I had the honor of receiving this audiobook through Netgalley, and it was life changing.

Yes, I know that getting up early can change lives. I actually did it for years, until I lost my drive, my why, and those nice warm blankets were way more comfortable than my dreams that seemed to just keep failing.

But this book offered a way of looking at things differently. First off, I'm not a mom, but this works for anyone who wants to find more time to do what they love. It also offers a way to discover, or rediscover, what they love. For her, it's writing (for me too since I'm a writer), but this works for anyone who has any dream to live an extraordinary life to their fullest.

It's not just about getting up early, though. It's about finding that extra hour, finding that why, that dream, and going after it.

The narrator was so pleasant and inspiring as well.

Recommended for anyone who needs to find that fix for their life, or rediscover the reason they need that extra oomph outside of their normal day.

I am always looking for ways to better manage my time, so when I was offered the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of Karma Brown's new self-help guide, The 4% Fix, I jumped at the opportunity. While I consider myself to be fairly decent at managing my time, there's always room to improve, which is where this guide comes into play.

In the 4% Fix, Brown suggests devoting one hour - 4% - of your day to a task or project you are passionate about and/or something you wish to accomplish. You may be wondering where you are supposed to get this "extra hour" each day, and Brown has a solution that the sleepy sort may not like - waking up an hour earlier each day. I actually implemented a similar system in my life years ago, waking up an hour earlier before work so that I would have time to get some reading in before heading off to my commute and job (I was always too tired after work to keep my eyes open.) I must say that the strategy DID work, with me managing to beat my all-time reading record that year and leaving me filling more fulfilled and accomplished. Therefore, I can affirm that Brown's 4% method does work, but it does require commitment and perseverance.

Also sprinkled throughout the book are other helpful tips and information nuggets about better managing your time and making the most of the life you are given. I found the 4% Fix to be quite helpful and eye-opening, and I am eager to implement some of the strategies suggested into my life (staying off my phone more being one of them!)

Ann Marie Gideon did a fine job narrating this nonfiction title, reading at a comfortable pace and tone.

There was an expression that stuck with me over the years. If you want to learn how to play tennis don’t go to a bowling instructor. When you want to learn how to manage your time with success, ask Bestselling author, Karma Brown.
 
Karma gets raw and honest on her journey to being a successful novelist.
Spoiler alert: it starts with finding a reason to get out of bed in the morning. For her, it was to write. For those who have followed Karma for some time, you know how her battle with cancer motivated her to not waste a heartbeat with the days that are given. 
 
 
From the critical to-dos to the oxygen mask to the Vaseline incident and cake, Karma bares all. Given the year we all have slugged it through, this is the read to help you reset and just take 4% of your day toward your goals.
 
 
 
***Thanks to Net Galley, I was given the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio book for my honest review. I will be buying a hard copy for my reference library. ****

What can I say, I'm not a self help book person! And yet, this book totally shocked something in my brain! I loved how Karma explained her process and how to she established routines. I also think the advice is incredibly practical! Meaning if you take it you will likely see results!

Now the morning thing may not work for all. For instance I work from home and don't have kids. I can apply the 4% just about anywhere. But for a lot of people the morning start will be beneficial!

So from this skeptic to maybe others, when it comes to books like this, give it a read, it will probably surprise you!

Somewhat ironically, despite many of my friends enjoying and recommending @karmabrown's books, this non-fiction book about creating a special time in your day for yourself is my first book by her. The 4% Fix was available as an audiobook on @netgalley and I was delighted to download it and get to listening ASAP. Thank you for the ALC!

The 4% Fix is one of those books that I just need to read every once in a while to get a dose of motivation. Karma Brown discusses finding a sliver of your day (just one hour, or 4% of your day) to devote to something you REALLY want to do for yourself. Maybe this is writing a novel. Maybe it's learning an instrument or a new language. Maybe it's starting a blog or developing your current blog? She personally wakes up and uses the time from 5 am-6 am for her writing, which has evolved for her, and she definitely inspired me to do the same because I'm a morning person and I function best with quiet time in the morning. I just haven't QUITE decided which activity I want to do during my 4% fix. I've gotten on our new exercise bike the last few days just to get in the habit of being up a bit earlier but I have some ideas. I'm feeling inspired to make some changes after listening to this book.

Can you leverage one hour a day to change your life? Karma Brown, best-selling author of five novels and the new (non-fiction) The 4% Fix thinks so. When dealing with her young child, Brown found she was, like a lot of us, over-scheduled, over-stressed, and strapped for time she could use solely for herself. The answer? Set the clock for 5am and dedicate the first hour of every day to her writing. The result? A debut novel that became a national bestseller, and four more novels after that. The 4% Fix presents time management and goal-setting strategies that have helped Brown and many others find balance while pursuing bold dreams.

I saw a lot of myself in this book: a person pulled many directions professionally and personally, a woman with creative and career aspirations, and a mom willing to set life aside for carpool. While her conversational presentation and personal anecdotes kept things at a relatable level, Karma Brown did her research and provided the right amount of science to support her time management system. It's the perfect balance.

I'm going to say this first: This isn't a book only for writers. That said—hey, writer friends, this book is for you! Seriously, though, this is a book for multi-taskers who have bold goals that can't be accomplished in 10-minute increments and who need a nudge to try a new approach to knocking things off the never-ending to-do list.

