Review: Time Management in an Instant

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Esmé's Mommy here.

Ever feel so far behind that you can't even grab a few moments to sit down and figure out how to organize yourself to catch up? I get that feeling all the time, especially right now after a week off for camping. If I could just make myself a list (I do love those lists, you know), I'd feel better, but it seems the moment I start working on one, Esmé gets into the dental floss or the shower cleaner.

So I was intrigued by the title, Time Management In An Instant. I need to figure out how to manage my time QUICK! And that's why we're participating in this blog tour of the book.

Book Summary

In today’s hurly-burly work environment many business people find it challenging to avoid distraction, stay focused, use their time and energy to maximum benefit, and gain ground on important goals and outcomes. One study by the Families and Work Institute found that one-third of Americans are overworked and more than 50 percent of those surveyed say they are either doing too many tasks at the same time or are frequently interrupted during the workday – or both. In short, we are overloaded!

Time Management In An Instant helps the reader to overcome this feeling of overload and avoid the traps that lead to an unproductive relationship with time. It offers field-tested time habits and expert advice based on the latest research that will help the reader better manage, create and spend their time with more satisfaction and results.

The Authors

Karen Leland and Keith Bailey are partners in Sterling Consulting Group; an international management consulting firm. They are the best-selling authors of six books, which have been translated into ten languages. Karen and Keith have worked with over 200,000 executives, managers and front line staff in companies throughout the world including: American Express, AT&T, Oracle, Microsoft, Xerox, Marriott Hotels, IBM, Lucent Technologies and UPS. They have been featured in dozens of newspapers including: The New York Times, Fortune, Entrepreneur, Newsweek and Time. They also have extensive on-air experience and have been interviewed on The Today Show, CNN, Good Morning America and Oprah. Karen is a frequent contributor to magazines and newspapers and has written for The San Francisco Chronicle, Sales and Marketing, Incentive, Women’s Day, Self and many others.

Karen Leland and Keith Bailey are the bestselling authors of six books, including Time Management In An Instant: 60 Ways to Make the Most of Your Day. They are the co-founders of Sterling Consulting Group, which helps organizations and individuals learn how to fight distraction and find their focus in a wired world. For more information please contact: kleland@scgtraining.com

Buy a copy of Time Management In An Instant the week of July 20th and receive a free license to the Essential Email online course. To buy the book and claim your bonus, or just to buy the book go to: http://www.quality-service.com/timemanagementinaninstant

While email is the most widely used communication tool for business, its remote nature - which eliminates tone of voice and body language - presents a huge potential for mischief, misunderstanding and misinterpretation. This online program will help you go beyond basic email etiquette, to the proven principles and practices for gaining mastery and saving time over your electronic mail box.

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Oh, yeah. Back to MY stress. I was sitting by Esmé's new little plastic pool, feet in the water, thinking about all the things I really should be doing. But I needed my computer for most of them, and I wasn't really keen on getting my laptop wet.

And I began to wonder, why on earth was I letting this little black piece of technology control my life? Why was I allowing it to make me feel so stressed when I could just be relaxing and enjoying the moment in the sun while my toddler splashed around?

If you're wondering the same thing, here's a short article by one of the authors of the book on how to declutter your computer and manage it, instead of letting it manage you.

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Three Steps to Declutter Your Computer
by Karen Leland

Has your computer become the junk drawer of your electronic life? Do you have files stacked ten to a one-room apartment, e-mails were gathering mold in dark corners and bookmarks living in chaotic squalor? So much so that finding things on your desktop and hard drive had begun taking significant amounts of time?

If so, follow this simple three-step process to do a basic declutter of your computer and begin the process of simplifying your electronic life.

Step One: Set up a logical filing system.

• Try to mirror your paper filing system on your computer. The more your main folders resemble the names and categories you use to file paper, the easier it will be for you to both find and file various documents.
• Create a “working file” or “pending” folder, which lives on your desktop and can hold anything you are currently working on and need to access quickly and easily. While much of your computer may be used for the archiving of information, the “working file” folder can hold the most relevant information and projects.

Step Two: Organize your bookmarks.

Just as you may have random files floating around your hard drive, you more than likely have a ton of bookmarks that are not organized in any particular way.

Depending on which program you are using, find the “organize” feature. This will allow you to make folders with logical names that you can group and move your various bookmarks into.”

Step Three: Clean up your hard drive.

Because storage on most computers is not a big issue, a lot of people have a bad habit of using their computer as a storage unit, or even a dumping ground, for holding all kinds of information, whether it is still relevant or not. A few ways to clean up your hard drive include:

• Deleting any old working drafts of documents that are no longer needed or have been replaced by more updated versions.
• Deleting files that you created but never did anything with or have no documents in.
• Eliminating files that have different names but contain the same duplicate materials.
• Dumping files that are so old that the information in them is outdated and never used.

One caution: If you need to keep any files for a legal reason, either:

• Print them out on paper and keep a hard copy.
• Create a special folder on the computer for “legal.”
• Transfer them to a backup disk.

OK, now that you have a plan to follow, set aside 15 minutes each day this coming week (first thing in the morning works well) to work on decluttering your computer.

Happy decluttering!