Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule and Your Life

by Julie Morgenstern

A thoroughly updated and expanded edition of the definitive guide to managing and freeing up timeApplying the groundbreaking from-the-inside-out approach that made Organizing from the Inside Out a New York Times bestseller, Julie Morgenstern set a new standard for the time- management category. Her system has helped countless readers uncover their psychological stumbling blocks and strengths, and develop a time-management system that suits their individual needs.By applying her proven three-step program-Analyze, Strategize, Attack-and following her effective guidelines, readers will find more time for work, family, self-improvement, or whatever is most important to them. Time management is a learnable skill, and in this completely revised edition, Morgenstern provides the ultimate tools to combine, delegate, and eliminate unnecessary tasks; put technology to work; and stop procrastinating once and for all.This revised edition delivers - a new chapter about the WADE formula for getting started - new time maps for people with irregular schedules - new four-, eight-, and twelve-week program guides for improving time-management skills - a fully updated resource guide

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Productivity, Business, Personal Development, Psychology, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Julie Morgenstern, dubbed the “queen of putting people’s lives in order” by USA Today, is an organizing and time management expert, business productivity consultant, and speaker. A New York Times bestselling author, Julie's five books are timeless reference guides that are insightful, reader-friendly and jam packed with innovative strategies. Each volume features techniques and observations culled from her 20 years of experience as a consultant to individuals and companies.

Julie’s company, Julie Morgenstern Enterprises, is dedicated to using her philosophies and methods to provide a wide range of practical solutions that transform the way people and companies function. They provide one-on-on coaching, productivity consulting and training to Fortune 500 companies, organizations and agencies around the globe.

A contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine from 2001-2007, Julie has also been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Time, Business Week, and Glamour and makes frequent appearances on national television and radio programs, including the Today Show, Rachel Ray, The Oprah Winfrey Show and NPR’s Fresh Air. Since 1989, she and her team have worked with clients such as American Express, GlaxoSmithKline, State Farm Insurance, The Miami Heat, the New York City Mayor’s office, Viacom/MTV and Hearst Magazines.

For more information, visit www.juliemorgenstern.com.

Reviews

[Erin WV · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took two books out of my local library, this one and another one by Julie Morgenstern, Organizing from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life. I skimmed through Organizing, feeling like she wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know. Lesson learned: I am already plenty organized.

Time management is another thing. I have been fighting with the notion that I may have ADD my entire adult life. I have no trouble planning my daily tasks and chores, but I often have trouble carrying them out. I can also sit on my couch on a Saturday morning and find that it's suddenly bedtime. And the blog didn't get written, the dog didn't get walked, and the laundry didn't get done. WHAT HAPPENED? Is my brain fighting against my instinct to complete things? Or do I just lack discipline, or organization?

There are some excellent and useful points to be had in the book, points which I hope will help me at least answer the question as to whether my time is slipping away or whether I'm throwing it away. For example, one thing that dooms people to never finish everything they wanted to finish, or to be consistently late, is not having a proper sense of how long things take. Definitely a factor for me. I never remember to consider driving time between errands, or the fact that I will HAVE to stop for a caffeinated drink after one or two of them.

Another thing I liked is the way she categorized every type of goal a person might have (work success, relationship success, success in maintaining a nice home, having time for hobbies, having time for personal enrichment, etc.) and then laid out a plan for figuring out how a person can identify specific tasks that contribute to these goals, and then make regular time for them. Because another bad habit I have is saying, "I am just focusing on this one thing for right now, and when I get it under control, then I'll catch up everything else."

This is incredibly useful knowledge for me, and presently I'm trying to fit this framework around my life and see if things work a little bit better.

There are also some more specialized points that were not relevant, at least not for me. Though she doesn't make this explicit, the image Morgenstern gives us of the reader she thinks she has is of a harried, control-freak suburban working mother. She's probably not far off; everybody I know who fits that category has issues with time, and vice versa probably. But I don't have a husband whose help I need to train myself to accept at home. I'm also not a manager or a supervisor who needs to get comfortable with delegating tasks, certainly not to the point of needing to have the way to delegate tasks broken down to each individual step (including the type of emails you write to people about how to cover your work) and explained to me.

