A few minutes well spent, 31 Oct 2008
The One Minute Manager is perfect for anybody who is just embarking on a career in management. It is a very short lesson in management, written in simple language in the form of a story about the perfect manager.

Do not let its size or lack of academic language fool you. This book is the distillate of powerful psychological and management principles, so simple and easy to remember that anybody can use them to manage effectively.

I would recommend this book to anybody who cares about effective management and about their staff and colleagues.

Not impressed, 05 Apr 2008
I didnt get this book at all. I dont understand what all the fuss is about. Its not a very brillant style of writing. I have read "who moved my cheese" and was not impressed either.

I don't understand why its a bestseller.

Good one subject book that is quick to read, 15 Apr 2007
Quite sensible contents. I think the book is best for people who haven't studied much about leadership but are interested of that. After reading One Minute Manager you might know will you want to study more about leadership or not. Book could be more detailed, but that would lead book to be something else than quick to read. I quess this book is best on plane, train etc vehicle or place where you need to wait for a while and you dont want to read magazine.

Good, but very light on content, 26 Jan 2007
This is a good, fast paced read. It can be read in about an hour. It contains very basic people management skills information, wrapped into a story. The basis of the story is that there is a manager who can restrict his contact with colleagues to one minute bursts and be the most effective manager in the organisation. A newcomer learns the skills and represents the reader in the story. Most managers you know have read this book, so if you have not, buy it and read it tomorrow - must keep up with the competition!

Universally applicable!, 31 Aug 2006
This is one of my favorite books. It is geniusly simple, respectful and powerful. I was surprised to find out that I can easily apply the 3 principles in almost every relationship. So many people around deserve to be praised and taught a lesson and it is very important HOW you will do it because the final result can be very positive or just the opposite. It is a very valuable book which is very well written and is a fast read. I also highly recommend the other books from the One Minute Manager series because every book has a lot to offer and they will be especially helpful if you are in a business environment.

With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow", "mind like water", and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance.

Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-dos clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organised, we could turn ourselves into 24/7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru", suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech sabre known as the mobile phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.)

As whole-life-organising systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk. The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket".

That's where the processing and prioritising begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's common sense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment. Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belaboured, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to football mums (who, we all know, are more organised than most CEOs to start with). --Timothy Murphy

A few minutes well spent, 31 Oct 2008
The One Minute Manager is perfect for anybody who is just embarking on a career in management. It is a very short lesson in management, written in simple language in the form of a story about the perfect manager.

Do not let its size or lack of academic language fool you. This book is the distillate of powerful psychological and management principles, so simple and easy to remember that anybody can use them to manage effectively.

I would recommend this book to anybody who cares about effective management and about their staff and colleagues.

Not impressed, 05 Apr 2008
I didnt get this book at all. I dont understand what all the fuss is about. Its not a very brillant style of writing. I have read "who moved my cheese" and was not impressed either.

I don't understand why its a bestseller.

Good one subject book that is quick to read, 15 Apr 2007
Quite sensible contents. I think the book is best for people who haven't studied much about leadership but are interested of that. After reading One Minute Manager you might know will you want to study more about leadership or not. Book could be more detailed, but that would lead book to be something else than quick to read. I quess this book is best on plane, train etc vehicle or place where you need to wait for a while and you dont want to read magazine.

Good, but very light on content, 26 Jan 2007
This is a good, fast paced read. It can be read in about an hour. It contains very basic people management skills information, wrapped into a story. The basis of the story is that there is a manager who can restrict his contact with colleagues to one minute bursts and be the most effective manager in the organisation. A newcomer learns the skills and represents the reader in the story. Most managers you know have read this book, so if you have not, buy it and read it tomorrow - must keep up with the competition!

Universally applicable!, 31 Aug 2006
This is one of my favorite books. It is geniusly simple, respectful and powerful. I was surprised to find out that I can easily apply the 3 principles in almost every relationship. So many people around deserve to be praised and taught a lesson and it is very important HOW you will do it because the final result can be very positive or just the opposite. It is a very valuable book which is very well written and is a fast read. I also highly recommend the other books from the One Minute Manager series because every book has a lot to offer and they will be especially helpful if you are in a business environment.

No More Clutter!, 16 Nov 2008
I am so inspired by this book! My filing system at work and at home has never worked as efficiently as it does now, after reading this book. Author David Allen's detailed system helps clear the 'clutter' in my mind as I have adopted his system of writing down what needs to get done so the task is either written on my calendar or on my to-do list. I don't have to try to "remember" what I need to do next, wasting time and energy thinking and getting lost in my thoughts. If something can be done in two minutes I do it, I file it, I make the phone call. My desk stays in order and I feel more at ease. I love feeling organized and clear in my life.

Another book which clears "the clutter" in my mind is Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life by Ariel & Shya Kane. This book teaches how to live in the moment without getting lost in the conversation of my thoughts. The Kanes have a yearly "Time & Project Management" course and "Transformation in the Workplace" seminar in New York City. These courses and their books have brought ease and inspiration to my workplace.

As a banker in New York City, I highly suggest checking out David Allen and Ariel and Shya Kane. You will discover a stress free environment in the workplace and at home.

5th generation time management, 09 Sep 2008
This is a seminal book, which has in some ways been superseded by its own children. If you survey the Mac and PC software applications that offer help with time management, by far the most popular system implemented is Getting Things Done, or GTD for short.

GTD has been criticised for being no more than common sense. In a lot of ways this is both untrue, and unfair. More accurately, it's two simple ideas put together, and supported by a collection of useful ideas borrowed (with appropriate acknowledgement) from elsewhere. The two ideas are the idea of 'stuff', and what you do with it (collect, process, organise, review, do), and the idea of using (and relying on) a reliable filing system. It's backed up with other good ideas like brainstoming, mind-mapping, the 50,000 feet perspective, and other notions that you may have encountered in their original contexts, or in programmes like TQM.

GTD is less revolutionary than the 4th generation time-management that Stephen Covey introduced in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. However, it's more powerful for most of us in the sense that you can implement it easily on a computer or a PDA. David Allen makes the most of the power of easy storage of information. If you're a computer user (and if you're reading this on Amazon, then chances are that you are), then this is by the far the most practical system, whether you use a specialist piece of software like Omnifocus, or just make the most of the built-in functions of Outlook or iCal.

This is the strength, and the weakness of this book: get one of the many software packages, read the help-file, and you may not need to read the book at all.

Just one more thing about Getting Things Done. As the author points out, this is really a book for people on the fast-track to improve their personal organisation. It's not going to make a great gift for someone else who you _think_ should get organised.

may be good for you but definitely bad for me, 07 Aug 2008
I've read this book three or four times around of May-June 2004, and then tried to implement into my work - without any significant success. Most probably this is book for inbox slaves and formal process worshippers, otherwise it might be not for your job-without-formal-description. In worst case trying to follow it took me actually spending _more_ time on things I used to do quicker. Most probably it might be valuable for you, but not for me, and I don't want to take inbox slavery job.

Good For All, 31 Jul 2008
Any information on being more organised and reducing stress in our lives is worth reading. Even people who are generally organised will gain benefits fom this book. We all have areas of our lives that could be more productive, less cluttered and more stress-free. Definitely worth a read.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

Great - if you think this way, 04 Jul 2008
This book would appeal to people who like to keep their lives organised and are looking for ways to maximize efficiencies. For this demographic, this is a great book. It's a pretty short read and offers very practical solutions.

If you're not one of those people who needs to know where everything is, this book won't convert you.

A few minutes well spent, 31 Oct 2008
The One Minute Manager is perfect for anybody who is just embarking on a career in management. It is a very short lesson in management, written in simple language in the form of a story about the perfect manager.

Do not let its size or lack of academic language fool you. This book is the distillate of powerful psychological and management principles, so simple and easy to remember that anybody can use them to manage effectively.

I would recommend this book to anybody who cares about effective management and about their staff and colleagues.

Not impressed, 05 Apr 2008
I didnt get this book at all. I dont understand what all the fuss is about. Its not a very brillant style of writing. I have read "who moved my cheese" and was not impressed either.

I don't understand why its a bestseller.

