Time Management From the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule and Your Life

Amazon.com
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."

FROM OUR EDITORS

Bookseller Reviews

Organizing guru Julie Morgenstern doesn't just treat time management symptoms; she retools the underlying mind set and habits. her counsel assumes that inevitably our personal preferences shape our approaches to problems, and that simply telling some one to streamline or delegate solves nothing. This advice is sensible and on target. The section on chronic lateness, for example, will probably be photocopied and distributed anonymously all over America.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

These days, we face no greater challenge in our personal and professional lives than organizing and managing our time. Now Julie Morgenstern, whose bestselling Organizing from the Inside Out has helped hundreds of thousands of people conquer the clutter in their lives, explains how to overcome the time challenge once and for all. Her groundbreaking from-the-inside-out approach helps you uncover your psychological strengths and stumbling blocks and create a time-management system that suits your individual needs. Let Julie show you how to

identify your personal preferences and styles determine how long tasks really take eliminate, delegate, and streamline tasks stop procrastinating, once and for allput an end to chronic latenessstick to your schedule while maintaining flexibilitycope with the constancy of unexpected change

Time management is a skill that anyone can learn. Take control of your schedule, connect the activities of your daily life to your most important big-picture goals, and live the life of your dreams.

SYNOPSIS

America's #1 organizer tackles the time crunch and shows you how to get more done while easing your stress. These days, we face no greater challenge in our personal and professional lives than organizing and managing our time. Now Julie Morgenstern, whose bestselling Organizing from the Inside Out has helped hundreds of thousands of people conquer the clutter in their lives, explains how to overcome the time challenge once and for all. Her groundbreaking from-the-inside-out approach helps you uncover your psychological strengths and stumbling blocks and create a time-management system that suits your individual needs. Let Julie show you how to identify your personal preferences and styles determine how long tasks really take eliminate, delegate, and streamline tasks stop procrastinating, once and for all put an end to chronic lateness put technology to work for you stick to your schedule while maintaining flexibility cope with the constancy of unexpected change Time management is a skill that anyone can learn. Take control of your schedule, connect the activities of your daily life to your most important big-picture goals, and live the life of your dreams.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Julie Morgenstern, author of the bestselling Organizing from the Inside Out, is the founder of Task Masters, a professional organizing company that provides consulting services to individuals and companies. Her corporate clients have included American Express, Sony Music, and Microsoft. In addition to her regular appearances on MSNBC's The Home Page, Julie is a frequent guest on many national television programs and a popular speaker around the country. She lives in New York City with her daughter.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Best-selling author of Organizing from the Inside Out, Morgenstern takes a similarly practical approach to time. If one thinks of time has having "edges" (rather than being amorphous), she explains, then it becomes as finite as space--and, consequently, just as manageable. Morgenstern believes that there are three primary reasons why people have difficulty managing time: "technical errors" (miscalculating the length of a task); "external realities" (new baby, new job) and "psychological obstacles" (perfectionism). What makes her program work, she attests, is that instead of trying to change people's natural behaviors and preferences, she encourages them to expand upon whatever is working already, no matter how overwhelmed they may feel. It all starts with knowing what one's big picture values and goals are (e.g., maintaining a happy marriage, excelling at one's career) and prioritizing those with the help of an ingenious device she's created called a "Time Map." Then, Morgenstern helps the reader apply her "SPACE" system ("sort, purge, assign a `home,' containerize and equalize")--the nitty-gritty of time management--to align one's to-do list with the Time Map. Everything one does (from important phone calls to major projects) must have its time and place--even relaxation and fun ("There is no such thing as spare time"). Morgenstern's simple book presents a superb, sound program for "creating a life that nurtures you and makes you feel good." (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

AudioFile

Using many space and function analogies from her organization audio, the author asks us to look at our time as a limited resource � like a closet or house with limited space � and allocate the activities we value most into the best cubby holes. The ideas and principles here are fantastic and make sense right away. And the most valuable of these is her core message that no time management system will work for long if it doesn't respect the user's personal emotional style and preferred behavior patterns. She promotes flexibility and reasonable dedication to a plan, rather than trying to jam every person into the same perfect but unworkable system. And as for the reading, Morgenstern would be a joy to hear reading anything. T.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

If I had had Julie Morgenstern's tips on how to organize my workload and prioritize my days, balancing my growing business and family life would have been much easier. — Chairman and CEO, Lilian Vernon Corporation