The recommended time charts, of which she offers several examples, feel completely unrealistic to me, too. Morgenstern states many times that she knows people don't want to feel too hemmed-in or structured in their daily routines, but then presents these charts where literally every hour of the day is penciled in as being devoted to something. In her defense, she also writes that people can be as specific or as general as they wish to be in their own charts--some may want to schedule "playing with kids" from 4 to 5, "cooking" from 5 to 6, "family dinner" from 6 to 7 and so on, while others may want to just schedule "family time" from 3 to 9. That still feels restrictive to me. I may waste a lot of my unstructured time, but I prefer that to having an anxiety-induced brain hemorrhage. (Also, why were her sample clients all getting up at like 5 in the morning to complete tasks? Who does that all week long, including Saturday? Those are not human people.)

Another negative: the section where she discusses different types of calendars and schedulers has become hopelessly outdated. I daresay she could eliminate that section altogether in future editions, and just direct people to her website, which would be much easier to keep updated. (It did make me nostalgic for the Franklin Covey planners my mom carried while I was in high school.)

All in all, this was a good skim, worth looking at for those couple of ideas that really hit a chord with me.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presented a sensible system for time management. I'm starting to use her methods and it's been pretty helpful.

I've read part of The Now Habit by Neil A. Fiore and part of [Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now] by Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen (yeah, I know -- no jokes!), but this book seems to have a more complete, practical approach. It doesn't delve very deeply into the psychological reasons people have trouble managing their time, the way Procrastination does, but I'm not sure that's necessary. I'd recommend this as a good book to read if you're only going to read one time-management book.

[Jeph · Rating 2 out of 5]

If readers are familiar with "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People", then this book will seem like the same old thing with no new information.

For new readers or readers with a limited experience in the Self-Help area, this book might have some helpful hints, provided you do something about your problems after listening.

Though some of the information in Julie Morgenstern's "Time Management From the Inside Out" may seem pretty basic, the unique quality to this book is that unlike many time management books, this book takes a non-work, non-business perspective and approaches the problem from a personal and individual level, hence "Inside Out".

Morgenstern provides a few tools for assessing the reader's daily life, struggles, goals, learning styles and energy levels. The growth is very individual and subjective, allowing the reader to figure out what is working for them, what they are avoiding, what they want from their lives and their days and when and where to exact change and put their energies to best use.

Again, the information is basic and the book is short, but this review is proof that the book works. If I didn't make time for my writing, like the book suggested, this review might have never been written.

Enjoy!

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. This book helped turn my days around even before I got to the end, because her way of organizing time was incredibly intuitive to me. She includes a lot of good exercises to help figure out what technical problems you have with time management and where your time actually goes, as well as to figure out where you want your time to be going. Morgenstern has an interesting way of looking at Goals, Activities and Tasks that's a bit different from what I've used in the past, but that work incredibly well from a time management perspective.

This is probably the most helpful book I've read in a decade -- no exaggeration. My days have changed dramatically for the good since reading it, and I have every expectation that that will continue.

[Margo Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book. Highly recommend. It is one I will refer back to again and again to keep my skills sharp and manage my time effectively.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful book to add some more tools to your time management toolbox, but not as inspiring as her other book, "Organization from the Inside Out." My biggest take-away was to remind myself to change my framework when it comes to doing things I don't like to do but I "have to" do anyway. Chances are, I'm doing them because I've chosen to do them based on my standards and goals. Take ownership of that decision and get on with it already!

If you've investigated Getting Things Done, the Pomodoro Technique, or Stephen Covey's philosophy you've got pieces of what Morgenstern puts together for you. Unfortunately, the book is dated when it comes to digital means of keeping track. (Ah, miss you PalmPilot. ) In addition, it definitely seems like she favors paper planners over digital methods, so if you need digital suggestions (which I do) you're out of luck with this book.

Overall, though, a quick motivational refresher in time management.

[Sofiia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Time Management Bible, for those, who struggle with prioritizing things!!!

