Stop carrying everything in your head.

We all can get better at what we do. However, few explanations of how to improve one's systems are as accessible as the compelling story that Aubrey paints in Bring It Forward. Like exceptional professional development sessions, you'll end each chapter with ideas you can jump on right away.

Something that really stuck with me after reading Bring It Forward, was the idea of getting your lists and thoughts out of your head and onto paper. It sounds simple, but it was a huge reminder of how much mental clutter we carry every day. This book is practical, relatable, and full of takeaways you can actually use. The book feels genuine and easy to connect with, all while offering simple tools that actually make a difference in everyday life. Job well done Aubrey!

Bring It Forward showed me how to own my calendar instead of my calendar owning me. If you feel like there is never enough time in the day, then you need to read this book. You'll see your calendar and tasks in a whole new light, from a weight pressing down on your shoulders to being lifted up light as a feather. Well worth the read!

As a school leader, I'm always looking for ways to be more effective without sacrificing what matters most. Bring It Forward challenged me to rethink how I manage my time, priorities, and daily responsibilities. Through telling a relatable story, Aubrey shares practical strategies that are both easy to understand and immediately actionable. What I appreciated most is that this book doesn't ask leaders to work harder. It shows them how to work smarter. I finished the book with both affirmation for what I was already doing well and excitement to implement new ideas right away.

In leadership, the gap between intent and impact is often narrowed by the sheer volume of inputs we face. This book met me exactly where I live: too many decisions and not enough space to think. Aubrey's system provides the mechanical necessity for mental margin. If you want to stop managing the chaos and start leading your team with presence, this is the manual.

There are three kinds of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who look back and wonder what happened. To be an effective leader, you have to be the first group.

Leadership is about building and equipping a team to drive change, foster improvement, and push for growth. But to make that happen, a team can't get bogged down in "administrivia"—those niggling details, paperwork, and endless meetings that suck the air out of the real work.

That is the magic of Aubrey's Bring It Forward system. It helps you build an environment to easily and efficiently handle the administrative noise so you and your team can focus their brainpower on execution. It works. Really well!

Aubrey shares this system through a parable of a leader struggling to bring balance and effectiveness to his workday. Hidden within this parable is a profound truth: once you build a system to handle the mundane tasks burdening your mind, your ability to focus on what truly matters shines through. Just as importantly, it brings less stress, higher productivity, and the calm happiness that comes from knowing your time is being spent meaningfully.

After more than 35 years in educational leadership, I've seen countless ideas for streamlining workflows and organizing the clutter on a leader's desk. Aubrey proved the value of this system firsthand as a district leader, working with his team to build one of the strongest school districts in Alberta, Canada. It is time-tested and proven.

What makes Bring It Forward so powerful is that it simplifies the process and adapts to how your team already works. Do yourself a favor — build this step-by-step, exactly as outlined in the book. Your life will be better, your work will be better, and you'll finally find the time to be that leader who makes things happen.

As a principal, I live in the middle of constant motion.

Bring It Forward offers clarity and a path to move forward. It turns worry into trust. It turns "I hope I remember" into "It will come back when it needs to."

And the time blocking lessons in Bring It Forward takes this even deeper. When you block time, you are not just managing a calendar, you are giving yourself the respect of time you deserve. You are telling your priorities, "this matters enough to protect!" Then give yourself an extra 15 minutes.