Good one subject book that is quick to read, 15 Apr 2007
Quite sensible contents. I think the book is best for people who haven't studied much about leadership but are interested of that. After reading One Minute Manager you might know will you want to study more about leadership or not. Book could be more detailed, but that would lead book to be something else than quick to read. I quess this book is best on plane, train etc vehicle or place where you need to wait for a while and you dont want to read magazine.

Good, but very light on content, 26 Jan 2007
This is a good, fast paced read. It can be read in about an hour. It contains very basic people management skills information, wrapped into a story. The basis of the story is that there is a manager who can restrict his contact with colleagues to one minute bursts and be the most effective manager in the organisation. A newcomer learns the skills and represents the reader in the story. Most managers you know have read this book, so if you have not, buy it and read it tomorrow - must keep up with the competition!

Universally applicable!, 31 Aug 2006
This is one of my favorite books. It is geniusly simple, respectful and powerful. I was surprised to find out that I can easily apply the 3 principles in almost every relationship. So many people around deserve to be praised and taught a lesson and it is very important HOW you will do it because the final result can be very positive or just the opposite. It is a very valuable book which is very well written and is a fast read. I also highly recommend the other books from the One Minute Manager series because every book has a lot to offer and they will be especially helpful if you are in a business environment.

No More Clutter!, 16 Nov 2008
I am so inspired by this book! My filing system at work and at home has never worked as efficiently as it does now, after reading this book. Author David Allen's detailed system helps clear the 'clutter' in my mind as I have adopted his system of writing down what needs to get done so the task is either written on my calendar or on my to-do list. I don't have to try to "remember" what I need to do next, wasting time and energy thinking and getting lost in my thoughts. If something can be done in two minutes I do it, I file it, I make the phone call. My desk stays in order and I feel more at ease. I love feeling organized and clear in my life.

Another book which clears "the clutter" in my mind is Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life by Ariel & Shya Kane. This book teaches how to live in the moment without getting lost in the conversation of my thoughts. The Kanes have a yearly "Time & Project Management" course and "Transformation in the Workplace" seminar in New York City. These courses and their books have brought ease and inspiration to my workplace.

As a banker in New York City, I highly suggest checking out David Allen and Ariel and Shya Kane. You will discover a stress free environment in the workplace and at home.

5th generation time management, 09 Sep 2008
This is a seminal book, which has in some ways been superseded by its own children. If you survey the Mac and PC software applications that offer help with time management, by far the most popular system implemented is Getting Things Done, or GTD for short.

GTD has been criticised for being no more than common sense. In a lot of ways this is both untrue, and unfair. More accurately, it's two simple ideas put together, and supported by a collection of useful ideas borrowed (with appropriate acknowledgement) from elsewhere. The two ideas are the idea of 'stuff', and what you do with it (collect, process, organise, review, do), and the idea of using (and relying on) a reliable filing system. It's backed up with other good ideas like brainstoming, mind-mapping, the 50,000 feet perspective, and other notions that you may have encountered in their original contexts, or in programmes like TQM.

GTD is less revolutionary than the 4th generation time-management that Stephen Covey introduced in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. However, it's more powerful for most of us in the sense that you can implement it easily on a computer or a PDA. David Allen makes the most of the power of easy storage of information. If you're a computer user (and if you're reading this on Amazon, then chances are that you are), then this is by the far the most practical system, whether you use a specialist piece of software like Omnifocus, or just make the most of the built-in functions of Outlook or iCal.

This is the strength, and the weakness of this book: get one of the many software packages, read the help-file, and you may not need to read the book at all.

Just one more thing about Getting Things Done. As the author points out, this is really a book for people on the fast-track to improve their personal organisation. It's not going to make a great gift for someone else who you _think_ should get organised.

may be good for you but definitely bad for me, 07 Aug 2008
I've read this book three or four times around of May-June 2004, and then tried to implement into my work - without any significant success. Most probably this is book for inbox slaves and formal process worshippers, otherwise it might be not for your job-without-formal-description. In worst case trying to follow it took me actually spending _more_ time on things I used to do quicker. Most probably it might be valuable for you, but not for me, and I don't want to take inbox slavery job.

Good For All, 31 Jul 2008
Any information on being more organised and reducing stress in our lives is worth reading. Even people who are generally organised will gain benefits fom this book. We all have areas of our lives that could be more productive, less cluttered and more stress-free. Definitely worth a read.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

Great - if you think this way, 04 Jul 2008
This book would appeal to people who like to keep their lives organised and are looking for ways to maximize efficiencies. For this demographic, this is a great book. It's a pretty short read and offers very practical solutions.

If you're not one of those people who needs to know where everything is, this book won't convert you.

A truly excellent book, 22 Oct 2008
Many books have been described as "life changing", but it's seldom true. However, it was true for me with this book. I had recognised that my time management was very poor, and I needed to do something about it, and I choose this book to help me. Like many other people, I was really struggling to keep on top of my emails (I had a backlog of over 1300 in my inbox when I started reading this book), and one of the splendid things about this book is a really sensible and workable system for dealing with emails. I have no email backlog now, and I say this having just returned from a week's holiday.

The book is easy to read and full of useful tips for not only email but many of the other things that take up too much time. I don't promise this book will work for you as well as it worked for me, because I guess to some extent time management techniques are personal and maybe some techniques work well for some people and less well for others. All I know is that the techniques described in this book worked spectacularly well for me and have significantly changed my life for the better.

If you're reading this, Mark Forster, thank you so much for a brilliant book.

Excellent Timely Advice, 24 Sep 2008
This is my first ever review for Amazon, which illustrates the way I feel about this book. The approach is simple and effective, however, it will require discipline and commitment to make it work. That said, you will need to forgive yourself when you do not quite make it.

This is the best book on time management I have ever read.

6 six stars, 01 Aug 2008
I normally don't leave comments and feedbacks for the books but I had to do it this time.
This book is really fantastic position to read.
Helped me so much. Methods to manage the time are so simple and very easy to implement.
I would recommend this book to everyone.

It works! Give it a go!, 02 Jul 2008
What a great concept. - this book was recommneded to me by a colleague who is having some business coaching. She is on the most highly effective and capable people I know, so when she told me about this book and suggested I read it, I took her advice seriously. I was surprised by the title as it seem to go against most of what I have read before about prioritising and not putting things off. Well all I can say is that I have tried it and it works! I like his closed list concept and some of his "how to fool yourself" concepts too. I never thought I would be recommending a book that says that, but "success breeds success". Therefore create any way to be successful and then you will become more successful. So go for the little things and build up to more. I have found it brings more joy when you do what Mark suggests and then the fun begins. I have had numerous "to do lists" and they are rapidly disappearing!

Disappointing if you do a service-oriented job, 13 May 2008
After reading all the amazing praise for this book I bought it immediately, but I have to say that upon reading it I was slightly puzzled as to why everyone had been raving about it. I can only guess that these people are devoted fans since reading his previous work, as I found that the book was lacking for my purposes.

I did pick up some good tips, such as the use of a task diary rather than a to-do-list, and the tips on filing systems were good. The book also made me question whether I really wanted to 'commit'to many of the tasks I burden myself with, after which I decided that many of them aren't really that important.

However, my major problem with this book is the main concept of doing everything tomorrow. I think this idea would probably work fine if you work from home or by yourself in an office, and find that procrastination is a problem. If you do a more service-oriented job like mine though, I don't think you will find the information is very applicable. He does admit this at one point in the book, but doesn't offer much alternative advice if this is the case. For this reason I found most of the book pretty useless.

I also have to admit that I found his writing style pretty boring, he seems to spend most of the first half of the book telling you what he is going to tell you later in the book, then recapping everything at every possible opportuntity. It felt like reading an undergraduate dissertation!

A few minutes well spent, 31 Oct 2008
The One Minute Manager is perfect for anybody who is just embarking on a career in management. It is a very short lesson in management, written in simple language in the form of a story about the perfect manager.

Do not let its size or lack of academic language fool you. This book is the distillate of powerful psychological and management principles, so simple and easy to remember that anybody can use them to manage effectively.

I would recommend this book to anybody who cares about effective management and about their staff and colleagues.

Not impressed, 05 Apr 2008
I didnt get this book at all. I dont understand what all the fuss is about. Its not a very brillant style of writing. I have read "who moved my cheese" and was not impressed either.

I don't understand why its a bestseller.

