The Experts' Guide to Doing Things Faster: 100 Ways to Make Life More Efficient [Hardcover]

Samantha Ettus (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 28, 2008

It’s time to win the race against the clock. From finding a parking spot to getting in a good mood, to falling asleep or thinking on your feet, speed is often at the heart of a better life. The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster provides you with straightforward and creative strategies for being more efficient in every aspect of every day—in 100 compact chapters written by 100 of the world’s leading experts, including:

• Daily essentials, such as getting ready in the morning by Hannah Storm
• Lifestyle lessons, such as throwing a dinner party by Colin Cowie and writing thank-you notes by Carolyne Roehm
• Beauty basics that include styling your hair by Sally Hershberger and losing weight by Harley Pasternak
• Romance road maps, such as making a winning first impression by Neil Strauss
• Physical feats that include running faster by Justin Gatlin and relaxing by Rodney Yee
• Money matters, such as selling a home by Barbara Corcoran and getting a loan by Sir Richard Branson
• Healthy hints, such as speeding up your metabolism by Mark Hyman and overcoming guilt by Keith Ablow

Some of these experts are household names, others are industry leaders—all are at the top of their profession. From a two-time Super Bowl winner and survivor of twenty-nine operations (“How to Recover from Surgery") to New York’s most famous doorman (“Make Someone Feel Good”), from the founder of the Geek Squad (“Make Your Computer Run Faster”) to Las Vegas’s premier wedding planner (“Plan a Wedding”) and an Olympic eater (“Cure a Stomachache”), they are the authorities on their subjects.

Packed with funny, surprising, and incredibly clever advice, The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster teaches you how to lead your life more efficiently, leaving you with more time to enjoy its pleasures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Experts’ Guide series

“Utterly useful . . . its own cultural Rorschach.”
—New York Times

“Ettus has an A-list cast of experts.”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“Packed with advice.”
—Newsweek

About the Author

SAMANTHA ETTUS is the creator of the bestselling The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do; The Experts’ Guide to Life at Home; and The Experts’ Guide to the Baby Years. She is an on-air reporter for New York 360º.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307342093
• ISBN-13: 978-0307342096
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1.4 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 100 ways to do the dull stuff fast, the better to have time for the quality stuff. October 28, 2008

By Jesse Kornbluth TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Samantha Ettus conceived of the third book in her "Experts' Guide" series well before mortgages started to tumble and crater the rest of the economy. I know because, unaccountably, she asked me to be one of her 100 experts for this book. [About what? you may ask. Read on.]

In that long-ago world, we might want to operate faster and more efficiently because we had so damn much to do. Now we read her book through a different lens --- speed and efficiency are survival mechanisms. It's the same book, just put to a different purpose.

As a cheat sheet to efficiency, these screeds are a Rohrsharch test --- you see what you want (or need) to see. There are six sections: Home, Work, Mind, Body, Love, Pleasure, Travel and Future. No way you'll care equally about them all. Many are written by celebrities. None runs much more than 800 words --- before you have time to get bored by advice of no consequence to you, you're on to the next. Think of this book as Exhibit A of its own argument.

Home begins with Barbara Corcoran, one of New York's most successful real estate agents, telling you how to sell. Buyers decide if they want your house within eight seconds of stepping inside, she says. So go to open houses and see what works for you, then look at your house to see what you need to do. As for putting a price on your house...well, I wish I'd had this advice when we put our apartment on the market a few years ago. It would have paid for the price of the book, many times over.

Work. These days, it's very much on my mind, so I leaned in. A "success analyst" --- who knew there was such a gig? --- offers good advice (Focus! Eliminate distractions! Be impatient!) and even better quotes.... (Frank Lloyd Wright had the rear window of his car covered because "I never look backward.") The first female solo pilot for the Thunderbirds explains why a fighter mission lasts 30 minutes but the debriefing takes two to four hours. A very rewarding section.

Mind was, for me, the heart of the book, and not just because it includes my modest advice on forming opinions faster. (Short answer: Smart opinions take a long time; while you're working on developing them, steal opinions from others.) How you think is where success starts or falters --- if your head's in the way, it doesn't matter how brilliantly you do laundry or chop carrots. These essays offer half a dozen infallible ways to jumpstart creativity, help you concentrate, judge character, say no, dodge guilt --- and even, literally, bury the hatchet.

Body hits all the right notes. I was pleased to read that your goal in walking isn't to take longer strides but to take faster steps; your stride will lengthen on its own. A boxing cutman --- there's an expert! --- tells you how to stop the bleeding. A competitive eating champ reveals a cure for stomach aches (no, it's not ginger ale). A nutritionist explains why eating celery isn't a good substitute when you're starving for pizza.

Women who would never pay a trillion bucks for a Sally Hershenberger haircut may crave her styling tips. And for all I know, Laura Mercier's guide to applying makeup unlocks a vital koan. I was moved by "Recover from a Loss" by Dan Gottlieb, who has survived paralysis, divorce, depression and the deaths of loved ones. I questioned most of the relationship advice, but with my track record, why listen to me?

