How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life

There are a handful of good insights in Alan Lakein's How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life, and really, that's what makes the whole effort worthwhile even though most of the advice is sophomoric at best. Granted, I'm reviewing the original 1973 edition so I wouldn't be playing fair if I judged a self-help guide 40 years out of date. Not taking into account the later editions of Lakein's book—I haven't read any of them—I'll instead focus on what he does get right in this version.

His best advice is to assign priorities to tasks, which use the easy designations of A, B or C (A=most important and so forth), and then strive to do more A's and fewer C's at any given time. Simple in concept, yes, but most do not even come close to doing this successfully. Next, we are to set aside time each week for planning these tasks and priorities. Preferably this is done more frequently, such as daily. And the most effective way of getting things done, according to Lakein and from my own experience, is the daily to-do list. Again, a simple idea that takes practice to do well. Identifying your A, B and C priorities is just half of it; using your time wisely to complete them is another. And lastly, do not lose sight of your long-term goals. These are the low-urgency, high-importance dreams that are forever being pushed off to another day. Make a conscious effort to revisit them often.

The rest of the book is not much more than a series of motivational pep talks, each becoming less and less relevant. Feel free to skim. ( )

I got this book a long time ago. I read and used it ever since. For a while, I used to keep spare copies to hand out to overwhelmed friends.

I'm going to check Amazon to see if the revisions are worth it.

Favorite book.

Some very good ideas. ( )

Around 1980, I had a 1 hour course for which this book was the text. It had a profound positive effect on my career and success. ( )