NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book is part of "the skinny on" series, various publications designed to provide self-help information in a "concise and entertaining fashion." To this end, author Jim Randel, an attorney and entrepreneur, utilizes stick figure drawings featuring himself as main character along with "You"--aka the reader. He combines these simple illustrations with straightforward information designed to identify the key points about time management. In his introduction, Randal maintains that although the design of book itself is basic, plenty of thoughtful research went into the book's actual content.
Amazon lists this book as being 215 pages long, but this is a bit deceiving: the majority of pages are formatted with two individual numbered blocks, so the actual length of the book is about half that. Randal states that the most important information on time management can be broken down into about 50 principles, all of which are presented in the book. He structures the book like a "class," breaking the lesson down into two sections. Part 1 focuses on a review of how you are currently spending your time. This includes increasing self-awareness, setting goals, and making choices.
In the second half of the book, Randal addresses how to use the time you have to be maximally effective. This is where offers more specific strategies for managing your time, such as matching time with energy and utilizing "gap" times. He also provides tips both on enhancing skills that can benefit time management, like improved memory and speed reading, as well as on avoiding pitfalls to time management, including procrastination and clutter. Randal strongly recommends the use of "to do" lists combined with prioritizing list items; finally, he is NOT a fan of multi-tasking.
As a psychologist who works with college students, I definitely see the value to this book. The succinct format is certainly likely to appeal to those with busy schedules, yet the material provided is practical and beneficial. The one problem I had with the book is that I did not feel enough space was devoted to procrastination. In my experience with college students and others, procrastination is the MAIN impediment to time management in almost all cases. Here, Randal does allocate several pages to this topic, but he provides only a single page of strategies for overcoming procrastination. Overall, however, this is a useful, easy-to-read, enjoyable book that is likely to provide at least some help to most people; my final rating is 4 1/2 stars, and I would definitely recommend it.
