Summary of Time management inside out by Julie Morgenstern

Time Management Inside Out

Julie Morgenstern has some very useful advice for anyone that is living with a busy schedule, and that includes students taking a full load of classes in colleges or universities. In Morgenstern's book, Time Management Inside Out, the author offers step-by-step instructions for those who are harried by deadlines or otherwise are unable to get important things done on time. What Morgenstern presents is almost deceivingly simplistic, but when it comes to managing time for the busy professional or the heavily involved committee person, discipline in the sense of managing time effectively is vitally important. This paper summarized the book.

Time Management Inside Out

Morgenstern is obviously a person who doesn't waste time and her aptitude for keeping things organized shows in "Part 1" -- "Laying the Foundation." Before launching into her narrative on managing time correctly, she is so sure of herself she actually takes the time to take a shot at other "time management books" that "gloss over" the nuts and bolts of managing time (Morgenstern, 2007, p. 4). Hers is a better book, she tells the reader, because hers offers the "…psychological insight" needed to "overcome" personal issues.

It is clear that people do let time get away from them. But for Morgenstern it is just a matter of "perception" of time, as most people see time in ways that doesn't allow effective time management. For example, the practical Morgenstern offers an analogy that anyone can relate to. Time is really no different from a closet, she writes. After all a closet is a very tiny, compact space that people want the change to fill up with stuff -- and time is the same thing because people want to fill time up with tasks.

The author challenges the reader over and over again in this book, like a second grade teacher demands that her pupils listen to her instructions. "Why are you reading this book?" she asks. She wants to know what is holding the reader back from managing time properly. The first chapter goes into reasons why time is not easy for the average person to manage. Is it fear of failure that holds the reader back? She constantly challenges in this way.

In "Part 2" Morgenstern asks the reader to carefully self-examine his or her lifestyle. Any reader that does not have even vague priorities might get lost in this chapter. For those whose workplace environment is a cluttered mess, and for those whom the enormous mountain of duties might paralyze and responsibilities that can never be fully completed, Morgenstern has plenty to say, and it is sometimes harsh. But she insists that if a person understands how important it is to set goals and determines what values are most important, that person will begin to see the "big picture." Everyone has the power to take ownership of their own time, but individuals first need to "create days that are meaningful and rewarding to you" and obtain "…a sense of satisfaction in each and every one of your tasks" (p. 12). "No matter how hectic life gets, the most successful people are able to rise above the chaos and keep their perspective because they have what I call big-picture goals," she explains.

"Part 3" is about strategy; that is, don't try to cram too many things into a single day or hour but instead engage in what she calls "time mapping." That simply means taking one's values ("life areas") and assigning certain pieces of time to each value. It also is helpful to pick out the kind of planner that works best. In "Part 4" Morgenstern asks the reader to go on the attack. She uses power words like "sort" and "purge" to make the point that orderliness and planning requires the dumping of bad habits. But before doing anything, she insists that each busy person should write down a list of things to do and then estimate how long each task will take. Another idea is to break down big tasks into smaller ones and quickly delve into shorter tasks immediately upon cataloguing them.

Also in "Part 4" the authors advises readers to "Attack" schedule with purposefulness and authority. Sort out the wheat from the chaff, she suggests, by assigning a "home" for each time block. Don't allow distractions to interrupt the careful agenda that you have set for yourself, she explains. That means ignoring phone calls and not answering emails that have little or nothing to do with the task you have established as a priority in any particular time frame during the day.

Every clever author has phrases and formulas to keep the reader focused on the most salient points. On pages 62-63 Morgenstern comes up with "The Wade Formula" -- a catch phrase that is actually an acronym. The "W" stands for "Write It Down" (record all the tasks before you in "one reliable location -- your planner or to-do pad") and the "A" signifies "Add It Up" (give a realistic estimate as to how long each task will take"). The "D" reminds readers to "Decide" what you are actually going to try and do on this particular day.