The Secret to Peak Productivity: A Simple Guide to Reaching Your Personal Best

Professional organizer and productivity consultant Myles presents an organizational process she calls the “peak productivity pyramid,” which “defines the motivational relationship among five areas of productivity”: “physical organization,” “electronic organization,” “time management,” “activity-goal alignment,” and “possibility.” The goal is to streamline your basic organizational systems to move up the pyramid. Myles offers helpful, focused assessment tools to identify strengths and weaknesses in both personal and professional realms. These assessments also help determine where in the pyramid you begin. Drowning in physical clutter? Start at level one—physical organization. Got a clean desk but overwhelmed by e-mail? Level two, electronic organization, is a good starting point. Myles devotes a chapter to each of the five levels, with tactics to gain control—from “keeping it simple” and “the tickler system,” to “the three P’s of time management” (“plan, prioritize, and perform”), and “six steps to goal setting.” At the top of the pyramid, she explores the concept of possibility: how to use your extra time to become the person you want to be. She ends each chapter with helpful “productivity pointers” that identify key takeaways. This practical and empowering book will be immeasurably helpful to readers who need a manageable way to gain control of their time. Agent: Claudia Gere, Claudia Gere and Co. (Feb.)