Customer Reviews

How to Handle 1000 Things at Once: A Fun Guide to Mastering Home and Personal Management

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you enjoy Aslett's books on clutter, then you'll probably enjoy this one too. It has many tips scattered throughout that I've found useful in managing a home, a job, a family, and a gazillion interests. I disagree with him on some details, but I found a lot to think about and try out in my own life.

I started to type out a wordy/lengthy review of this book but then decided it would be much better to make a brief statement as to why I thoroughly ENJOYED it:

Don Aslett has a unique way of 'embarrassing' people, including me, into trying to turn over a new leaf. So many parts of this book pertained to my life, and I think that, even though he writes with a lot of brashness, it is just the 'medicine' that I need to try to get with the program: decluttering, trying to cut housework, etc. We are all managers, and we are the only ones who can change things: nobody is going to do it for us.

I also am keeping the words "look at cleaning up after [something] as the restoration process," so now when I'm taking care of the house, I'm not simply "cleaning" it but "restoring" it.

I got this book through an inter-library loan but am thinking about purchasing it used thru this website and using it as a reference whenever I need a boost...

A fantastic resource, whether you work for corporate America or are the CEO of your own small business at home (also known as a stay-at-home parent). Easy to read and full of practical ideas about how to make the most of your time and get more accomplished. While Aslett comes across as somewhat of a workaholic, his methods of getting more done are useful for those of us with much less on our plate as well.



One of the most useful techniques I found was "piggybacking": using the time between tasks to get other stuff done. For example, boiling pasta for your kids' lunch while you write a review for Amazon.com (as I'm doing now).



I've read a few of Aslett's books, but this one is my favorite. Many time management books are very office-focused. This one is great for those of us who want to learn to manage our life and time beyond the structure of the traditional 9-to-5 workday.

This, and his other book, "How to have a 48-hour day," are great books on time management. Both are very insightful and discuss many practical issues of time management that often are not covered, or not covered as clearly, in other time management books. I LOVE Don Aslett's writings!

I'M PUTTING THE CAR SEAT COVERS ON MY CAR SEATS. BIG DEAL? YES, BIG DEAL, THEY'VE BEEN IN MY CAR TRUNK FOR 9 YEARS!! I WAS WAITING FOR THEM TO DO THEMSELVES. THEY DIDN'T. I AM DOING IT AND IT IS DONE!!!!! ALMOST ALL OF DON ASLETT'S BOOK ARE EXCELLENT, BUT THIS ONE TOPS THE REST!

I have read just about all of Don Aslett's books and this is his best on organization and multi-tasking. You cannot go wrong if you buy this book and apply its principles. I give it five stars.

"How to Handle 1,000 Things at Once" by Don Aslett is an enjoyable book full of practical strategies and suggestions for personal management skills. This book will help you handle yourself and your domestic responsibilities. Aslett writes that "the biggest management challenges in life are not in the boardroom, but the living room. Yes, at home, where we have to deal with and juggle family and friends, near and far, schoolwork, shopping, cleaning, home maintenance, car maintenance, yard care, finances, health, grooming, community and church activities, and service. Even pursuing our own and our children's favorite sports and hobbies, taking a hassle free vacation, and pet care - it's all management."

Aslett contends that it is at home and in personal life where 90% of management is needed. In this book, he sets out to help the reader manage this real business, the business of home, self, family, and friends. And I believe that anyone who reads this book and implements some if not all of Aslett's strategies and suggestions will undoubtedly find they are handling more things at once, maybe even 1,000 or more.

If you are familiar with Aslett's style, you will know that his is a blend of humor, cartoon illustrations, and direct no nonsense get to it advice for being productive. I personally have enjoyed every one of his books I've read, and think he is right on with most of his suggestions. I say most, because I still wear button down collars at times, and I remember in his book "How to Have a 48 Hour Day" also published as "Done" (great book by the way) he suggested not wearing button down collar shirts to save time. J

Anyway, as I said, I have really enjoyed all of the books of his that I have read, and I plan on picking up a couple others this year to read too. And hopefully he will continue writing a lot more.

This book has 12 chapters, each full of practical advice for getting more done and managing the home life:

1. Meet the Manager - You!
2. On Target - YOUR Target
3. Tackling the "To-Do's"
4. When? A Word to the Wise!
5. Every Manager Needs a Crystal Ball
6. Secrets of Master Managers
7. Mastering Those "Home Matters"
8. The Big Three: Junk, Help, & Money
9. The Only Time Expert - You
10. TOOLS - Bigger? Better? Or Bummers?
11. Common Mistakes of Home Managers
12. Staying Out of Problems

The reality is we each have 24 hours a day. No more, no less. If you don't have the money to hire people to manage the daily necessities we all must have done, you will have more time for the productive and enjoyable things in life if you manage the daily tasks with more efficiency. (and even if you do have the money to hire people to do some of your daily chores, you will still be left with many personal and home things to manage) So, the best thing to achieve time to do the fun things or the special things you want to accomplish is to handle the 1,000 things that need to be done in the most practical and efficient way possible. Reading this book will give you a lot of doable strategies to help you with your home and personal management and the motivation to fuel your productivity into overdrive.

"How to Handle 1,000 Things At Once" is humorous and informative, and the advice might just spill over into your work life and make you more productive and successful there too.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks.

Don Aslett's books on cleaning and home organization/design are indeed classics. However, currently, there are indeed, much better books that can help with coping with time by S. Covey, L.B. Jones, B. Tracy, J. Davidson, and K. Gleeson.

maybe I didn't need this book...added to the clutter of my home