Customer Reviews

Work Less, Do More: The 14-Day Productivity Makeover

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I learned a new word! Distractionistis... (Or is it a new disease?)

In Work Less, Do More: The 14-Day Productivity Makeover, Dr. Jan Yager has put together a program that, if strictly followed, will allow the reader to get into the groove of getting out of having a cluttered life. When I first got hold of Jan Yager's book the thought that was on my mind was "Now this is something that I will be able to use for my work - it is something that I badly need..." After reading the book though it is clear to see that stretching your time and not getting things done is holistic. You cannot simply work on this at the office and expect to have more time. Habits have to be developed, goals have to be set, plans have to be made and prioritization (sometimes radical prioritization) has to take place.

The author adds several productivity tools throughout the book, some of them are diagnostic exercises and some of them are meant to be used daily. To be quite honest I normally skip these tools when using self help books but then I decided to just keep my phone log, one of the first tools in the book, for one day. It became glaringly apparent to me just the work that needed to be done to get this part of my life under control. And from there I went on and tried other tools as well. Batching work. Working on my "internet addiction" and the author describes it. Putting more time into advance planning rather than just diving into my work. I swear this is like when you haven't been to the gym in five years and then you decide to jump right in to two full aerobic work outs per day!

As I mentioned earlier, Jan doesn't leave the productivity at the office. She also makes sure that you are tending to your family, romantic partner, children and others in your social spheres. Some of the hardest part of the "work out" Jan Yager's book puts you through is coming to terms with the parts of your life that you will have to put on the back burner or even eliminate. I personally have lots of work to do in this realm and can't find any easy way to get through this. But I suppose the mantra should be "no pain, no gain!" I also have had major problems with delegation, which Jan Yager puts in high stock.

I have put recurring tasks in my Outlook on my computer just so I can revisit Jan Yager's pointers in the future and to make sure that the new muscles I have stretched haven't gone flabby again. I think I will keep at it until I wouldn't be embarrassed to let Jan Yager see my desk...

We all know that time in the 21st century has become a precious commodity, and figuring out how to manage it effectively is a challenge faced by anybody involved in the academic, professional and social spheres of today's frenzied society. Time management techniques are tackled by teachers, authors, and doctors worldwide, but nowhere are they presented in a fashion as realistic, practical, detailed, and well-laid out as in Dr. Jan Yager's book entitled WORK LESS, DO MORE: THE 14-DAY PRODUCTIVITY MAKEOVER. In a text filled with anecdotes, professional advice, and even etymology, Dr. Yager takes readers through a 14-day schedule with each day covering different topics related to time management. Her chapters cover actions such as planning, organizing, networking, and running effective meetings, technological duties such as phone calls and emails, as well as relationships both in and out of the workplace. Dr. Yager speaks to those of all professions, all financial levels, and all personalities.
In her introduction, Dr. Yager immediately engages the reader with thought-provoking questions about time and provides exercises and quizzes to keep the reader active and involved. She then proceeds to address each day and topic with precision and thoroughness, quoting real people with thoughtful advice as well as providing her own tips and techniques. Her prototype for To-Do Lists, logs, and planning sheets are there and ready to be filled out. Her "Beat the Clock" sections at the end of every day provide a good summary of the section, jump starting readers to begin their time management makeover. The ACTION! Plan is straightforward and very useful. Dr. Yager even tells us it is ok to procrastinate, as long as we do it creatively.
WORK LESS, DO MORE is engaging, educational, and filled to the brim with tips for anyone who questions, even in the slightest, their ways of approaching time. The book reflects extensive research, painstaking attention to detail, and a true understanding of the way effective time management can really be applied to all aspects of peoples' own personal lives and relationships with others. Dr. Yager's words are timely in their references to technology and current-day trends. Everything she says about productivity, success, and happiness is believable and inspirational, not overly idealistic or cliché. WORK LESS, DO MORE is a new spin on a widely pursued topic, a fine piece of non-fiction writing, and a valuable resource for those who take the time to read its words, take to heart its advice, and put in to practice its techniques.

Work Less, Do More gives really good advice and suggestions on how to effectivly manage your time. The author points out how we waste so much time and if her principles are applied we could get more done. The book contains many helpful tips, quizes, and step-by-step guides to helping you managing your time more effectivly.

