The biggest pile of tosh

I am afraid that the only people who can get anything out of this book are those who have never reflected on life nor managed to find access to the part of their brain that develops intelligence.

The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

If you don't have time for one more thing in your life, read Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. While that advice may seem counterproductive, and a little crazy, (where will you find time to read it?) this book will assuredly give you some realistic advice about getting all those projects completed while staying sane. <br /><br />This first thing that's apparent about this book is the author's enthusiasm. He presents workable solutions with this contagious"can-do" attitude. He uses a basic premise that everything we do--whether it's an assignment or work-related task--has a specific place and time. Once that's understood, it's easier to put those activities into the right slot in our lives. This provides a sense of freedom even though deadlines are mounting. Time is no longer the enemy; it's merely the container.<br /><br />By having all these tasks in their proper places, it's almost like opening a filing cabinet, working on a specific project, then replacing the file and closing the drawer. There is a start and finish time and everything gets done. That terrible overwhelming feeling vanishes.<br /><br />Another interesting aspect the author develops is how to achieve those wonderful moments when we are so in tune with our work, that it's really effortless. His strategies for managing time actually open up the unconscious mind by freeing it of negative stress. In other words, when our work is properly scheduled, we are cut loose of time constraints and are able to grab hold of maximum creativity and productivity. Even though there are still deadlines to meet, we would have already dealt with them before starting the project. Time is put in its proper place as well.<br /><br />While author David Allen's advice is really on the mark, at times his system gets a little complicated. He coins some fancy terms and sub-terms that make these principles seem complex. But the gist of his ideas is presented on a one-page flowchart that makes the price of this book worthwhile. This single page is a terrific review of the key concepts. <br /><br />Although some of his ideas may seem like good old-fashioned common sense, the author takes these thoughts and puts them within a system that operates in the contemporary workplace. Readers should be prepared to actually try out these ideas and not just read the book and put it on a shelf. Have a notebook handy to start organizing your thoughts and begin prioritizing your actions based on the advice presented. <br /><br />One of the best pieces of advice, and one that can be immediately put into action, is the Two-Minute Rule. This states that if you need to do something and you can do it in two minutes or less, do it now, and therefore free up your mind and time. Ultimately, by completing these smaller, quicker tasks, you will gain an enormous amount of time and freedom of thought for those larger assignments. It works!<br /><br />These pages have the power to unlock you from the chains of time that limit your actions and thinking. When you are finished reading this book, you will have learned some genuine principles that can be put into your life right now. The investment of time you put into reading this book will increase your productivity level and decrease your stress. <br /><br />Raymond Le Blanc. Psychotherapist & economist<br />author: Achieving Objectives Made Easy! 978-9079397037

Common sense makes a comeback!

I found this book a good antidote to the myriad of self help books out there which want you to follow a complicated regime. JSP advocates following your instinct and not conforming to what other people think you should be. Buy the things you like rather than what's fashionable. Don't spend fortunes on the latest must have beauty product because they're all rubbish. Don't follow fad diets - no woman is meant to be a size zero. It is the food section which made me give it 4 stars rather than 5. The food she says she eats is rather restrictive in that it appears to cut out wheat and dairy completely. Most nutritionists say it is not a good idea to cut out whole food groups unless you really have an allergy or serious intolerance.<br />That said, everything else made sense - life's too short to go to a spa, or bother with men who aren't interested in you and it's definitely too short to try and impress people either at work or in the rest of your life.<br />The book is amusing and gives a good insight into JSP's character and career. It is perhaps a bit too gimmicky with its layout and the different fonts, but it certainly gets the message across. A good present for someone who's self esteem needs boosting.

Excellent introduction to NLP

I was completely new to NLP when I started reading this book.This is one of the few books which I really relished reading from cover to cover,not just once but twice!It explains in a clear and concise manner the principles and applications of NLP,the knowledge of which has been a life changing experience for me and has totally transformed my way of thinking.<br /><br />After having bought several books on NLP which failed to keep my attention for long because of their rather insipid presentation,I stumbled upon this book and fell in love with it! I would highly recommend this to anyone who intends to obtain an understanding of the principles of NLP and put it to use.<br /><br />I am eagerly awaiting the release of the"NLP Workbook for Dummies" by the same authors.Well done Romilla Ready and Kate Burton !!

Easy way to learn from the best

There's no debate about it- Sir Richard Branson is one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time and a role model for so many.<br /><br />Im a big believer that if you want to be like the best, you need to learn from the best. This book helps you do just that.<br /><br />Great business and life concepts are easily explained. And at a bargain price- what more do you want?

