Best of
Productivity

2007

Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People


Ken Watanabe - 2007
    His goal was to help shift the focus in Japanese education from memorization to critical thinking, by adapting some of the techniques he had learned as an elite McKinsey consultant.He was amazed to discover that adults were hungry for his fun and easy guide to problem solving and decision making. The book became a surprise Japanese bestseller, with more than 370,000 in print after six months. Now American businesspeople can also use it to master some powerful skills.Watanabe uses sample scenarios to illustrate his techniques, which include logic trees and matrixes. A rock band figures out how to drive up concert attendance. An aspiring animator budgets for a new computer purchase. Students decide which high school they will attend.Illustrated with diagrams and quirky drawings, the book is simple enough for a middleschooler to understand but sophisticated enough for business leaders to apply to their most challenging problems.

5


Dan Zadra - 2007
    This bold, distinctive gift book features only the number 5 on the cover. 5 signifies designing a 5-year plan detailing dreams, goals and aspirations.

The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence


Josh Waitzkin - 2007
    A public figure since winning his first National Chess Championship at the age of nine, Waitzkin was catapulted into a media whirlwind as a teenager when his father's book "Searching for Bobby Fischer" was made into a major motion picture. After dominating the scholastic chess world for ten years, Waitzkin expanded his horizons, taking on the martial art Tai Chi Chuan and ultimately earning the title of World Champion. How was he able to reach the pinnacle of two disciplines that on the surface seem so different? "I've come to realize that what I am best at is not Tai Chi, and it is not chess," he says. "What I am best at is the art of learning."In his riveting new book, "The Art of Learning," Waitzkin tells his remarkable story of personal achievement and shares the principles of learning and performance that have propelled him to the top -- twice.With a narrative that combines heart-stopping martial arts wars and tense chess face-offs with life lessons that speak to all of us, "The Art of Learning" takes readers through Waitzkin's unique journey to excellence. He explains in clear detail how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning is what separates success from failure. Waitzkin believes that achievement, even at the championship level, is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. Rather than focusing on climactic wins, Waitzkin reveals the inner workings of his everyday method, from systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, to honing techniques into states of remarkable potency, to mastering the art of performance psychology.Through his own example, Waitzkin explains how to embrace defeat and make mistakes work for you. Does your opponent make you angry? Waitzkin describes how to channel emotions into creative fuel. As he explains it, obstacles are not obstacles but challenges to overcome, to spur the growth process by turning weaknesses into strengths. He illustrates the exact routines that he has used in all of his competitions, whether mental or physical, so that you too can achieve your peak performance zone in any competitive or professional circumstance.In stories ranging from his early years taking on chess hustlers as a seven year old in New York City's Washington Square Park, to dealing with the pressures of having a film made about his life, to International Chess Championships in India, Hungary, and Brazil, to gripping battles against powerhouse fighters in Taiwan in the Push Hands World Championships, "The Art of Learning" encapsulates an extraordinary competitor's life lessons in a page-turning narrative.

How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing


Paul J. Silvia - 2007
    Writing is hard work and can be difficult to wedge into a frenetic academic schedule.This revised and updated edition of Paul Silvia's popular guide provides practical, light-hearted advice to help academics overcome common barriers and become productive writers. Silvia's expert tips have been updated to apply to a wide variety of disciplines, and this edition has a new chapter devoted to grant and fellowship writing.

Managing Oneself


Peter F. Drucker - 2007
    But with opportunity comes responsibility. Companies today aren't managing their knowledge workers careers. Instead, you must be your own chief executive officer. That means it's up to you to carve out your place in the world and know when to change course. And it's up to you to keep yourself engaged and productive during a career that may span some 50 years. In Managing Oneself, Peter Drucker explains how to do it. The keys: Cultivate a deep understanding of yourself by identifying your most valuable strengths and most dangerous weaknesses; Articulate how you learn and work with others and what your most deeply held values are; and Describe the type of work environment where you can make the greatest contribution. Only when you operate with a combination of your strengths and self-knowledge can you achieve true and lasting excellence. Managing Oneself identifies the probing questions you need to ask to gain the insights essential for taking charge of your career. Peter Drucker was a writer, teacher, and consultant. His 34 books have been published in more than 70 languages. He founded the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, and counseled 13 governments, public services institutions, and major corporations.

Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and Not Be Overwhelmed


Carolyn Mahaney - 2007
    Miserable. Exhausted. These are often the words that women use to describe their high-demand lifestyles. How are women who are always on the go expected to cope with the demands of work, family, and ministry?Carolyn Mahaney and her three daughters, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, and Janelle Bradshaw, recognize the needs of Christian women today. Shopping for Time offers the solution to women who truly desire to glorify God with every use of their time.These authors offer five tips to help ladies do it all without becoming overwhelmed: rise early, sit down, sit longer (occasionally), choose friends wisely, and take fifteen minutes. By weaving biblical principles of God's Word into these keys, these authors give women practical advice on how to fulfill-and excel in-their daily responsibilities.

The Psychology of Enhancing Human Performance: The Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (Mac) Approach


Frank L. Gardner - 2007
    Written by the originators of the MAC model, this book will provide both the necessary theory, empirical background, and a structured step-by-step, easy-to-use protocol for the understanding, assessment, conceptualization, and enhancement of human performance. It is a protocol that can be readily adapted for a wide variety of high-performing clientele--from athletes and business people, to sales people, professionals in a variety of fields, and emergency/military personnel. The material can be integrated by practicing clinicians as an adjunctive intervention strategy to help clients with specific performance problems. Numerous case examples, forms, handouts, in- and out-of-session assignments and activities, and verbatim client instructions are included.

The 5 Rules of Thought: How to Use the Power of Your Mind to Get What You Want


Mary T. Browne - 2007
    BROWNE is an internationally renowned psychic, teacher, and the author of "Love in Action," "Life After Death," and "The Power of Karma." For over twenty-five years she has used her psychic gift to counsel thousands of men and women who have come to her for private consultations. She has dedicated her life to teaching people how to uncover life's hiddenmysteries, as well as helping them achieve their desired goals.Now, in "The 5 Rules of Thought: How to Use the Power of Your Mind to Get What You Want," Browne turns her attention to the subject of "thought" -- the most powerful tool we have for bringing the things we want into our lives. Like the teachers who contributed to the bestselling book "The Secret," Mary T. Browne takes what she has learned from studying the ancient wisdom of The Masters and from her more than two decades of experience as a spiritual counselor to offer readers a precise program they can use to apply the Power of Thought to get the things they want. The 5 Rules of Thought take you beyond positive thinking, creative visualization, and the law of attraction to an understanding of what you can do to transform your life by transforming your thought. Mary T. Browne will teach you how to use the 5 Rules of Thought to get the money you desire, the true love you crave, and better health. In short, the life you've always dreamed of.This life-changing book will take you on the most exciting adventure of your life.

Guardian Style


David Marsh - 2007
    It's also a mine of information, from the essential to the arcane, from the useful to the things you never realized you needed to know. The hundreds of new and expanded entries include an authoritative section on editing for the web, where the Guardian has an international readership of millions. Wise and witty, irreverent and informed, Guardian Style is an essential guide to the use of good English.

Kaizen and the Art of Creative Thinking


Shigeo Shingo - 2007
    Shigeo Shingo will amaze you. Along with Taiichi Ohno, Dr. Shingo co-developed TPS (LEAN) with his deep understanding of how to improve the overall process of production. Dr. Shingo reveals how he taught Toyota and other Japanese companies the art of identifying and solving problems.

Science Of Memory: Concepts


Henry L. Roediger III - 2007
    The aim of this book is to help initiate a new science of memory by bringing these perspectives together to create aunified understanding of the topic. The book began with a conference where leading practitioners from all these major approaches met to analyze and discuss 16 concepts that are crucial to our understanding of memory. Each of these 16 concepts is addressed in a section of the book, and in the 66succinct chapters that fill these sections, a leading researcher addresses the section's concept by clearly stating his or her position on it, elucidating how it is used, and discussing how it should be used in future research. For some concepts, there is general agreement among practitioners fromdifferent fields and levels of analysis, but for others there is general disagreement and much controversy. A final chapter in each section, also written by a leading researcher, integrates the various viewpoints offered on the section's concept, then draws conclusions about the concept. Thisgroundbreaking volume will be an indispensable reference for all the students and researchers who will build upon the foundation it provides for the new science of memory.

Prospective Memory: An Overview and Synthesis of an Emerging Field


Mark A. McDaniel - 2007
    Authors Mark A. McDaniel and Gilles O. Einstein present an accessible overview and synthesis of the theoretical and empirical work in this emerging field.

NLP Business Masterclass: Driving Peak Performance with NLP


David Molden - 2007
    David Molden's approach to the subject is geared towards using NLP to help employers improve the performance of all their staff.

Breaking Free: How to Work at Home with the Perfect Small Business Opportunity


Brian Armstrong - 2007
    are self made - they went to work for themselves! What are you waiting for?

How To Get Into the Top MBA Programs


Richard Montauk - 2007