Authors: David Allen.
Paperback, 267 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Publication Date: 2002-12-31


Reviews :

    In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential. In Getting Things Done Allen shows how to:

€ Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty
€ Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
€ Plan projects as well as get them unstuck
€ Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
€ Feel fine about what you're not doing

From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down....

    With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance.

Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organized, we could turn ourselves into 24/7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.)

As whole-life-organizing systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk, The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket"

That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's commonsense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment; Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belabored, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to soccer moms (who we all know are more organized than most CEOs to start with). --Timothy Murphy...

Authors: Jim Loehr. Tony Schwartz.
Paperback, 256 pages
Publisher: Free Press
Publication Date: 2004-12-21


Reviews :

    The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and

quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live.

As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in their groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. Their Full Engagement Training System is grounded in twenty-five years of working with great athletes -- tennis champ Monica Seles and speed-skating gold medalist Dan Jansen, to name just two -- to help them perform more effectively under brutal competitive pressures. Now this powerful, step-by-step program will help you to:

· Mobilize four key sources of energy

· Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal

· Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do

· Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals

The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully. It provides a clear road map to becoming more physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned -- both on and off the job.

...

Authors: Julie Morgenstern.
Paperback, 336 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
Edition: 2nd

Reviews :

    ...

    It's about time! Julie Morgenstern has written an organizing book that covers a new way of looking at the task of organizing effectively without labeling or blaming the person behind the lack of organization. Rather, she says, people who don't organize just never learned how to organize, through no fault of their own--after all, it's not a skill that's taught in school. That said, she gets down to work helping you figure out an organizing system that will really work for you, not a system based on cookie-cutter filing concepts or special storage units.

Morgenstern's "from the inside out" system begins by laying out the possible reasons for a failure of organization: technical errors (like having a complex organizing system that breaks down), external realities (like not enough space for your belongings), and psychological obstacles (like fear of failure--or success). Then, her Analyze and Strategize steps help create a plan of action based on your needs and goals, and the brief chapter called "Attack: Getting the Job Done" offers basic ideas for making space. The largest section of the book, "Applying What You've Learned," addresses the specifics of organizing workspaces, home offices, living spaces, and storage areas. Each section has a "How Long Will It Take?" box that gives a realistic time estimate, and Morgenstern's "Julie's No-Brainer Toss List" for each area gives the permission and encouragement that most of us have been waiting for to get rid of things we'll never use again. The section at the end, "Tackling Time and Technology," is worth its weight in DayTimers and PalmPilots. Whatever your organizing issues are, you're not a hopeless case, and you don't need special equipment--just a little understanding of the problem and a willingness to plan before diving in....

Authors: Julie Morgenstern.
Paperback, 304 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
Edition: 2

Reviews :

    ...

    In Organizing from the Inside Out, author Julie Morgenstern used three main strategies to whip a living space or office into shape: "analyze, strategize, attack." Using the same system, Morgenstern now shows readers how to get rid of chaotic schedules in order to live more comfortable and productive lives. Morgenstern likens a cluttered schedule to a cluttered closet. For example, a closet is typically "crammed with more stuff than storage," and a schedule is typically "crammed with more tasks than time."

Those who fear "time management" because they worry about living uncreative or overly scheduled lives will find themselves reassured by Morgenstern's ability to customize her system. The most important thing readers must do, she emphasizes, is to create a time management system that fits one's personal style--whether it be spontaneous and easily distracted or highly regimented and efficient. "Just as everyone's living room looks different, reflecting the individual's or family's values and priorities, everyone's time management system will look different, reflecting what's important to him or her," she explains. Fortunately, readers can easily customize her excellent advice while learning how to create a personal time map, streamline routine tasks, conquer procrastination and chronic lateness, and manage all the inevitable crises and distractions of daily life. Speaking of procrastination, what better time than now to try this book out--ridding yourself of all that draining clutter so you can get on with living the life you want? --Gail Hudson...

Authors: Pete Egoscue.
Paperback, 208 pages
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: 1999-11-02


Reviews :

    Using a computer doesn't have to hurt.

