At Your Best

How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor

by Carey Nieuwhof

4.7(799 ratings)

10 min read

Brief overview

This book focuses on practical ways to break free from constant busyness and stress by rethinking how you use your most valuable assets. Through simple strategies, you will learn to better allocate time, optimize your energy, and protect your priorities so that you can thrive both at work and at home.

A Stressful Reality

Our modern world constantly pushes us to do more, faster, and for longer. With devices in our pockets and urgent alerts wherever we look, we often find ourselves caught in cycles of frantic activity. It’s becoming normal to feel overcommitted, burdened by seemingly endless responsibilities, and unsure how to create breathing room.

Many people try coping with stress by taking more time off or hoping a balanced life will just happen. But brief breaks rarely fix the deeper problem—an underlying sense that everything is urgent and that we must respond to every request. As a result, the pace of life can still feel unsustainable, and we remain stuck on a productivity hamster wheel.

Feeling overwhelmed doesn’t mean you’re weak or flawed—it’s a signal that the way you juggle tasks, relationships, and goals could use a more intentional structure. The insight here is that you have more control over your day than you might think. Realizing this begins the journey toward a healthier, less frenetic routine.

Constant stress is not a badge of honor; it’s an alarm to approach life differently.

Why We Often Feel Trapped

Most of us have the same number of hours in the day, but we rarely feel that way. Each time a meeting invite appears, a phone buzzes, or someone asks for a quick favor, our schedule flexes to accommodate them. We then wonder why there’s never enough time for our personal goals.

One major trap is leaving large blocks of unscheduled time on our calendars without a plan. Intending to keep options open, we actually invite others to fill that blank space with their own priorities. Before we know it, errands, calls, or interruptions consume the hours we meant for something more meaningful.

We also let people-pleasing tendencies steer us. Afraid of disappointing others, we default to yes. The result is an unending to-do list shaped by outside demands. Yet the key lies in recognizing we do have permission to say no and to treat our time like the limited resource it truly is.

Your time is finite; schedule it before someone else does.

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What is At Your Best about?

"At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor" by Carey Nieuwhof is a transformative guide designed to help individuals reclaim control over their time and energy. It challenges the traditional paradigms of time management by introducing a refreshing perspective that emphasizes aligning your time, energy, and priorities to achieve true productivity. This book is not just about organizing your schedule but about optimizing your life to break free from the burdens of stress and constant busyness.

Nieuwhof offers practical strategies to identify and harness your personal peak energy periods, allowing you to schedule tasks optimally during your most productive hours, referred to as the Green Zone. By learning to defend your priorities and tactfully manage distractions, the book provides a roadmap for leading a balanced and fulfilling life both at work and home. Its impact on readers is profound, as it assists in creating a structured yet flexible routine that revolves around one's core strengths, fostering a life that feels less hectic and more satisfying.

This book stands out as it tackles the undervalued aspects of energy management and personal focus, providing a clear framework that readers can adopt to sustainably improve their productivity and well-being. The actionable techniques shared within its pages serve as a catalyst for anyone eager to escape the time traps of modern life and thrive more abundantly in their personal and professional spheres.

Review of At Your Best

In "At Your Best", Carey Nieuwhof presents a refreshing take on personal management by integrating practical insights with relatable anecdotes drawn from his own battle with burnout. What sets this book apart is its focus on aligning time, energy, and priorities – an approach that transcends conventional time management strategies. By identifying the Green, Yellow, and Red Zones, Nieuwhof guides readers to work smarter, not harder, by focusing their best hours on high-impact tasks.

The book excels in translating theory into pratical, actionable steps. Readers will appreciate the dynamic yet easily adaptable frameworks that prioritize their most important tasks, helping declutter both their physical and mental spaces. Nieuwhof's style is inviting and accessible, making it an invaluable resource for busy professionals and individuals feeling perpetually overwhelmed. The significance of saying no becomes evident, as the book gently encourages readers to embrace this skill to protect their personal and professional boundaries.

Targeting an audience familiar with the demands of incessant multitasking, "At Your Best" resonates deeply amid the overwhelming pace of modern life. For those looking to regain control over their schedules while maximizing productivity, this book is a worthy companion. Nieuwhof's recommendations are both practical and inspiring - a blueprint for those ready to overhaul their approach to life. Enthusiastically recommended for anyone eager to stave off burnout and embrace a more intentional, well-rounded way of living.

Who should read At Your Best?

Busy professionals who struggle with stress and work-life imbalance will find valuable strategies to streamline their daily routines and improve efficiency.
Individuals experiencing burnout or feeling overwhelmed with life's demands can benefit from practical advice on regaining energy and focus.
Aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders seeking to optimize their productivity while managing their burgeoning responsibilities.
Time management enthusiasts looking to refine their methods by incorporating energy management and priority defense techniques.
Self-help devotees eager to explore innovative approaches to personal and professional growth that emphasize sustainable, holistic change.

About the author

Carey Nieuwhof is a former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church with degrees in law, theology, and history. He has over 25 years of experience in ministry and leadership, having served as Lead Pastor until 2015. He is a prolific author, blogger, and podcaster, with his content accessed over 1.3 million times a month by leaders. His book "At Your Best" offers strategies to overcome burnout and achieve productivity by leveraging time, energy, and priorities effectively.