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been interested in time management, in part because it is a key component to managing all the different pieces of my life and in part because I've never really achieved total success. David Allen's Getting Things Done system was the best that I could find until I came across this treasure.

For all of the Allen fans out there, please don't expect me to say that Morgenstern's system is better. I won't say that. But she does touch on some basic ideas that Allen either assumes or takes for granted. For example, "The truth is there is no one 'right' way to manage your time. Successful organizing systems work long-term only if they're based around who you are. You can learn new skills and modify some behaviors, but you can't really change your basic personality --- and you shouldn't. Your likes, dislikes, needs, and desires must be the foundation of your time-management system. You come first, the system follows, not vice versa."

I had always wondered whether Allen's system, as appealing and intuitive as it seemed and still seems, never completely worked for me because there was something wrong with me. Morgenstern's book helped me to realize that the problem was not with me but with my system, or sometimes with my application of the system.

Morgenstern touts two main principles that I have not encountered elsewhere. First, time should be viewed as a container, which leads to the need to estimate properly. Since we only have 24 hours in each day and any activity takes a certain amount of time, we can only fit so many activities into a single day. So we need to become proficient at estimating how long it tkes me to do tasks, because only then do can I make a plan where I don't have more to do than time available.

Second, I need to be aware of my energy levels during the day and schedule my activities accordingly. I do my best thinking in the morning. Thus, my serious writing, which is an activity requiring a good deal of thinking, should be done in the morning to maximize myself as a resource and make the most efficient and effective use of my time. If I schedule my writing for later in the day when I am more spent mentally, then it will take me 3-5 times longer to do the task, and it won't be done as well. As common sense as these principles seem, you would think they would be all over the time management literature, but apparently not.

Morgenstern offers a number of other goodies, such as a diagnostic for uncovering why we don't stay on track with the plans we make, a quick fix program to carve out enough elbow room to study and implement her full system, a number of exercises to evaluate what your higher-level goals really are (based on what is most important inside of us) and relating them to the day-to-day minutia, and a process for evaluating how much balance we really have (and how to get back in balance if you are too far out). It's all very useful to some extent and left me feeling that the time I spent studying it was well worth my effort and time.

I didn't use everything Morgenstern suggested. Some of it just seemed wrong to me. For example, she promoted the use of hanging file folders, and on this note I have to side with Allen, who insists against them if at all possible. Allen is right to say that the hanging file folders make the file folders uneven vertically since different folders are different sizes (they hold different amounts of material), which is visually unattractive. I do use hanging folders for a daily tickler file, but there I do not use file folders -- just the hanging folders with inserts that tell the date each folder represents. While reading Morgenstern's book, I could not help but make constant comparisons to Allen (in fact, doing a full, in-depth study comparing the two approaches may actually be very beneficial).

That being said, I found this book very engaging and practical with lots of rubber-hit-the-road ideas. For anyone looking for some insights into how they can better manage their time (or rather better manage what they do with their time, since we all have the same amount always), I highly recommend this book.

[Conrad Zero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good wisdom and time-tips in here. The comparison of time management to space management is a key takeaway. I extended that concept to include Marie Kondo's The Art of Tidying Up to give me even more tools to help clean up my temporal spaces. Going forward, I'll ask myself, "does this task/appointment spark joy?"

Connecting your schedule/tasks back to your core values is also a key takeaway, although the author never goes as far as calling them "values". She calls them "categories" which kind of misses her own point. For example, Health is not a category of tasks to me, but rather,something I intrinsically Value....which gives me the motivation to make the goals>activities>tasks that her system endorses.

Some of the calculus in task-selection is overly simplistic. There's little mention of synergies between tasks that cover multiple values. But lots of great info for whittling down that task list. How to say No for example, delegation tips, overcoming procrastination, tending toward efficiency vs perfection, and much much more, all nicely arranged.

I can't say her system is "foolproof" I'm sure I can find a fool who can screw it up. But even if you don't get into her SPACE system of Sort, Purge, Assign, Containerize and Equalize, you'll still find lots of good info here to improve your time management skills.

