Find More Time: How to Get Things Done at Home, Organize Your Life, and Feel Great about It

I have two of her productivity books, and recently saw her speak. I can only say this- she knows her stuff! Her systems are lifesavers and best of all she lives by the systems she teaches. Her books are the most fun read of any 'organizer'type books I have found (I have shelves of them that I started but never finished because they bored me or made no sense). Recently I had the opportunity to be at a training where Laura spoke on organization and finding more time, I attended two of her sessions and they were incredible. She has a terrific sense of humor and so many great examples. And unlike those speakers who spend their time selling their merchandise or systems, you really know she is there because she wants to help people enhance their ability to get organized. I highly reccomend her as a speaker for any event you have.

This book is different than Laura's first book, Leave the Office Earlier, which focused on workplace productivity skills. Many books teach how to be more productive at work, but this is one of the few that applies productivity concepts to the home. I particularly like the quick read format. After taking an 80-item productivity assessment, you can "jump" right to the chapters and sections you need most and start reading there. Men and women alike will be able to use the ideas in this book to improve personal productivity at home and get more done than ever before. If you're trying to juggle work, kids, chores, shopping, errands, cleaning, and household projects, this book will help you find more time to enjoy your life!

I have both Find More Time and Leave the Office Earlier and I find them both different and extremely helpful! After reading Find More Time, I began to finally realize: I will never get it all done. This was a harsh reality, but what I discovered was that I don't need more hours in the day---I just need different habits. Ms. Stack's book helped me realize I DO have the time, but I'm not always using it well. Through some small adjustments in the way I organize my time, errands, paperwork, and space, I'm become more efficient in several ways and have tweaked several old habits to make them more effective. Being more productive at home has even helped me find more "me" time, and with two young children, that's tough to do! For the first time in a long time, I'm putting my head on the pillow at night with a sense of accomplishment. One last thing, there are some great tips that are easy to implement right now. I love the tip of putting the kids snacks on lower shelves within the refrigerator and cabinets so they can serve themselves, it has made us all feel empowered!

I've been procrastinating about getting rid of clutter around the house...it just seemed overwhelming. Just finished Laura's book "Find More Time" and found lots of useful ideas to get me motivated. Laura is very specific on how to evaluate what's holding you back and then provides checklists and links to get you started. It's also an enjoyable read that helped me picture Laura's family and how, by working together, they get to spend more time doing things they enjoy.

Bottom-line: Well worth your precious time! You know the author understands today's fast-paced work environment and family situation when in the introduction she suggests that you take her 80-item quiz to discover your areas of weakness and then go straight to the most needed chapters without having to read the entire book. However, you WILL want to read this entire book. Here's why: The author has chosen a clever "house" metaphor to describe the eight pillars that support your life: plans, priorities, personality, pests (timewasters), possessions, paper, post (your job), play. Within each of those chapters, she gets VERY specific with quizzes to create self-awareness about how we sabotage ourselves and our time. That is, once you become aware of what keeps you from spending time as you intend, she gives plenty of concrete how-tos that you can use immediately to change the picture--everything from how to sleep better at night so you accomplish more the next day at work, ... how to save time on the telephone,...how to stop making excuses for watching TV every night when you need to redecorate the bedroom, ... how to organize your photo album collection. Whether you're a slacker or a productivity guru already, you can certainly pick up many valuable pointers from this book to make sure you achieve your goals--for a day or a lifetime.