Family Inc.: Office-Inspired Solutions to Reduce the Chaos in Your House (and Save Your Sanity!)

Girls Guide series coauthor Caitlin, and Andrew, an author and cookbook specialist, met and fell in love while both were employed at a public relations firm. They married, had twins, and soon found themselves overwhelmed with the responsibilities of work, marriage, and parenting. Their "aha" moment arrived when they realized their business lives were running much more smoothly than their home lives; that's when they decided to take a meeting, set up a to-do list, and apply their work skills to running a family. In this action-plan packed book they share how to apply workplace skills to family life, asserting, "every small home is essentially a small business." The authors encourage couples to clearly define, divide, and then take ownership of specific tasks while resisting the urge to micromanage (they note that a 50/50 division of labor is usually unachievable). Compromising, planning, delegating, goal-setting, and weekly and annual meetings, they reveal, are key elements that make both work places and home places happier and more efficient (i.e., hire a housecleaner and/or review your investments). Busy working parents will readily warm to the Friedmans' comprehensive plan for organizing and integrating family and career skills. (Jan.)