[Antonio Sosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time Management from the inside out; Julie Morgenstern;4/6/2014-5/6/2014; 5-sticky notes and 41-pages of notes. "Give yourself permission to be who you are and go after your dreams. A wonderful gratifying life awaits you"; I feel empowered to take control of my life. I have know salvation, an accurate knowledge of Gods word, and money where important things to master. So many times I wondered why I couldn't grow as fast as I wanted to in these areas. I'm also a workaholic and given the chance I will work until I'm ready to go to sleep. This book help me put my whole life into perspective and assisted with perfecting my dream and will assist with my time management on how to get there. This is my first book of this kind and I look forward to many more. 

Ephesians 5:16 (KJV) 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Psalms 55:22 (KJV) 22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read on time management and organization. I appreciated reading about Morgenstern's approaches to defining goals, managing schedules, prioritizing tasks using the WADE method (Write it down, Add it up, Decide, and Execute), and taking a more positive approach to structuring the hours one has in a day. There were some methods here that I used to a degree, but I think it gave me more to think about as for how to improve structuring my schedules and reducing/breaking down loads if the current tasks on hand seem overwhelming. Would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a great productivity/organization read. She does a great job looking at the psychological elements of time management barriers as well.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an old book so some of the advice is laughably dated. Palm pilot, anyone? Lol. And the long section about paper, is that still an issue for anyone? I would think digital clutter is a bigger issue for people and not piles of catalogs and magazines in your house. She has a section about how to read the thick Sunday newspaper. Oh wow, remember those days?! However, if you can get past these dated parts, then there is still helpful, timeless advice to be gathered from reading this. I am already doing some of what she suggests but I still found ways to tweak my behaviors.

I grabbed this at the library hoping to get some information that would help my neurodiverse college aged kids manage their time better. Time blindness and time management skills are big issues for ND people. Unfortunately, a lot of the advice is geared for typical brains and won’t be that helpful.

One of my biggest takeaways from the book was to combine your planner and your to-do list. I’d been doing them separately and it makes sense to have everything in one place.

I’m going to add a lot of screenshot quotes to help me recall the advice I want to remember.

One of the most common causes for not getting to important activities is that you haven't set aside a specific time in which to do them. If you think you'll pay bills or write a thank-you note when you are in the mood, think again. When you catch yourself thinking,"I'll have fun, or pamper myself in my spare time," stop! There is no such thing as spare time!

Some people suffer from chronic conditions that seriously deplete their energy stores. You could be slowed down by clinical depression or ADHD or any of a number of health problems.If your energy is limited, it becomes more important than ever to prioritize your to-do list: plan your days to start with what's most important, leaving smaller, less significant activities for later in the day (and only if you still have any energy left)

Sometimes what stands between our current, chaotic lives and the lives in which we make time for what's really important are psychological obstacles. We know what we need to do, but we resist taking action beca use the inaction serves us somehow by fulfilling some deep-seated need we may not even be aw are of. You might set your life up to be in constant disaster mode because, quite frankly, you are a wonderful crisis manager. You feel so good conquering the impossible that you keep creating it, just so you can rescue yourself.You pull it off every time although not necessarily without some “fallout" along the way. You learned to feel a certain comfort in crisis, and you felt good about your ability to handle chaos.

It could be that you are suffering from a fear of failure. It can be very frightening to go after your dreams and find out you are incapable of achieving them. Sometimes it's easier to avoid making the effort, blaming circumstances or the fact that you didn't get to try, rather than risking true failure. Being unwilling to risk failure will prevent you from attaining your goals, because you're forever afraid to take that first step. When failure has you paralyzed in its grasp ask, "What's the worst possible thing that could happen?" and then dare yourself to move forward.

Consider this: Saying yes to the person in the moment means you're saying no to someone else whom you've already promised that time to. If you're always staying late to help out a coworker, or say "sure" to every committee assignment that's offered to you, whom or what are you saying no to? Is it your spouse?Your kids? Your friends?

