Time Management for the Creative Person

by Lee Silber

Creative folks often know all too well that the muse doesn’t always strike when you want it to, or when the deadline for your next brilliant project is creeping up on you like an ill-fitting turtleneck. Originality doesn’t follow a time clock, even when you have to. While conventional time management books offer tons of instruction for using time wisely, they are traditionally organized in a linear fashion, which just isn’t helpful for the right-brain mind. In Time Management for the Creative Person , creativity guru Lee Silber offers real advice for using the strengths of artistic folks—like originality and resourcefulness—to adopt innovative time-saving solutions, such

* Learning to say no when your plate is just too full
* How to know when a good job, not a great one, is good enough
* Making “to do” lists that include fun stuff, too—that way you won’t feel overwhelmed by work
* Time-saving techniques around the house that give you more time to get your work done and more time to spend with your loved ones
* The keys to clutter control that will keep your work space and your living space neat

With these and lots of other practical tips, Lee Silber will help anyone, from the time-starved caterer rushing to prepare for her next party to the preoccupied painter who forgets when the electric bill is due, make the most of their time and turn the clock and the calendar into friends, not foes.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Writing, Art, Productivity

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 1998

About the author

I am a huge fan of the library and can clearly remember making the short walk to get books during the summer months. Does that make me a nerd? Clearly, but who cares. My love of books (at a young age) led me to become an author (at an older age). In 2020 I reached a major milestone, 25 books written and published.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not have time to read all the information that is stuffed into this book. I was hoping for some specific tips related to creativity, not pages and pages of stuff like "set up your bills for auto-pay" and "set out your clothes for the next day when you go to bed." I read about 1/2 without coming across a single new insight or tip. Also didn't find ANYTHING relevant to a person with a family and young children. Maybe just not the book for me.

[Erick Pettersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Silber's advice is commendable and practical, this book is counter-productive. Throughout "Time Management for the Creative Person", Silber gives advice for saving time, stating that he wrote the book in such a way that anyone can pick it up and begin reading it at any point. The problem is that in order for a person with no time to read the entire book to decide where they want to begin, they must peruse each chapter, or at least those chapters with titles and descriptions that interest them. Silber did not bother to add chapter outlines, so readers could decide which chapters, if any all, they wanted to read.

Throughout the book, Silber was inconsistent in how he presented information. For example, at the end of ch. 5, on pg. 96, he gave bullet points without any bold text. Though, in many other places, such as the section titled "Children" on pg. 158, he used bold text. The bold text helps those who choose to peruse this book, but Silber does not use it consistently.

While "Time Management for the Creative Person" gives practical advice, the list of ways in which this book is counter-productive goes on. For instance, Silber recommends an automatic dog feeder, which can cost up to $100 or more. Considering tax, this probably amounts to around 7-10 hours of labor per the average American. A dog would go through thousands of bowls of food, or perhaps a lifetime of food, before the money spent on that automatic dog feeder paid off in time dividends.

As Dave Ramsey would say, that same $100 could be turned into $10,000 if invested properly. Now, that's time well spent.

[Kelly Lynn Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee Silber clearly understands "creative people," which in this book means artists, writers, actors, etc. He provides a lot of tips, usually bullet pointed, for various areas of life. The book did come out in the 90s, though, so I'd recommend skipping the chapter on technology (or read it for a fun look back at where we came from). This is a book I would read again, though I'll try to get the later edition this time.

[Jackie Gamber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is warmly written and gave me a few chuckles. In my quest for organization and time management, I've read a lot of books on the subject. This particular books didn't reveal a lot for me that I didn't already know, but it was fun to read from a side of things not often presented: that daydreaming can serve a purpose, and a cluttered desk isn't necessarily a cluttered mind.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike other Time Management or Get Organized books that give you a few good original ideas to really use, that make a difference like Habit Stacking in Tiny Habits or What is next Action? in Getting Things Done, this book tries to be all things to all people. For every topic there is a long list of ideas to try.
Frankly it is too much repetition of every idea from every other self help book.

[Danielle]

I actually own this book; it was a gift for high school graduation and I never made time to read it.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I managed to creatively save myself a lot of time by reading the first two chapters, skimming the next two chapters, and skipping the rest. On to more productive and/or better written things!

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected, but derived some good reminders and some useful information.

[Kristi Colon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very out of date and not helpful.

[Sonya]

A somewhat-cathartic promotion process at my job last fall really brought to light the fact that I have "issues" with Time Management, procrastination,etc. Which led me to search on Amazon for some guidance.

Given the fact that this book is still only partially read....along with several others in my list.....I'm obviously still struggling with the "starts many things but finishes none" symptom....but hey...at least I'm aware of this flaw and proactively trying to work on it.

:)

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you have never read anything about time management, this might be okay. But if you've heard of such things as "write down your goals and look at them daily", you won't find anything new here. I'm not sure whether it's actually a new book or an electronic reprint of an old one. It definitely reads like the latter.

[Irene Velbeck]

Trying to motivate & challenge the graphic designer working under me...not an easy task!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with lots of tips, ideas, suggestions, that are very helpful and can be used immediately.

[Kelly]

MUST schedule time for "percolating"!

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee Silber is motivating and great. I wish he were as popular as Pink, Covey, Maxwell and Carnegie. A decade after reading this book, I am an expert at right-brain, time management. (=