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Personal Productivity Secrets Do what you never thought possible with your time and attention, and regain control of your life!
Learn tried-and-tested methods for optimal personal productivity! Ever find yourself more than a bit overwhelmed by the constant influx of e-mail and reminders as well as the ever-present calendars, to-do lists, miscellaneous paper, and sticky notes? Add to that, myriad devices that were originally intended to make us more efficient, but in reality, only end up forcing us to juggle even more. Our brains aren't wired for all this, but we can learn to be productive. Personal Productivity Secrets gives you everything you need to know to be organized, in control, and to get things
Personal Productivity Secrets is half business book, making the case for why attention management is more important than time management. It's also half handbook, providing a step-by-step guide to a proven workflow management system for peak productivity and attention management, along with instructions on how to apply that methodology to the technology you're already using. It reveals updated and vital information for controlling your attention, achieving your significant results, and being as productive as you can be in a fast-paced, technology-driven society.
Resources for the reader are available at personal-productivity-secrets.com
Personal Productivity Secrets is half business book, making the case for why attention management is more important than time management. It's also half handbook, providing a step-by-step guide to a proven workflow management system for peak productivity and attention management, along with instructions on how to apply that methodology to the technology you're already using. It reveals updated and vital information for controlling your attention, achieving your significant results, and being as productive as you can be in a fast-paced, technology-driven society.
Resources for the reader are available at personal-productivity-secrets.com
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
50 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Maura Nevel Thomas
8 books12 followersMaura Nevel Thomas is an award-winning international speaker and trainer on individual and corporate productivity and work-life balance, and the most widely-cited authority on attention management. Her proprietary Empowered Productivity™ System has been embraced by the likes of the NASA, Dyson, and Google. She's ranked in the Top 10 Time Management Professionals in the World, and was named a Top Leadership Speaker by Inc. Magazine. She's also a TEDx Speaker and the author of six best-selling books. Maura is frequently featured in major business outlets including Business Insider, Fast Company, and the Washington Post, and she’s also a regular contributor to both Forbes and the Harvard Business Review, with articles there viewed over a million times.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 18, 2017
--- Update, one year after I first wrote this review ---
I moved this book from 5 (amazing read) stars to 3 stars (kind of nice).
Motivational speakers and time management gurus are like New Year: they bring their load of inspiration for change, and this inspiration has a short life expectancy. After trying out a revolutionary promising lifestyle for a while, sooner or later our previous habits just take it over again. That may explain why I moved this book from 5 stars to 3. Lifestyle/self help isn't really my thing anymore.
Anyway, Personal Productivity Secrets was a nice read that had on me some minor yet durable changes:
- the idea that multitasking is nothing but switching our monotasking processor back and forth between several tasks. Avoid it. Do you remember last time you turned down the radio in your car because you were lost? Our brain is not good at dividing its attention.
- the brain dump. Just take a paper and a pen, isolate yourself, and write down *everything* that you have to do. Following the book the next step is then to sort that list on priorities, categories, etc, but I don't go that far. Just dumping my brain on paper is a very calming experience, I usually do it before going to bed.
- email management, although I already got it from https://ploum.net/stay-on-top-of-your...
- how creativity most often comes when you are not distracted by your electronic devices.
Globally, Maura Thomas has some very practical tips for everyday's life and has some nice analogies to get them through.
To give the entire picture I also have to mention that while reading this book I had started using a to do list manager software and configured it as described in the book. That thing didn't work out for me, and the only to do lists I use these days are for groceries or simple stuff.
One last thing, I want to mention The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. If you are fed up with all the motivational talk they sell in your self help shelve, you will love this book.
--- Original review ---
I already read a couple of time-management books but Personal Productivity Secrets really changed my mind. Through very easy and practical advices, Maura guides you into seeing the world with different eyes. (e.g.: "have you noticed how brilliant ideas you come up to in the shower? Maybe it is because you don't bring your e-mail and all your electronic devices with you!" or "you can only manage what you see, and what you see is out of your head")
In her book, Maura Thomas invites you to adopt a new methodology with regard to achieving your goals and getting in control of all the things that happen in your life. She goes even further by showing how to implement her methodology on existing softwares.
