Greetings!  I am glad you attended one of the following sessions presented recently at the University of Michigan:

• CEW:  Making a Break for It!
  
  
•  PFF/Plenary:  Protect Your Time, Energy, and Attention…
  in an “Exacting” Way

As promised, here are some recommendations and links related to the topics we discussed in the workshops.  If anything is missing from your notes that you don't see represented here, please email me and I'll get it posted.

• The Myth of Multitasking (with Dave Crenshaw, author of The Myth of Multitasking: How 'Doing it All' Gets Nothing Done
  (recorded November 2008)
  
  
• Antioxidants for a Toxic Academic Work Environment
  (recorded November 2008)
  
  
• Assessing the Time & Energy You Have Available to Promise (ATP) (recorded August 2008)
  
  
• Taming the Email Beast (recorded February 2009)
  
  
• Face It! Some Emotions Are Better Not Displayed! (recorded September 2009)
  
  
• Networking for Introverts (recorded July 2009)
  
  
• Why Be Wiped Out at Work?  Realistic Stress Management Strategies that Go WAY Beyond 'Eat Right and Get Plenty of Sleep
  (recorded March 2009)

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. 

Walsh, Peter.  Enough Already!: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You

Hallowell, Edward.  CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap!

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?

Gray, Paul & Drew, David.  What They Didn't Teach You in Graduate School: 199 Helpful Hints for Success in Your Academic Career

I ordered this book at the end of August and read it within days of it arriving.  It is a must-read, in my opinion.  The two authors have captured wisdom from their own experience and the experience of myriad other academics.  If you are planning an academic career, buy this book ASAP and read it from cover to cover - and then read it again. Then order the book for gifts to your friends and colleagues who are also becoming professors.

Huston, Therese.  Teaching What You Don't Know 

The author of this book, a woman I know professionally, let me know that she had just published this book - and I was intrigued by the title and the description.  Now that I've read it, I intend to recommend it far and wide.  All of us who teach at the college and university levels have been or will be asked to teach a class that is, uh, a bit outside our 'area of expertise.'  Huston offers tools, techniques, and strategies for thinking about and approaching this challenge.  Her research is fascinating and her writing makes it interesting and worthwhile to read. 

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

This is Trapani's newer book (newer than Lifehacker: 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day.); 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. 

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. 

Rath, Tom, StrengthsFinder 2.0.

After Marcus Buckingham left the Gallup Organization to start his own company (and write his own book....GO Put Your Strengths to Work:  6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance), then it was important for Gallup to publish a new book on the Strengths work that they have continued to do.  And this is that book.  For some reason, I was poised not to like it (who knows why), but I like it VERY much.  It's clear, provides excellent action suggestions for each of the 34 strengths, and of course, has the magic code in it so you can take the StrengthsFinder assessment.  This is the book I now use when I'm teaching Strengths workshops.  Order it today if you haven't already.

Scott, Susan.  Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time.

Just the title alone intrigued me...and then when I read her Seven Principles of Fierce Conversations, I was hooked. For example, Principle 6 is "Take Responsibility for Your Emotional Wake." Scott points out that for leaders, there are no "trivial comments." Since reading this book, I have highly recommended it in my leadership training seminars, and am using it as a core text in an upcoming year long training. Reading it will have an impact on your professional and personal life--even if you don't do anything. If you DO follow some of her suggestions, your personal and professional lives will be "fiercely" affected.

Braiker, Harriet. The Disease to Please.

Dr. Braiker's first book (that I read) was The Type E Woman (for the woman who tries to be everything to everyone). Let's just say I found a few tidbits in there for myself and for others I knew. So when this particular book came out, I bought it right away. It has quizzes and suggestions, and best of all, a 21-day plan. I have recommended it to many, have used it in workshops and with coaching clients, and have worked with it myself (for myself). Powerful.

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!

Babcock, Linda & Laschever, Sara.  Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation--and Positive Strategies for Change.

This book will wake you up.  I only wish it had been available at the beginning of my career.  Pretty much, you can't afford NOT to read this book.

The authors also have a newer book, Ask for It:  How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want. 

Kossek, Ellen Ernst & Lautsch , Brenda A.  CEO of Me.

I read this book in preparation for a day-long workshop I was going to be doing at Michigan State University as part of a symposium on Work-Life Balance.  The first author was one of the symposium presenters. This book is fabulous and I've bought at least 30 copies to give away to others.  The authors studied professionals in academia, government, and corporate settings.  You'll find yourself among these pages - and will learn some tools to help create the best professional & personal life you can. 

Mason, Mary Ann & Ekman, Eve Mason.  Mothers on the Fast Track.

Excellent book based on the "Do Babies Matter" study (by Mason & Goulden) as well as additional research conducted by the two authors (mother & daughter).  It is worth reading whether you are a mother or whether you work with mothers because of the insights it provides - as well as the tools and suggestions.   

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Top Ten Productivity Tips (www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)

This series was launched in 2006 and thousands of people up to this point have been accessing these quick and easy-to-read ideas on a weekly basis.  Topics such as meetings, clutter, working with others, etc. are addressed throughout the year.  See an example of what you'll get each week.

Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay (www.KeepingChaosatBay.com)

Because many subscribers to the Top Ten Productivity Tips wanted to move forward in their quest for peaceful, predictable productivity, a new series, Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay, was launched in 2007 and the response has been fabulous.  These ideas are presented in an easy-to-read format - and are a "edgier" than the Top Tens (but not too much!)   See an example of what you'll get each week.

I Just Want to Be Whelmed! (www.JustWhelmed.com)

And now we come to the series that was launched in 2008 and has struck a chord with so many.  These weekly emails are for people who are ready to tackle some tough issues and who are tired of being either OVERwhelmed or UNDERwhelmed and want to be "Just Whelmed."  See an example of what you'll get each week.  Note:  These weekly messages are likely to push some buttons...so be ready for something quite a bit edgier than the other two series described above.

Through her company Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Dr. Meggin McIntosh (known as The Ph.D. of Productivity™) has accelerated the momentum of thousands of professionals who want to become more productive. She does this through seminars and workshops on time, paper, information and life management. In addition, Meggin consults with individuals in their workspaces to ensure their organization and productivity in the professional environment and publishes several no-cost weekly ezines subscribed to by professionals around the world. 

Meggin is known for her humor and practical knowledge. While a professor and administrator at the University of Nevada, Reno, Dr. McIntosh won numerous teaching awards—at the college, university, state, and national levels. To the surprise of many (but not the surprise of others), in December 2003, she left academia to be able to focus full time on her company's mission of supporting bright people who want to be productive so they can consistently keep their emphasis on excellence..