How to be a Productivity Ninja UPDATED EDITION: Worry Less, Achieve More and Love What You Do

So for many years within the corporate world, I had literally been a slave to my inbox. I receive perhaps 250 emails a day, have a senior role which is about a lot more than dealing with emails all day and I got to the point that I couldn't see the wood for the trees. It was very stressful and I knew it was impacting my effectiveness and decision-making.After doing a Coaching qualification, I realised there had to be another way (there always is!) and I searched on Amazon for a book to read on my holiday to try and bring some order back to my life. Stumbled across this book, thought the reviews looked a bit too good to be true, but ever the optimist, bought it anyway.Within half an hour of starting the book, I was literally itching to get logged on and stuck into that email file. The book is written in a style that is real and felt so resonant to my challenges that it was like the author was in my head! It's all very straightforward, with quite a directive style (for those of us who need telling that what we are doing at the moment just isn't working!) with a lovely balance of humour. It all seemed very do-able and indeed it was - after returning from holiday and half a day sorting my email folders with lots of coffee and biscuits I have never looked bad. Now I know what I'm doing, nothing escapes me and I'm totally in control of the information flying into my inbox all day. Its very freeing and has massively helped me.If you'd asked me 18 months ago if buying a book about managing emails could have such an impact, I would have laughed. I mean, how ridiculous! But its no small thing to say this book has changed my life and now I buy it for everyone in my team as its a secret I just want to share with the world!

When I first bought this book, I was worried for three reasons:1- I thought it possible that it might be full of buzzwords and platitudes, like similar books I have come across.2- I thought it might make unrealistic demands of me- I'm not superhuman.3- I thought it might be hectoring in tone- I know I could be more productive and don't want to be made to feel guilty about it.In actual fact, none of these things came to pass.The book is written in a clear, accessible style, which actually makes you want to finish it and gets you excited about the tips contained in the upcoming chapters. All terms are explained fully and used to make points clearer, not to make the author seem clever.It recognizes that we are all human and that we aren't expected to be perfect. Graham speaks about how in the past he wasn't good at some of the things he is advocating- he got better because he needed to for his work, and because he saw that it made a tangible difference. The book is realistic about how we procrastinate, are too hard on ourselves at certain points and probably let ourselves off too lightly at others.It is extremely positive about the capacity of human beings to change the world around them and shows how productivity tools can help them to deepen the impact of what they do.I am now really excited about putting some of the lessons the book advocates in place- so much so that at my annual appraisal I told my supervisor that one of my key training resources would be to use this book.I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is interested in working smarter, not harder and who wants to get a deeper insight into their own work practices and areas for improvement.

Excellent book, for getting your workload in order. Myself and a lot of my colleagues complain about increase in email traffic, this book guides you as to what to do, to get your inbox to zero and well managed.

I’m a lawyer working in financial regulation for one of the big banks. On a good day I have around 50 emails per day coming through my inbox and one a bad one (two days ago) that figure is more like 150! With these techniques, my inbox is zero several times per day and I’m ahead of all deadlines so far this year - yep, I read this over Christmas and the intended implementation of it formed part of my New Year resolutions list. I have a five year old who has since benefited from more bedtime stories and weekend play because I’m freer.In the first week, it was so liberating (not to mention unfamiliar) that I couldn’t actually sleep. My mind was so clear, that I didn’t know what to do with myself. I now realise I was just so used to constantly worrying noise as background music to my life, clarity became scary.The other New Year résolution I had was to read books that I always wanted to read, but never got round to it. In just over three weeks, I’ve read George Orwell’s 1984, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Stephen Fry’s Mythos and Ian Clayton’s Bringing It All Back Home.That is how this book will change your life. Look at me, I’m even reviewing Amazon purchases!! I’ve done at least twenty today.

I was exciting to read this book but somehow nervous to start, as if the process of becoming more productive would just pile more work onto my already overloaded plate. I have completed the zero inbox part and honestly, the weight has lifted. I can quickly see what I need to do and the satisfaction of not having all that noise cluttering up my workspace is immense. I will finish it but would (and have) recommend it to others just on the basis of that one section.