Stress can affect the way that people manage their time, and 2020 has been a more stressful year than most. Between political controversies, COVID-19, extreme weather and other issues, everyone has been under a great deal of stress. At times like this, it can be hard to stay focused and on-task, especially when so many people are telecommuting. Luckily, there are plenty of tools designed to help people add some structure to their schedules.

Damon Zahariades' book The Time Chunking Method teaches readers how to become more productive. Zahariades advises people to find ways to take control of their day. Instead of being reactive and responding to issues as they arise, this book teaches people to divide their time into chunks. According to Zahariades' research and experience, using chunking is a great way to become more efficient at all kinds of tasks.

Charles Duhigg's book The Power of Habit teaches people how to train themselves with positive reinforcement. Duhigg, a former business reporter for the New York Times, breaks down the way people create and tweak habits in this book. Duhigg believes that people can change their factory settings with persistence, attention and rewards. This book is especially useful for professionals in leadership positions. It includes lots of relatable anecdotes that readers can easily identify with.

Laura Vanderkam teaches readers to stop valuing busy-ness in her book Off the Clock. She thinks the trend in our current culture is to value a packed schedule that's essentially empty. Instead of actually being productive, people distract themselves with hours of meaningless tasks. In Off the Clock, Vanderkam shows people to have a life that's full and balanced with time for meaningful experiences and getting things done. Vanderkam is a widely recognized as a specialist in productivity. Her advice helps people build the lives and get the results that they really desire.

Finally, in The Lazy Genius Way, Kendra Adachi shows people how to break large goals into smaller, more manageable pieces. This makes it easy for people to make lots of progress quickly. Her thirteen principles show readers how to get more focused. Rather than being overwhelmed by big goals, Adachi teaches readers to take control. Her book is based on her popular podcast of the same name