Time is completely invisible— it's something you feel, and it feels ... utterly amorphous. How long is a day? Well, that depends on your energy and how much sleep you had. How long is an hour? Well, if you're doing something you love, it whizzes by; but if you're caught up in something dreadful, it crawls painfully along.

just as a closet is a limited space into which you must fit a certain number of objects, a schedule is a limited number of hours into which you must fit a certain number of tasks. Each day is simply a container, a storage unit that has a finite capacity. You can only fit so much into it.

Each task is an object that you must find space for in your schedule. Just as every pair of shoes you place in your closet takes up a certain amount of room, each task takes up a certain amount of time. It
becomes critical to evaluate your to-dos in terms of their size (duration) in order to determine whether or not they will fit into your schedule.

If you consistently miscalculate, you'll take on more than you can handle.You'll start each day with tremendous ambition, only to feel defeated by the end of the day. Miscalculating tasks can also lead to procrastination- if you think a half-hour task will take two hours, you'll never get started.

asking the question "How long will this take?" of every single task you do is the number one gateway skill to good time management.

It takes different people different amounts of time to do the identical task. Why? We all have different skill sets, interests, concentration cycles, and energy levels. The key is to find out how long it really takes YOU to do the things you need to do and move away from wishful thinking.

When you are calculating, you need to factor in a variety of hidden time costs. Acknowledging them will improve your estimating skills from the start.
• Travel Time, To and From
Take into consideration when and how you are traveling.Are you traveling at rush hour? Are you taking public transportation? How reliable is it? Do you have to leave extra time in case the train is late? What is the parking situation? If you are going to an office building with an elevator, remember to leave time for waiting for the elevator. walking down the hall and talking to the receptionist. If your appointment is for 10 a.m., and you've timed it so you walk in the door of the building at 10 a.m., you're going to be late.
• Setup Time
Do you need time to gather materials? Do you need to lay them out? Do you need to get yourself oriented to the project?Do you need to change your clothes (to work out, for example)?
• Cleanup/Wind-Down time
You need time to put everything away. Also, if you're leaving a task before it's completed, you need time to write a little note for yourself so when you go back, you know where you left off.
• Stewing Time
Some tasks require thinking time. You might need to think before you start, or you might need stewing time during the project. This time needs to be built in.
• Interruption Time
Is there a chance you'll be interrupted? If you'll be doing the task during a time of day when you're likely to be interrupted, or if you've got kids around, build in extra time so that an interruption or two doesn't throw your entire schedule off.
• Unexpected-Problems
Add a little cushion to deal with complications that arise. When in doubt about how much cushion time you'll need, factor in 20 percent.
• Refreshment Time
You need to break for moving around/stretching. You also need breaks for food, drink and bathroom breaks.

If you would like to boost your productivity, and increase your ability to calculate tasks accurately, you need to develop your tolerance for concentration. Start by blocking off fifteen minutes at a time, and force yourself to do only one task till the fifteen minutes are up. This is a huge behavior change, and it will be challenging.

Once you get into the habit of writing everything down in a single consistent location, you'll stop worrying that you're forgetting something-and you can actually concentrate on getting things done.

if you are always on time for some things, but late for others, you have the capacity to be on time. You own that skill. You are simply choosing (consciously or unconsciously) when to apply it.

some of us like to work in short concentrated bursts; others need a longer window of time. Some people like to work in isolation; other people can only get things done by working with others.
Some like last-minute pressure; others absolutely hate it. Predictable vs. Spontaneity, tight deadlines vs long lead times, busy vs slow schedule, One thing at a time vs multitasking, stewing on things vs quick decisions, silence vs background noise, dim lighting vs bright lighting

if you prefer a slower pace, you might limit your daily to-do list to three to four items. Stop trying to fight who you are.

if you're doing something at the wrong time of day when your energy level isn't quite right, you either won't do what you're supposed to or it'll take five times longer than it should.

Choose 2 or 3, NO MORE, as your big life goals
• Work
• Family
• Self
• Romance
• Friendship
• Finances
• Knowledge
• Home
• Spirituality
• Community
• Health

Are there any hours you can't account for? What do you think is going on during that time? Is there any structure to your week at all, or is every day completely out of control? Are you wasting any free time, or are your days so tightly packed that it gives you a headache? Are there tasks that might be deleted or moved to give you more hours to work with?

