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 enlarge | Authors: Mike Song, Vicki Halsey, Tim Burress
Creator: Ken Blanchard
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.08
You Save: $6.87 (46%)
New (33) Used (10) from $8.08
Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 131244
Format: Illustrated
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 129
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 1576755738
Dewey Decimal Number: 650
EAN: 9781576755730
ASIN: 1576755738
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new book. Shipped from our NYC store. Slight Shelf wear to cover. Pages are clean and unmarked.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Arguable but Worth Attention February 1, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
The aim of this book is to reduce email volume, improve email quality, encourage sending email that is more actionable and organize folders using COTA (Clients, Output, Teams, Admin) approach. Although, some ideas of the book are arguable, the book makes you think once again about your way of emailing. Some readers may find COTA useful, but for me it is too complicated and counterproductive. You can do more in less time with a simpler scheme. I prefer the method advocated by David Allen in his book "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity": where the messages are divided by four categories: "next actions", "projects", "waiting for" and "someday/maybe".
I also disagree with the authors' advice to use instant messaging (IM) in addition to email. The authors did not get the major point of e-mail: you write your emails in the most convenient time for you, and the recipient reads them in the most convenient time for her. What the authors do not understand is that you cannot disturb somebody by sending an email in an inappropriate time. For example, the authors wrote that an email may be "...unnecessary interruption in a workday already filled with interruptions. .... You are working on an important project that requires a lot of concentration.... your masterpiece... and ding, an email comes in". The authors do not understand that is not the arrival that made you interrupt, but the counterproductive configuration of the email software that notifies you about the incoming messages. If you will disable the notifications, an incoming email will never break off your concentration again. You will read all the incoming messages in a proper time. The authors also forget about spam - a potential source for interruptions. IM is also the big source of interruptions, and not as efficient as the telephone.
"Turn off your email alarm" is advised by Julie Morgenstern, author of "Never Check E-Mail In the Morning", and by Gleb Arkhangelsky, author of "Time Drive". I highly recommend the two books above mentioned, as well as "Getting Things Done" by David Allen.
 Great December 23, 2007
I haven't finshed reading yet, but from what I have seen so far, there are a lot of helpful hints. I have several co-workers waiting to "borrow" it from me when I am done.
 A 90-minute read that will save you hours of time in your inbox December 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Taking a break from e-mail is tough because it pours in constantly. Many people tie themselves to their inboxes by carrying devices that keep them connected 24/7. They allow e-mail to interrupt their evening and weekend activities, upsetting family members and creating a lifestyle without any real breaks from work. Mike Song, Vicki Halsey and Tim Burress show you how to change your e-mail response and filing habits to recapture lost time and regain control of your life. The story of Harold, a human resources director, helps them make their points. Reading this book takes roughly 90 minutes, but it will have a long-term impact on your time management. We recommend it to businesses and teams who feel eternally bombarded with e-mail and want to fight information overload.
Quick Read Can Make a Diffference in Managing Email September 26, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Taking cue from The One Minute Manager, Zapp!, Fish! and Who Moved My Cheese?, The Hamster Revolution uses a parable to show how to better manage and organize e-mail and information. The hamster represents people endlessly running on the wheel of e-mail. Right away, I start using concepts from the 90-minute book. Considering I'm an organized person, that says something.
In the story, Harold the Hamster receives a visit from an information coach to help him with e-mail and information management. Harold is a person who turned into a hamster because e-mail and information trapped him on a figurative hamster wheel.
Harold and his coach think aloud as they explore his e-mail habits and inbox to find the problem areas. The banter between the two gives the reader insight into why something doesn't work and how to fix it. Their comments mirror what many of us think when we're drowning in messages. Though cheesy at times, the story quickly explains the how, what, and why without confusing readers with dry writing.
I was eager to discover the secret of COTA, the concept for creating folders named Clients, Output, Teams and Administration. COTA also represents the order of priority. The Clients folder receives top honors on the hierarchy than Output. Administration gets thrown to the bottom of the pile where it belongs. But this concept isn't as foolproof as the authors make it sound.
They state that you won't run into a situation when an email or document belongs in two folders. However, if that should happen -- then the document belongs in the one higher up on the COTA ladder. Furthermore, the system serves departments and teams best.
COTA won't work well for personal use (the authors apparently have another system for this, but information isn't available yet) or a small business like mine where I'm a freelancer working on a computer that houses both business and personal information.
Furthermore, not everyone will know what some things mean such as EOM (end of message) or NRN (no reply needed). These require teaching others and a team setting would adapt to that better than a lone person who must explain it in many individuals. EOM and NRN should become as standard as smilies, but they're far from there.
Some advice might sound common sense or old news to some people, but the authors share lesser known or new concepts. The book has had positive impact on my e-mail habits, and for what it is worth, that opinion comes from a long-time e-mail user (the days of BBSes -- pre-Internet).
Great new tips for email June 20, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Purchased the audio tape for the car. Easy listening and great tips on productivity for managing email overload. Makes you think before you send an email, sculpt it, use categories for easier identification/prioritization and shows new system for filing and finding anything anytime. It worked for me and can warmly recommend to everybody! Join the Hamster Revolution!
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