Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK]

Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] Author: Allen, David Allen, David ISBN: 0-7435-2034-3

Category: Books on CD : Business : General

Audio CD Simon & Schuster Audio

 With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called Zen and the Art of Schedule Maintenance. Not quite. Yes, Getting Things Done offers a complete system for downloading all those free-floating gotta-do's clogging your brain into a sophisticated framework of files and action lists--all purportedly to free your mind to focus on whatever you're working on. However, it still operates from the decidedly Western notion that if we could just get really, really organized, we could turn ourselves into 24/7 productivity machines. (To wit, Allen, whom the New Economy bible Fast Company has dubbed "the personal productivity guru," suggests that instead of meditating on crouching tigers and hidden dragons while you wait for a plane, you should unsheathe that high-tech saber known as the cell phone and attack that list of calls you need to return.) As whole-life-organizing systems go, Allen's is pretty good, even fun and therapeutic. It starts with the exhortation to take every unaccounted-for scrap of paper in your workstation that you can't junk, The next step is to write down every unaccounted-for gotta-do cramming your head onto its own scrap of paper. Finally, throw the whole stew into a giant "in-basket" That's where the processing and prioritizing begin; in Allen's system, it get a little convoluted at times, rife as it is with fancy terms, subterms, and sub-subterms for even the simplest concepts. Thank goodness the spine of his system is captured on a straightforward, one-page flowchart that you can pin over your desk and repeatedly consult without having to refer back to the book. That alone is worth the purchase price. Also of value is Allen's ingenious Two-Minute Rule: if there's anything you absolutely must do that you can do right now in two minutes or less, then do it now, thus freeing up your time and mind tenfold over the long term. It's commonsense advice so obvious that most of us completely overlook it, much to our detriment; Allen excels at dispensing such wisdom in this useful, if somewhat belabored, self-improver aimed at everyone from CEOs to soccer moms (who we all know are more organized than most CEOs to start with)

Missed Fortune 101: A Starter Kit to Becoming a Millionaire [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK]

Missed Fortune 101: A Starter Kit to Becoming a Millionaire [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] Author: Andrew, Douglas R. Author (Narrator) ISBN: 1-59483-197-1

Category: Books on CD : Business : General

Audio CD Hachette Audio

Book Description From financial expert Douglas R. Andrew comes an extraordinary book that challenges the most basic and fundamental concepts of personal investing in a user-friendly format. In the 30 years Douglas R. Andrew has worked as a successful financial analyst, lecturer, and retirement consultant, he has routinely questioned and challenged the accepted tenets of personal finance. His conclusions are absolutely startling. In 23 informative chapters, Andrew reveals his no-nonsense, yet unconventional, financial growth strategies that challenge widespread money myths and make his clients rich with advice like: * You shouldn't pre-pay your mortgage * Don't expect your 401Ks and IRAs to cover retirement * You can (and should) buy a home with no money down * and more!

The Best Investment Advice I Ever Received: Priceless Wisdom from Warren Buffett, Jim Cramer, Suze Orman, Steve Forbes, and Dozens of Other Top Financial Experts [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED]

The Best Investment Advice I Ever Received: Priceless Wisdom from Warren Buffett, Jim Cramer, Suze Orman, Steve Forbes, and Dozens of Other Top Financial Experts [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Claman, Liz Singer, Jason (Narrator) Snell, Staci (Narrator) Author (Narrator) Singer, Jason ISBN: 1-59483-653-1

Category: Books on CD : Business : General

Audio CD Hachette Audio

 If you can get beyond the tired investment aphorisms-"Save, save, save" and "Buy low and sell high" both make appearances-there is some solid counsel in CNBC anchor Claman's anthology of advice for the novice investor, but little that will help anyone already in the thick of the market. Following her entry on the three guiding principles of "the Greatest Investor of Our Time," Warren Buffett, Claman hands over the reins to a roster of almost 60 contributors, all fulltime professionals with impressive credentials, including some household names (Donald Trump among them). Many wisely advise beginning investors to rely upon their own knowledge, common sense, research and discipline, and to eschew relying upon their financial planner. Familiar arguments are given for investing in no-load index funds and abandoning fruitless quests to beat the market-the latter suggestion made in a nicely written anecdotal piece from John C. Bogle, founder of the Vanguard group. Others, including TV's Lawrence Kudlow, author Robert Kiyosaki, Proctor & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley and "Adventure Capitalist" Jim Rogers provide a smorgasbord of similarly basic investment advice. Unfortunately, Claman's book is an informative introduction that doesn't carry any follow-through; investing in a more comprehensive guide would probably be sound advice for those seeking it.

