Hamster Revolution: How to Manage Your Email Before It Manages You

by Mike Song, Vicki Halsey, Tim Burress

Overview

Do you spend so much time dealing with e-mails—reading them, writing them, responding to them, responding to responses—that you feel like you're just going round and round and getting nowhere? Meet Harold, an HR director so overwhelmed by email he feels like a hamster on a wheel. Just in time, Harold meets a coach—a leading expert on email efficiency and etiquette with a simple system that helps Harold eliminate needless emails, write better messages, and file and find information in a flash. He gets immediate results—and reclaims his life.

This delightful and much-needed fable is based on the authors' extensive experience helping employees at companies like Clear Channel, Procter and Gamble, and Pfizer manage e-mail more efficiently. The book includes a remarkable case study of the authors' work with Capital One, where employees estimated they saved thirteen days a year by applying Hamster Revolution techniques. This book is perfect for time-starved professionals eager to restore balance and order to their busy lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781576755730
Publisher:	Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication date:	05/01/2008
Series:	Bk Business Series
Pages:	129
Sales rank:	249,771
Product dimensions:	8.24(w) x 5.50(h) x 0.42(d)

About the Author

Mike Song is cofounder and CEO of Cohesive Knowledge Solutions and one of America’s leading experts and speakers on email efficiency and etiquette.
Vicki Halsey, an internationally acclaimed leadership expert and speaker, is vice president of applied learning at The Ken Blanchard Companies.
Tim Burress is cofounder and president of Cohesive Knowledge Solutions and a popular instructional designer, trainer, and speaker on email efficiency and etiquette.

Read an Excerpt

CONFESSIONS OF AN INFO-HAMSTER
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Hamster Revolution"
by .
Copyright © 2008 Mike Song.
Excerpted by permission of Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Foreword
Chapter 1: Confessions of an Info-Hamster
Chapter 2: A New Way to Work
Chapter 3: Email Adds Up!
Chapter 4: Strategy 1: Reduce Email Volume
Chapter 5: A Tale of Two Emails
Chapter 6: Strategy 2: Improve Email Quality
Chapter 7: Strategy 3: Info-Coaching Sustains Results
Chapter 8: Help! It’s Not So Easy!
Chapter 9: Harold’s Progress Check
Chapter 10: Chaos in Info-Land
Chapter 11: Strategy 4: File and Find It Fast With COTA
Chapter 12: A Blue Sky Wrap Up
Epilogue
Appendix 1: Fast Answers for Busy Hamsters
Appendix 2: Case Study: Capital One’s Email Efficiency Solution
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index
Services Available
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Simple but powerful. This is life-changing stuff.”
—Chris Granger, Vice President, Team Business Development, National Basketball Association

“Our daily barrage of email not only consumes our time and energy but fills up our in-boxes with someone else’s priorities. These simple tools will allow you to reclaim your life.”
—Betsy Myers, Executive Director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard University

“A must-read for every employee I supervise. You’ll love it!”
—Richard L. Andersen, CFE, Executive Vice President, San Diego Padres

“Great stuff ! This book delivers simple and practical email management protocols.”
—Paul Roithmayr, Director, Organization Development & Training, 20th Century Fox Film Corporation

“A clever way to add fifteen days to your year.”
—Joe DiDonato, President, ESource Corporation

“A powerful new strategy for email efficiency and etiquette.”
—Lamonte Thomas, Vice President of Sales and Customer Relations, Cigna

“These email practices will change the way you work.”
—Matt Koch, Director, Productivity & Knowledge Management, Capital One

“A home run! Find time for what matters most. For example, taking your family to the ballpark!”
—Rick Mears, Vice President, Guest Services, San Francisco Giants

“Cut through email clutter and take control of your life!”
—Lisa Lelas, author of Simple Steps: 10 Weeks to Getting Control of Your Life

“A refreshing and humorous approach to reducing email overload. We use the insights every day.”
—Steve Stone, CEO, Infoflows

“Simple and profound! I’m having my whole team read it.”
—Mike Gugerty, Scientist, Matzinger-Keegan Inc.

“Put an end to needless emails and missing files.”
—Sam Biegelsen, Business Development Executive, Jeppesen, a Boeing Company

“Easy to implement and powerful in results.”
—Robert Cross, Assistant Professor of Management, University of Virginia and author of The Hidden Power of Social Networks

“Quick, easy, and fun to read—an effective antidote to the bulging, time- draining e-mailbox.”
—Carol Metzker, coauthor of Appreciative Intelligence

“Using the techniques outlined in this book, we achieved significant productivity improvements, including a reduction of time spent on email averaging eight days per year per colleague.”
—Nic Oatridge, Global Head of IT, Fortune 200 Pharmaceutical Company

“How is it possible that no one has written this book until now? This amazing guide will help you get off the email wheel!”
—Ruben Rodriguez, Senior Business Partner, Healthcare Industry

“Chock-full of ideas to address one of the biggest issues facing knowledge workers today—information overload.”
—Cindy Domanowski, Vice President, Sales Training and Leadership Development,
Major Accounts, ADP, Inc.

“This step-by-step guide will free you from ‘e-grip’ forever.”
—Garry Ridge, President and CEO, WD-40 Company

“Original and witty. There may be other books on email but this is the standout.”
—Irene Sitbon, Executive Search Consultant, Bridge Partners, LLC

“Amazing! Email used efficiently is an incredible tool. This book certainly opened my eyes!”
—Michael A. Serchia, Director of Human Resources, Internation

From the Publisher