1. How do you spend most of your hours?
2. What departments of your life are completely neglected?
3. Is your schedule balanced?
4. Are there any surprises (i.e., you thought you spent more time with your kids than you actually do)?
5. Is there a structure to your week or is it somewhat random?
6. Are there any hours that you cannot account for?
7. Any patterns?
8. Are you happy with how you spend your time?
9. How do you decide what has to be done on a daily basis?
10. What throws your schedule off?

Pay attention to the areas that monopolize your time. Are those where your goals are the clearest?

Exercise, spending time with family, and job hunting are activities, not goals. The question is why do you want to do these things? What is the purpose of exercise? Motivation to take action comes when you see something on the other side of the activity that you really desperately want. Why exercise? To feel stronger. Why spend time with family? Because you want to feel a sense of connection.Be sure to distinguish between a big-picture goal -the point of it all - and an activity, which is what you use to get there.

life is nothing more than a series of decisions and corrections. There is no right answer.

A Time Map works similarly to a school schedule. By carving out distinct times for each of the departments of your life, you can relax and enjoy each moment. Your Time Map guides you, helping you determine whether you have time to handle an unexpected task, how much time you will devote to it, and when you will do it. When you don't have a Time Map, you have no idea what to do when. Every day is a total free-for-all. You just say yes to whatever screams loudest, with no perspective on how to prioritize incoming requests or when you should be doing things.With a Time Map, you know where each request fits into your overall plan.

A Time Map is your default template. It's the framework into which you place all the tasks that you do. It is your anchor and your compass in the storm of activity demands, and opportunities swirling around you.This kind of structure doesn't enslave you, but propels you toward your life goals and liberates you to feel good about how you spend every day.

one option is to layer activities. You can make bill-paying time more restorative by playing some fabulous classical music, spraying some aromatherapy mist into the air, and enjoying a frothy chai tea. You schedule phone calls to friends and family while washing the dishes.Don't feel like you should always layer your activ-ities. Sometimes it's nice to keep your time simple and focused.

Some people have a fear of structure, they are certain that routinizing their days would squelch their creativity and spontaneity. Others believe the concept is wholly unrealistic. By managing time better, by creating routines, I actually had more creative energy to devote to higher goals.

• A big-picture goal is a destination, what you want to achieve. (For example, fitness)
• An activity is how you get there. (For example, exercise)
• A task is a specific component of an activity. (For example, running on the treadmill, resistance training, hiking)

Seeing the connection between every item on your to-do list and your big-picture goals is essential to managing your time from the inside out. Question each and every task so that you are conscious of why you would even consider doing it. You should never put anything on your schedule that you cannot connect to one of your big-picture goals.

Sometimes we forget why we want to do certain things, especially things we don't enjoy. You can convert the have-tos into want-tos. In fact, in order to feel good about your days, you must do that. Connecting your choices to your goals gives you energy and power. You're in control.

Life doesn't always present easy choices. But once you make up your mind, take ownership of it. Connect to your choice. You'll suddenly realize how much control you really have. Attitude is everything.

Here's the bottom line: A "to-do" not connected to a "when" rarely gets done. There are so many distractions and demands on our time that if you don't carve out the specific day and time to do what's most important to you, twenty other things will fill that space.

lack of productivity that results if you do things only when you are "in the mood." The fact is that
you may never be in the mood for many of the tasks on your list. Are you ever really in the mood to go to the dentist, pay your bills, or write up an expense report? You must “assign a home” to the task, that is, schedule it

Procrastination is the biggest enemy of a successfully planned day.When you get a late start, one activity spills over into the time allotted for the next, causing a domino effect that leaves many items on your todo list undone. You compound the problem when you procrastinate by puttering around on totally meaningless tasks not related to your big picture goals

If you procrastinate about everything, it's likely that your motives are psychologically based.

If you find the idea of getting places early and waiting fills you with dread, respect that feeling. If you are late because of a fear of downtime, you'll never trick yourself into being early. Have something great to do while you wait.Fill any time you spend waiting with a highly absorbing, totally engaging task. Plan to get places early so that you can call a friend, catch up on a novel, listen to music, journal or people watch.

