Getting Out from Under: A Powerful Program for Personal Change

Heard the abridged version of GETTING OUT FROM UNDER bybest-selling organizational guru Stephanie Winston . . . it was sogood that I now want to go back and get the book so I can readall her practical ideas . . . I've enjoyed Winston before (her GETTINGORGANIZED is considered a classic in the field) . . . this latesteffort switches her from writing about "things" to helping you restructure your life to meet the conflicting demands on both your time and energy.I appreciated the fact that she reminded me about the constantneed to TRAF; i.e., when you have paper, you can only toss it,refer it to somebody else, , act on it or file it . . . this, of course,is often easier said than done . . . but I shall try to do so! . . . inaddition, i appreciated being introduced to her BOAT acronymfor breaking very big life goals into a system of organized tasks . . . all you need to do is brainstorm what needs to be done, organize a strategy for getting it done, add tasks toyour daily list to get it done, and then time spread these tasks.

I must have every book Winston has written, and I've definitely profited by them.This book is a little harder to grasp because (1) you are not moving THINGS but ordering your TIME and (2) you don't always have control over other people as you would your filing cabinet and closets. Winston does deal with time robbers and emergencies--which are some of those uncontrollable things, and give good hints for organizing your day.I think it is a bit ambitious to include job changing in such a book , but since this is a task that you must make time for and that many people find hard to schedule because of inertia or unwillingness or the unpleasantness of getting going on a job search, I suppose it is just as well that this topic is covered. But for job hunting, you'd probably need a more specific book.

Winston dealt with the external clutter in our lives in her first few books. In this book she effectively tackles the internal clutter which leaves us feeling scattered and unfulfilled. She does this by performing "time triage" in the three main sections of the book. First, she deals with emergency situations in people's schedules, citing examples from her clients and offering suggestions and strategies on how to add time to your day immediately. Then she moves on to "Examine Your Personal Universe" and guides you through creating a solar system technique to help clarify what's really important in your life. Finally, she reveals methods for acting on what you learned about yourself in the solar system exercise. The book is clear and well-written. So why just 4 stars? Perhaps too much ground is covered too quickly, from cooperative housing to changing jobs, but her ideas are a good launching pad for effecting life changes. I needed more help with basic time robbers and did not get enough help there, but the exercises in values clarification were quite helpful. The book does live up to its subtitle: "Redefining Your Priorities in an Overwhelming World."