Life Matters: Creating a dynamic balance of work, family, time, & money (Paperback)

~ (Author), Rebecca Merrill (Author) "One of the profound impacts of events such as the war on terrorism, corporate scandal, the struggling stock market, and 9/11 is that they bring..." (more)
Key Phrases: Job One, United States, Stephen Covey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Merrills, time management experts who co-authored First Things First with Stephen Covey (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People), expand their range here to cover creative ways to successfully balance four major aspects of life: family, money, work and time. The premise of their program rests on what the authors call three gotta do's-validate expectations, optimize effort and develop navigational intelligence. For example, if you have determined for yourself and your family that financial security is important (validate expectations), it is necessary to take steps to achieve this (optimize effort) by, say, getting out of consumer debt. Navigational intelligence is the ability to make appropriate decisions when unpredictable events arise that may interfere with your focus. The Merrills borrow a paradigm from their earlier book that divides tasks into four quadrants; urgent, not urgent, important and unimportant. Drawing on personal anecdotes, the authors show how this division can facilitate making choices that balance the requirements of a family life with earning a living. Their philosophy is based on the conviction that a strong family-centered life is one of the keys to happiness and central to a stable civilization. The Merrills recommend working with children to create a family mission statement; they advocate regular family meetings, shared family activities and scheduled "dates" between husbands and wives. This thoughtful self-help manual is not a quick read, but its advice is sound and can easily be applied to daily life.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Profound knowledge is literally what this book is. In fact, what I would say is 'profound wisdom, ' because it interweaves timeless, universal, self-evident principles into all of the knowledge that is given."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071441786
• ISBN-13: 978-0071441780
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,571 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another classic, good material, well presented, August 16, 2004

By	Henry Cate III (CA. United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Life Matters : Creating a Dynamic Balance of Work, Family, Time & Money (Hardcover)

New books telling you how to improve your life come off the presses every week, maybe every day. Some are bad, and you realize you have wasted your time. Some are average, and you might learn a few new things, but they aren't all that memorable. Some are great, and you go back to them again and again. "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is one of the great books. Years later people remember it, talk about it, and reread it.

"Life Matters" is a great book. It covers a lot of good ideas, the thoughts and observations are well presented, and the book reads quickly.

The first chapter starts off talking about what is important in life. The authors focus on four areas: work, family, time, and money. They have a quiz to help in your self-assessment of how you are doing in each of these four areas. A big message of this book is there doesn't have to be conflict between the four areas.

The next chapter covers three things you have to do in any area of your life. The three "gotta do's" are:

1) Validate your expectations. You have to confront reality, for if you have an unrealistic expectation you will be frustrated. The authors make the point that the direction you are heading is more important than how fast you are going.

2) Optimize Effort. Look for ways to get the maximum benefit for your effort, and make sure your decisions are aligned with your goals.

3) Develop your "Navigational" intelligence. This is the ability to be aware of your changing environment, so that what looked like an important task at the start of the day may have to take a back seat when your boss gives you a new assignment, or a child needs attention.

The next four chapters are on: work, family, time, and money, with a chapter on each area. The authors weave each of the above three "gotta do's" into each area. For each area they explore different ways people see the area, for example how do you see your family, or your money. And then they discuss what is the reality. They have a list of "optimizers" which are techniques for getting the maximum benefit for your effort. And they talk about how to be flexible when situations change.

"Seven Habits" mentions a Time Matrix, which is a two dimensional matrix based on how important something is, and how urgent it is. Many people waste time on things that aren't important, or get caught up doing things that are important and urgent. Stephen Covey explores why doing things that aren't urgent, but important, can make a great difference in your life. For me one of the gems of "Life Matters" was exploring this same matrix in relation to money. The Merrill's point is that it is best to invest your money with the same Quadrant II focus, things that aren't urgent, but are important. For me, that idea alone was worth reading the book. There were a number of similar gems scattered through the book.

The last chapter was titled "Wisdom Matters" and here the authors explore why wisdom is important, and how to improve your wisdom. One of the points they strongly make is to develop an ongoing daily self-important program. The idea is to spend a few minutes each day improving your understanding of life, and how to make better decisions.

This is a great book. If you are interested in improving your life, buy this book, read this book, and then reread it. It will help you get better control of your life. For as the Merrills say, life does matter.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concentrated stuff, June 10, 2003

By	Brent Anderson (Vienna, Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life Matters : Creating a Dynamic Balance of Work, Family, Time & Money (Hardcover)

When you go to the hardware store to buy herbicide, the leading brand offers several containers of the same size with different label colors. The prices are dramatically different; you can buy a pint for prices ranging from $8 to $50. Looking a little closer, you discover that the higher the price, the greater the concentration.
Life Matters is highly concentrated. It doesn't cost more money, but invites slow, thoughtful consideration. When I first considered the Merrills' 3 "key do's in life that make such an enormous difference," my eyes glazed at the words. I thought they were cheesy jargon. However, as I continued reading how these "key do's" apply to work, family, time and money, I had picture after picture develop in my mind of realistic ways to share greater happiness with my family, neighbors and work associates. Building on well-known habits of relationship building, time management and personal mastery, Life Matters goes deep into how to achieve success that lasts across decades and generations.
In one volume, the Merrills have provided a gateway for 21st century people to apply the wisdom of the millennia. You will gain profound benefit by accepting their invitation and giving Life Matters thoughtful consideration.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful!, April 22, 2004

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Life Matters : Creating a Dynamic Balance of Work, Family, Time & Money (Hardcover)

Prioritizing the building blocks of life - family, work, money and time - is paramount to happiness. Some people do it unconsciously by living within their intellectual and monetary expectations. Others need a framework for balance, such as the one that authors A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill provide. To achieve personal balance, the authors suggest becoming a better team player, working more effectively, learning about finances and setting home and work priorities. They establish the goal of building a strong family, centered around parental "family leadership." Do they successfully address the knotty issues they raise? Yes, in a folksy way. This is a useful self-help manual with checklists, self-assessments and personal anecdotes, which are sometimes touching, but sometimes impractical or saccharine. Though the management advice dons motivational language, the sections on family and work are particularly worthwhile. The authors deliver a solid antidote to misplaced modern values, albeit wrapped in some fluffy trappings. We recommend this book to corporate officers and human resource personnel, as well as to individuals seeking balance.