Over the years, I have benefited a lot from productivity books, organization books, time management books. Each of them contained a few helpful techniques I was able to put into practice. Here's a volume, though, that is quite different. It's a workbook: it's made to mark-up and write in. It includes the whole range of things an efficient manager or any self-motivated worker should be doing. And it covers it all in a workable, down-to-earth, very readable fashion.

It's not just a book to read. It is a big (200+ pages) compendium of ideas, lists, quizzes, worksheets--a whole collection of absolutely practical material! And because it's just out, all its suggestions for using technology are right up-to-date. How to best handle the mountains of e-mail, how to make the phone your helper and not your enemy, strategies for backing-up your data--all these are covered in great fashion.

Need help with goal setting? Go to Day 2. Need to simplify your piles of paperwork? Check out Day 7. Having trouble with interruptions? That's in Day 10. Mired down with meetings? Day 13. Wondering if you could ever possibly get some balance in your life? It's Day 14.

This is anything but some boring textbook. It's a great read! It's interesting and supremely practical. If you want to stop wasting your time (and others' time, too), here's the one book to get. You'll be less stressed and way more productive.

Author, speaker, and workshop leader, Jan Yager, Ph.D, has written a comprehensive resource for every working person. Whether you're self-employed or spend your hours in an office outside of your home, Yager will teach you the tricks to getting more done with the time you have. Unlike other authors who make bold promises about squeezing more into every day, Yager comes through with this promise without making you work harder. She's an expert at offering practical instructions on how to labor more effectively without overburdening yourself by taking on additional duties, or multitasking better, or learning to juggle endless responsibilities.

Instead, readers will develop discernment about what is an appropriate amount of work for a person to tackle. They will discover how to live and work and play in a healthy balance. Professionals will also learn what it means to say no (or yes) to the best opportunities available to them. Yager truly shares timeless techniques for getting the most out of every day and she does it by dispelling old faulty myths, unearthing current recommendations for our highly technical society, and offering fresh ideas that work for you and with you. Yager invites you to invest 14 days to revamp your work style to impact your lifestyle!

Michele Howe, author of Burdens Do a Body Good: Meeting Life's Challenges with Strength (and Soul)

Life today is overwhelming--from social media and email to offline activities and just 'life' in general. It's much too easy to get into the routine of work, work, work...but do we have results that match our efforts? If not, the exercises and tips in Work Less, Do More will help steer you in the right direction to get more results out of the blood, sweat, and tears you're expending every day.

This was an odd one. Some good advice, but a bit jumbled together and prone to oddly worried warnings (e.g. in the section on getting more out of your commute by doing things you enjoy en route there was a warning to knitters not to injure the other passengers!)

I would recommend Time Management in an Instant if you just want a roundup of tips. This one does have the potential advantage of being more of a workbook, if you prefer that approach.

When I received this review copy from Jan Yager, I was excited immediately. It was just what was on my mind for the new year. I put it to work immediately and started following her productivity makeover. This is a book that focuses you on your goals for your career. You must get your priorities in order and begin the process. By following her advice, you will progress easily, but you are always the one in charge because you have to make choices. She gives you the plus and minus of situations as well as areas that are your time wasters. This book would be a great resource for a corporation to increase their productivity as well as supporting their employees in achieving better time management that would be beneficial for everyone.

Jan Yager gives us an outline and step by step guide that will help you create more time, help you to stop feeling overwhelmed and have more money. Learn how to get rid of time wasters and to become more efficient, therefore freeing up your mind and your time, causing you to have less stress and more productivity. She covers dealing with emails, phone calls, working from home, procrastination, multi-tasking and so much more. There are some great lists of tips and worksheets to help you make this a reality. If you are ready for some big changes that will make your life better read this book.

Jan Yager's book "Work Less Do More" is a must for anyone that has to work. This book will help you get more organized so you can accomplish more in a shorter period of time. In order to grow your business you must innovate, and Jan's book will give you the short cuts to make it happen quicker. Why make all the mistakes that most people do on a daily basis, when you can take and use these principles to make your life easier. On a scale of 1-5 I give this book a 10.

Great job Jan.

Michael Monji, author of "Does It Pay To Die?" a living trust workbook.