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Personal Productivity

Things that Make Us Smart, by Donald A. Norman
 
  Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, David Allen, Penguin Books, 2001.
I've added several projects recently, and decided to use a more formal system to track everything. Getting Things Done ("GTD") is centered around a system for managing time and, well, getting things done. The book is clear, and Allen describes his techniques with authority. (Reviewed Oct., '06)

 
 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Stephen R. Covey. Fireside, 1989. I avoided this book for a long time, just assuming it was a rehash of personal-affirmation type platitudes. Instead, I found the habits and the book to be worthwhile and I recommend it to others. (Reviewed Feb., '09)



 
 

How to Systematize the Day's Work - The System Company, 1911.
(Seems to be equivalent to How to Double the Day's Work (or this version) P. W. Lennen) I've been studying personal productivity books, and this is the oldest one I own. (You can still find used copies.) It talks about how to set up a desk, how to set up files, how to use a tickler, how to create form letters. It tells how to use the handy "new" technology of the three-ring binder. It doesn't quite add up to a unified system in the modern sense, but you can see echoes of this book in texts 100 years newer. (Reviewed July, '09)


 

I link to Amazon.com as part of their associate program, but don't forget to check half.com and others, especially if you don't mind a used book.

Copyright 1994-2009, William C. Wake - William.Wake@acm.org