Her book is very well written with an intro and a summary restating the key points of every chapter. Even more, she has summarized her all methodology down into a 10 e-mails newsletter. She definitely masters her topic and is passionate about it. If you need a proof of this just watch her in video ( http://youtu.be/DLmgkHy2-rE )
I highly recommend her book to everyone who wants to regain control over his life.
I moved this book from 5 (amazing read) stars to 3 stars (kind of nice).
Motivational speakers and time management gurus are like New Year: they bring their load of inspiration for change, and this inspiration has a short life expectancy. After trying out a revolutionary promising lifestyle for a while, sooner or later our previous habits just take it over again. That may explain why I moved this book from 5 stars to 3. Lifestyle/self help isn't really my thing anymore.
Anyway, Personal Productivity Secrets was a nice read that had on me some minor yet durable changes:
- the idea that multitasking is nothing but switching our monotasking processor back and forth between several tasks. Avoid it. Do you remember last time you turned down the radio in your car because you were lost? Our brain is not good at dividing its attention.
- the brain dump. Just take a paper and a pen, isolate yourself, and write down *everything* that you have to do. Following the book the next step is then to sort that list on priorities, categories, etc, but I don't go that far. Just dumping my brain on paper is a very calming experience, I usually do it before going to bed.
- email management, although I already got it from https://ploum.net/stay-on-top-of-your...
- how creativity most often comes when you are not distracted by your electronic devices.
Globally, Maura Thomas has some very practical tips for everyday's life and has some nice analogies to get them through.
To give the entire picture I also have to mention that while reading this book I had started using a to do list manager software and configured it as described in the book. That thing didn't work out for me, and the only to do lists I use these days are for groceries or simple stuff.
One last thing, I want to mention The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. If you are fed up with all the motivational talk they sell in your self help shelve, you will love this book.
--- Original review ---
I already read a couple of time-management books but Personal Productivity Secrets really changed my mind. Through very easy and practical advices, Maura guides you into seeing the world with different eyes. (e.g.: "have you noticed how brilliant ideas you come up to in the shower? Maybe it is because you don't bring your e-mail and all your electronic devices with you!" or "you can only manage what you see, and what you see is out of your head")
In her book, Maura Thomas invites you to adopt a new methodology with regard to achieving your goals and getting in control of all the things that happen in your life. She goes even further by showing how to implement her methodology on existing softwares.
Her book is very well written with an intro and a summary restating the key points of every chapter. Even more, she has summarized her all methodology down into a 10 e-mails newsletter. She definitely masters her topic and is passionate about it. If you need a proof of this just watch her in video ( http://youtu.be/DLmgkHy2-rE )
I highly recommend her book to everyone who wants to regain control over his life.
February 24, 2013
Maura Nevel Thomas gives clear ideas for attention management strategies which does not focus so much on how we organize our time but how we learn to control the constant access to data in our lives. The first chapter lays out the idea that today's technology can create an Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD effect on anyone who does not control the flow of data they receive. In chapter 2 Thomas suggests productivity is achieving your goals based on S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely goals. So how does one organize the data? By adopting an organization method either Alphabetically, by Size, by Location, by Time, by Category, or by Tasks for Action. Always have a calendar that is 60% planned and leave the other 40% for the unexpected. Thomas outlines the T.E.S.S.T decision process to help individuals wade through the information they organize. This stands for Take immediate action , Empower yourself and others, Suspend it to your Next Actions, Store it for future reference, and Trash or recycle it. She devotes whole chapters to the praises and pitfall of emails and offers some great suggestions on how you can 'get it down to zero,' a highly sought after goal in productivity which eliminates email as a distraction but maintains its use as a tool only. Chapter 15 finally addresses the work culture and how individuals must adapt to the work culture but try new ways to not let long meetings or a undefined email policy slow them down.