Good one subject book that is quick to read, 15 Apr 2007
Quite sensible contents. I think the book is best for people who haven't studied much about leadership but are interested of that. After reading One Minute Manager you might know will you want to study more about leadership or not. Book could be more detailed, but that would lead book to be something else than quick to read. I quess this book is best on plane, train etc vehicle or place where you need to wait for a while and you dont want to read magazine.

Good, but very light on content, 26 Jan 2007
This is a good, fast paced read. It can be read in about an hour. It contains very basic people management skills information, wrapped into a story. The basis of the story is that there is a manager who can restrict his contact with colleagues to one minute bursts and be the most effective manager in the organisation. A newcomer learns the skills and represents the reader in the story. Most managers you know have read this book, so if you have not, buy it and read it tomorrow - must keep up with the competition!

Universally applicable!, 31 Aug 2006
This is one of my favorite books. It is geniusly simple, respectful and powerful. I was surprised to find out that I can easily apply the 3 principles in almost every relationship. So many people around deserve to be praised and taught a lesson and it is very important HOW you will do it because the final result can be very positive or just the opposite. It is a very valuable book which is very well written and is a fast read. I also highly recommend the other books from the One Minute Manager series because every book has a lot to offer and they will be especially helpful if you are in a business environment.

No More Clutter!, 16 Nov 2008
I am so inspired by this book! My filing system at work and at home has never worked as efficiently as it does now, after reading this book. Author David Allen's detailed system helps clear the 'clutter' in my mind as I have adopted his system of writing down what needs to get done so the task is either written on my calendar or on my to-do list. I don't have to try to "remember" what I need to do next, wasting time and energy thinking and getting lost in my thoughts. If something can be done in two minutes I do it, I file it, I make the phone call. My desk stays in order and I feel more at ease. I love feeling organized and clear in my life.

Another book which clears "the clutter" in my mind is Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life by Ariel & Shya Kane. This book teaches how to live in the moment without getting lost in the conversation of my thoughts. The Kanes have a yearly "Time & Project Management" course and "Transformation in the Workplace" seminar in New York City. These courses and their books have brought ease and inspiration to my workplace.

As a banker in New York City, I highly suggest checking out David Allen and Ariel and Shya Kane. You will discover a stress free environment in the workplace and at home.

5th generation time management, 09 Sep 2008
This is a seminal book, which has in some ways been superseded by its own children. If you survey the Mac and PC software applications that offer help with time management, by far the most popular system implemented is Getting Things Done, or GTD for short.

GTD has been criticised for being no more than common sense. In a lot of ways this is both untrue, and unfair. More accurately, it's two simple ideas put together, and supported by a collection of useful ideas borrowed (with appropriate acknowledgement) from elsewhere. The two ideas are the idea of 'stuff', and what you do with it (collect, process, organise, review, do), and the idea of using (and relying on) a reliable filing system. It's backed up with other good ideas like brainstoming, mind-mapping, the 50,000 feet perspective, and other notions that you may have encountered in their original contexts, or in programmes like TQM.

GTD is less revolutionary than the 4th generation time-management that Stephen Covey introduced in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. However, it's more powerful for most of us in the sense that you can implement it easily on a computer or a PDA. David Allen makes the most of the power of easy storage of information. If you're a computer user (and if you're reading this on Amazon, then chances are that you are), then this is by the far the most practical system, whether you use a specialist piece of software like Omnifocus, or just make the most of the built-in functions of Outlook or iCal.

This is the strength, and the weakness of this book: get one of the many software packages, read the help-file, and you may not need to read the book at all.

Just one more thing about Getting Things Done. As the author points out, this is really a book for people on the fast-track to improve their personal organisation. It's not going to make a great gift for someone else who you _think_ should get organised.

may be good for you but definitely bad for me, 07 Aug 2008
I've read this book three or four times around of May-June 2004, and then tried to implement into my work - without any significant success. Most probably this is book for inbox slaves and formal process worshippers, otherwise it might be not for your job-without-formal-description. In worst case trying to follow it took me actually spending _more_ time on things I used to do quicker. Most probably it might be valuable for you, but not for me, and I don't want to take inbox slavery job.

Good For All, 31 Jul 2008
Any information on being more organised and reducing stress in our lives is worth reading. Even people who are generally organised will gain benefits fom this book. We all have areas of our lives that could be more productive, less cluttered and more stress-free. Definitely worth a read.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

Great - if you think this way, 04 Jul 2008
This book would appeal to people who like to keep their lives organised and are looking for ways to maximize efficiencies. For this demographic, this is a great book. It's a pretty short read and offers very practical solutions.

If you're not one of those people who needs to know where everything is, this book won't convert you.

A truly excellent book, 22 Oct 2008
Many books have been described as "life changing", but it's seldom true. However, it was true for me with this book. I had recognised that my time management was very poor, and I needed to do something about it, and I choose this book to help me. Like many other people, I was really struggling to keep on top of my emails (I had a backlog of over 1300 in my inbox when I started reading this book), and one of the splendid things about this book is a really sensible and workable system for dealing with emails. I have no email backlog now, and I say this having just returned from a week's holiday.

The book is easy to read and full of useful tips for not only email but many of the other things that take up too much time. I don't promise this book will work for you as well as it worked for me, because I guess to some extent time management techniques are personal and maybe some techniques work well for some people and less well for others. All I know is that the techniques described in this book worked spectacularly well for me and have significantly changed my life for the better.

If you're reading this, Mark Forster, thank you so much for a brilliant book.

Excellent Timely Advice, 24 Sep 2008
This is my first ever review for Amazon, which illustrates the way I feel about this book. The approach is simple and effective, however, it will require discipline and commitment to make it work. That said, you will need to forgive yourself when you do not quite make it.

This is the best book on time management I have ever read.

6 six stars, 01 Aug 2008
I normally don't leave comments and feedbacks for the books but I had to do it this time.
This book is really fantastic position to read.
Helped me so much. Methods to manage the time are so simple and very easy to implement.
I would recommend this book to everyone.

It works! Give it a go!, 02 Jul 2008
What a great concept. - this book was recommneded to me by a colleague who is having some business coaching. She is on the most highly effective and capable people I know, so when she told me about this book and suggested I read it, I took her advice seriously. I was surprised by the title as it seem to go against most of what I have read before about prioritising and not putting things off. Well all I can say is that I have tried it and it works! I like his closed list concept and some of his "how to fool yourself" concepts too. I never thought I would be recommending a book that says that, but "success breeds success". Therefore create any way to be successful and then you will become more successful. So go for the little things and build up to more. I have found it brings more joy when you do what Mark suggests and then the fun begins. I have had numerous "to do lists" and they are rapidly disappearing!

Disappointing if you do a service-oriented job, 13 May 2008
After reading all the amazing praise for this book I bought it immediately, but I have to say that upon reading it I was slightly puzzled as to why everyone had been raving about it. I can only guess that these people are devoted fans since reading his previous work, as I found that the book was lacking for my purposes.

I did pick up some good tips, such as the use of a task diary rather than a to-do-list, and the tips on filing systems were good. The book also made me question whether I really wanted to 'commit'to many of the tasks I burden myself with, after which I decided that many of them aren't really that important.

However, my major problem with this book is the main concept of doing everything tomorrow. I think this idea would probably work fine if you work from home or by yourself in an office, and find that procrastination is a problem. If you do a more service-oriented job like mine though, I don't think you will find the information is very applicable. He does admit this at one point in the book, but doesn't offer much alternative advice if this is the case. For this reason I found most of the book pretty useless.

I also have to admit that I found his writing style pretty boring, he seems to spend most of the first half of the book telling you what he is going to tell you later in the book, then recapping everything at every possible opportuntity. It felt like reading an undergraduate dissertation!

When you need inspiration, 17 Mar 2008
I havent had time for a thorough gym work out for quite some time for various reasons but I decided to make myself a deal and start thinking that I owed myself time to work out. With that in mind this book seemed perfect - the way it caters for the time you have is really interesting. I started off with 45 mins/3 days a week and have just decided to add another day in. Looking at the way he structures the work-outs is really interesting - each exerise works on a different set of muscle groups so that if you follow the routine you really do work out all the key muscles during a week. A word of advice is to start with a weight that is simple to lift in order to master particular exercises and then you get confidence to move up weights.