NOTES ON THE AUDIO:
This is a conversational book, and the narrator comes across as accessible and friendly, like you're sitting at the table at Starbucks with your smart friend who's telling you about her latest life hiccups and how she used her superpowers to blow past them. I often find personal success books best in print, but I think The 4% Solution adapts well to audio. This means you get to save your print-reading time for other books (yay!) and be efficient by getting insight on how to capture time while you're exercising, driving, cleaning, or doing whatever it is you do when you listen to audiobooks.

This review is based on the audiobook. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing the audiobook for review purposes.

One-hour is only 4% of your day. Could that one-hour really change your life?

I believe the answer is yes!

“The 4% Fix” by Karma Brown is a great reminder of how to motivate yourself into being successful with something you are passionate about, whether it is finishing that novel, creating muscle by lifting weights or learning to speak Spanish.

Everyone has a dream of some kind and they probably think about it almost every single day. Instead of just thinking about it, what if you could achieve your dream in less than a year? Obviously, you need a good reason to get out of bed early.

Karma says, “Dreaming about the thing, and doing the thing are quite different beasts!” She shares strategies throughout the book that demonstrate what worked for her and she gives different options of what could work for you. This book is more than just another time management and goal setting self-help book. I’ve been a morning lark forever, and a frequent visitor to the #5amwritersclub, so rising early to get things done is not a new idea for me. However, Karma introduces a fresh look at what you could be doing with that extra hour each day.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and Ann Marie Gideon did a great job. Her voice is so soothing, yet keeps your attention. The book is short, less than six-hours, so I listened to it multiple times. It was also quite educational for me, especially when it comes to acronyms I should already know, like BHAG, or whether I play for the Lion or the Dolphin team. My favourite part was the discussion on Ikigai and finding your reason. I also listened to Section 6 and 44 several times, because they resonated with me so much. I don’t want to spoil why, so I’ll let you read it and decide for yourself.

Overall, I loved this book! Finding the balance in your life is difficult enough, so when someone who has experience tells you her secret of finding success, you should take notes and follow through with her advice.

Thanks to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Want to find more time in your day? Author Karma Brown has a solution, the 4% fix. Add an hour to your day by getting up earlier and use the time to do something that you want to do. Full of practical tips, reasons why to try it, and reassurance for obstacles you will encounter. A practical way to reclaim time in your busy life.

The narrator is believable and pleasant to listen to.

LOVED this book! It was very insightful and provided lots of tips around being more productive in the morning. I really like the idea of spending time in the morning to do something I love and work on something I want to improve on. For me, with school and work, etc., I find it hard to take time during the day to work paint or read. Although, I do wake up at 5am every day, I struggled to be productive with that time and made a lot of excuses. After listening to the audiobook, I started setting smaller goals for the morning to support my overall goal of painting something every day.

I have been reading productivity self-help books since The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in the 1980s, so perhaps I've seen and heard it all.

I think that The 4% Fix would be a great book for those who are new to the genre, or just starting to think about these issues. The book revolves around one main idea (get more time into your day by getting up an hour earlier) that could be revolutionary for some people. To others, it might seem obvious or just something they'd never do.

The book is heavy on antecdotes and so did make for a good audiobook experience. The narrator did an excellent job. I think this book/idea could be a good basis for a podcast as I'd love to hear how real people with real lives are actually making this work..

If you are just starting to think about how to get more done by rearranging your schedule a little, definitely consider this book. If this idea won't seem like a lightbulb moment to you, maybe not the best fit for you.

The 4% fix is a fabulous audiobook. It kept me interested. It is great for people who want to be more productive and fight procrastination or who have a project they just can not seem to finish because Karma Brown gives her reader easy and achievable checkpoints they can do in 2 seconds. She gives tips on how to motivate yourself and ways to get yourself out of bed in the morning. I myself am a person who is always looking for ways to improve myself and ways I can get more done in a day. This book is giving me all kinds of great ideas!

If you are not a morning bird, a person who easily rises early, the 4% Fix will encourage you to get up motivated to pursue your goals and dreams. It promotes getting up early so you can devote one hour to your passion.

While this isn't a new concept, it may have you look at being productive early in the morning in a different way. The author, Karma Brown, talks about getting up at 5 a.m. (or as early as 4 a.m.) from her perspective as a book author. So, this book is a beneficial resource for people in this profession. Although she talks mostly about writing, readers can apply her tips to starting a

If you are not a morning bird, a person who easily rises early, the 4% Fix will encourage you to get up motivated to pursue your goals and dreams. It promotes getting up early so you can devote one hour to your passion.

While this isn't a new concept, it may have you look at being productive early in the morning in a different way. The author, Karma Brown, talks about getting up at 5 a.m. (or as early as 4 a.m.) from her perspective as a book author. So, this book is a beneficial resource for people in this profession. Although she talks mostly about writing, readers can apply her tips to starting a new habit like learning a new language or instrument.

The 4% Fix addresses common concepts to make the hour effective, such as going to bed early, setting your alarm, and preparing the day before. However, I think the book would've been more helpful if it offered more unique tips and tricks to get up and be effective like the caffeine hack and dimming lights before you go to sleep.

The book also helps you establish the purpose and motivation behind getting up by, for example, helping you categorize your goals. The most significant takeaway I received after listening to the audiobook was that getting up at a specified hour each day is an effort to secure time to focus on your passion, bucket, list item, or goal. It's an hour that you protect because it's time dedicated toward your future -- the goals you want to achieve and the person you would like to become.