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Rating: 
Summary: A Highway Robbery
Review: I picked up this book in nearby Borders bookstore. It looked great at first sight. And it is a good book. Most time management books are based on some strong philosophies of the authors and may be one-sided in some sense. This book emphasizes that the time management is personal, and introduces (very well) all kinds of time management philosophies and methods. The only problem that I had with this book was that the author, Marshall Cook, a professor in Univ of Wisc., did not give any credits / references to the originators. Well, while stealing from one is called as plagiarism, stealing from many is called as research. However, don't the research papers even have references in the end (to specify where they stole the ideas) ? For example, in chapter 9 of the book, the author categorizes life's activities: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, neither important nor urgent. But isn't this originated from the famous Covey's book ? Also, the book uses the same example in Covey's book too. There are other ideas in the book that I saw in other books (for example, the idea of "living in the moment" from Richard Carlson's book). And there is no credit given or any references in the end. Only if all the credits and references were given properly, this book could have been a great (and possibly one of the most useful and practical) time management book.If you want a good collection of ideas/methods of time management that are "highway robbed" from many other books, this book is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Layout not very efficient.
Review: If you can stop and examine your daily practices and how they use your time - then change the way you act, don't buy this book. There weren't very many pointers that I couldn't have come up on my own. In addition, the layout is awful. What's the point of justifying the text two inches away from the edge of the paper with quotes from the text that you are reading. There is a page summarizing what is coming up in front of every section. All of the distractions don't allow you to read it in a very timely manner. Kind of ironic. Find another time management book.
Rating:
Summary: Layout not very efficient.
Review: If you can stop and examine your daily practices and how they use your time - then change the way you act, don't buy this book. There weren't very many pointers that I couldn't have come up on my own. In addition, the layout is awful. What's the point of justifying the text two inches away from the edge of the paper with quotes from the text that you are reading. There is a page summarizing what is coming up in front of every section. All of the distractions don't allow you to read it in a very timely manner. Kind of ironic. Find another time management book.
Rating: 
Summary: Basic Information Spread Out Over 327 Pages
Review: My tip for time management is to skip this book. Assuming that one reads at about one page per minute, it's difficult to believe that one could recoup the five to six hours invested in reading this long-winded, tired, poorly written, poorly organized book in saved time. The time management pointers are very basic, and have been written about many times [this book is essentially a 'compilation' (to be polite) of past research]; the author (Marshall Cook) seems to 'borrow' liberally from many sources, and particularly from Stephen Covey's far superior '7 Habits of Highly Effective People'. I recommend '7 Habits' or Brian Tracy's 'Eat That Frog' -- a short (113 page), easy-to-read book that gives better information, but can be read in an hour or so.
Rating:
Summary: Basic Information Spread Out Over 327 Pages
Review: My tip for time management is to skip this book. Assuming that one reads at about one page per minute, it's difficult to believe that one could recoup the five to six hours invested in reading this long-winded, tired, poorly written, poorly organized book in saved time. The time management pointers are very basic, and have been written about many times [this book is essentially a 'compilation' (to be polite) of past research]; the author (Marshall Cook) seems to 'borrow' liberally from many sources, and particularly from Stephen Covey's far superior '7 Habits of Highly Effective People'. I recommend '7 Habits' or Brian Tracy's 'Eat That Frog' -- a short (113 page), easy-to-read book that gives better information, but can be read in an hour or so.
Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive (though not original)
Review: This book covers the basics of contemporary thought about time management. The author summarizes and explains many tips and tactics that are available elsewhere: however, if you only want to read one or two time management books, this one is better than many in the crowded genre. Some reviewers have complained about the format -- similar in layout to the "Idiot's Guide" and "Dummies" series -- but many readers find that headlines and sample quotes are easier to read and skim than more tightly packed text. I'm a Ph.D. psychologist who coaches academics and mid-career professionals, and for my work I've read dozens of time management books. This is a reasonable, although not stellar, addition to the pack.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive (though not original)
Review: This book covers the basics of contemporary thought about time management. The author summarizes and explains many tips and tactics that are available elsewhere: however, if you only want to read one or two time management books, this one is better than many in the crowded genre. Some reviewers have complained about the format -- similar in layout to the "Idiot's Guide" and "Dummies" series -- but many readers find that headlines and sample quotes are easier to read and skim than more tightly packed text. I'm a Ph.D. psychologist who coaches academics and mid-career professionals, and for my work I've read dozens of time management books. This is a reasonable, although not stellar, addition to the pack.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid, thorough material
Review: This book was thoroughly reserched. By the way, Steven Covey didn't invent the urgent/important issue and therefore is not the primary source. Likewise for the Richard Carlson comments. The urgent/important issue appears in EVERY good time management book and at this point is common knowledge. There is much original material in this book. As a professional writer, I know the author didn't violate any laws, so don't worry about it.
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