Never Check E-mail in the Morning: And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work

by Julie Morgenstern

Book Overview

The New York Times bestselling author, Oprah's favorite organizing expert, and America's number one problem solver presents a revolutionary book named one of the five best business books by Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines.It will help readers achieve the seemingly impossible: boost value and job security without sacrificing personal life. Morgenstern teaches innovative "grab and go" solutions that can be processed in as few as fifteen...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743250885
• ISBN13: 9780743250887
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Absolute LIFE-SAVER for the over-worked

My career had reached a point where I felt like I was running on an ever-increasing treadmill: the harder I ran, the more it would speed up. I was spending 16 hrs/day at the office, miserable, perpetually stressed... ...this book honestly saved my career (and, I'm not kidding , possibly my life -- I really think I would had eventually had a heart-attack if I would have kept up my former pace!!). TRULY useful, TRULY practical book. She even has great side-bars on "Is it me, or is it them?" to help you figure out if YOU are the problem (are you being inefficient?), OR if your managers/company are to blame (are they being unrealistic?). This adds an (I hate using this word, but here it comes) "empowering" element to the book, ON TOP of all of the amazing practical advice...if it's "them", then you know that you're not going crazy...stand up to them and demand better treatment! If you feel your career moving towards 24/7-mode, slipping out of control and taking over your life, health and emotions...please do yourself a favor and read this book!!!!

The Best Book on Work Place Productivity on the Market

The last reviewer must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed the morning he decided to review this book, because even the cover of Never Check Email in the Morning states that it was "Originally Published as Making Work Work"...and does it really matter anyway?! I can honestly say that Ms. Morgensterns' book has had a huge impact on my life...at work AND on my time off. First and foremost, her advice about never checking email the first hour of the day is genius. My first thought...wishful thinking. Being in sales I was initally hesitant to believe that this was possible in my position, and that I would lose out on client opportunities if I didn't check email immediately. But when I actually understood what my email addiction was keeping me from, was when I finally decided to give it a try. And I was AMAZED at the results. Because I am now able to use my first hour on strategic planning, my sales and client retention have actually increased! But don't get me wrong, this book has much more to offer than email advice. In fact, any one of her "grab and go" strategies will directly increase your productivity and improve your relationship to your job. More than anything, her simple strategies allow you to take back control of your workday, which in this fast paced world seems to have slipped away. And possibly more importantly, she recognizes the need for a work-life balance, giving us permission to leave work at work and use our time off to refuel ourselves with what's most important to us. I thoroughly recommend this book! It will not disappoint.

As usual, Julie Morgenstern does NOT disappoint!

I've long been a fan of Julie Morgenstern . . . her other books, ORGANIZING FROM THE INSIDE OUT and TIME MANAGEMENT FORM THE INSIDE OUT, had a big impact on me--and contained much useful information that I still use. So it was with great anticipation that I obtained and devoured her latest, MAKING WORK WORK . . . it did not disappoint! Morgenstern presents ideas and suggestions that apply to just about any situation . . . what she writes may sound basic, but it is the type thing that you need to read more than once . . . then begin to use. For example, she urges you to begin conversations with: "What can I do for you?" not "How are you?" As she notes: "How are you?" is an open invitation to chat and warm up. "What can I do for you?" immediately focuses your interrupter on getting straight to the point. It's professional and gets you both down to business. This enables you to handle the interruption in the least amount of time possible. There were several other memorable passages; among them: The only real chance you have at choosing the most important tasks begins with keeping a complete list of everything you need to do in one place. After all, prioritizing is a matter of relativity--the true question is, What's most important in relation to the other things on your list? Taken one item at a time, everything can mask itself as a critical task. Control Lateness: Use odd start times, such as 27 or 41 minutes after the hour, to control lateness. People are far less likely to be late for a meeting that starts at 11:27 than one at 11:30. Designate an official timekeeper to watch the clock for every meeting, and rotate that role among attendees. It's their responsibility to regulate the meeting so it doesn't go overtime, and they'll have an invested interest in doing a good job-they could be on the other side of the clock the next time around. Change "but" to "and." What a difference a word makes, implying a can-do, take-charge approach to problems rather than an argument. For example, a client tells you they want to bring the budget down. Instead of saying, "But that's going to compromise quality," try saying, "Okay, and that's likely to compromise quality. Where would you be most comfortable shaving costs?" Or you boss asks you to have something on his desk in two hours. Instead of saying, "But then I won't be able to meet tomorrow's deadline," try, "Okay, and if I need to do that, what should I do about tomorrow's deadline? Can someone else finish it off?" Focus on solutions, not obstacles.

It works!

As a career consultant, I often find myself frustrated with mindless career advice. So it's a treat to open this book and find some truly original ideas that I can recommend to my clients and ezine readers. And, amazingly, Morgenstern's book will be appropriate to a variety of readers and career stages. It's not just for entry-level beginners or senior vice presidents. We can all read and learn here. Happiness, says Morgenstern, means "liking what you're doing and being good at it, feeling connected, in control, successful and balanced." Now there's a realistic definition that we can work with! I like Morgenstern's listing of nine competencies. Most are straightforward and you're heard some before, but they're presented insightfully. For instance, "organize at the speed of change" and develop an "entrepreneurial mindset" have become essential in today's world; you probably know you need to delegate and work well with others, but we can never hear this message too often. Perhaps the most striking insight is, "Sometimes it's not you! Sometimes it's them holding you back." In working with live clients, I find that identifying this difference can be key to long-term career success, not to mention santiy. Other messages I support wholeheartedly: "Your personal life is an investment in your work." "Try neglecting one small task." (So true! Often nobody notices even when you neglect the big tasks!) and "Own your career so you're not a victim." Well said. This book's layout could be more visually appealing; it's not the author's fault, but the pages sometimes seem crowded. However, it's worth digging. I will be recommending this book on my ezine page and will encourage many of my clients to give themselves this book as a gift.

A Broad Set of Useful Tips

We spend a lot of time, a lot of our lives working. As such it makes sense to progress at work, get as much out of your job as you can, and above all else to enjoy working so that you are not spending so much time in an unplesant atmosphere. At first glance this book appears oriented to the female employee. As you read it, it is just as applicable to the male worker. The techniques, hints and tips are not gender specific. Most of them are oriented around work, but there is a chapter on the work/life balance. You don't want to grow older wondering where your life went. As the old saying goes, no one would want their tombstone to to read -- I should have spent more time at work. The book is filled with short and direct tips that say do this one thing. Later you can move to the next step having accomplished the first step.