Review - The Skinny On Time Management

The Skinny On Time Management: How to Maximize Your 24-Hour Gift, Jim Randel, 2010, ISBN 9780984139392

Here is another in a series of books that attempts to boil down a large subject area into an easy-to-read format. Intended for busy people who want just the bullet points, this book looks at how to best manage your time.

Write out a time journal for an entire week to see just how you are spending your time. You may think that you are being efficient and productive, but seeing it on paper may change your mind. Can changes be made in your schedule, with more time given to more productive activities? You need to set goals for yourself, whether long-term or short-term. Then you will know how to get from where you are to where you want to be. If your goal is important enough to you, then some other thing you are doing may have to be dropped totally. Choices were never meant to be easy.

The book then covers many ways to maximize your time. Fight the urge to procrastinate. Touch a piece of paper, or email, only once; either respond to it, get rid of it or put it in your file to be worked on later. Are there gaps in your day, like when you are sitting in a waiting room, when you could be working on your Blackberry? Are you a "morning person" or a "night owl?" Work on your hardest and most unpleasant tasks when you are most alert and awake. Learn to plan your day, but don't go overboard with the planning. Prioritize your tasks; which ones come first, and which ones can wait. Break a huge task into smaller, more manageable pieces. Can you batch several appointments, for instance, and get them done in one day? Doing crossword puzzles is a good way to improve your memory. Learn how to focus when you are on a task, and not let distractions get in your way. De-cluttering your office, and your email inbox, will always help. The act of writing a daily To Do list helps focus your mind on what you need to do that day.

Instead of reading a bunch of books on how to manage your time, read this book. It can be read in an hour or so, and does an excellent job of telling the busy person just what they need to know. It is a gem of a book.

Paul Lappen is a freelance book reviewer whose blog, http://www.deadtreesreview.blogspot.com/, emphasizes small press and self-published books.

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Make Every Second Count - Time Management Tips and Techniques by Robert W. Bly - Review

Synopsis of Content:

This book teaches you how to manage and use your time most effectively. He teaches how to use to-do lists, how to manage time, how to handle information overload and gives you some tips about on-line resources you can use.

Bly stresses the need to organize and plan your day, each day. Create a schedule for the day in 15 minute increments and plan your activities. He suggests you refer to your schedule often throughout the day and stick to it. He describes the kinds of to-do lists you should maintain and how to best use them. You will learn the importance of prioritizing your activities and how to avoid procrastination.

Bly advocates using the SMART system of goal setting. He also suggests ways to manage your resources and how to use the best personal habits to achieve the most. He wraps up with some on line resources that can help.

This book is full of good suggestions and tips. This short review cannot begin to list them all. Not everyone will agree with all of Bly's suggestions nor will they all work for every type of person - but everyone will find a great deal here that can help them organize their work and use their time more effectively.

Readability/Writing Quality:

As with all of Bly's writing this book is well organized and easy to follow and understand.

Notes on Author:

Robert Bly is the author of 75 books and an accomplished copywriter and internet marketer. He publishes an internet newsletter called The Direct Response Letter.

Three Great Ideas You Can Use:

1. Time is your most valuable and limited resource. You must manage it effectively to be most effective in your work.

2. The proper use of goals greatly enhances effectiveness. Use a good system of developing and implementing goals such as the SMART system: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed.

3. Use your time on those activities that create the most return. Develop sound priorities and stick to them. Avoid common time wasters.

Publication Information:

Make Every Second Count - Time Management Tips and Techniques for More Success with Less Stress by Robert W. Bly

Career Press © 2010

Rating for this Book

Overall Rating for Book: Excellent

Writing Style: Easy to understand.

Usefulness: Highly useful.

Difficulty: Not difficult.

Daniel R. Murphy writes on success and how you can build wealth. Would you like to learn how others have been successful in business and in life? For a free success eBook and much information which can help make you successful and financially independent visit http://www.bookstowealth.com/. Begin your self-education today learning how others have become successful and rich! Do it today!

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The Wall Street Journal Essential Guide To Management by Alan Murray

Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor of "The Wall Street Journal" has written an excellent guide to management ideas and practices with his book "The Wall Street Journal Essential Guide to Management." What makes this book so good is the research Murray put into it. The guide contains some of the best and brightest ideas and strategies from many different sources, as well as case study examples from recent times and what can be learned from them. It is an easy read, full of clear and useful knowledge for anyone in the management field.

The book has twelve chapters that each focus on one area of management. These include: management, leadership, motivation, people, strategy, execution, teams, change, financial literacy, going global, ethics, and managing yourself. There is also a short conclusion that wraps things up well.

What I really liked about this book was how Murry discusses both good and bad about certain leaders and companies, and what can be learned from both. For instance, Jack Welch's leadership at the helm of General Electric is looked at, and both good and bad about Welch is pointed out. I also like that he brought up Peter Drucker's view of business ethics in that he didn't believe in them because he thought the phrase suggested those in business should live by different rules than everyone else. Drucker wrote that executives should not cheat, steal, lie, bribe, or take bribes. But nor should anyone else. These are just two small examples out of many, where Murry shares the wisdom and lessons from some of the best leadership minds of our time. It really is a well researched book.

This book is aimed at those in corporate management positions. It is not really for the small business owner, even though many of the concepts and ideas are applicable in that setting, and elsewhere, it really is designed to help those in management positions of larger corporations and organizations. And it addresses the changes that have been brought on by the recent period of economic disruption caused by the unprecedented financial crisis that led to the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s, because it was during this time that the book was written. I think the recent examples contained within these pages are extremely important for managers wanting to go forward and lead their respective organizations toward success. Murray set out to research and provide a navigation guide for managers who are drifting in uncharted waters. I think he did just that, and I highly recommend this book to anyone in the management field.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a writer, speaker, and mediator who teaches how to live, take action, and get things done through the Warrior's Edge. He is an expert on conflict and mediates and teaches conflict resolution and negotiation. Additionally, he teaches physical conflict skills in his Hapkido and Self-Defense courses, lectures, and seminars. Alain is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks, the DVDs Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking series, and numerous articles and reviews. You can read more articles and reviews and see clips of his DVDs as well as much more at http://www.burrese.com/ and http://www.yourwarriorsedge.com/.

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