Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, and Technology [Paperback]

Jan Jasper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 1999

For every successful person in a perpetual-crisis mode--swimming in papers, overrun with complicated new technology, hamstrung by details, and starving for time--here are simple, practical strategies for getting back your desk, your peace of mind, and most of all your time.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Jasper is a consultant who works one-on-one with individuals to help them get organized and better manage their time. She acknowledges that neatness may not always "count" but argues that organization does; and she suggests that organization and time management are really two sides of the same coin. Jasper emphasizes the need to set goals and "clarify what matters most." She cites a number of motivational writers, meting out several doses of Stephen Covey, to help inspire the necessary self-reflection. Using many of her clients as examples, she follows with a number of practical recommendations for eliminating clutter and saving time at home and at the office and while traveling. What sets her apart from other advice givers is her emphasis on the role that decision making plays in getting and staying organized: clutter represents the inability to decide what to throw away or where to put things; lack of time, the inability to decide what does not need to be done or what can wait. David Rouse

Review

"Take Back Your Time is a complete and clear compedium of useful organizing tips. I especially appreciated the section on using practical technology to help you get organized. It's a must-have for your organizing library." --Stephanie Winston, author of Stephanie Winston's Best Organizing Tips and Getting Organized

"Jasper's book has good tips. I'm impressed with how specific she is. A wonderful and useful book." --Barbara Sher, author of It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now and Wishcraft

"Jan Jasper 'gets it'. Time management is not about time. It's about how we manage ourselves. She gives us practicle tools and insights to get it right this time and keep it that way." --Laura Bergman Fortgang, author of Take Yourself to the Top: The Secrets of America's #1 Career Coach

"Jan Jasper is the ideal productivy expert for the new millennium. This is the first time-management book to address technology in detail." --Mitch Schlimer, chairman of the Let's Talk Business Network and host of the Let's Talk Business radio show.

"Jan Jasper's advice can help everyone get more done in less time. She has put everything all of us less-organized folks need to know and do into one easy-to-follow book." --Don Gabor, author of How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends

"Jan Jasper shows how to plug the drain of wasted time in your business. Entrepreneurs can double their productivity--and boost their profits--with the tips in this book." --Terri Lonier, author of Working Solo

"Jan Jasper has gleaned the best ideas from the top self-management experts to offer a panoramic view, and an entirely readable book, on how to win back your time." --Jeff Davidson, author of The Joy of Simple Living and Breathing Space

"Provides specific techniques you can use to change unproductive habits into productive results." --Barbara Hemphill, author of Taming the Paper Tiger

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (November 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312243340
• ISBN-13: 978-0312243340
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific synthesis of literature and practical experience, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, and Technology (Paperback)

This is a terrific synthesis of the best time-management literature and Ms. Jasper's substantial practical experience working one-on-one with clients. What sets the book apart from others in the field is its emphasis on usefulness. Jasper outlines what works, and what does not work, and explains why. After reading her book, I felt like I was able to make my own, informed decisions about managing my time, papers, and belongings. Also, because Jasper isn't selling a line of time-management products her recommendations and insights are not colored by any hidden agenda. The book is well researched, well organized, and well written, and includes a substantial bibliography and a useable index. If you are looking for the one time-management book to buy, for home or office, this is the one.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A splendid, extremely useful book, November 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, and Technology (Paperback)

Take Back Your Time is the kind of book that everyone on the planet should read. We're all running around like maniacs most of the time, desperate to get an endless amount of mostly useless things accomplished. Jasper tells how to separate the wheat from the chaff and focus on what's really important. Her suggestions are sensible, intelligent, creative. My husband and I have both read the book and are now trying to apply all the helpful ideas to our lives.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Organize your mind as well as your office., October 24, 2000

By 

Michael Landrum (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, and Technology (Paperback)

Jan Jasper's excellent book brought me many new and unexpected insights into the way I organize (or fail to organize) my thoughts and decision-making patterns. She led me to realize that my desk is a direct reflection of my mind and that to become more focused and orderly in one will automatically create a similar result in the other. She inspired me to actually WANT to follow her suggestions.