On a very practical level I live in a terraced house with kids so space is at a premium. The only kit i have for these work outs is a chair or two and a set of adjustable dumbells - as the book describes it, these are really the only tools you need. I've been following this for 3 weeks now and I'm starting to see results and feel stronger. Important note here is that Murphy includes a nutrion section to this book and it is really worth reading - eating smaller meals, snacking regularly, eating foods in an unprocessed form and thinking about a genuine 'balanced diet' etc is really interesting and helps stave off tiredness and over-eating. I've certainly taken some (not all) these points on board and have certainly lost the 'bloat' that I always felt I was carrying and never thought I'd be able to get rid of.

Well written (no preaching), brilliantly structured to suit everyone and lots of really pertinent observations. I shall certainly be sticking to this book for a while yet.

Concise but thorough, just what I wanted, 27 Jan 2008
My bog-standard gym program was going nowhere. So I ordered this figuring I would make my own program, but thankfully, there's no need cause the author does it all for you.

What I really like is that he covers EVERY base, grouped into simple choices.
1. what kind of physique do you want (lean/toned/big/balanced)
2. how many days can you work out per week (from 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 days(!))
3. how long can you work out per session (from 10/15/20/30/45/60 mins)

And then he gives you FULL programs per session/day based on your combination of choices. Plus full and simple instructions on every single exercise, with up to 3 ways of doing each one, e.g. 3 options to do bicep curls depending on the equipment available and your personal preference.

There's also sections on nutrition and stretches, so I can't see how you can go wrong with this book to help you achieve your goals, however much time you've got to work out.

This is exactly what I wanted. It's only been a couple weeks so far into my program but I'm seeing definite benefits and leave each workout really knackered. I am being quite strict with diet, though, as calorie intake is key to get the results you want.

Overall, this book is probably the best one I've seen for normal people wanting to get into real shape without the bs of body-building evangelism. Highly recommended.



Very comprehensive, 19 Dec 2007
It's true, it really does give work-outs no matter how much time you have, what you want to exercise for, and how much equipment you've got. There are two or three alternatives for each work-out depending on what equipment you've got, and when and how you do them depends on how much time you have and what you want to achieve.
There are also sections on stretching, massaging and nuitrition.
It is written very simply and assumes you are an absolute beginner.

Nice one!, 08 Jun 2006
What a brilliant idea! The title says it all. Figure out how many days you can set aside to work-out this week (1? 2? 3? all the way up to every day!) and then figure out how much time you can set aside in each day to work out (10 minutes? all the way up to 60 minutes). Then simply turn to the page of the book that has the appropriate combination of days per week and time per day (e.g. 20 minutes twice a week) and pick one of four work-outs: one to get leaner, one to build muscle, one to build strength, or a total-body workout. Each workout is clearly written out for you so that you can photocopy it and take it to the gym, and if you can't get to the gym, there are alternatives that you can do at home/in the hotel with a minimum of expensive equipment.

I really like the fact that even if you can only do 10 minutes one day a week, the author doesn't shout 'WIMP'. He is completely realistic about how the time we can set aside to excercise varies from week to week, and he works firmly on the 'anything is better than nothing' principle. So the whole tone of the book is encouraging.

A great idea and a book that I'm sure I will use many many times and value for its flexible, realistic approach.

The McKinsey Way, by former McKinsey & Company associate Ethan M. Rasiel, provides a through-the-keyhole perspective on the way this worldwide consulting institution approaches--and solves--the myriad professional problems encountered by its high-powered clientele. His goal, Rasiel writes, is simple: to communicate "new and useful skills to everyone who wants to be more useful in their business." He then does so by explaining the highly structured, fact-based proprietary methodology that McKinseyites are taught to employ with their Fortune 100 clients, complete with details on the entire process from first considering the basic situation at hand through finally selling a solution to the appropriate powers that be.

All of the critical steps (assembling a team, managing a hierarchy, doing research, conducting interviews, brainstorming) are broken down into specific actions and fleshed out with applicable examples that Rasiel has gathered through interviews with dozens of other former McKinsey employees. The concluding sections on surviving the mythically grueling pace at the organization, known simply to insiders as "the Firm," are designed to help readers successfully tackle the similar challenges and obstacles they regularly face in their own work environments. --Howard Rothman

A few minutes well spent, 31 Oct 2008
The One Minute Manager is perfect for anybody who is just embarking on a career in management. It is a very short lesson in management, written in simple language in the form of a story about the perfect manager.

Do not let its size or lack of academic language fool you. This book is the distillate of powerful psychological and management principles, so simple and easy to remember that anybody can use them to manage effectively.

I would recommend this book to anybody who cares about effective management and about their staff and colleagues.

Not impressed, 05 Apr 2008
I didnt get this book at all. I dont understand what all the fuss is about. Its not a very brillant style of writing. I have read "who moved my cheese" and was not impressed either.

I don't understand why its a bestseller.

Good one subject book that is quick to read, 15 Apr 2007
Quite sensible contents. I think the book is best for people who haven't studied much about leadership but are interested of that. After reading One Minute Manager you might know will you want to study more about leadership or not. Book could be more detailed, but that would lead book to be something else than quick to read. I quess this book is best on plane, train etc vehicle or place where you need to wait for a while and you dont want to read magazine.

Good, but very light on content, 26 Jan 2007
This is a good, fast paced read. It can be read in about an hour. It contains very basic people management skills information, wrapped into a story. The basis of the story is that there is a manager who can restrict his contact with colleagues to one minute bursts and be the most effective manager in the organisation. A newcomer learns the skills and represents the reader in the story. Most managers you know have read this book, so if you have not, buy it and read it tomorrow - must keep up with the competition!

Universally applicable!, 31 Aug 2006
This is one of my favorite books. It is geniusly simple, respectful and powerful. I was surprised to find out that I can easily apply the 3 principles in almost every relationship. So many people around deserve to be praised and taught a lesson and it is very important HOW you will do it because the final result can be very positive or just the opposite. It is a very valuable book which is very well written and is a fast read. I also highly recommend the other books from the One Minute Manager series because every book has a lot to offer and they will be especially helpful if you are in a business environment.

No More Clutter!, 16 Nov 2008
I am so inspired by this book! My filing system at work and at home has never worked as efficiently as it does now, after reading this book. Author David Allen's detailed system helps clear the 'clutter' in my mind as I have adopted his system of writing down what needs to get done so the task is either written on my calendar or on my to-do list. I don't have to try to "remember" what I need to do next, wasting time and energy thinking and getting lost in my thoughts. If something can be done in two minutes I do it, I file it, I make the phone call. My desk stays in order and I feel more at ease. I love feeling organized and clear in my life.

Another book which clears "the clutter" in my mind is Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life by Ariel & Shya Kane. This book teaches how to live in the moment without getting lost in the conversation of my thoughts. The Kanes have a yearly "Time & Project Management" course and "Transformation in the Workplace" seminar in New York City. These courses and their books have brought ease and inspiration to my workplace.

As a banker in New York City, I highly suggest checking out David Allen and Ariel and Shya Kane. You will discover a stress free environment in the workplace and at home.

5th generation time management, 09 Sep 2008
This is a seminal book, which has in some ways been superseded by its own children. If you survey the Mac and PC software applications that offer help with time management, by far the most popular system implemented is Getting Things Done, or GTD for short.

GTD has been criticised for being no more than common sense. In a lot of ways this is both untrue, and unfair. More accurately, it's two simple ideas put together, and supported by a collection of useful ideas borrowed (with appropriate acknowledgement) from elsewhere. The two ideas are the idea of 'stuff', and what you do with it (collect, process, organise, review, do), and the idea of using (and relying on) a reliable filing system. It's backed up with other good ideas like brainstoming, mind-mapping, the 50,000 feet perspective, and other notions that you may have encountered in their original contexts, or in programmes like TQM.

GTD is less revolutionary than the 4th generation time-management that Stephen Covey introduced in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. However, it's more powerful for most of us in the sense that you can implement it easily on a computer or a PDA. David Allen makes the most of the power of easy storage of information. If you're a computer user (and if you're reading this on Amazon, then chances are that you are), then this is by the far the most practical system, whether you use a specialist piece of software like Omnifocus, or just make the most of the built-in functions of Outlook or iCal.

This is the strength, and the weakness of this book: get one of the many software packages, read the help-file, and you may not need to read the book at all.