Prepare snacks ahead of time and eat before you start. Rather than going without food for long stretches, or running to the vending machine for a candy bar to tide you over, invest a few minutes in preparing some snacks before you start a long project.Bring a bottle of water to your desk

Keep your planner accessible at all times for jotting down thoughts that come to mind. When you don't have a single, consistent place to record the new todos that you think of or ideas you want to follow up on, it's really tempting to jump up and do them right away.

Plan to take a ten-minute break every hour to stretch

Decide which activity most effectively recharges you (going to the gym, getting a massage, making love) and make time for it. It will give you the strength you need to get through the crisis. Take care of yourself: Eat well, get enough rest and exercise.

The time and energy you spend feeling guilty can extend a less-than-productive morning into a less-than-productive day.

You are the master of your own life, and while you can't control all the events around you, you
can control your reactions to those events. Instead of dwelling on what you haven't achieved, give yourself credit for what you have been able to do.

[Bojan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time Management from the Inside Out was a great book on time management.

I got some great ideas from this book, which I’ve already used in my own life. One that has been working great for me so far is a Time Map.

My favourite aspect of the book was its non-judgemental approach to time management. Julia Morgenstern’s ideas and suggestions can work for people who have all kinds of different lives. She focuses on how people can better organise their time to help them achieve their own goals. I liked that :)

All the ideas and concepts were well-explained. I also really liked how the systems and appraoches were not rigid - there are strategies for people whose lives may be less predictable and structured, whether its due to their health, families, work, and so on.

Recommended!

[Jeanne Boyarsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I consider myself good at time management, I like to read a couple time management techniques when my life has changed in a way that no longer suits my current "system." This system doesn't come from a book although it is inspired by techniques from many places. Reading this book helped in my goal. I actually think I've read this book before many years ago. It still provided ideas, which is fine. That's the nice thing about time management. Techniques change over time to match how you work with time.

On to the book. Julie covers time's relationship with space. Which is interesting because most don't think about it that way. She covers why you must think of spatial vs electronic vs etc when choosing your system.

The standard time management techniques are in here of course. What surprised me was the emphasis on delegating because it isn't a book for managers. She brings up an excellent point though - delegating isn't just for subordinates. Trading tasks with people is a form of delegating that benefits both. As is paying someone to do something for you.

[Annie Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This is an excellent book with a plethora of good information. This isn't a "quick-tips" kind of book but rather a deep dive into your habits, challenges, personality as well as instructions on setting goals, strategies and organizing your time. I earmarked tons of pages for review and will definitely be coming back to it for re-reading and creating better habits. One thing I learned is how to better estimate the time it takes to do something - I mean REALLY looking at my calendar and writing down the estimated time it will take me to do the activities listed (ie: making phone calls, working on spreadsheet, making dinner, grocery shopping, work-out, etc.); I discovered I was regularly over-booking myself. There are only so many hours in a day. This book is useful for work or home - anyone who feels overwhelmed or wants to make better use of their time.

[April Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth and practical advice written in an engaging way. I knew a lot of this stuff but it was a great reminder and I gleaned new ideas.

What I loved:
- Simple, down to earth information
-This book encourages you to know yourself so that you can pinpoint the why behind your time management issues
- Easy to read

Read this book
- if you are new to self-help books
- if you need a reminder or boost to improve your time management issues
- Enjoy easy to read advice that you can implement in your life right away.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of this woman. I read her other book “Organizing from inside out” and felt it was the best book on decluttering I had read and after reading this book, I feel this is the best book on time management there is. The author is very succinct and to the point, she gives exact steps to follow and brief which hardly happens in self help books.
I even got DVDs of her talking on both space and time topics and loved the way she conveyed her ideas.
Loved this book. Got so many ideas for my planner.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read GUIDE for anyone that can tell time & has things to do. Full of real-life examples, practical applications, mental exercises, and motivation that can be applied in every area of life (work, home, career, family, etc) from the moment you wake until the moment you go to bed. It will help you view time differently & assist you in asking the correct questions in order to create a personalized plan that will help you achieve any goal (or all of them!) in the best way possible for your own particular circumstances.

