economics-times

This book will show you how to negotiate a settlement with a creditor and also have negative items deleted from your credit report. What a great help this was to me in clearing up my credit problems.

I found this book to be so helpful in my dealing with trying to establish my own credit - and what type of loans to stay away from.

I learned to read all the small print and to pay close attention, this means in all service aggreements, credit applications, and contracts. The glossary in this book gives the consumer a heads up on the terms used by vendors and lenders. Watch those percentage points.The first section, Closing the Gap offers insights into weighing your needs against your wants and knowing what you need and howto evaluate some of the services you don't use but pay big bucks for. The Authors aren't preachy. You won't find advice for dummies or idiots here, but then this book is written to provide consumer information as well as personal finace ideas

Author David Allen lists 52 basic principles for productivity, including: write everything down, do the jobs that nag you, focus on the matter at hand and so on. As he notes, the principles are both simple to understand and difficult to implement. The book is essentially a collection of gleanings from the author's previous writings, so it does not present a systematic or unified approach to time and productivity management. However, Allen's straightforward tips are handy, if sometimes duplicative. The number 52 suggests that you might find one helpful tip to use each week in a one-year program of self-improvement and productivity management. In that case, repetition is probably a good thing, since bad habits tend to spring up again like weeds and require the same remedies often. The author is relentlessly upbeat, optimistic and witty, like a motivational speaker. That might be hard to read in a big chunk, but it is easy to digest if you spend a little time every week reading a recommendation and implementing it. We recommend this book to anyone who urgently needs help with time management and productivity.

While this is an outstanding book, I highly recommend his first work, Getting Things Done. Since this doesn't have a consistent narrative but is instead broken up into numerous tiny essays, it will be harder to get the maximum benefit from his approach to personal productivity from this alone.

Readers who "got" Getting Things Done don't need my advice on this one...they've already bought it I'm sure.

David Allen is probably the smartest personal productivity coach in print. I would buy Getting Things Done for every employee in my organization, and I would have copies of this one lying around to remind people and elaborate on some of the finer points.

Oh and I would like to add one point. I believe there is one thing missing from Mr. Allen's algorithm. That is finishing. I think his plan is outstanding for getting unstuck: figure out the next action, and do it without hesitation. But I don't find any attention paid to how to decide how many actions are "enough" for a desired outcome of a project.

You can always find some next action, and founder in what software engineers like myself call "permanent beta" or "feature creep." Yet external constraints are best not relied on exclusively for these decisions. It's best to volunteer a ruthless focus on the essence of your project's deliverable, isn't it?

So I would like Mr. Allen to write his next book about finishing projects, if he is able to develop insights into that stage as strong as his insights into the process of the middle stages.

Mr. Allen's system is surprisingly simple - the realisation that we are monkeys; that keeping to do lists in our heads causes stress; get the list on paper and the stress goes away; we can do simple physical actions with ease. Use a paper filing system; the instruction to ask of each item in our In-tray 'what is the next physical action;' the instruction to deal with each item right now if it will take less than two minutes.

If Mr. Allen had merely described his system 1) you wouldn't believe it and 2) worse, you wouldn't 'just do it.' And JUST DOING IT does work, amazingly enough.

'Buy a label maker' - a surprisingly important part of Allen's system. That sounds nuts! Does he have shares in a label making company? Unlikely. Then Why? Remember the monkey approach. Simple physical tasks. Create files. Label them. Don't think. Do it. And then you look at the result. You have created it. You have invested in the system. You are that monkey.

And it works! A simple system that works!

As the Scots say, Mr. Allen is a very canny fellow.

I believe that Mr. Allen wrote his book so deliberately. He makes you invest in reading the book as he makes you invest in his system when you sit there printing labels for manila files.

It may be nuts but it is a very clever kind of nuts ;-).

AT LAST! A definitive, concise, readable, understandable, helpful book on this subject that has literally changed the way I communicate and network in my business. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to the authors!!

