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#1 in ProductivityUdemyBestseller on UdemyProductivityPaid courseAll LevelsCertificate

Productivity and Time Management for the Overwhelmed (Udemy.com)

A complete productivity and time management course designed to help you reduce your overwhelm and increase your results.

Created by: Josh Paulsen

Last updated June 2017

Our take

Based on the ratings of 113,554 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in June 2017. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is a short course, about 1.9 hours across 32 lectures, built for people who feel buried by their to-do list and keep putting things off. The instructor splits it into three parts: what causes overwhelm and procrastination, the basic concepts behind productivity, and a final block of techniques. The audience list is honest about it. It is for people who don't know where to start, not for anyone already happy with how they work.

Reviewers like how easy it is to follow. One says it gave them the reasons for feeling overwhelmed, and another took away writing things down and keeping a clear vision as a method worth using. Josh Paulsen gets credit as a clear, engaging teacher, and one reviewer calls him the best instructor on Udemy. Complaints are mild. One four-star reviewer wanted more practical exercises and specific examples, and one one-star reviewer disliked advice like squeezing a whole project into a single day. Close to nine in ten ratings are four or five stars.

The last update was June 2017. Most of the ideas are about habits and mindset, so the age may matter less than it would for a software course, but expect nothing new. More than 314,000 students have enrolled. It is worth a couple of hours if you're starting from scratch and want a nudge plus a few habits. If you want worksheets or a full system, look beside it.

Best forPeople who feel swamped and keep procrastinating, and want a short, plain-spoken starting point.
Skip it ifYou already run a task system and want deep methods, templates or long worked examples.

Pros

  • Short enough to finish in an evening or two: 32 lectures, about 1.9 hours
  • Starts with the causes of overwhelm and procrastination, which one reviewer says they related to
  • Reviewers call the teaching clear and engaging, with easy tips like writing things down
  • Lectures are labeled by concept, so you can revisit one topic later

Cons

  • Last updated in 2017, so nothing on newer tools or ways of working
  • Light on practical exercises and specific examples, per a four-star reviewer
  • Only three quizzes, so it is mostly watching, not doing
It has given me the reasons for being overwhelmed and I can relate.
Sebabatso Rametse, a student

Pitched at all levels, but best for people with no system yet; the only requirements are time, English and open-mindedness.

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What you will learn

  • Take control of their mindset and energy levels to increase your productivity
  • Discover why you are not as productive as you could be and develop a plan to improve
  • Increase your productivity by implementing new strategies throughout your day
  • Create a personal plan that fits your personality and style

Course content

4 sections · 32 lectures · 1.9 hours of video 3 quizzes

  1. 1Introduction and What This Course Is All About 2 free previews2 lectures · 1 min
  2. 2The Silent Killers of Productivity and Time Management9 lectures · 1 quiz · 27 min
  3. 3Understanding the Key Concepts and Fundamentals Necessary to Master Productivity 2 free previews8 lectures · 1 quiz · 30 min
  4. 4Battle Tested and Proven Productivity and Time Management Techniques 1 free preview13 lectures · 1 quiz · 49 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • The course is for students who are overwhelmed and don’t feel like they have enough time in the day
  • This course is intended for students that are unsure of how they can be more productive or wonder what other strategies might be out there
  • This course is designed for those that know they are capable of getting better results with their productivity but don’t know where to start.
  • This course is not intended for students are satisfied with their levels of productivity or are just looking for a fun course to take.

What you need before you start

  • Schedule time to take the course with your full attention
  • Have comprehension of the english language
  • Be open to new ideas and strategies

How it compares

Against the other 143 rated Udemy courses in Productivity on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 50% of them
  • Reviews113,554#1 of 144 by number of reviews
  • Length1.9 hoursshorter than 50% of them
  • Last updatedJune 2017earlier than 88% of them

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Course Description

If you have more things to do than you have time and frequently get overwhelmed with all your priorities and tasks, you are in the right place! I designed this course to help people from all walks of life that struggle with trying to get it all done.

   

At the same time I have done my best to design this course as efficiently as possible since time is our most precious resource.

This course is going to be focused into three areas or sections. Each is designed to build on the other, but each lecture is labeled by concept clearly, so you will also be able to come back and hit specific topics that are most helpful for you.

In our first section we are going to focus on what is causing our overwhelm and what leads us to procrastination.

In our second section, we build the foundation for a new level of productivity and cover the fundamentals and key concepts that must be mastered in order to really get the results you want and to be a master of productivity. If you don’t start with the right fundamentals, even the best tricks and hacks won’t be fully utilized.

And finally in our last section we will build on the foundation we created by implementing proven productivity and time management tactics and strategies to really make a dramatic improvement in your productivity.

Here is what some of my students have to say about the course.

Great course!