The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK]

The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] Author: Covey, Stephen M.R. (Narrator) Merrill, Rebecca R. Merrill, Rebecca R. Covey, Stephen M. ISBN: 0-7435-6469-3

Category: Books on CD : Business : General

Audio CD Simon & Schuster Audio

 Trust is so integral to our relationships that we often take it for granted, yet in an era marked by business scandals and a desire for accountability this book by leadership expert Covey is a welcome guide to nurturing trust in our professional and personal lives. Drawing on anecdotes and business cases from his years as CEO of the Covey Leadership Center (which was worth $160 million when he orchestrated its 1997 merger with Franklin Quest to form Franklin Covey), the author effectively reminds us that there's plenty of room for improvement on this virtue. Following a touching foreword by father Stephen R. Covey (author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and related books), the junior Covey outlines 13 behaviors of trust-inspiring leaders, such as demonstrating respect, creating transparency, righting wrongs, delivering results and practicing accountability. Covey's down-to-earth approach and disarming personal stories go a long way to establish rapport with his reader, though the book's length

Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK]

Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] Author: Edwards, Elizabeth (Narrator) Edwards, Elizabeth ISBN: 0-7393-3412-3

Category: Books on CD : Biographies & Memoirs

Audio CD RH Audio

 The breast cancer diagnosis Edwards received on November 3, 2004, is dismayingly common. Uncommon, however, is the timing and the circumstances surrounding it. Wife of the vice presidential candidate John Edwards, Edwards's discovery of the lump on her breast came the day after the election and subsequent defeat of the Kerry-Edwards ticket. This mixture of the common and the uncommon, of the everyday and the extraordinary, defines Edwards and her life. A lawyer, mother of a grown daughter and two young children, and the wife of a politician, Edwards is both an optimist and a realist with the ability to laugh at herself. Yet she has had to endure a parent's worst nightmare--the death of her teenage son, Wade, in a car accident. In the end, however, Edwards's memoir is not about cancer, politics or even unbearable loss (though the description of her grief is heart-wrenching). It's about the value of people coming together to support each other. You'll find no celebrity gossip here. But like the kiss on the forehead her husband gave her at the end of their first date, this memoir is disarmingly moving. First serial to People, second serial to Ladies' Home Journal; feature in Good Housekeeping; national author tour; October 2 appearances on The Today Show and NBC Nightly News. (Sept. 26)

Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED]

Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions [AUDIOBOOK] [CD] [UNABRIDGED] Author: Kotter, John Rathgeber, Holger Wyman, Oliver (Narrator) ISBN: 1-4272-0024-6

Category: Books on CD : Business : General

Audio CD Audio Renaissance

 Harvard Business School professor Kotter, author of the bestselling Leading Change (1996), teams up with executive Rathgeber to offer his contribution to the "business fable" genre. Kotter presents his framework for an effective corporate change initiative through the tale of a colony of Antarctic penguins facing danger-inspired, perhaps, by today's real-life global warming crisis (or, perhaps, by March of the Penguins' box office). Under the leadership of one particularly astute bird, a small team of penguins with varied personalities and leadership skills implement a thoughtful plan for coaxing the other birds in their colony through a time of necessary but wrenching change. The logic of Kotter's fictional framework is wobbly at times-his characters live and act very much like real penguins except that one carries a briefcase and another ("the Professor") cites articles from scholarly journals-and the whimsical tone will not be to everyone's taste. However, this light, quick read should fulfill its intended purpose: to serve as a springboard for group discussions about corporate culture, group dynamics and the challenges of change.

Think!: Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK]

Think!: Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] Author: LeGault, Michael R. LeGault, Michael R. (Narrator) ISBN: 0-7435-5264-4

Category: Books on CD : Business : General

Audio CD Simon & Schuster Audio

This isn't the time to Blink. It's time to THINK! -- before it's too late.

Outraged by the downward spiral of American intellect and culture, Michael R. LeGault offers the flip side of Malcolm Gladwell's bestselling phenomenon, Blink, which celebrated impulse thinking over factual knowledge or critical analysis. If bestselling books are advising us to not think, LeGault argues, it comes as no surprise that sharp, incisive reasoning is on the decline, leading our society to incompetence and failure. ? Permissive parenting and low standards that have caused an academic crisis among our children -- body weights rise while grades plummet ? A culture of image and instant gratification, fed by reality shows and computer games, that has rendered curiosity of the mind and spirit all but obsolete ? Stress, aversion to taking risks, and therapy that are replacing the traditional American "can do" mind-set Far from perpetuating the stereotype of the complacent American, LeGault maintains that Americans are abundantly gifted with the ability to fulfill our nation's greatest potential starting today but we need smart teachers, health care workers, sales representatives, students, mechanics, and leaders to make it happen. A bracing wake-up call to America, THINK! delivers a no-holds-barred prescription for reversing the erosion of American civilization.

 

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK]

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] Author: Obama, Barack (Narrator) Obama, Barack ISBN: 0-7393-3408-5

Category: Books on CD : Biographies & Memoirs

Audio CD RH Audio

 Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, was a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book The Audacity of Hope, Obama engages themes raised in his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people.