I work in a non-technology based field, yet found this book to be a great tool for inspiring some new marketing ideas.

Like many people looking for a book or information on web conferencing I was frustrated in my search by the surprising lack of available material. Needless to say I was thrilled when my search ended having come across "The Web Conferencing Book..." and was happier still when I found the book to be as an informative and engaging read as it is. Extremely comprehensive, The Web Conferencing Book answered virtually all of my questions on the subject - and even provided me with information I didn't even know I need to be aware of. I can't recommend this book enough for people needing to know more on the subject as it will undoubtedly have an immediate and highly positive impact on your web conferencing abilities and overall knowledge. The authors have provided us with an amazingly valuable resource and I'm now offically on the lookout for future technology books by them.

If you've got too many demands and not enough time, this book will help you conquor the chaos - it's the next best thing to having Mary Poppins move in. The authors give real advice on making the most of your time. Any of their suggestions can be incorporated into your life, no matter what your income level might be.

It's a problem almost everyone faces today, how do you balance work, home, pleasure, church, and other obligations so you are not completely overwhelmed? "Beyond Juggling: Rebalancing Your Busy Life" provides a realistic approach to getting your life under control.

The authors provide five alternatives to trying to juggle multiple commitments: Alternating, Outsourcing, Bundling, Techflexing and Simplifying. Each one of these alternatives is examined in detail with a description of what it is and is not, an aptitude test to determine if it is an appropriate option for you, and descriptions of the trade-offs for each option.

The last part of the book contains a self-assessment that helps you determine the strategy that you are currently using, the ones that best fit your personal style, what will work now with your present career and life-stage and what will be needed in your future as your needs and circumstances change.

This is simply the best book on balancing your life obligations that I have read to date. Immediately useful, highly practical, it is a highly recommended read for anyone seeking balance in life.

There are lots of books out there just waiting to organize your life and tell you what to do. Problem is, once you finish reading the book, it's impossible to put everything into practice. I really enjoyed Beyond Juggling because it went past that. It gave real, workable solutions to fit work and personal life. I work at a Fortune 500 company and find it difficult in the early part of my career to take the advice of most books. I can't "get off the treadmill" or work flextime until I've build up some organizational credibility. The great thing about the book was that I found solutions that worked for me. It wasn't preachy by telling me I should, of course, put family first. I know that already. Rather they listed great strategies that have really helped me to help balance everything that's important to me.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves work, and loves their life, but doesn't necessarily want the two to be one and the same!

I was in the bookstore wondering to get for my friend. A golf neophyte, he finds the sport both rewarding and relaxing. He once told me that golf was the perfect game and sport because, ''you aren't competing against your friends, you're competing agianst yourself." This was the perfect book for him and anyone who respects the game. Golf can be so very relaxing and it's nice to have a book that tells you where the fun is. I also enjoyed the book because it was easy to follow and inexpensive. This is a great Father's Day gift as well. Bravo.

I've lived in this area for over twenty years, and this guide provided information that I was unaware of, for my own town. It'll be invaluable as I travel to other cities this year.

What a great idea for a book! Why didn't somebody think of this sooner? I can't tell you how many times I've skipped an opportunity to play on the road simply because I didn't know anything about the courses in that area. Never again. The next time I'm hacking up a course during some spare time on a business trip, I'm going to blame the guys who wrote this book.

I like the author's use of humor as well as the included lists for organization. It is possible to organize one area at a time. I have read Alexandria Stoddard in the past and like how this author incorporates her ideas especially for the Decompression Chamber. I live in a one room apartment so I can develop my own Cozy Corner.
This book is more an advanced course in organization than other books I have used in the past. This previous knowledge is often assumed. The book also has another problem common to books on organization. Many of us rent and for that reason cannot add built-ins to where we live.

