Today, we are continually expected to do more with less. We become stretched thin with different personal and professional obligations, many times serving other people’s agenda and not our own.

Steven R. Covey, author of the classic book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, along with A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill, wrote “First Things First”, a book on time management and prioritization. “First Things First” takes Habit # 3 from “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and builds on it.

Many times, we may find ourselves busy but not working on the things that move us towards our own personal goals. Other distractions come in and divert our attention to work that may fulfill a shorter term need at the expense of what it truly important to us. This can lead to stress and frustration.

Looking at what is most important to us will help to identify the work that fulfills us and makes a true difference in our lives and of those most important to us. Covey utilizes “The Eisenhower Method” of time management. This method attributed to former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower considers 2 different types of problems: “urgent” and “important”. Using a quadrant with “Urgent” and “Not Urgent” at the top and “Important” and “Not Important” on the side, there are 4 groupings of tasks. Covey argues that work that is important, but not urgent is most neglected but should be most valued as that is work that produces long-term results. Many times, work that is both important and urgent address short-term needs.

“First Things First” also looks to find balance with our personal and professional lives and regain control of our lives. Having proper balance in our lives will not only strength our personal relationships, but also make us stronger and more effective at work.

The focus of this site is on the people side of project management. When I heard that author Dave Kerpen was coming out with a new book “The Art of People”, I was intrigued.

Kerpen, who founded 2 social media marketing firms Likeable Media and Likeable Local, has authored social media books, such as Likeable Social Media and Likeable Business. He has taken many of the principles from those books and applied it to personal relationships, through the experiences of his career and building his businesses. In an increasingly competitive world, where people are trying to be heard and notices, building strong relationships has become even more important than ever.

The book is broken down into 11 parts, covering basic people skills. These skils include Meeting the Right People, Influencing People, Leading People, and Resolving Conflict with People. Each part contains 4 to 6 chapters that delve into each of these 11 skills. At the end of each chapter, there are 2 to 4 bullet points called FAST (First Action Steps to Take), which provides simple steps to take and apply what is learned in each chapter.

The book is helpful in getting to meet the right people, establishing lasting relationships, leading and influencing the people around you, and resoloving conflict with positive results. It is presented in an easy-to-read and easy-to-implement format. The new millenium has presented us with new opportunities and new challenges. “The Art of People” takes many of the principles from Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and presents it for these new opportunities and challenges. While the book addresses some skills that can be used in on-line communications, many of the skills target traditional interpersonal skills that can get lost these days in our “connected” world.

To learn more about the book, you can go to http://www.artofpeoplebook.com/.

Early in my career, a manager of mine suggested that I take the Dale Carnegie course. The course provided me an opportunity to develop my public speaking and presentation skills as well as learn how to deal more effectively with people. We were given Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends & Influence People” to read as part of the course. The book, originally published in 1936, remains one of the go-to books in learning how to build strong and healthy relationships.

It starts with taking a genuine and sincere interest in people and making them feel important. Carnegie talks about approaching people with a smile and with friendly intent. Sometimes, people become too concerned with what others can do for them. He discusses the importance of listening to others to learn more about people and understand what makes them tick.

People come from different backgrounds and experiences, which shape their views. Carnegie cautions readers from criticizing and condemning others, but using other strategies to influence others. This includes making the effort to understand others’ points of view and being respectful of their opinions. These days, people are quick to criticize or condemn others who may not share the same opinions. Doing this improves the chances of get others to come to your way of thinking.

Much of what Carnegie writes about will help you to be someone others will want to be around and will help you to find ways to make your relationships mutually beneficial.

“How to Win Friends & Influence People” has been revised since it was originally published. A few years ago, “How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age” was release, which is an adaptation of the book for the new millennium, taking into account changes in technology and in our culture. Whichever version you read, much of Carnegie’s advice is still very relevant today and will help you to build and maintain positive relationships in both your personal and professional life.

On Thursdays, I will review a book I have read and found helpful in my life. In most cases, it will not be a project management book, but a book that you may find useful for your professional and/or personal life. It is important for us to learn new perspectives or even reinforce what we already know and may have lost sight of. Books can help us grow professionally and personally.

This week, I read the new book Living Forward (A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want), by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy. I have been a fan of Michael’s blog and podcast. He has a really nice way about him and provides great advice and insight. It is presented in a way that can be easily digested and implemented.

Along with co-author and coach Daniel Harkavy, they provide a guide to creating a life plan. Many of us go through our lives reacting to what comes our way in our personal and professional lives. Before we know it, we can get off-course and heading in a direction that we do not desire. Living Forward has us take a step back and assess what we want out of our lives and then chart a course towards those goals. By seeing our destination, it becomes easier to prioritize the important things in our lives and plan our lives accordingly. It can become too easy to try and do everything and please everyone, but it can come at a great cost.

The book comes in 3 parts: Understand Your Need, Create Your Plan, and Make it Happen. Throughout the book, Hyatt and Harkavy share their own stories as well as those of other people in going through the process of creating a life plan. They also provide tools and examples to make the task easier. The book is just under 200 pages, making it a pretty easy read.

As I’ve been going through a career transition, it has been a good time to review my life plan and where I want to go moving forward. If you think you can benefit from either creating or revising your life plan, this book can be a good start.

For more information on the book, you can visit http://livingforwardbook.com/. If you do read the book, I’d love to hear what you think. Also, if there is a great book you are reading now, let me know about it.