August 14, 2012
I've read my share of self-help/ organizing/ time management books and this is one of the first that truly changed the way my day-to-day life works. From easy little tips I just hadn't thought of to big, paradigm-shifting ideas that will have a long-term impact, this book is packed with useful, actionable ideas to change your process.
A must-read for anyone who's email inbox hasn't been empty in years, or who struggles to organize, index and archive the never-ending flow of paper and digital clutter.
A must-read for anyone who's email inbox hasn't been empty in years, or who struggles to organize, index and archive the never-ending flow of paper and digital clutter.
March 9, 2021
Q:
In the field of psychology, there is a concept called intermittent reinforcement that helps us to understand the challenges created by twenty-first century technology. To illustrate this idea, imagine a mouse in a cage. If you drop a food pellet into the cage at the same time every day, the mouse eventually begins to look for the pellet only at the expected time. If, however, you distribute the food pellet at random times throughout the day, the mouse soon begins to look for the pellet virtually all the time. That’s intermittent reinforcement. The mouse doesn’t know when the reward will come, so it is driven to check frequently. Busy people with access to many communication tools exhibit the same type of drive. Email, voicemail, and other forms of communication bring good news, neutral news, and sometimes bad news, and we never know which it will be, or when it will come, which creates a strong temptation to check for updates continuously. (c)
In the field of psychology, there is a concept called intermittent reinforcement that helps us to understand the challenges created by twenty-first century technology. To illustrate this idea, imagine a mouse in a cage. If you drop a food pellet into the cage at the same time every day, the mouse eventually begins to look for the pellet only at the expected time. If, however, you distribute the food pellet at random times throughout the day, the mouse soon begins to look for the pellet virtually all the time. That’s intermittent reinforcement. The mouse doesn’t know when the reward will come, so it is driven to check frequently. Busy people with access to many communication tools exhibit the same type of drive. Email, voicemail, and other forms of communication bring good news, neutral news, and sometimes bad news, and we never know which it will be, or when it will come, which creates a strong temptation to check for updates continuously. (c)
January 20, 2022
I gave this 5 stars because the author was ahead of her time with this research and advice. A lot of the technology recommendations don't age well (which is to be expected), and yet the concepts of: getting your to-dos out of your head and into a system; keeping everything in one place; and breaking up tasks into clear next actions remain the key to being truly productive. I have implented Maura's Empowered Productivity system using Google calendar, Gmail and the ToDoIst app (which she now recommends over Remember the Milk), and have never felt more in control over my work day and my life. This system requires commitment and practice, but once you figure out the best tools for your needs and develop the habit of effectively managing your "PIM" every day, it is truly game changing.
August 23, 2022
The book is bigger than it needs to be. It repeats the author's advice multiple times. Other parts of the book describe specific features of old versions of email and calendar tools, making the book rather dated in places. Overall a reader would benefit more from a timeless classic like Getting Things Done.
December 31, 2019
Creo que es un libro innecesariamente largo. Sus consejo en general son elementales, quizá útiles para quienes se acercan por primera vez a su contenido. Puede que sea obligado para los estudiantes de administración o los que se desempeñan como empleados en una empresa.
April 9, 2021
Much of the useful content here will be familiar to anyone who has read David Allen's Getting Things Done. Unfortunately, much of what is unique to this book is out of date at this point because of changes/advancements in technology.
November 24, 2021
Good list of tips but is a bit outdated.
November 7, 2012
First a full disclosure. Maura Thomas, the author of this book, is a good friend of mine. She has trained me on her productivity methods and even asked me for a quote for the opening pages of this book.
I'm a bit of an organizational geek and I'm constantly tweaking the way I work in an attempt to be more productive, better organized, and less stressed. Maura's books resonated with me because she avoids the pitfall of recommending the latest and greatest fads in time management. Instead, she focuses on the underlying, fundamentals of being productive and happy in this modern, frenetic world.
Maura's book covers three major topics:
1. Attention management and why its more important than time management. Maura sets the foundation for her productivity system on a solid foundation of well-documented research.
