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Introduction 18 Minutes
18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done (2012),Buy on Amazon, by Peter Bregman shows you how to achieve more. The author promises to help readers prioritize their activities and establish an effective daily routine.
Does it work? Yes and no. Like most things in life, it’s a mixed verdict. Read this summary to learn the good and bad and who will and won’t benefit from this book.
The Good and the Bad of 18 Minutes
18 minutes champions personal growth and how to structure your goals and daily tasks to achieve more. Conversely, it does so in a cliché-ridden, repetitive, and nonspecific way.
The Good of 18 Minutes
Bregman’s desire to help the reader grow shines throughout his work. Additionally, he integrates his daily organizational system with his yearly goal setting.
Focus on Personal Growth
One of 18 Minutes’ strengths is its focus on improving readers’ lives. Bregman writes in a sincere and encouraging tone.
He is a talented storyteller, weaving real-life examples throughout his work. Bregman guides his readers on how to prioritize better and avoid distractions.
His advice to avoid confirmation bias and pause before responding applies to everyone.
Daily Planning Using “18-Minutes”
The title and main point of the book are Bregman’s time management system. His 18-minutes breakdown into:
- Five Minutes: Choose daily tasks supporting your yearly focus areas.
- Eight Minutes: At the end of every working hour, spend one minute each hour to consider whether your previous hour contributed to your focus areas (eight minutes assumes you work eight hours daily).
- Five Minutes: Review what you finished and any lessons learned.
The technique is a good way of avoiding the “where did my day go?” trap by focusing on your priorities.
Focus Areas
For goal setting, Bregman suggests we choose four to five focus areas in both work and life. Commitments cascade from these areas.
The point of the process is to align your values with your actions. One unique aspect of Bregman’s approach is that he reviews these focus areas daily.
Perhaps the most valuable piece of his system is how it tells you what not to work on. Pass on any commitments outside of your focus areas.
The Bad of 18 Minutes
Bregman presents his material in a manner that may turn some people off. If all or some of the following bother you—clichés, anecdotes, repetition, and motivational slogans—then you will not enjoy reading this book.
Overused Anecdotes and Tired Clichés
Bregman relies on overreferenced, dated examples such as Facebook’s early days and the David and Goliath fable. They’re like a sweaty pair of socks. Once useful, but now stale and stinky.
Chapters blur together through the deluge of weak metaphors and stale analogies. They appear to be filler so the author could hit his publisher’s word count.
His advice often belongs on a bumper sticker— “Find your passion” and “Seek meaning.” These recommendations are all sides with no main dish.
Generic, Cheerleader, Advice
The book goes deep enough to skip a rock but so shallow that the ideas don’t float. Bregman tells us to “stay positive” or “take action.” It’s as valuable as advice on how to do better or try harder.
The book discusses various topics but doesn’t go into enough detail on any concept to be actionable. For example, what do you do with advice, such as “turn weaknesses into assets?” While Bregman’s positive attitude is commendable, his peppy “you can do it” style wears on you over the course of a book.
Poor Writing
18 Minutes has repetitive content, unbalanced pacing, and a monotone writing style. One example of his repetition is his Google Earth analogy of hitting a “Find Me” button to focus on where you are. It was an interesting analogy the first, second, and perhaps third times, but by the twentieth mention, I wanted to tell Bregman to shut up.
The pacing in the book is out of whack. For instance, he waits for three-quarters of the book to mention his daily system and the book’s name, 18 minutes.
Finally, his writing style gets old. He has one gear, which is a peppy cheerleading consultant. It’s an excellent approach for a thirty-minute PowerPoint sales presentation but not so much for a book.
Overall Assessment of 18 Min
Who Should Read It?
If you are overcommitted and have trouble saying no, then 18 Minutes presents a valuable way to determine what to focus on. Also, if you are the type of person who loses focus throughout the workday. Bregman provides a clever structure to keep you on task. Finally, if you appreciate motivational books, you will enjoy it.
Who Should Skip It?
If you’re looking for specific productivity advice and tactics, you may find 18 Minutes lacking. Also, anyone looking for science-backed strategies will not find any here. Lastly, people who are averse to motivational speeches and storytelling should move on.
Wrap-Up
18 Minutes by Peter Bregman is a mix of insights and platitudes. It resonated with many people, spending twelve weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list. Love it or hate it. Bregman’s 18-minute and yearly planning methods work well for many. Perhaps you, too?
Conclusion 18 Minutes
There’s always more to read on this topic. Explore our full guide on personal productivity. Or you can view more productivity book reviews.
I thrive on recommendations and feedback. Hit me up in the comments section or join me on Reddit at (opens new tab) r/Remove_Work_Advice. I would love to hear from you if you have read 18 Minutes or if you have any thoughts to share.
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Additional Information
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About Peter Bregman
Peter Bregman is a consultant and writer on organizational and personal productivity. He is the CEO of Bregman Partners consulting firm. Bregman has contributed to the Harvard Business Review and other respected outlets. Currently, he resides in New York.
Peter Bregman’s Books
Heads up. If you click on “Buy on Amazon” next to any book title, it will open a new page for that book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases—think of it as a productivity tip jar. Your support is highly optional but always appreciated.
- Bregman, P. (2011). 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done. United States: Grand Central Publishing. Buy on Amazon
- Bregman, P., Jacobson, H. (2021). You Can Change Other People: The Four Steps to Help Your Colleagues, Employees—Even Family—Up Their Game. United Kingdom: Wiley. Buy on Amazon
- Review, H. B., Cable, D., Bregman, P., Monarth, H., Keltner, D. (n.d.) (2019). Power and Impact (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series). United States: Harvard Business Review Press. Buy on Amazon
- Bregman, P. (2018). Leading With Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, And Inspire Action on Your Most Important Work. Germany: Wiley. Buy on Amazon
- Bregman, P. (2015). Four Seconds: All the Time You Need to Replace Counter-Productive Habits with Ones That Really Work. United States: HarperCollins. Buy on Amazon
- Bregman, P. (2007). Point B: A Short Guide to Leading a Big Change. United States: Space for Change. Buy on Amazon
Peter Bregman Online
- Website: https://www.bregmanpartners.com
- LinkedIn: Peter Bregman on LinkedIn
- X(Twitter): Peter Bregman
- Facebook: Peter Bregman’s official Facebook page
Other Reviews of 18 Minutes
- Kirkus Reviews. (n.d.). Review of 18 Minutes by Peter Bregman. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from Kirkus Reviews
- Goodreads. (n.d.). 18 Minutes by Peter Bregman. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from Goodreads
- Fougerousse, T. (n.d.). Book review: 18 Minutes by Peter Bregman. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from Tom Fougerousse
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The 18 Minutes method offers a simple, yet effective system.
Take five minutes each morning to set goals for your day. Then, review progress toward your priorities for the last minute of every hour. Finish the day by spending five minutes identifying the positives and negatives for the day.
The simplicity of Bregman’s method makes it easy to follow. It focuses you on working on your goals and self-improvement without changing much about how you work.
Bregman suggests making an “Ignore List.” It differs from a “Someday/Maybe” list as you make a conscious decision to never do those items.
This list forces you to prioritize. He stresses saying “no” to less important, yet appealing tasks saves energy for what’s important.
In his book 18 Minutes, Peter Bregman uses a mix of strategies:
* Environmental design, like blocking distracting web sites or social media.
* Mental strategies, such as noticing distractions.
* Block schedule with strict start and stop times. E.g., if you schedule 60 minutes for email you stop whether your inbox is clear or not.
He notes that self-forgiveness allows you to recover from lapses. When you lose focus, notice it, forgive yourself, and move forward.