Book Review - Subject: Time Management Skills

Title: How To Get Control Of Your Time And Your Life
Author: Alan Lakein
Publisher: Signet
ISBN: 0-451-16772-4

Have you ever walked into a bookstore with no intention of buying a book? You just had some time to kill so you wanted to have a look around. I had some time between appointments the other day and did exactly that. I soon found myself rummaging through a table of books on personal development and came across Alan Lakein's book on time management entitled, How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. Alan is a Harvard-educated M.B.A. and is considered by many to be one of the world's leading experts on personal time management. The paperback version I was looking at retailed for just $8.99 Canadian so I bought the book figuring I couldn't loose.

My "Time Mastery & Personal Effectiveness" workshop is one of my most requested events so I was hoping there would be a few good time-management tips that I could pass along to my clients. I must tell you, the book was a delightful surprise. Not only was it a fast read, it's just 160 pages from beginning to end, it was jammed packed with some great time-saving ideas. If you're looking to buy a book that will give you a great return on your investment, then this book is it.

Be sure to check out the appendix on page 158. Alan has put together a list of 61 favourite time savers. You'll be hard pressed to whittle the list down to just four or five ideas for you to start working with. I suggest starting out with a short list. It takes a lot of time and a good deal of patience to break old habits and start new ones. You have to develop a game plan and start working on one habit at a time.

Experts suggest that you need to do something 21 times before it becomes automatic. Habits need to become ingrained in your sub-conscious. I believe good results come from good habits just as poor results come from poor habits. Habits are just that, habits. Your body can't tell the difference. We all start out each week with the same 168 hours. Some people seem to be better at managing their time more than others. They seem to be able to accomplish the really important things in their lives.

If you're having difficulty finding the time to get things looked after then you should buy Alan Lakein's book. It's been written for people who never seem to have enough time. Happy reading! I wish you nothing but good habits and a lot of time on your hands.