[.ca] The Organized Executive (ISBN 0446676969)

A Job Saver:
I was promoted at work and inherited a one-person office in which paperwork was simply scooped up and thrown in banker's boxes by the previous management. You can't imagine the chaos. I had few organizational skills of my own (having always just followed someone else's plan), and no assistant. I got this book about the time that I found out I was getting a government audit of these messed-up files in 6 weeks. I would not have a job if it wasn't for this book. It taught me, a first-time manager, how to assess what needed to be done, how to prioritize (I don't have to do all the stressful things first!), how to break down and schedule projects, and how to follow-up with the (non-administrative) employees I have. I got the office and files ready, despite being out one of the weeks with whiplash, and passed the audit with flying colors. This isn't just about what to name your files. My desk is clean, I know where all my files and important papers are, and my reports have been on time. If disorganization is wasting your time, buy this book.

Highly Recommended!:
Even if you are an accomplished executive, take a few moments to browse the pages of this organizational classic. In short, this book is everything a time-management system should be; it suggests scores of simple-to-implement strategies that can quickly improve your efficiency and effectiveness. This revised edition has been updated to incorporate electronic advances, even if some of the tools mentioned have already been rendered obsolete. We \o...\c recommend this book to anyone who has ever complained about having too much work or too little time.

Great book on organizing yourself:
I bought this book thinking it would be just another book on cleaning out your mess type of talk. I've been there and done that, but seeing some of the content first I realized there was more to it. I have gotten several tips from the book that will help me a lot. For example, having a file for a staff meeting to collect ideas of things to talk about for an agenda. The only problem is that the book is very centered around filing and paper, and not enough on the electronic systems. Everything mentioned with regards to paper files can be used on a computer as well, but I think this book needs yet another update to get into more details. Overall, I really liked this book, must be a compulsion for organization on my part!

Disappointing....:
This book has no great insights, and spends to much time telling you what a disk drive is, rather than discussing a system to help you manage a flow of information and materials. It should have been a paragraph, rather than a book. Keep a to do list, figure out a filing system, delegate what you can, make a decision on what you cannot delegate, do not just pile it up. Thats about it, I expected more.

A Classic Text, Superficially Updated:
The cover claims that the book has been "revised and updated for the digital age," but Winston's information on technological tools is both superficial and already dated. The term, "PDA," does not even appear in the index.