Written in a conversational style, Dr. Bishop guides us through a delightful process of decluttering and organizing our home environments--to Assess, Zone, Unload, Rearrange & Enjoy. Chapters address creating organized rooms and work and storage spaces throughout the home. This comprehensive manual is especially valuable for the numerous checklists for project planning and for documenting important family and household information. Also includes extensive, useful Resources, Apprendix, and Bibliography sections.

If reading from beginning-to-end is not your style, start by learning Dr. Bishop's philosophy of AZURE-ing (p.340-41) and move to Chapter 4 to create your own Personal Decompression Chamber. Then, in your personal care retreat, read the remaining chapters that will guide you in the process of organizing your other home environments, and simplifying your life to enjoy it more!

Household Winners For Working Women: Your Personal Organizational Tool Kit To Declutter & Design A Comfortable Home is a highly practical and "user friendly" guide for keeping one's home free of useless encumbrances and enhancing a cozy, liveable space in which to better enjoy life. Written specifically for working women with limited time for housework, individual chapters address everything from an easy-to-access closet, to choosing groceries that offer maximum nutrition and delicious preparation with minimum fuss, to car cleaning and car jacking prevention tips, Household Winners For Working Women is packed cover to cover with solid, useful, and highly recommended ideas, suggestions, and advice.

David Steel's book "How to Build Your Ideal Practice in 90 Days", is like making Kool-Aid on a warm day. He gives you ingredients that are familiar, but until you've read his book, you don't know how to blend them. David blends!
David gives you tips, principals and suggestions to be successful with a since that he is there with you reading each step. And his simplistic approach makes it fun, empoweing and for all intensive puposes "do-able"!

I started my new relationship coaching practice last fall and read David Steele's "How to Build Your Ideal Practice in 90 Days" as part of his teleclass. Doing this work was like putting a stick of dynamite under my new business! It helped me get crystal clear about my vision, purpose, goals, target market, niche, how I deliver my services, my elevator speech and much, much more. I didn't think I had the time to take on another "project", but reading this book and applying the principles turned out to be the MOST important project!

The book is jam-packed with useful resources, tips, techniques and tools that will be a catalyst for any helping professional. It's a must read... and a must do!

Mari Smith

David Steele's "How to Build Your Ideal Practice in 90 Days" is a phenomenal resource for anyone wanting to build a private practice! It's a comprehensive "cookbook" with easy-to-do "recipes" that you can fit into a busy schedule. And his program works! I've used its simple, effective methods again and again to grow my own relationship coaching practice. And David has used this powerful program to help hundreds of others grow vital private practices. Now, he's sharing his secrets in book form -- well-worth the investment in time and money! Don't miss out. Buy this "Bible" for private practice building now!

I bought this book in an attempt to bring some semblance of order into my very messy studio apartment. The author has obviously spent a large amount of time researching her book, with a major theme around decluttering.

With this book's help, I have gotten rid of clothes that no longer fit or were unwearable (what was I thinking?), that third set of dishes I was keeping just incase (I had to feed an army? c'mon), and several beauty products I no longer used.

But perhaps the best thing I've gotten from this book was going through my book case and selling old books I never read or only read once right here on amazon.com. I spent $12 on this book roughly, and so far I've made $80 net on stuff that only gathered dust.

I love this book so much, I don't think it'll have a chance to gather dust.

I have been reading this book over the past few months. The ideas are easy to implement and very very effective . Our home is starting to feel more organized and calm.

I have purchased several books about organizing and getting rid of clutter, and they have all had some good suggestions. However, I never managed to apply the principles in anything except a half-hearted and short-term manner. Thus, I ended up with spaces that had been partially cleared and organized, only to revert to their former clutter and chaos after a few months.

This was no one's fault but my own, of course, but with Smallin's book, it didn't happen that way. She is able to present information and ideas that make sense, but she manages to do it in a way that builds your motivation to actually try it and to stick with it. I guess the best way of putting it is that I never felt overwhelmed, even when things looked very chaotic (as they always do at some point in a re-organization project).

