Obsessed With Time

I have so many obsessions, I had to become obsessed with time management to fit them all in.

No, seriously. I’ve read so many time management books over the past year, I feel like I could write my own time management book.

But I don’t have time, so here are my favorites.

The Three Secrets to Effective Time Investment by Elizabeth Grace Saunders
If you read only one book about time management, make it this one. Elizabeth Grace Saunders is direct and to the point (something to be appreciated in a book about managing your time). Her three “secrets” are (taken from the book description):

1. Clarify Action-Based Priorities — Determine what’s most important to you and define exactly what you will do to invest in those priorities

2. Set Realistic Expectations — Shift expectations of yourself and others from the realm of the ideal to the realm of the possible

3. Strengthen Simple Routines — Develop healthy habits so the flow of your life moves effortlessly toward your highest goals.

Saunders explains each of these ideas and gives her readers the tools to achieve them. This book is also available as an eBook.

Manage Your Day-to-Day edited by Jocelyn Glei
This collection of short essays is aimed at artists, writers and creators of all kinds–including you, even if you don’t think your job is creative. Each essay, which is only a few pages long, proposes one actionable step you can take to do more of your best work and less busywork. Each chapter has a “key takeaway” section that summarizes the proposed actions. I also like the other books in this series, Make Your Mark and Maximize Your Potential.

Time Management for the Creative Person by Lee Silber
One caveat for this book: It’s from the ‘90s. So the technology sections are a bit out of date. But the principles Silber puts forward are still applicable, and even more so now that we all have tiny computers in our pockets that we can use to record memos, take notes and photos and look up quick facts. My favorite aspect of this book is that Silber suggests a number of strategies to help you get organized and save time in different aspects of your life, and encourages readers to try a number of things to find something that works for them.

-Kelly