Just one more thing about Getting Things Done. As the author points out, this is really a book for people on the fast-track to improve their personal organisation. It's not going to make a great gift for someone else who you _think_ should get organised.

may be good for you but definitely bad for me, 07 Aug 2008
I've read this book three or four times around of May-June 2004, and then tried to implement into my work - without any significant success. Most probably this is book for inbox slaves and formal process worshippers, otherwise it might be not for your job-without-formal-description. In worst case trying to follow it took me actually spending _more_ time on things I used to do quicker. Most probably it might be valuable for you, but not for me, and I don't want to take inbox slavery job.

Good For All, 31 Jul 2008
Any information on being more organised and reducing stress in our lives is worth reading. Even people who are generally organised will gain benefits fom this book. We all have areas of our lives that could be more productive, less cluttered and more stress-free. Definitely worth a read.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

Great - if you think this way, 04 Jul 2008
This book would appeal to people who like to keep their lives organised and are looking for ways to maximize efficiencies. For this demographic, this is a great book. It's a pretty short read and offers very practical solutions.

If you're not one of those people who needs to know where everything is, this book won't convert you.

A truly excellent book, 22 Oct 2008
Many books have been described as "life changing", but it's seldom true. However, it was true for me with this book. I had recognised that my time management was very poor, and I needed to do something about it, and I choose this book to help me. Like many other people, I was really struggling to keep on top of my emails (I had a backlog of over 1300 in my inbox when I started reading this book), and one of the splendid things about this book is a really sensible and workable system for dealing with emails. I have no email backlog now, and I say this having just returned from a week's holiday.

The book is easy to read and full of useful tips for not only email but many of the other things that take up too much time. I don't promise this book will work for you as well as it worked for me, because I guess to some extent time management techniques are personal and maybe some techniques work well for some people and less well for others. All I know is that the techniques described in this book worked spectacularly well for me and have significantly changed my life for the better.

If you're reading this, Mark Forster, thank you so much for a brilliant book.

Excellent Timely Advice, 24 Sep 2008
This is my first ever review for Amazon, which illustrates the way I feel about this book. The approach is simple and effective, however, it will require discipline and commitment to make it work. That said, you will need to forgive yourself when you do not quite make it.

This is the best book on time management I have ever read.

6 six stars, 01 Aug 2008
I normally don't leave comments and feedbacks for the books but I had to do it this time.
This book is really fantastic position to read.
Helped me so much. Methods to manage the time are so simple and very easy to implement.
I would recommend this book to everyone.

It works! Give it a go!, 02 Jul 2008
What a great concept. - this book was recommneded to me by a colleague who is having some business coaching. She is on the most highly effective and capable people I know, so when she told me about this book and suggested I read it, I took her advice seriously. I was surprised by the title as it seem to go against most of what I have read before about prioritising and not putting things off. Well all I can say is that I have tried it and it works! I like his closed list concept and some of his "how to fool yourself" concepts too. I never thought I would be recommending a book that says that, but "success breeds success". Therefore create any way to be successful and then you will become more successful. So go for the little things and build up to more. I have found it brings more joy when you do what Mark suggests and then the fun begins. I have had numerous "to do lists" and they are rapidly disappearing!

Disappointing if you do a service-oriented job, 13 May 2008
After reading all the amazing praise for this book I bought it immediately, but I have to say that upon reading it I was slightly puzzled as to why everyone had been raving about it. I can only guess that these people are devoted fans since reading his previous work, as I found that the book was lacking for my purposes.

I did pick up some good tips, such as the use of a task diary rather than a to-do-list, and the tips on filing systems were good. The book also made me question whether I really wanted to 'commit'to many of the tasks I burden myself with, after which I decided that many of them aren't really that important.

However, my major problem with this book is the main concept of doing everything tomorrow. I think this idea would probably work fine if you work from home or by yourself in an office, and find that procrastination is a problem. If you do a more service-oriented job like mine though, I don't think you will find the information is very applicable. He does admit this at one point in the book, but doesn't offer much alternative advice if this is the case. For this reason I found most of the book pretty useless.

I also have to admit that I found his writing style pretty boring, he seems to spend most of the first half of the book telling you what he is going to tell you later in the book, then recapping everything at every possible opportuntity. It felt like reading an undergraduate dissertation!

When you need inspiration, 17 Mar 2008
I havent had time for a thorough gym work out for quite some time for various reasons but I decided to make myself a deal and start thinking that I owed myself time to work out. With that in mind this book seemed perfect - the way it caters for the time you have is really interesting. I started off with 45 mins/3 days a week and have just decided to add another day in. Looking at the way he structures the work-outs is really interesting - each exerise works on a different set of muscle groups so that if you follow the routine you really do work out all the key muscles during a week. A word of advice is to start with a weight that is simple to lift in order to master particular exercises and then you get confidence to move up weights.

On a very practical level I live in a terraced house with kids so space is at a premium. The only kit i have for these work outs is a chair or two and a set of adjustable dumbells - as the book describes it, these are really the only tools you need. I've been following this for 3 weeks now and I'm starting to see results and feel stronger. Important note here is that Murphy includes a nutrion section to this book and it is really worth reading - eating smaller meals, snacking regularly, eating foods in an unprocessed form and thinking about a genuine 'balanced diet' etc is really interesting and helps stave off tiredness and over-eating. I've certainly taken some (not all) these points on board and have certainly lost the 'bloat' that I always felt I was carrying and never thought I'd be able to get rid of.

Well written (no preaching), brilliantly structured to suit everyone and lots of really pertinent observations. I shall certainly be sticking to this book for a while yet.

Concise but thorough, just what I wanted, 27 Jan 2008
My bog-standard gym program was going nowhere. So I ordered this figuring I would make my own program, but thankfully, there's no need cause the author does it all for you.

What I really like is that he covers EVERY base, grouped into simple choices.
1. what kind of physique do you want (lean/toned/big/balanced)
2. how many days can you work out per week (from 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 days(!))
3. how long can you work out per session (from 10/15/20/30/45/60 mins)

And then he gives you FULL programs per session/day based on your combination of choices. Plus full and simple instructions on every single exercise, with up to 3 ways of doing each one, e.g. 3 options to do bicep curls depending on the equipment available and your personal preference.

There's also sections on nutrition and stretches, so I can't see how you can go wrong with this book to help you achieve your goals, however much time you've got to work out.

This is exactly what I wanted. It's only been a couple weeks so far into my program but I'm seeing definite benefits and leave each workout really knackered. I am being quite strict with diet, though, as calorie intake is key to get the results you want.

Overall, this book is probably the best one I've seen for normal people wanting to get into real shape without the bs of body-building evangelism. Highly recommended.



Very comprehensive, 19 Dec 2007
It's true, it really does give work-outs no matter how much time you have, what you want to exercise for, and how much equipment you've got. There are two or three alternatives for each work-out depending on what equipment you've got, and when and how you do them depends on how much time you have and what you want to achieve.
There are also sections on stretching, massaging and nuitrition.
It is written very simply and assumes you are an absolute beginner.

Nice one!, 08 Jun 2006
What a brilliant idea! The title says it all. Figure out how many days you can set aside to work-out this week (1? 2? 3? all the way up to every day!) and then figure out how much time you can set aside in each day to work out (10 minutes? all the way up to 60 minutes). Then simply turn to the page of the book that has the appropriate combination of days per week and time per day (e.g. 20 minutes twice a week) and pick one of four work-outs: one to get leaner, one to build muscle, one to build strength, or a total-body workout. Each workout is clearly written out for you so that you can photocopy it and take it to the gym, and if you can't get to the gym, there are alternatives that you can do at home/in the hotel with a minimum of expensive equipment.

I really like the fact that even if you can only do 10 minutes one day a week, the author doesn't shout 'WIMP'. He is completely realistic about how the time we can set aside to excercise varies from week to week, and he works firmly on the 'anything is better than nothing' principle. So the whole tone of the book is encouraging.

A great idea and a book that I'm sure I will use many many times and value for its flexible, realistic approach.

It should have been so much more, 04 Mar 2008
As a strategy consultant I found small portions of this book quite interesting to see how McKinsey runs through its analytical framework, however as a whole it is very vague and uninformative.

The last couple of chapters in particular are focused more on boosting Mckinsey-ites egos then giving strategic insight from one of the worlds largest consultancies.