King Herod just opened a crèche

98% Inspiration and 2% Perspiration in the discovery and development of personal strengths must encourage all to uncover what they do best.<br /><br />Most when asked,"Name four personal strengths you possess". Look at you as though you have just announced `King Herod just opened a crèche on the corner of their road'. <br /><br />If you want to get ahead in life you should at least understand `what makes you tick' by revealing, even uncovering and discovering what your psychological drives are and how to build them daily, weekly and monthly so you strive to reach maximum enjoyment and satisfaction in all you do.<br /><br />Tom Rath author offers the above solutions in Strength Finder 2.0. It provides a real return on investment and the WoW factor is sensational. It is `a must' for all seriously wanting to reach the Whitenburgh motto `least effort - maximum benefit' in every aspect of life.<br /><br />Recommend a buy - bought four additional copies as presents for business friends and my family.<br /><br />Michael J Whitenburgh<br />Psychoanalyst<br />

Lets wait and see.

I bought this book some time ago, knowing that i would have to choose a dissertation for when i go back to university in Sept 2004. The task is much more difficult as i am currently on placement in Westminster and my university is in Sheffield so its impossible to recieve any help/ advice on what i am supposed to do. I haven't read a book in at least 8 years and then that was a shakespear book for my GCSE's i think? Anyway this was the first book i have read in all that time and found it easy to get into. It had some nice tips and advice on how to choose the right subject. It was very limited in parts and after reading two thirds of the way into the book i got bored and just flicked through the rest - it was unhelpful for my subject of Business information systems as i think it is more aimed at social degree's and masters thesis students. I did take a couple of tips from it and feel that it was a good first book to read in order to progress onto other more MEATY titles, which will go more into depth about dissertation writing. I have Since gave the book to my girlfriend and read three other titles (becoming the proverbial book worm) - i hope she gets more from it than i did. I will see if it was helpful, when i begin my final year in Sept.

Truly Inspirational

I really enjoyed reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Bringing awareness to my own life, I could see how many of things Rhonda writes about has happened to me. What stood out for me is the very first chapter. It is summed up on page 25 in Secret Summaries."Your current thoughts are creating your future life. What you think about the most or focus on the most most will appear as your life. I can see that when I believe I can do something I do and when I think I can't I don't.<br /><br />The chapter, The Secret to Relationships, was also an eye opener. Dr John Gray says"You become the Solution for you" It was an eye opening idea that if my relationship isn't working the other person is not to blame and that I need to look at me. This brought to mind another book I've read and highly recommend:How To Create a Magical Relationship" Ariel & Shya's book is brilliantly written and guides the reader in how to have a Magical Relationship and how having a magical relationship is up to you and not your partner.<br /><br />Thinking of both these books makes me smile. I highly recommend them both!

Nothing new but worth reading

There's nothing innovative in this book. You should already know almost all of it. However, it provides with a succinct summary to which we should pay attention in negotiating. Therefore, this book may well be able to serve the purpose of a handy reminder before we engage in negotiations. <br /><br />It's interesting as well to realize from this book that whether and how to negotiate with the Iranian regime in Teheran have long been, even nowadays, a pain in the neck of the US government. The key figures who are in charge of the Middle East policy in the Bush administration should take a look at this book, if they have not yet.<br />

A Good Book, But Not The Best In It's League.

Very candid account, with a good sence of humour. However I was rather disappointed to read all the tricks of the trade, so it left somewhat unpleasant after-taste. Whatever, the guy is a billionaire! A great writer - ??

Great tool for getting the job you want!

When I was made redundant I found interviews very daunting and challenging. I found this book on Amazon and thought what's the worst that can happen? Well it has been such a huge help! I discovered some of the tiny things such as body language and tone of voice may have been hampering my chances of getting a job. It also covers those very tough questions that are used to trap you and gives you a strategy to get out of them and look great doing it! If you are looking for a job and haven't had much success I recommend this book! You will be glad you bought it!

Emperor's New Clothes or Design Genius?

