Customer Reviews

Making Work Work: New Strategies for Surviving and Thriving at the Office

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I've long been a fan of Julie Morgenstern . . . her other books, ORGANIZING FROM THE INSIDE OUT and TIME MANAGEMENT FORM THE INSIDE OUT, had a big impact on me--and contained much useful information that I still use.

So it was with great anticipation that I obtained and devoured her latest, MAKING WORK WORK . . . it did not disappoint!

Morgenstern presents ideas and suggestions that apply to just about any situation . . . what she writes may sound basic, but it is the type thing that you need to read more than once . . . then begin to use.

For example, she urges you to begin conversations with:
"What can I do for you?" not "How are you?" As she notes:
"How are you?" is an open invitation to chat and warm up. "What can I do for you?" immediately focuses your interrupter on getting straight to the point. It's professional and gets you both down to business. This enables you to handle the interruption in the least amount of time possible.

There were several other memorable passages; among them:
The only real chance you have at choosing the most important tasks begins with keeping a complete list of everything you need to do in one place. After all, prioritizing is a matter of relativity--the true question is, What's most important in relation to the other things on your list? Taken one item at a time, everything can mask itself as a critical task.

Control Lateness: Use odd start times, such as 27 or 41 minutes after the hour, to control lateness. People are far less likely to be late for a meeting that starts at 11:27 than one at 11:30. Designate an official timekeeper to watch the clock for every meeting, and rotate that role among attendees. It's their responsibility to regulate the meeting so it doesn't go overtime, and they'll have an invested interest in doing a good job-they could be on the other side of the clock the next time around.

Change "but" to "and." What a difference a word makes, implying a can-do, take-charge approach to problems rather than an argument. For example, a client tells you they want to bring the budget down. Instead of saying, "But that's going to compromise quality," try saying, "Okay, and that's likely to compromise quality. Where would you be most comfortable shaving costs?" Or you boss asks you to have something on his desk in two hours. Instead of saying, "But then I won't be able to meet tomorrow's deadline," try, "Okay, and if I need to do that, what should I do about tomorrow's deadline? Can someone else finish it off?" Focus on solutions, not obstacles.

As a career consultant, I often find myself frustrated with mindless career advice. So it's a treat to open this book and find some truly original ideas that I can recommend to my clients and ezine readers. And, amazingly, Morgenstern's book will be appropriate to a variety of readers and career stages. It's not just for entry-level beginners or senior vice presidents. We can all read and learn here.

Happiness, says Morgenstern, means "liking what you're doing and being good at it, feeling connected, in control, successful and balanced." Now there's a realistic definition that we can work with!

I like Morgenstern's listing of nine competencies. Most are straightforward and you're heard some before, but they're presented insightfully. For instance, "organize at the speed of change" and develop an "entrepreneurial mindset" have become essential in today's world; you probably know you need to delegate and work well with others, but we can never hear this message too often.

Perhaps the most striking insight is, "Sometimes it's not you! Sometimes it's them holding you back." In working with live clients, I find that identifying this difference can be key to long-term career success, not to mention santiy.

Other messages I support wholeheartedly: "Your personal life is an investment in your work."
"Try neglecting one small task." (So true! Often nobody notices even when you neglect the big tasks!)
and
"Own your career so you're not a victim."

Well said.

This book's layout could be more visually appealing; it's not the author's fault, but the pages sometimes seem crowded. However, it's worth digging. I will be recommending this book on my ezine page and will encourage many of my clients to give themselves this book as a gift.

We spend a lot of time, a lot of our lives working. As such it makes sense to progress at work, get as much out of your job as you can, and above all else to enjoy working so that you are not spending so much time in an unplesant atmosphere.

At first glance this book appears oriented to the female employee. As you read it, it is just as applicable to the male worker. The techniques, hints and tips are not gender specific. Most of them are oriented around work, but there is a chapter on the work/life balance. You don't want to grow older wondering where your life went. As the old saying goes, no one would want their tombstone to to read -- I should have spent more time at work.

The book is filled with short and direct tips that say do this one thing. Later you can move to the next step having accomplished the first step.

Typically, the mentoring process is a two-way dialogue that takes place over lunch, in the gym or on the phone. But author Julie Morgenstern changes the traditional mentoring model. Speaking out from the printed page, she mentors by remote. Morgenstern offers useful career guidance and concise tips, organized as concrete "Grab and Go Strategies." Her colorful examples, logical chapter summaries and chatty case histories make her book outstanding. Occasionally, her advice is repetitive, but overall it's hard to find fault, because she is so clearly smart, thoughtful and on your side. We recommend this mentor's manual to every professional, including the overworked, self-employed and underemployed.

Although the title of this book suggests that the content is purely work related, it is very helpful if you want to learn how to balance your personal and work life. The most helpful part of the book for me was "Control the Nibblers." I was able to recognize my blind spots, then after figuring out my top three time wasters and biggest interruptions, I implemented the author's helpful recommendations. I have also implemented her suggestions about organizing meetings with considerable success. I certainly recommend this book.

Just what I needed in the nick of time. As with all useful popular psychology books, its efficacy is in the reader making an effort to follow through with a plan, and Morgenstern inspires me to do just that. I especially appreciated her quickstart program. Saving the procrastination-potential reading until I've got a handle on some of my clutter--in both time and space! Speaking of which, being as visual as I am, I especially appreciated her sketch/analogy representing the inside of a (my) closet as it aligns with the inside of a (my) calendar! They look the same. If I can organize my closet in space, I can organize my calendar in time!

Where do I begin? Julie Morgenstern has included so much great information, every business owner, employee, or someone interested in getting back into the workforce should read this! There is every area covered from work stress-prioritizing-working with others, its all there! I loved that she began with work/life balance. It is so easy to get caught up in work that you forget about yourself outside of the job. I think that once you accomplish the balance, more things will fall into place much easier and you will be much happier. Thanks Julie for such an amazing book!

Tonia Tomlin
[...]

Julie Morgenstern does a great job of clearly talking about steps to take to be more efficient and effective at work. It is a great resource.

I read this book for the first time several years ago and I still have it in my side table and every so often I read again her practical advise. Very easy read that is as relevant today as it was 5 years ago when published. Very good book.

Julie Morgenstrom fills every page with practical tips on how to manage critical aspects of life at work. Since I began using her tips on email management, I am in full control. Definitely worth the investment.