I would recommend this book to people thinking about getting into the industry but apart from that as an 'Idiots guide', however there are many more insightful and educational books out there.

On the positive side it is very easy to read so I guess I didnt waste too much of my life

If you are new to Business Consulting, read this Book First, 27 Dec 2007
Friends,

Please read this book if you are new entrant to business consulting.

As a fresh incumbent, we will have many questions to kick start the journey, just imagine the author to be our first friend to help us start the exciting career as a Consultant.

As a reader belonging to the above said category, I found this book immensely useful that opened up many important facets that are required to be performed by us in this prestigious profession, otherwise would have taken months to learn or experience. Many of the management concepts described in this book are known, yet to have it in the same book having a common purpose supported with live examples apart from McKinsey tools like MECE, Waterfall chart, Elevator test, Prewiring etc will really add value to us.

From the need to send a simple thanks note to our client or to manage a non cooperative member in the client side, this book throws many useful tips that are necessary to have a comfortable journey.

Read it to learn, No doubts, will experience the learnings during practise

Good Luck




This book is what McKinsey is about..., 09 Aug 2005
This book is unintentionally a clear representation of these "elite" consulting firms:
- Too expensive for what it is
- Nice cover and picture ... but big letters and no content (have a read of the "Surviving at McKinsey" chapter for a good laugh)
- Inflated ego (eg: "McKinsey is to management as Cartier is to jewels...")

If any young MBA's hope to find a few hints to enter the "ivory tower", don't look here.

In conclusion, please find my "strategic recommendation" about this book: don't buy it. This advise is worth a few dollars.

Basic overview, 07 Sep 2004
Buying the book I thought it would go into great depth about the techniques which McKindsey-ites use, but it failed to meet my requirements. It is a good book for people that have little or no knowledge of management or dealing with a management problem. But overall it is a good bedtime read.

Short, clear introduction into management consultancy, 29 Dec 2002
McKinsey & Company is a world-famous strategic consulting company, also known as "The Firm". Ethan Rasiel worked at McKinsey & Co. for several years and provides a quick, clear introduction into management consulting firm's problem solving methods. "I wrote this book with the goal of communicating new and useful skills to everyone who wants to be more efficient and effective in business. ... In addition, this book will give any executive woho works with management consultants, whether McKinsey or elsewhere, some insight into how these strange beings think."

The book is split up into five parts. In Part I, Ethan Rasiel explains the McKinsey-way of thinking about business problems. The author explains that the solution of the problem needs to be fact-based (facts are friendly), rigidly structured (MECE = mutually exclusive), and hypothesis-driven (solve the problem at the first meeting - the initial hypothesis). In addition, the author explains how McKinsey-ites approach business problems and apply the McKinsey problem-solving process to maximum effect. There is also a short introduction into a number of rules which McKinsey-consultants use for problem-solving purposes: the 80/20-rule, find the key drivers, the elevator test - sell in 30 seconds, make a chart every day, look at the big picture, say "I don't know", and don't accept "I have no idea".

In Part II, the author introduces the McKinsey-way of working to solve business problems. The author explains the selling process at McKinsey (the Firm does not sell, it markets), how to structure an engagement, and assembling of a team. Then the author comes to the most important part of the book, doing research, conducting interviews (the author insists on reading Chapter 8 - Conducting Interviews - "If you read no other chapter of the book from start to finish, read this one."), and brainstorming.

In Part III, the author, and the McKinsey-way of selling solutions. This part discusses the way McKinsey makes presentations, which is one of the strongest parts of McKinsey according to the author, displays data with charts (read Gene Zelazny (1985), 'Say it with Charts'), and the way to work with clients.

In Part IV, Rasiel gives some lessons how "McKinsey-ites" have learned for coping with the stresses of life at the Firm, and in Part V, the author recounts the lessons he learned at McKinsey and shares memories of various ex-McKinsey-ites. Both Part IV and V are 'a waste of paper' in comparison to the first three parts, but gives a little insight into what goes on behind the scenes at McKinsey & Co.

Yes, I can understand that some readers are disappointed by this book as it gives just an introduction into management consultancy (and McKinsey & Co). The author introduces the various problem-solving methods and tools, but does not discuss them in great detail. For more details on these methods and tools you will have to read some other literature. The book uses simple US-English.

Mark Forster argues in refreshingly sharp prose that time management is too difficult for most people. There is nothing you can do to change the pattern of 24 hours, seven days, 52 weeks and so on. "There is no such thing as time management", he says. "Time just is." But what you can do is to focus more effectively. Confiding that he is naturally disorganised, Forster, a life coach, manager of his own network marketing business and Resources Officer for the Diocese of Chichester, shares his own "attention focusing" techniques. His methods are based on his own experience and on the workshops and seminars he runs on how to get everything done. These include looking beyond the immediate tasks, learning to say "no", sorting out the significant from the trivial, and costing everything you do against a notional hourly rate of pay so that you can evaluate every activity against its "cost"--from watching the television news to going to a meeting or praying. Accept, he says, that the main reason most people don't do things is disinclination--not lack of time. So you must be honest to identify resistance--the "R factor"--in yourself. Then deal with it. It is important to make time every day for "depth" activities too. Yoga, meditation or journal writing, for example, can create "an oasis of calm" in "the daily grind of clashing priorities". Or it could be learning a language or playing a sport. But don't try and do many different things. Foster laments our modern tendency to favour depth over breadth by getting involved in "more and more things in a shallower and shallower way". There is plenty to think about here and some sound practical advice. The only problem is that you have to find time to read it! --Susan Elkin

A few minutes well spent, 31 Oct 2008
The One Minute Manager is perfect for anybody who is just embarking on a career in management. It is a very short lesson in management, written in simple language in the form of a story about the perfect manager.

Do not let its size or lack of academic language fool you. This book is the distillate of powerful psychological and management principles, so simple and easy to remember that anybody can use them to manage effectively.

I would recommend this book to anybody who cares about effective management and about their staff and colleagues.

Not impressed, 05 Apr 2008
I didnt get this book at all. I dont understand what all the fuss is about. Its not a very brillant style of writing. I have read "who moved my cheese" and was not impressed either.

I don't understand why its a bestseller.

Good one subject book that is quick to read, 15 Apr 2007
Quite sensible contents. I think the book is best for people who haven't studied much about leadership but are interested of that. After reading One Minute Manager you might know will you want to study more about leadership or not. Book could be more detailed, but that would lead book to be something else than quick to read. I quess this book is best on plane, train etc vehicle or place where you need to wait for a while and you dont want to read magazine.

Good, but very light on content, 26 Jan 2007
This is a good, fast paced read. It can be read in about an hour. It contains very basic people management skills information, wrapped into a story. The basis of the story is that there is a manager who can restrict his contact with colleagues to one minute bursts and be the most effective manager in the organisation. A newcomer learns the skills and represents the reader in the story. Most managers you know have read this book, so if you have not, buy it and read it tomorrow - must keep up with the competition!

Universally applicable!, 31 Aug 2006
This is one of my favorite books. It is geniusly simple, respectful and powerful. I was surprised to find out that I can easily apply the 3 principles in almost every relationship. So many people around deserve to be praised and taught a lesson and it is very important HOW you will do it because the final result can be very positive or just the opposite. It is a very valuable book which is very well written and is a fast read. I also highly recommend the other books from the One Minute Manager series because every book has a lot to offer and they will be especially helpful if you are in a business environment.

No More Clutter!, 16 Nov 2008
I am so inspired by this book! My filing system at work and at home has never worked as efficiently as it does now, after reading this book. Author David Allen's detailed system helps clear the 'clutter' in my mind as I have adopted his system of writing down what needs to get done so the task is either written on my calendar or on my to-do list. I don't have to try to "remember" what I need to do next, wasting time and energy thinking and getting lost in my thoughts. If something can be done in two minutes I do it, I file it, I make the phone call. My desk stays in order and I feel more at ease. I love feeling organized and clear in my life.

Another book which clears "the clutter" in my mind is Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life by Ariel & Shya Kane. This book teaches how to live in the moment without getting lost in the conversation of my thoughts. The Kanes have a yearly "Time & Project Management" course and "Transformation in the Workplace" seminar in New York City. These courses and their books have brought ease and inspiration to my workplace.

As a banker in New York City, I highly suggest checking out David Allen and Ariel and Shya Kane. You will discover a stress free environment in the workplace and at home.

