Surviving Information Overload: The Clear, Practical Guide to Help You Stay on Top of What You Need to Know

Rating:
Summary: Concise, practical, easy to read
Review: I am not by nature a person who likes to organize information and papers and processes, but I have to do it in order to be productive. This book makes it painless for the organizationally challenged. Kevin obviously knows his stuff and likes to be simple in his advice. Anyone who is either an organizational fanatic or a helpless "where did I put that?" will enjoy and benefit from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Miller Gets It!
Review: This is a great book, though the title is an understatement. More than surviving information overload, it's about conquering information overload--learning how to use information to maximize your life without becoming a slave to technology. Kevin Miller has a technique for just about everything, from managing email to surfing the internet (he shows you which search engine to use for what purpose) to organizing your office to prioritizing your day...and, subsequently, your life. I found the second chapter, "Selecting Your Key Information Areas" most helpful; through a simple five question survey I was able to define and refine my list of professional and personal priorities--and I was able to pinpoint which areas need pruning. Also helpful is chapter four, "How To Turn Information Into Results," which shows how to put information to work by focusing on action steps related to each meeting and each project. Though there are hundreds of tips and practical pointers in this book, "Surviving Information Overload" is a quick and easy read. What's more, Kevin's foreword gives you permission to skip some sections and skim others. "You don't have to finish this book. Read only as much as you find helpful," he says. Actually, being able to skip and skim is a sign you're getting the hang of Miller's method--there's no point in trying to sort information you have no use for. For me, however, I read the whole thing.

Rating:
Summary: Conquering Information Overload
Review: This is a great book, though the title is an understatement. More than surviving information overload, it's about conquering information overload--learning how to use information to maximize your life without becoming a slave to technology. Kevin Miller has a technique for just about everything, from managing email to surfing the internet (he shows you which search engine to use for what purpose) to organizing your office to prioritizing your day...and, subsequently, your life. I found the second chapter, "Selecting Your Key Information Areas" most helpful; through a simple five question survey I was able to define and refine my list of professional and personal priorities--and I was able to pinpoint which areas need pruning. Also helpful is chapter four, "How To Turn Information Into Results," which shows how to put information to work by focusing on action steps related to each meeting and each project. Though there are hundreds of tips and practical pointers in this book, "Surviving Information Overload" is a quick and easy read. What's more, Kevin's foreword gives you permission to skip some sections and skim others. "You don't have to finish this book. Read only as much as you find helpful," he says. Actually, being able to skip and skim is a sign you're getting the hang of Miller's method--there's no point in trying to sort information you have no use for. For me, however, I read the whole thing.

Rating:
Summary: Miller Gets It!
Review: Working in a publishing company, the author, Kevin Miller surely knows about information overload. And his book proves he has figured out how to cope with it. What to save,skip, read or file are constant challenges in my small business world. This book gives me a framework and great tips. Practical stuff. Worth picking up--and saving!