Authors: Jim Claitor and Colleen Contreras

ISBN:  0-9776200-0-X

This wonderful book is divided into three sections -- How to Make Time Your Friend; Mastering the E-Factor; and Clean Desk/Messy Desk - Personalized Solutions for Mastering Your Workload.

Written by two authors from either end of the spectrum when it comes to clean/messy desks -- it is great to see that there are ways to survive. This means that even when life is happening all around you, there's still a way to stay on track. I like that idea.

The first chapter is "How To Make Time Your Friend." Time management is sometimes difficult for busy people. In this chapter, I was able to understand the importance of actually taking a lunch break, getting out of my chair to stretch, and that I should "close my eyes and breathe slowly for a minute." This was all to break the cycle of "circular thinking" -- "I'll have to work harder, there is too much to do," and "that's just the way it is" way of thinking. I also learned that it's important to have a screen saver (that is a place I would like to be, for example) and that I should not "lean on coffee, tea, or other caffeinated drinks."

The best chapter is the "monster" segment. It is chapter two and it seems the monster has keys to our office and personal life! Questions that prompt you to think -- do you spend too much time getting organized and less time on more important issues; does your to-be-filed pile stack become piles? Do you have a difficult time saying the "N" word? (No) Do your friends believe you have fallen off the face of the earth because they never hear from you -- because you’re working extra hours and weekends? If any of these sound like your life -- you may want to run and pick up "Build The Life You Want and still have Time To Enjoy It!"

In the book, we are not encouraged to change everything overnight. In fact, one thing a month to work on is a sufficient start to the adjustments. Work is important to us, but sometimes we miss out on our outside-work life. We are often overwhelmed and certainly over-committed -- in the book, we are able to examine our own work styles and choose what will work for us so that we can have the life we want. The reader may even learn a new thing or two about what drives them to be the way they are (important when making the changes to have a better life). Once we have tried the tools and techniques outlined in "Build The Life You Want," we should then be able to value our own personal styles.

This book is written with a sense of humor and a few cartoons to make the point. It was a fun read and I walked away with a few tips and techniques that I never thought of to help me manage my time better -- so I can get more out of my work life and still have time to enjoy my personal time.

The above review was contrbuted by:  Sue Vogan, Writer & Author of NCO-No Compassion Observed: To read more of Sue's reviews Click Here