The instructor is very knowledgeable on this subject. He uses applicable scenarios that I will definitely apply to my daily life. His ideas and instruction were easy to understand and make sense! The production quality was great- clear voice, no background noise and the instructor was a great speaker. He was engaging and quick to the point. I would highly recommend if you want a productive way of life and need to get things done more efficiently! by ELizabeth Garvin

A lot of information put out. So many nuggets to use in everyday life leading you down the road of success. Feels genuine for many reasons most important one in my opinion is the free apps to assist in accomplishing your tasks or goals. 2 hours well spent and managed. by Edward D Smith

Amazing course

This course is very informative, the explanations are crystal clear and the instructor is very engaging. by Mr. Vignesh Gunasekaran

Great Course
I enjoyed this course, very informative with great examples and nuggets of wisdom to apply in life. Thanks! by Mr. Bill Todd

So let’s not waste anymore time. Let’s jump right in and get started!

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Instructor Details

Josh Paulsen

For more than 15 years my passion and my career has been leading organizations and helping students and clients reach their full potential in their careers and their businesses.

I am a life-long learner that is fascinated with how the human mind works, as well as the science and psychology behind human behavior and success.

I believe everybody has untapped potential inside of them and is destined for great things. My mission is to help as many people as possible get out of their own way and get on with living their best possible life.

Talent is overrated! We are simply the result of our habits, thought patterns and behaviors on a daily basis. Change those and everything changes.


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Reviews

4.5

113,554 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Tanisha Batoon on 8/23/2026

Awesome, there are a few things such as habits I've already been doing. More so on personal wellness, so I know exactly what it takes. You always need to start somewhere, and the first step is to do something. Progress follows. It's not so much about motivation, because you could easily lose it along the process, but discipline and determination to do it.

By Otto-Heinrich Michaelis on 8/10/2026

The content on productivity and time management is well structured and easy to put into practice in everyday life. I found the tips on reducing stress particularly helpful. To give it 5 stars, I would have liked to see a few more practical exercises and specific examples.

By Shakara Clarke-Walker on 7/30/2026

This course provides highly insightful, relevant and practical strategies that address time management. It has targeted procrastination, thus equipping me with tools to improve my productivity, personally and in my service delivery to clients.

By Adarsha S on 7/20/2026

Productivity and Time Management was an excellent course that provided practical strategies for improving focus, managing priorities, and maximizing productivity. The content was clear, engaging, and easy to apply in daily work and personal life. I particularly appreciated the actionable tips on goal setting, habit building.

By Evelyn Salvador on 7/14/2026

This course provides practical and easy-to-apply strategies for managing workload, prioritizing tasks, and reducing the feeling of being constantly overwhelmed. The lessons are well-structured, focusing on real-world productivity techniques that help improve focus, organization, and time management.

By Nomvula A Maseko on 6/24/2026

I am a person that is struggling to finish task. Today I have learned that fears makes us not to complete tasks., when we are overwhelmed our freeze . Need to write everything on paper to let it out of the brain . I need to beak down the task for me to complete and planning is also needed to succeed

By Ivan Popov on 5/13/2026

Very positive and mindful narrative. For nearly ten years this course aged pretty well. Maybe because it tackles on mostly common sense things that in part we do unconsciously every day. Hence the course is a good verbalizer and reminder that triggers our realization of those atomic actions, so this realization can help us deliberately tweak and channel them into more directed, fine-tuned and useful habits. Sometimes just a proper nudge is enough to fill the gaps. So thanks for the nudge, Josh!

By Natasha Sampson on 5/11/2026

This course was relevant to my current situation. It not only highlighted some of the common issues and mistakes, but it also provided practical solutions that can be applied to address/correct the issue.

By Brandon Hoyer on 5/8/2026

This course really delivers on its promise. Even if you believe to have already heard it all, I believe that you will walk away with at least one very valuable lesson by watching this course in its entirety. At the very least, Paulsen's voice will uplift and motivate you into the next moment!

By Lori Kortum on 4/21/2026

Had several things I actually wrote down to remember later. The Aristotle quote, , the "would you wake up an hour earlier" (to do what you are staying up late to do- usually NOT)", the "top 25 goals and dreams- pick the top 5", the "only work today on TODAY"S to do list", the slide about "mediocre ideas done flawlessly vs genius ideas never implemented", and "what you know doesn't matter, its what you DO on a consistent basis". All of these made me think a bit about some things I can do differently in several areas of my own life. Good information many people may not have thought of, but now do. Thank you.

By Asiru Ibrahim Babatunde on 11/15/2020

YES, AND I FOUND THE COURSE INTRESTING

By Enayatullah Shadab on 11/15/2020

It is a great and motivational course for getting more and more success.

Showing 12 of 322 reviews

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Quality Score

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Overall Score : 90 / 100