Getting to It

November 4, 2013
Corporate consultants Loflin and Musig (Juggling Elephants) team up again for this insightful guide to effective prioritization. Acknowledging that today's busy world can leave us overwhelmed, the authors assert that identifying and focusing on your "IT" (Important Thing) is the fundamental step to achieving personal and professional success. While this conversational, slim volume doesn't offer groundbreaking wisdom, it does offer proven techniques for how to become more productive. The authors provide motivation and practical tips on how to overcome inertia, roadblocks, or obstacles to success; they suggest concentrating on incremental improvements. The pages are peppered with quotes from notable individuals such as renowned sports coaches Lou Holtz and Vince Lombardi, as well as former General Electric CEO Jack Welch. Those looking for academic research or revolutionary methods to help them focus will find this work lackluster, but those seeking time-tested techniques for getting things done, along with a good dose of inspiration, are sure to appreciate this valuable read.

September 15, 2013
For readers with endless to-do lists and more tasks than time in a day, the authors of Juggling Elephants (2007) offer a practical guide to sorting out the IT (important thing) that eludes them. Failure to clearly define IT leads to misguided priorities and wasted effort. The authors cite examples from the personal to the professional, including Toyota's recent spate of recalls for safety issues because the company lost sight of its IT of high safety and quality, as cautionary tales of failure to define or focus on IT. Their prescription: clearly define IT, plan IT, focus on IT, and get excited about IT. Loflin and Musig offer the image of the flood of everyday and urgent tasks going through a funnel desperately in need of filtering. Individual and corporate filters are influenced by values, responsibilities, and available resources, which all help to identify actions that can advance important goals or information needed to build momentum toward the goal. Readers will appreciate this practical guide that counsels balance between the personal and professional in the process of accomplishing IT.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)