Is Stefan Sagmeister the Emperor's new clothes of the design world, or does he really deserve the genius tag he's so often given?<br /><br />After reading Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far, I firmly believe the latter. Sagmeister doesn't disappoint; he makes design fun and accessible, without dumbing down or losing effect - this book illustrates perfectly, both in content and format, that good design works. <br /><br />The featured projects are fascinating; my reactions ranged from `oh that's sooo gorgeous,' to `how on earth....?' to `what HAPPENED to him to make him think like that?!' <br /><br />It's beautifully put together - a design book that's not just for designers, with essays and Sagmeister's explanations of the projects, along with fantastic images. <br /><br />As Sagmeister says, via the help of giant monkeys,"Everybody always thinks they are right," and I think I am in this case - buy it, swap around the covers to your heart's content, and enjoy your very own piece of Sagmeister!

A practical guide to thinking about your career

John Lees' book is an excellent combination of practical exercises and good advice to help you manage your career. The practical exercises will help you to think about the kind of work you'll really enjoy. While some of them look simple at first, the key thing is to actually do them and then take time to consider what the results are telling you. As John Lees says, most of us spend more time planning our holidays than we spend planning our career. Other parts of the book provide sound advice about everything from CV writing to handling job interviews, or even choosing the right career consultant. <br /><br />I have recommended this book to both friends and clients (I'm an occupational psychologist) and they have all found it very useful. I have also noticed that they are making more confident decisions about what they want out of a job and how to get it.<br /><br />For anyone who feels the need to get more satisfaction from their work, this is a great place to start!

Inspirational

I am always a huge sceptic when it comes to these kinds of books, but I thought I'd give this a go, based on the fact it's the"world's best-selling book". And therein lay lesson one - sell yourself as the best, and people will buy it. Of course it's not _really_ the world's best-selling book, but I fell for it!<br /><br />The book itself can only be described as genuinely inspirational, witty, intelligent and (whisper it softly) life-changing. After following only a fraction of the advice, I feel more confident, am doing far, far better academically, and can now see the big gates of the future flung open (dramatic, I know, but really.) For anyone entering the media, PR or advertising, it is an absolute must.<br /><br />So, in short, buy it. It costs pennies and might change your life for the better.

Could be renamed"A realists guide to common sense"

We all know common sense is not that common, or at least easily forgotten. We all know all the truths in this book, even if we often forget them. Some of the advice in the book we do not need to accept - this is one person's opinion on how to succeed. I would say however, if your objective is to move up within a medium to large size company, you would do well to follow MOST of the advice in this book.<br /><br />This is not in my mind a guide to personal success in business or to running your own business. It is very much directed at"getting ahead" within a system. Most of the advice in this book will work, and even if you don't agree with all Templar's points, you will still gain something from reading this, even if just to understand better how some successful people that you don't like are managing to succeed"despite their considerable shortfallings".<br /><br />If you don't believe me, try it.

If you want to start your own business...this is a must read

A brilliant book. It explains every detail of what you need to start up a business. It also gives you tips from well known personnel from big firms about starting up and the challenges and hurdles you will face along the way. I am now more than prepared to start my own business... A must read for any entrepeneur.

Dreadful book

Ignore the hype of other reviewers I like that other reviewer lost the will to live after the first chapter but forced myself to re-onto chapter 4 and still it was such tough going... way too high level rubbish. as previous reviewer said a quick glance at the first few pages would ahve told me instantly it was NOT FOR ME... definitely not for beginners like myself

Really useful - ideally read in along with more practical guides to interviews, CVs & handling recruitment consultants etc etc

Well known as an excellent guide for first jobbers and career changers, to help find your way. It's success is well deserved although personally I found the spiritual elements a little out of place for my tastes, but maybe I'm just a heathen. Generally speaking it's a really useful book, but deals more with the soul searching side of a job hunt and less with the practical side. Definitely useful, but personally I'd recommend it being used in conjunction with some more practical books for example a good CV book ("Brilliant CV" is excellent), a good interview book"Brilliant Interview" is great) and something practical relating to the job search process itself (an excellent book that covers alot of vital areas that others don't even begin to touch upon is"How to Handle Your Recruitment Consultant").

Confidence is one of the most important skills to possess

Without confidence we will be unable to maximise personal and professional performance and this book makes a very significant contribtion to this area of personal development. Unfortunately we all suffer from a lack of confidence at some time or other in our lives and usually due to circumstances that are completely outside our control! Building Confidence for Dummies provides a set of tools and techniques to get you back on track. I often pick it up and just notice what attracts me at any particular time and I then work on a specific area. The book is set out in a way that the reader can either browse or focus on a particular aspect which they feel may need attention at any moment in time. This book is a must for anyone who wants to make a difference in the world and achieve their full potential.<br /><br />Michael Winslow, Business Performance Coach and Advisor.