[Nita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't I swear off self-help books? Well if I didn't, I should have. To be honest, there is some good stuff to ponder in this book. It did not, however, help me implement any of the suggestions made and left me with that all too familiar feeling of just not quite measuring up to a truly productive person's standard of existence. My issue, of course, but still. Instead of swearing, I'll just go back to swearing off self-help books.

[Janaleefish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for those needing an extra sum of time! Reading it made me aware of how much time I waste and where my efficiency can improve. Now if only I can get off my butt and implement it!! Haha! Give me some slack-I just had a a baby! I actually was given this book in a seminar for my music education business and I honestly feel that I can juggle classes, family, homeschooling, and church service callings and still plan time to have fun! The great insights in this book.

[Ashley]

JM is one of the leading authors on organization. I decided it was time to check out her books. I also have "Organization from the Inside Out", but I am waiting to read that one until I finish this one.

[Venkataraman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julie organizes Time in the same way she organizes her closet. she thinks time as tangible instead of intangible. Very good time management approach based on same formula: SPACE, as in her first book "Organizing From Inside Out". Highly recommend.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Really helps you prioritize and organize your life to achieve better life satisfaction

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago and I remember it being awesome!

[Zora · Rating 1 out of 5]

Step 1 prioritize
Step 2 keep a calendar.

That's the whole system. I saved you some time!

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me quite a while to read because I actually worked through all the processes in this book. What emerged from the other side is a custom schedule that is more balanced, focusing better on my goals, giving me permission to take care of myself and my hobbies, and is so far helping me get more done than "Getting Things Done," my other favorite time management book.

For those who are GTD followers, I found this system works well in conjunction with GTD. I use Morgenstern's Time Map as a GTD "context." So for instance, during my daily cleaning time, I work off of the next actions in my cleaning context. For hobbies, I time map the hobby (a GTD "goal") and then work off the next actions on my goal list.

With GTD I found myself spending a lot of time in the mornings deciding what I needed to work on that day. What tasks are high priority? What contexts do I need to get into today? So far, with this, my day is already planned and I can trust that everything important is being addressed. There's a spot for every context and goal. This has helped me start my day quicker, get things done faster (because I know my client time is almost done, for instance), switch between contexts faster, and quit being anxious about what I'm going to do next and if I'm doing the right thing. I feel fantastic at the end of the day after having accomplished so much. Client work, volunteering, gardening, family time, and cooking all in one day? Never possible before.

If you are currently using GTD or have used it before, you'll find this book a little easier to get through since a lot of the goal setting and "big picture" work is the same.

[MindOverMatter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice book studying time management from the point of space. I enjoyed it and already have started to implement things. Also, even though I have not read the other book of the author yet (Organizing from the Inside Out), I reorganized my office space and try to stop losing time with irrelevant things such as search or confusion and trying to find out what to do next.

I read books she refers to in the appendix, so the approach is not new to me, but she wrote about it in a nice and structured way and I did not only get reminded but also learned a lot, so that I can now, hopefully and finally implement those ideas I alread mulled over before.

It was a rather quick and simple read but I did lots of introspection before and also knew a few ideas, but not in such a nice an structured way of course and with lots of inspiration on implementation.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In-depth and practical advice written in an engaging way. I knew a lot of this stuff but it was a great reminder and I gleaned new ideas.

What I loved:
- Simple, down to earth information
-This book encourages you to know yourself so that you can pinpoint the why behind your time management issues
- Easy to read

Read this book
- if you are new to self-help books
- if you need a reminder or boost to improve your time management issues
- Enjoy easy to read advice that you can implement in your life right away.

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

80%
This book is a nice outline for how to manage our time, start with the most important things for your day first the things that need to be done that day at once, make sure you're grouping your things into organized activities so when you're in that area make sure you do all the things in that area, then move on!

Task delegation is one of the most important and valuable things think about how much your money and time are worth, if you're doing a task that you could pay someone out to do cheaper, do that!

This is a nice bare bone approach outline to time and life management.