Prevent or reverse repetitive stress injuries
Cure carpal tunnel syndrome
End chronic wrist, shoulder, and neck pain
Ease eyestrain
Avoid surgery, drugs, and wrist braces


Using a computer should challenge your mind, not your body.

As computers become a larger part of our daily lives both at work and at home, complaints of painful wrists, sore shoulders, stiff necks, and blurry vision associated with computer use continue to soar.

But the good news is that this chronic pain can easily be prevented or cured without surgery or drugs--or expensive "ergonomic" equipment. There's no need to move your monitor, wear wrist braces, or sit in a specially designed chair.

Instead, Pete Egoscue, using the techniques and principles developed at his renowned clinic, shows you how to keep pointing and clicking for hours--pain free.

You'll learn how to:

Avoid or treat common but debilitating repetitive stress injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome
Recognize and remedy problems in posture and movement before they cause pain
Do easy-to-perform exercises at your desk to eliminate chronic hand, wrist, shoulder, back, and neck pain
Quickly and easily correct damaging patterns of motion
And much more...

Authors: Regina Leeds.
Paperback, 304 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
Publication Date: 2008-12-01


Reviews :

    ...

Authors: Ken Blanchard. Marjorie Blanchard. D.w. Edington.
Paperback, 128 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Publication Date: 1999-04-07


Reviews :

    This is the story of a One Minute Manager who was so successful in every way that he forgot one important thing: He forgot to stay physically fit. He was so much in demand that he ate on the run, didn't take time to exercise, and all the while saw his weight balloon and his breath grow shorter. He soon discovered success in business was endangering his health. His life was out of balance.For all those busy, achieving people with overcrowded schedules, here is a useful blueprint that shows how to manage stress and make a lifetime commitment to fitness and well-being. By following four important strategies for balancing a complicated life, everyone can get their bodies back into shape and their lives into proper perspective. The One Minute Manager Balances Work and Life offers a way to achieve not only a new, healthier style of living but increased productivity as well. For the millions of readers of Ken Blanchard's bestselling books--including Raving Fans and Gung Ho!--here's invaluable advice for getting the most out of life....

Authors: Jeffrey, M.D. Brantley. Wendy Millstine.
Paperback, 251 pages
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
Publication Date: 2007-07
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Five Minutes to a Happier, More Productive Workday

Is your workday filled with chaos, stress and, at times, and inability to focus? Do you have mountains of projects ahead of you but no motivation to tackle them? In less time than you would spend on a coffee break, you can fill your workday with calm, balance, and serenity. This collection of mindfulness practices, the third in the breakaway Five Good Minutes(tm) series, can help you transform your workday from tired and uninspired to engaged and productive in just a few good minutes.

Whether sitting at your desk or ducking into the supply closet, you can include these stress-relieving and centering activities into even the busiest schedule. These practices can help you deal with difficult coworkers, tyrannical bosses, impossible deadlines, and more. Your five good minutes each day will reward you with increased productivity, reduced workplace conflict, and a sense of serenity that will start to spread to the rest of your life....

Authors: Jack Bellis. Suparna Damany.
Paperback, 234 pages
Publisher: Simax
Publication Date: 2001-04
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    ...

Authors: Mark Hurst.
Hardcover, 192 pages
Publisher: Good Experience Press
Publication Date: 2007-06-15


Reviews :

    Bit Literacy is essential reading for anyone who has experienced "digital overload": the daily flood of e-mail, multiple todo lists, a cluttered desktop, documents in various file formats, and the constant distraction of cell phones and other devices. More than a quick fix or another "how-to" guide, this book offers an entirely new way of attaining productivity that users at any level of expertise can put into action right away. This is "bit literacy," a method for working more productively in the digital age, with less stress. Mark Hurst - who has reached hundreds of thousands of readers through his Good Experience e-mail newsletter, Uncle Mark technology guides, thisisbroken.com, and other websites - has revealed the way to survive, and thrive, in the digital age: "Let the bits go."...