2. The Empowered Productivity System. This is Maura's process for getting you organized and productive. You'll see aspects of other productivity systems in Maura's approach, namely David Allen's "Getting Things Done" approach. But Maura's system is, in my opinion, more practical to implement and ultimately more effective.
3. Tools. Maura focuses a significant portion of this book on the tools needed to make her system work. Given the ever-changing landscape of software tools available, this is no easy feat. But Maura nets everything down to the essentials. She doen't dictate a singular approach, instead she guides you through the process of selecting a tool set that's best for you.
What sets this book apart from other time management books is Maura's understanding that managing your attention and energy is more important that simply managing tasks. Through a thorough understanding of her topic and lots of research, Maura shows why most people who engage in traditional time management programs show poor results and little improvement in their productivity or happiness.
One of my favorite parts of this books are Maura's reading recommendations. She is clearly a student of her subject and not afraid to promote the work of other thinkers who have contributed innovative ideas. I have read many of the recommended blog posts and a few of the books that Maura recommends and they have all been excellent.
Overall, a great read. Highly recommended.
I'm a bit of an organizational geek and I'm constantly tweaking the way I work in an attempt to be more productive, better organized, and less stressed. Maura's books resonated with me because she avoids the pitfall of recommending the latest and greatest fads in time management. Instead, she focuses on the underlying, fundamentals of being productive and happy in this modern, frenetic world.
Maura's book covers three major topics:
1. Attention management and why its more important than time management. Maura sets the foundation for her productivity system on a solid foundation of well-documented research.
2. The Empowered Productivity System. This is Maura's process for getting you organized and productive. You'll see aspects of other productivity systems in Maura's approach, namely David Allen's "Getting Things Done" approach. But Maura's system is, in my opinion, more practical to implement and ultimately more effective.
3. Tools. Maura focuses a significant portion of this book on the tools needed to make her system work. Given the ever-changing landscape of software tools available, this is no easy feat. But Maura nets everything down to the essentials. She doen't dictate a singular approach, instead she guides you through the process of selecting a tool set that's best for you.
What sets this book apart from other time management books is Maura's understanding that managing your attention and energy is more important that simply managing tasks. Through a thorough understanding of her topic and lots of research, Maura shows why most people who engage in traditional time management programs show poor results and little improvement in their productivity or happiness.
One of my favorite parts of this books are Maura's reading recommendations. She is clearly a student of her subject and not afraid to promote the work of other thinkers who have contributed innovative ideas. I have read many of the recommended blog posts and a few of the books that Maura recommends and they have all been excellent.
Overall, a great read. Highly recommended.
October 21, 2020
There are a few things in life that I collect. I collect big things like antique tractors, I collect fond memories, and among other things, I collect ideas and tips to become more productive.
Because of that third item, I am drawn to books on enhancing and growing our productivity. While I am more productive than many people, I know that there are certainly ways I could make a bigger impact by becoming even more productive.
That’s why I purchased this book.
I wanted a nugget or two, not just to collect, but to use. So while the title enticed me, it was the background of the author (who I do not know) that intrigued me more. She’s a speaker, trainer writer and consultant in the area of productivity, and has been doing that nearly 20 years. That led me to believe that there would be practical stuff here, presented in a way I could apply it.
Thankfully, I was right.
There is much here I knew (and thankfully quite a bit that I do, or do a version of that works for me), but there were more than a few nuggets that I am already starting to use. And while the book talks about technology tools a bit, not in a way that will make the book obsolete as tools change, and the whole book isn’t a pick all the right apps free-for-all.
Rather than sharing my nuggets I got (because yours might be different), I encourage you to pick up this book and put it to use. The progression of the book is clear and makes sense, but after reading the first couple of chapters, you can easily move to the areas you most want help and ideas.
If you want to become more productive, this book can help point you in the right direction. I had it on my nightstand. For the next few weeks it will be on my desk as a reference while I put some of the ideas to complete use.
- See more at: http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/perso...