The book is extremely well-suited to reading short sections that will allow you to get started right away. Then, if you need a break from the work itself, or need more suggestions, you can go back to it. Smallin also includes multiple suggestions from other professional organizers, which is very helpful because it gives you more options.

I'm almost finished with a two-week de-cluttering and organization project. In the past, I never could have gone that long without giving up and throwing it all back where it came from. But this time, I kept going back to Smallin's book, and she helped keep me on track. I was even able to use suggestions from books I had read before, such as not buying new storage cases until you have actually done the organizing and know what you need to store.

A major re-organization project is something like a weight-loss regime. You can try to do it the fast and easy way, but it won't last. Or, you can do it slowly and patiently, refining and modifying your plan as you see how it evolves. That's my goal, and with Smallin's book as my guide, I'm confident that it will be possible.

I am already an organized person but am always looking for ways to improve and this book was slightly helpful, but many things seem to me to be common sense.

next to Flylady's book and her website. This book gives real practical advice, page after page, and I've read a lot of organizing books! It is extremely helpful for mothers with children. If I were to only have one organizing book, this would definitely be it. I highly recommend it.

This is by far the best book on household management that I have ever read! Some of Bonnie McCullough's ideas would take more time than I have or choose to spend cleaning, but she also offers a number of very practical, time-saving tips that I have implemented into my own life.

I will admit to being prejudiced. I've known Del Coates for about four years now through Western Automotive Journalists.
He is a true gentleman who has always been willing to chat with me and help me to understand why I really liked a cetain car I was reviewing.

Del's book not only provides brief and clear analysis of why objects around us are made the way they are, but gave me a far more complete tool set with which to judge. What I learned will allow me to be a better writer who can now "make sense" out of what I am feeling.

I have not only told my friends about the book, I went out and purchased about a dozen and sent them to fellow writers and editors. And being the cheapskate that I am, this even surprised me.

This is simply a superb book and will be cherished by anyone who really wants to understand how Industrial Design developed
and grew into something that touches us every second of every day whether we recognize it or not.

A book that addresses what many know but fail to acknowledge. This book brings the importance of design, which is a result of the power of the human senses, to the mainstream without dumbing down the material. The decisions people make in regards to buying products are largely based on unarticulated(Subconscious) reasons. Studies report that 80% of human communication is non-verbal and that visual communication is one of the oldest and most important forms of communication. In todays marketplace where most products are commodities, possesing similar features and functions, design is one of the most powerful forms of differentiation. This book details the importance of design and the key attributes that make one design stand out from another. Take notice of the "irregular" or different size of this books binding. Do you think some thought went into that?

You will learn how humans react to a product - particularly great ones. I appreciate that the author has given me a new way to look at products and the effect of their designs.

The author describes from a neurological and pyschological point of view how you react to a new product the instant you see it. I am talking micro-seconds here. Then, he discusses how you come to like it or reject it (a few microseconds later). This was truly interesting. He relates it back to Information Theory -- yet the book was not about bits and bytes. He describes how various shapes communicate differing amounts of information. Too much results in an over load.

The author presents a simple model to analyze products. To help with this he discusses how he uses semantic difference surveys. I found this material very interesting although I wish that he had included samples of the survey documents. I didn't understand how the prospects visualized and then specified the ideal product to compare your product to.

This is truly a great book but it does requires you to slow down when you read. The author carefully defines his terms - which unfortunately have to deal with cultural abstractions (like 'zeitgeists', 'daimons'). To keep up with the author, you need to understand these terms, as the author defines them.

I will now go back a second time and try to make his framework more permanent in my brain.

The author sleeps and dreams about great design. He has been a great designer (cars) for some time and now teaches out in San Jose.

If you develop new products, or are a CEO of a company, or if you just like design... this is a required book.

I looked at the book at the book store several times and put it back because the abstract terminology turned me off. Later I went and sat down in the book store and read it more slowly. It was then that I realized what a jewell this book is. I'd love to sit in on one of his classes.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX