Book Recommendations - Time

Time 'management.'  Not possible, but attending to, investing in, and making the best use of our time is possible. 

Take a few moments to read the annotations below to see if any of the books sound interesting to you (and more are constantly added and deleted) so visit often.

Jay, Joelle. The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership

This may be my favorite book of 2009 - and on into 2010.  WOW!  Dr. Joelle Jay is a master coach who has worked with executives around the country.  The insights and wisdom she has provides in this book, along with the tools available in the book and on the accompanying website are incredible.  As Joelle says, "This book isn't about leading your organization or leading your team.  It's about leading yourself." Get to a bookstore, library, or click the link above and get this book ordered right away.  You'll want to immerse yourself in it as you allow her lessons to seep into your pores.  If I gave stars, I'd give this a 5 star recommendation, no question. 

Allen, David. Getting Things Done, The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

The minute Amazon.com alerted me to this book (pretty much the day it came out) and I saw the title, I bought it. I was ready for it and it has made a huge difference for me. It's not a primer on time & paper management, but is more for the person who has some systems working and is ready for something more. I have listened to his seminars on tape as well and while his delivery can be somewhat irritating to some people (and I'm sure people say that about me, too), his content is powerful. You may want to check out his website. There are myriad tips and reinforcements that he and his consultants provide on the site.

Emmett, Rita. The Procrastinator's Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing it Now.

Until I read Following Through, this was the only book I ever recommended as helpful for procrastination. It's small,
concise, and practical. What more could I ask for? A number
of her suggestions & techniques have "gotten me off the
dime." Don't put off reading this one (plus, if you have child
who procrastinates, she has a book entitled The Procrastinating Child).

Hallowell, Edward, CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life.

The title alone is probably intriguing to you - and once you read it, you will have a new perspective on whether your life is CrazyBusy and if that's the way you want to keep it.  Hallowell, who has studied professionals for YEARS and why we seem to stay in a frenzied state, offers strategies that are applicable.  I've read and reread this book and bought it as a CD series as well.  Apparently, I need to hear/see the information more than once.  How about you?

Hemphill, Barbara. Taming the Paper Tiger at Home & Taming the Paper Tiger at Work.

These two books are part of what got me started on getting organized and teaching others how to be organized. Barbara writes in clear, accessible language and her tips are practical and worthwhile. The two books are not redundant, so there is a reason to buy both of them. The books are in paperback and worth every penny (many times over, I believe).

Jensen, Bill. The Simplicity Survival Handbook: 32 Ways to Accomplish Less and More. & Taming the Paper Tiger at Work.

Are you kidding me? How could I not buy this book? And, I loved it even though I disagreed with portions of it. I gained a number of very useable ideas and appreciate the author's irreverent style. He is pushing hard to try to make his point because if he tip-toed around it, most of us wouldn't get it. By pushing so hard (beyond what I am comfortable with, anyway), I got part of his points, which may have been his point after all. Worth reading.

Lencioni, Patrick. Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business.

First of all, what a great title! As someone who has endured hundreds...no, make that thousands...of meetings that were deadly, the title caught my eye immediately. The content did not let me down. Lencioni's "fable" books (e.g., The Five Dysfunctions of a Team; The Five Temptations of a CEO; The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive) have the potential to be forced, but I don't find them to read that way. I wanted to keep reading this book (and his others) because I wanted to know what happened. Not all business books pull me through in that way! Excellent book if you run meetings or if you attend them.

Levinson, Steve & Pete C. Greider. Following Through: A Revolutionary Model for Finishing What You Start.

OK. A lot of what they say is going to fly in the face of what some people think, but that is why it is worth reading. They make fun of the "follow through fairy tale," and instead, deal with the real emotional issues that will indeed get us to finish things we really want to get finished. My favorite is the idea of writing a check to a group or cause that you abhor, then giving it to a friend who will mail it to this group if you don't finish what you started. I am thinking of using this one to get myself to exercise.

McGhee, Sally. Take Back Your Life! Using Microsoft Outlook to Get Organized and Stay Organized.

For anyone who uses Microsoft Outlook, this books is worth reading...and even if you don't, most of the concepts apply across the various types of productivity software. As I skimmed this book at the bookstore prior to buying it, I thought, 'Hmmmm...this sounds a lot like David Allen's work.' Then, I read the book and found that she and David Allen (prior to both of them forming their own companies) had worked together and had developed the ideas that are foundational to this book (and David Allen's Getting Things Done system). So, since I was already a big fan of the ideas, this just strengthened my knowledge of how to implement the practices in my life. McGhee writes clearly and gives readers step-by-step ways to use the ideas she discusses. Read it, take what works for you, and leave the rest behind. (Of course, this is pretty much my advice for all books!)

Morgenstern, Julie. Never Check E-Mail in the Morning (And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work).

Morgenstern originally published this book under the title Making Work Work, and then realized that the provocative phrase "Never Check Email in the Morning" would make her book fly off the shelves. It should fly off the shelf and right into your hands because if you want to be more productive, then I promise you will find ideas within the covers of this book that you can use immediately. She presents workable ideas for meetings, delegating, planning your day, handling paperwork, and more. It's paperback, inexpensive, and worth getting and reading today!

Paul, Marilyn. It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys: The Seven-Step Path to Becoming Truly Organized.

This book wins the award for best title. I also like the book because the author has a Ph.D. and "gets" that aspect of people's lives.

It is not an easy read nor is it a book for everyone, but I included it because the title may intrigue you such that you decide to try it on for size.

Sutton, Robert.  The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't.

Now just tell me that this title doesn't make you want to read the book - or at least talk to someone who HAS read the book. I have read the book and have recommended it to hundreds of people because, unfortunately, many workplaces don't seem to have implemented the 'no asshole rule.'  In this time of toxicity in the workplace, which is a horrendous impediment to productivity, this book is worth reading and worth buying for others to read.  Unfortunately, the real a-holes won't get it, so don't waste your money on them.  Get your colleagues to read it and then discuss it in a faculty meeting.

Trapani, Gina. Lifehacker: 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day.

A hacker is "Someone who solves a problem in a clever or non-obvious way. A lifehacker uses workarounds and shortcuts to overcome everyday difficulties of the modern worker: an interrupt-driven existence of too much to do and too many distractions to keep you from doing it" (p. xxiii). And that is exactly what she provides in this book--cool ways to use technology to be more effective, efficient, safe, and productive. How could I not love this book?! Some of her ideas are fairly high-tech and others are lower tech. I'd be stunned if you read this and didn't find at least 10 ideas to put into practice.

Trapani, Gina. Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better.

This is Trapani's newer book (newer than Lifehacker); there are more ideas in this book than I think any of us could ever implement.  One of the things I like about her books is that she lets you know whether an idea is Easy, Medium, or Advanced.  She also tells you on which platform(s) the ideas will work and whether there is a cost.  It's definitely worth reading. You'll learn ideas that you will wish you'd known sooner, I'm positive.