Because of that third item, I am drawn to books on enhancing and growing our productivity. While I am more productive than many people, I know that there are certainly ways I could make a bigger impact by becoming even more productive.
That’s why I purchased this book.
I wanted a nugget or two, not just to collect, but to use. So while the title enticed me, it was the background of the author (who I do not know) that intrigued me more. She’s a speaker, trainer writer and consultant in the area of productivity, and has been doing that nearly 20 years. That led me to believe that there would be practical stuff here, presented in a way I could apply it.
Thankfully, I was right.
There is much here I knew (and thankfully quite a bit that I do, or do a version of that works for me), but there were more than a few nuggets that I am already starting to use. And while the book talks about technology tools a bit, not in a way that will make the book obsolete as tools change, and the whole book isn’t a pick all the right apps free-for-all.
Rather than sharing my nuggets I got (because yours might be different), I encourage you to pick up this book and put it to use. The progression of the book is clear and makes sense, but after reading the first couple of chapters, you can easily move to the areas you most want help and ideas.
If you want to become more productive, this book can help point you in the right direction. I had it on my nightstand. For the next few weeks it will be on my desk as a reference while I put some of the ideas to complete use.
- See more at: http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/perso...
August 14, 2012
I'm the author of this book and I'm really proud of it. I've been teaching and refining the techniques in the book for almost 10 years and the most common feedback I receive is, "you've changed my life." Don't forget to sign up for the free email implementation coaching program when you read it, as that will help you to put what you learn into practice. Feel free to call or email if you have questions. All my contact information is available on the book website at www.personal-productivity-secrets.com. Thanks and happy reading!
January 28, 2013
This is a good book to start with if you're looking for a guide to organize yourself digitally using tools like outlook, mac or google. The processes from the Empowered Productivity System is a good way to start your organizing process. For me, I already had a system in place organizing my day to day using outlook, so this book just confirmed that the processes I implemented was going on the right track. I implemented some ideas from Maura that could improve my day to day productivity. Good, quick, basic guide for starters.
April 3, 2014
I don't like books with big screenshots and step by step instructions, outdated app lists (feel free to cut at least 40% of a book) and long explanations (all contents might be summarized on 4 pages) = 2 stars
I like books that shows me that I already do all in the most efficient way :))) so one more star for that
I like books that shows me that I already do all in the most efficient way :))) so one more star for that
February 24, 2014
Awesome book. Talks about an implementation using tools availalble on various operating systems today and stratight to the point. Really liked it.
Here's my version of the system that I follow now: http://rahulpnath.com/blog/staying-or...
Here's my version of the system that I follow now: http://rahulpnath.com/blog/staying-or...
December 23, 2012
It's a good book, and while in parts it seems like most of the method is in essence Gtd, this book was more readable to me than David Allen's original "Getting Things Done".
April 7, 2014
Skip this book
if you have read any GTD books by David Allen then this book is not worth your time...all the same stuff.
if you have read any GTD books by David Allen then this book is not worth your time...all the same stuff.
Want to read
September 26, 2014- shares similar ideas with David Allen's GTD
- "Multitasking works only when you are involved in separate tasks that do not require much mental effort"
- "Multitasking works only when you are involved in separate tasks that do not require much mental effort"
November 22, 2014
Very practical to follow to plan your days week and manage your time
July 9, 2015
A good read but not a golden bullet.
Some nuggets of useful advice are included in the widely discussed and in this book, overly repetitive discussion of the issues wit the pace of modern life.
Some nuggets of useful advice are included in the widely discussed and in this book, overly repetitive discussion of the issues wit the pace of modern life.
May 28, 2016
Have some interesting tips but also a lot of of fillers that are useless.
March 14, 2014
Good practical information, useful tips
August 8, 2014
Audiobook-very good tips on controlling your attention!
Read
February 19, 2019650.11 T4594 2012
Read
May 9, 2019It works
Actually read this two years ago, still using everything in this book and it has made me efficient each day of my life!!!
Actually read this two years ago, still using everything in this book and it has made me efficient each day of my life!!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews