself and what I need to do to function better in life. Great author! Easy to listen to on the drive to and from school!!

Must read for every new teacher.

I have read this book twice now;.once after my 1st year, and again after my 3rd year. I find it to be a necessary read for new teachers, whether it's your 1st or 5th year.