5th generation time management, 09 Sep 2008
This is a seminal book, which has in some ways been superseded by its own children. If you survey the Mac and PC software applications that offer help with time management, by far the most popular system implemented is Getting Things Done, or GTD for short.

GTD has been criticised for being no more than common sense. In a lot of ways this is both untrue, and unfair. More accurately, it's two simple ideas put together, and supported by a collection of useful ideas borrowed (with appropriate acknowledgement) from elsewhere. The two ideas are the idea of 'stuff', and what you do with it (collect, process, organise, review, do), and the idea of using (and relying on) a reliable filing system. It's backed up with other good ideas like brainstoming, mind-mapping, the 50,000 feet perspective, and other notions that you may have encountered in their original contexts, or in programmes like TQM.

GTD is less revolutionary than the 4th generation time-management that Stephen Covey introduced in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. However, it's more powerful for most of us in the sense that you can implement it easily on a computer or a PDA. David Allen makes the most of the power of easy storage of information. If you're a computer user (and if you're reading this on Amazon, then chances are that you are), then this is by the far the most practical system, whether you use a specialist piece of software like Omnifocus, or just make the most of the built-in functions of Outlook or iCal.

This is the strength, and the weakness of this book: get one of the many software packages, read the help-file, and you may not need to read the book at all.

Just one more thing about Getting Things Done. As the author points out, this is really a book for people on the fast-track to improve their personal organisation. It's not going to make a great gift for someone else who you _think_ should get organised.

may be good for you but definitely bad for me, 07 Aug 2008
I've read this book three or four times around of May-June 2004, and then tried to implement into my work - without any significant success. Most probably this is book for inbox slaves and formal process worshippers, otherwise it might be not for your job-without-formal-description. In worst case trying to follow it took me actually spending _more_ time on things I used to do quicker. Most probably it might be valuable for you, but not for me, and I don't want to take inbox slavery job.

Good For All, 31 Jul 2008
Any information on being more organised and reducing stress in our lives is worth reading. Even people who are generally organised will gain benefits fom this book. We all have areas of our lives that could be more productive, less cluttered and more stress-free. Definitely worth a read.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

Great - if you think this way, 04 Jul 2008
This book would appeal to people who like to keep their lives organised and are looking for ways to maximize efficiencies. For this demographic, this is a great book. It's a pretty short read and offers very practical solutions.

If you're not one of those people who needs to know where everything is, this book won't convert you.

A truly excellent book, 22 Oct 2008
Many books have been described as "life changing", but it's seldom true. However, it was true for me with this book. I had recognised that my time management was very poor, and I needed to do something about it, and I choose this book to help me. Like many other people, I was really struggling to keep on top of my emails (I had a backlog of over 1300 in my inbox when I started reading this book), and one of the splendid things about this book is a really sensible and workable system for dealing with emails. I have no email backlog now, and I say this having just returned from a week's holiday.

The book is easy to read and full of useful tips for not only email but many of the other things that take up too much time. I don't promise this book will work for you as well as it worked for me, because I guess to some extent time management techniques are personal and maybe some techniques work well for some people and less well for others. All I know is that the techniques described in this book worked spectacularly well for me and have significantly changed my life for the better.

If you're reading this, Mark Forster, thank you so much for a brilliant book.

Excellent Timely Advice, 24 Sep 2008
This is my first ever review for Amazon, which illustrates the way I feel about this book. The approach is simple and effective, however, it will require discipline and commitment to make it work. That said, you will need to forgive yourself when you do not quite make it.

This is the best book on time management I have ever read.

6 six stars, 01 Aug 2008
I normally don't leave comments and feedbacks for the books but I had to do it this time.
This book is really fantastic position to read.
Helped me so much. Methods to manage the time are so simple and very easy to implement.
I would recommend this book to everyone.

It works! Give it a go!, 02 Jul 2008
What a great concept. - this book was recommneded to me by a colleague who is having some business coaching. She is on the most highly effective and capable people I know, so when she told me about this book and suggested I read it, I took her advice seriously. I was surprised by the title as it seem to go against most of what I have read before about prioritising and not putting things off. Well all I can say is that I have tried it and it works! I like his closed list concept and some of his "how to fool yourself" concepts too. I never thought I would be recommending a book that says that, but "success breeds success". Therefore create any way to be successful and then you will become more successful. So go for the little things and build up to more. I have found it brings more joy when you do what Mark suggests and then the fun begins. I have had numerous "to do lists" and they are rapidly disappearing!

Disappointing if you do a service-oriented job, 13 May 2008
After reading all the amazing praise for this book I bought it immediately, but I have to say that upon reading it I was slightly puzzled as to why everyone had been raving about it. I can only guess that these people are devoted fans since reading his previous work, as I found that the book was lacking for my purposes.

I did pick up some good tips, such as the use of a task diary rather than a to-do-list, and the tips on filing systems were good. The book also made me question whether I really wanted to 'commit'to many of the tasks I burden myself with, after which I decided that many of them aren't really that important.

However, my major problem with this book is the main concept of doing everything tomorrow. I think this idea would probably work fine if you work from home or by yourself in an office, and find that procrastination is a problem. If you do a more service-oriented job like mine though, I don't think you will find the information is very applicable. He does admit this at one point in the book, but doesn't offer much alternative advice if this is the case. For this reason I found most of the book pretty useless.

I also have to admit that I found his writing style pretty boring, he seems to spend most of the first half of the book telling you what he is going to tell you later in the book, then recapping everything at every possible opportuntity. It felt like reading an undergraduate dissertation!

When you need inspiration, 17 Mar 2008
I havent had time for a thorough gym work out for quite some time for various reasons but I decided to make myself a deal and start thinking that I owed myself time to work out. With that in mind this book seemed perfect - the way it caters for the time you have is really interesting. I started off with 45 mins/3 days a week and have just decided to add another day in. Looking at the way he structures the work-outs is really interesting - each exerise works on a different set of muscle groups so that if you follow the routine you really do work out all the key muscles during a week. A word of advice is to start with a weight that is simple to lift in order to master particular exercises and then you get confidence to move up weights.

On a very practical level I live in a terraced house with kids so space is at a premium. The only kit i have for these work outs is a chair or two and a set of adjustable dumbells - as the book describes it, these are really the only tools you need. I've been following this for 3 weeks now and I'm starting to see results and feel stronger. Important note here is that Murphy includes a nutrion section to this book and it is really worth reading - eating smaller meals, snacking regularly, eating foods in an unprocessed form and thinking about a genuine 'balanced diet' etc is really interesting and helps stave off tiredness and over-eating. I've certainly taken some (not all) these points on board and have certainly lost the 'bloat' that I always felt I was carrying and never thought I'd be able to get rid of.

Well written (no preaching), brilliantly structured to suit everyone and lots of really pertinent observations. I shall certainly be sticking to this book for a while yet.

Concise but thorough, just what I wanted, 27 Jan 2008
My bog-standard gym program was going nowhere. So I ordered this figuring I would make my own program, but thankfully, there's no need cause the author does it all for you.

What I really like is that he covers EVERY base, grouped into simple choices.
1. what kind of physique do you want (lean/toned/big/balanced)
2. how many days can you work out per week (from 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 days(!))
3. how long can you work out per session (from 10/15/20/30/45/60 mins)

And then he gives you FULL programs per session/day based on your combination of choices. Plus full and simple instructions on every single exercise, with up to 3 ways of doing each one, e.g. 3 options to do bicep curls depending on the equipment available and your personal preference.

There's also sections on nutrition and stretches, so I can't see how you can go wrong with this book to help you achieve your goals, however much time you've got to work out.

This is exactly what I wanted. It's only been a couple weeks so far into my program but I'm seeing definite benefits and leave each workout really knackered. I am being quite strict with diet, though, as calorie intake is key to get the results you want.

Overall, this book is probably the best one I've seen for normal people wanting to get into real shape without the bs of body-building evangelism. Highly recommended.



Very comprehensive, 19 Dec 2007
It's true, it really does give work-outs no matter how much time you have, what you want to exercise for, and how much equipment you've got. There are two or three alternatives for each work-out depending on what equipment you've got, and when and how you do them depends on how much time you have and what you want to achieve.
There are also sections on stretching, massaging and nuitrition.
It is written very simply and assumes you are an absolute beginner.