I was delighted to know how to cruise through airport security without hassle and I welcomed a few easy ways to better gas mileage, but I didn't really pump a fist of approval until I read Thomas Farley, whose piece about manners ends the book. For he connects the dots. The way to get ahead faster --- and by that I mean, live more vividly on your way to whatever goal --- is a paradox: Slow down and really see other people.

Along the way, others had hinted at this: the 42-year doorman at the Plaza Hotel, a pick-up artist, an expert on female 'satisfaction'. And here, now, was the author of the "Social Graces" column in Town & Country saying to hand-write thank-you notes, don't multi-task when making phone calls, pay attention to others. In other words: Do the dull stuff fast, the better to have time for the quality stuff.

So forgive Samantha Ettus her curious choice in contributors. Skip the parts that don't apply to you. There's some gold in these pages --- take your foot off the accelerator when you hit it Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will help you become more efficient January 26, 2009

By Blaine Greenfield

Format:Hardcover

I loved the premise behind THE EXPERTS' GUIDE TO DOING
THINGS FASTER by Samantha Ettus; i.e., to become more
efficient in every aspect of every day.

Ettus presents 100 different ideas in short but insightful chapters
that included daily essentials, lifestyle lessons, beauty basics,
romance road maps, physical feats, money matters and healthy
hints . . . she chose 100 of the word's leading experts to
write them,, ranging from Hannah Storm on getting ready in the
morning to Sir Richard Branson on getting a loan . .. some
names were not immediately recognizable, such as New York's
most famous doorman ("Make Someone Feel Good") and an
Olympic eater ("Cure a Stomachache"), but that did not take
away from the value of their advice.

I learned much from reading this book, and methinks you will
too . . . for instance:

* [reducing the length of meetings] Start at a specific time each day,
and make it an odd one, like 8:08 a.m. or 4:44 p.m. I've observed
a strange psychological pattern: people are more likely to be prompt
when the start time is not on the half or quarter hour. (Worried that
you'll forget the meeting while traveling? Set a recurring reminder
alarm on your cell phone or Black Berry.)

* [returning phone calls] Stay away from message dumping (e.g.,
calling a person's office to leave a message at 9 p.m. when you know
they've left for the day). This practice is transparent and reflects poorly
on you. The only way to close a deal or reach a resolution
on something is to speak with the person directly....

Some ideas were so good that they were repeated--in slightly
different fashion--in different chapters, such as:

* [achieving success] Distractions are the enemy of focused
attention. A successful race car driver told me, "A little bit
of distraction and you could have a really bad day." . . . Deborah
McGiness, senior research scientist at Stanford, said to me,
"Getting my degree, every year I cut out things. I remember the
year I sacrificed movies. I just said, 'I can't afford the time. I'll
put movies back in my life again once I finish the Ph.D.' "

* [unleash your creativity] Clear the deck so that you can focus
your energies on the area in which creativity is needed. Completely
unplug yourself from your phones, computer, email, television,
radio, and any other distractions from people and pets.

So that said, I guess it's time for me to stop taking calls
and answering emails . . . and, also, turn-off the DVD I'm
half-watching. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes a Great Gift October 29, 2008

By Dylan Spatz

Format:Hardcover

I loved this book! It seemed like every chapter had some great gem of advice I came away with. And each chapter is written by a leading expert so no two are alike. My favorite chapter was the one on how to reduce the length of meetings. Verne Harnish suggests starting a meeting at 9:08 instead of 9 because the off hour gets people show up on time. My wife and I loved Barbara Corcoran's how to sell a home. But I also found Richard Branson's advice on getting a loan very solid as well. There's Colin Cowie (Oprah's Party Planner) writing "How to Plan a Dinner Party" and perhaps my favorite - world champion competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti (who holds the world record in twinkies and pancakes) writes "How to cure a stomach ache". A gold medal, world record sprinter writes "How to run faster". This book is going to be my go-to gift. This is not another overly detailed "how to book" --- each of the 100 chapters provides a fun 3-4 page overview. Even in the areas that I thought I knew it all I learned a whole bunch of new things.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Didnt think I could live my life any faster....but I was wrong! This book is AWESOME October 31, 2008

By Gervaise L. Gerstner

Format:Hardcover

Beyond amazing... I read Samantha's Experts Guide in one sitting the night I received it. Entertaining and useful, the book now sits on my desk at work...everyone in my office, from my nurses to my patients enjoy the witty advice. My personal favorites are Sally Horchows tips on friendship and Colin Cowie's advice for parties. Samantha compiled a stellar cast of authors. As a single mom of two small children, and a doctor who works six days a week, I pride myself in doing most everything at lightening speed....BUT this book has taught me to take life to the next level. Thank you Samantha!!!! Dr. Gervaise Gerstner