A special thank you to the author, Karma Brown, for an ARC and to NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.
If you think that there aren't enough hours in the day for you to be creative, or to dedicate yourself to something you are passionate about, let Karma Brown's The 4% Fix show you how to find the time without sacrificing your other commitments. This is not a book filled with jargon and spreadsheets—Brown provides her readers with a solid, practical approach that's infused with humour and personal experience.
How will you use this one hour—only 4% of your day—to change your life?
We are all busy and overwhelmed with responsibilities and daily tasks, and feel like we have no time or motivation. The 4% Fix is about finding an hour that is yours to harness, to exploit, or to take on a project that you want to do. You may be wondering where you are supposed to come up with an extra hour when you are already feeling like you don't have enough time to accomplish what is already on your plate. Brown's solution is to wake up an hour earlier each day. She gets up at 5 a.m. to write all of her books and has been doing so for years. For Karma, it is the right time to carve out that hour that is just for her—it's pretty quiet at 5 a.m. Yet for the sleep deprived, this sounds impossible and quite frankly, unappealing. But the idea is to find that hour to dedicate it to yourself and to make it a habit.
Brown's cake analogy is that there are 24 pieces of cake—one for every hour of the day—yet in your life is made up of cake-loving people and everyone wants some. It’s delicious...I mean who doesn't love cake? And there are the other things in your day like work, commitments, running errands, etc., that also take their slices. But quite simply, if you don’t serve yourself first, you will be left with just crumbs. Even if you take your slice and tuck it away for later, you still need to take that first piece—have your cake and eat it too!
The 4% Fix is part how-to and part motivation. In a refreshing and gentle way, Karma shares the latest research about time management and goal setting, as well as what strategies have worked for her. Brown's first non-fiction project is enjoyable, helpful, and practical. It it is the perfect book to kick off your year and will help you be more productive, purposeful, and focused. One hour
can change your life!
Brown lives just outside Toronto, Canada with her husband, daughter, and their adorably handsome labradoodle, Fred.
Q & A with Karma Brown*
GWR: The structure of
The 4% Fix is very digestible. Did you always have it planned out this way or was it something that came about as you started writing?
KB: Thank you! As I was writing, I had one goal: for it to be easy to read and easy to follow. I also wanted the book to be equal parts entertaining and inspiring, but without complicated time management strategies or too heavily burdened by research. The book evolved as I went, as books do, but that original goal stayed top of mind.
GWR: I love the quotes. Do you have a favorite? Are there any others that didn’t make the cut that still resonate with you?
KB: It’s always hard to choose a favourite, but the one that still resonates most strongly is the meditation from Ojibway writer Richard Wagamese’s EMBERS: Nothing in the universe ever grew from the outside in.
GWR: Did your writing process differ because this was a non-fiction book?
KB: Yes, and that was a surprise. After writing five novels (well, seven if you count my first two that will remain work-in-progress books in a dark drawer) I thought I had a solid handle on my “process.” Turns out this book about getting up early to harness the power of an untapped hour refused to be written in the pre-dawn morning! So my book about rising for the #5amwritersclub would not be written at 5 a.m. It was a revelation when I finally realized the issue, and then I simply shifted my writing time a touch later, which worked much better.
GRW: Obviously your journalism background played a huge part—tell me about the research you did for the novel.
KB: As a freelance journalist I’ve done a lot of interviews, and that muscle memory remained even though these days I’m mostly writing fiction. Having said that, I do lot of research for my novels, particularly
Recipe for a Perfect Wife and my current one, as they both have significant historical elements. I also love the research element of writing, so it was fun to dive back into that in a non-fiction environment for
The 4% Fix. It’s always a good writing day when you get to connect with interesting people and their stories.
GRW: Which subjects do you wish more authors would write about?
KB: I am endlessly fascinated with stories of motherhood, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the messier side of what it means to be an ambitious woman while simultaneously raising children. While I am interested in so many topics (the list is truly endless), I am drawn to women’s stories in all the different shapes those take.
GRW: What made you decide to write this book?
KB: I was approached by HarperCollins Canada to write a book about my 5 a.m. writing habit, and the many benefits I’ve found from sticking with it over the years. I had never planned to write a non-fiction book, but I’ve also learned to never say never, because you have no idea what opportunities might come your way.
GRW: Would you ever write another non-fiction book?
KB: Never say never!
GWR: Can you share what you’re working on now?
KB: I’m currently working on my next fiction project, which is a dual timeline novel set in 1975 and 2019. The story follows an aspiring screenwriter and her fiancé who make a gruesome discovery while in the Adirondacks—solving a decades-long mystery connected to a local feminist in 1975, whose own story plays out through the pages. It’s about the cost of ambition, the pull of agency, and how the truth won’t stay buried forever.
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