Nice one!, 08 Jun 2006
What a brilliant idea! The title says it all. Figure out how many days you can set aside to work-out this week (1? 2? 3? all the way up to every day!) and then figure out how much time you can set aside in each day to work out (10 minutes? all the way up to 60 minutes). Then simply turn to the page of the book that has the appropriate combination of days per week and time per day (e.g. 20 minutes twice a week) and pick one of four work-outs: one to get leaner, one to build muscle, one to build strength, or a total-body workout. Each workout is clearly written out for you so that you can photocopy it and take it to the gym, and if you can't get to the gym, there are alternatives that you can do at home/in the hotel with a minimum of expensive equipment.

I really like the fact that even if you can only do 10 minutes one day a week, the author doesn't shout 'WIMP'. He is completely realistic about how the time we can set aside to excercise varies from week to week, and he works firmly on the 'anything is better than nothing' principle. So the whole tone of the book is encouraging.

A great idea and a book that I'm sure I will use many many times and value for its flexible, realistic approach.

It should have been so much more, 04 Mar 2008
As a strategy consultant I found small portions of this book quite interesting to see how McKinsey runs through its analytical framework, however as a whole it is very vague and uninformative.

The last couple of chapters in particular are focused more on boosting Mckinsey-ites egos then giving strategic insight from one of the worlds largest consultancies.

I would recommend this book to people thinking about getting into the industry but apart from that as an 'Idiots guide', however there are many more insightful and educational books out there.

On the positive side it is very easy to read so I guess I didnt waste too much of my life

If you are new to Business Consulting, read this Book First, 27 Dec 2007
Friends,

Please read this book if you are new entrant to business consulting.

As a fresh incumbent, we will have many questions to kick start the journey, just imagine the author to be our first friend to help us start the exciting career as a Consultant.

As a reader belonging to the above said category, I found this book immensely useful that opened up many important facets that are required to be performed by us in this prestigious profession, otherwise would have taken months to learn or experience. Many of the management concepts described in this book are known, yet to have it in the same book having a common purpose supported with live examples apart from McKinsey tools like MECE, Waterfall chart, Elevator test, Prewiring etc will really add value to us.

From the need to send a simple thanks note to our client or to manage a non cooperative member in the client side, this book throws many useful tips that are necessary to have a comfortable journey.

Read it to learn, No doubts, will experience the learnings during practise

Good Luck




This book is what McKinsey is about..., 09 Aug 2005
This book is unintentionally a clear representation of these "elite" consulting firms:
- Too expensive for what it is
- Nice cover and picture ... but big letters and no content (have a read of the "Surviving at McKinsey" chapter for a good laugh)
- Inflated ego (eg: "McKinsey is to management as Cartier is to jewels...")

If any young MBA's hope to find a few hints to enter the "ivory tower", don't look here.

In conclusion, please find my "strategic recommendation" about this book: don't buy it. This advise is worth a few dollars.

Basic overview, 07 Sep 2004
Buying the book I thought it would go into great depth about the techniques which McKindsey-ites use, but it failed to meet my requirements. It is a good book for people that have little or no knowledge of management or dealing with a management problem. But overall it is a good bedtime read.

Short, clear introduction into management consultancy, 29 Dec 2002
McKinsey & Company is a world-famous strategic consulting company, also known as "The Firm". Ethan Rasiel worked at McKinsey & Co. for several years and provides a quick, clear introduction into management consulting firm's problem solving methods. "I wrote this book with the goal of communicating new and useful skills to everyone who wants to be more efficient and effective in business. ... In addition, this book will give any executive woho works with management consultants, whether McKinsey or elsewhere, some insight into how these strange beings think."

The book is split up into five parts. In Part I, Ethan Rasiel explains the McKinsey-way of thinking about business problems. The author explains that the solution of the problem needs to be fact-based (facts are friendly), rigidly structured (MECE = mutually exclusive), and hypothesis-driven (solve the problem at the first meeting - the initial hypothesis). In addition, the author explains how McKinsey-ites approach business problems and apply the McKinsey problem-solving process to maximum effect. There is also a short introduction into a number of rules which McKinsey-consultants use for problem-solving purposes: the 80/20-rule, find the key drivers, the elevator test - sell in 30 seconds, make a chart every day, look at the big picture, say "I don't know", and don't accept "I have no idea".

In Part II, the author introduces the McKinsey-way of working to solve business problems. The author explains the selling process at McKinsey (the Firm does not sell, it markets), how to structure an engagement, and assembling of a team. Then the author comes to the most important part of the book, doing research, conducting interviews (the author insists on reading Chapter 8 - Conducting Interviews - "If you read no other chapter of the book from start to finish, read this one."), and brainstorming.

In Part III, the author, and the McKinsey-way of selling solutions. This part discusses the way McKinsey makes presentations, which is one of the strongest parts of McKinsey according to the author, displays data with charts (read Gene Zelazny (1985), 'Say it with Charts'), and the way to work with clients.

In Part IV, Rasiel gives some lessons how "McKinsey-ites" have learned for coping with the stresses of life at the Firm, and in Part V, the author recounts the lessons he learned at McKinsey and shares memories of various ex-McKinsey-ites. Both Part IV and V are 'a waste of paper' in comparison to the first three parts, but gives a little insight into what goes on behind the scenes at McKinsey & Co.

Yes, I can understand that some readers are disappointed by this book as it gives just an introduction into management consultancy (and McKinsey & Co). The author introduces the various problem-solving methods and tools, but does not discuss them in great detail. For more details on these methods and tools you will have to read some other literature. The book uses simple US-English.

Another great book by Mark Forster, 24 Mar 2008
I can testify to his brilliance as a coach as well as an author. Highly recommended. He helped me make the transition from journalist to jazz singer a few years ago (which you can read about, along with experiences of others who transitioned into the creative jobs of their dremas, in my book Anything I Can Do You Can Do Better) and I have been eternally grateful ever since. Meanwhile, am now so busy I better read this book again!

An absoluting stunningly effective little book on time management, 22 Feb 2008
Deceptively simple principles and exercises that could solve potentially years of struggle in the battle to get on top of what you have to do or should be doing.

The core concept is we all know what we should really be doing at any one time in a busy situation (which is modern life not just work). The most incredibly reliable indicator is how much resistance we feel to doing it. Focus on what you're resisting most and you'll focus on what's most important. What the rest of the book does is equip you with the necessary tools and techniques to know what's most important in any situation.

But it's much deeper than this. You'll also find that stress and background fatigue/motivation issues start to diminish, you actually start to feel more energised as you go through a day, not less energised, and - by knowing you've focused on what's really important all day long - you won't bring your work home so much with you in your head.

Give it a go - this may yield one of the largest returns on such a small financial investment you'll ever experience.

Cannot recommend this book highly enough under the category of "Time Management" and "Getting Things Done".

You already know it before you read this book., 05 Dec 2007
I was stunned on realizing that the readers of this book have been overwhelmingly positive so far. In my opinion, there is almost nothing new in this book; everyone should have already known those ideas. Interestingly, the author attempts to undermine other self-help books on time-management, but it's hard to distinguish his ideas from those in other books. The only thing I found unique and useful is that the author develops the proverbially rough rule of: `Do the thing you fear most first' into his own thesis: `How to overcome and make most of our resistance' in detail. I suggest that you may put this book back to the bookshelf as soon as you get this point, which makes you have a better time-management.

the grandaddy of time management books, 12 Jun 2007

this is head and shoulders above any time management book I have ever read - and I've read lots. mark is the only one, ever, to get to the heart of why chronic procrastinaters like myself get ourselves into trouble, and then is absolutely pragmatic and practical about how to get out of trouble! He blows apart "to-do" lists, prioritising and all the other sacred cows of time management and explains why they don't work. I can't recommend it highly enough. If you are fed up with yourself, and just can't seem to get moving - do yourself a favour and try this book.

Very useful, 07 May 2007
I found it really useful. At the beginning i did not like the claims about life management since my expectation was rather on grounds of "time management". But as i kept reading, i found that it really has valuable and easy-to-apply ideas especially in the area of "resistance". The arguments are supported with really good exercises, which can be integrated to every day lives, and interesting stories. When it is read throughly and tailor made abit according to your needs, it may really change the way you manage your time and attention.