“Control Your Day” has certainly helped me stay on top …
“Control Your Day” has certainly helped me stay on top of my emails, and I get plenty. The clear, careful instructions on how to set-up virtual search folders in Outlook are very helpful. The use of search folders can be applied to other tasks as well besides those described here. The instructions in Control Your Day are very detailed, and a few hiccups might be encountered along the way, but Jim McCullen is very responsive in providing whatever help you may be need. He also has a web-site and some free resources that supplement and summarize the book, but you’ll want the book. I refer back to it when I want to make some adjustments to my set-up to improve efficiency.
Wayne Adamson
Easy way to work with outlook in a corporate environment
Nice and consistent with easy to follow steps and pictures. No more folders to search or file into, read and process your emails quickly
kevin l
CYD Rocks!!!
This is a very good productivity book using GTD principals and Outlook. I really like the methodology and using native Outlook functionality without loading yet again another productivity too or add-in. Jim is also very responsive to customer questions and suggestions.
Russell Janney
Excellent Book and Great Communication!
What an excellent book. It was exactly what I was looking for to get my email under control and get things done. I have tried other methods but CYD works the best. I had a question and posted it on the author’s website and got a very quick response from him.
Doug Riley
Life Raft to Weather Email Storm
If you are overwhelmed at work with the relentless onslaught of emails requiring actions to read, to track, to answer, to file, and file/retrieve, then you need to check out this book. It is not a new software product, but utilizes the existing Outlook program to create search folders to help manage the tasks just described. The author has provided a step-by-step guide to create the search engines, and the new process does not disrupt your current email process. I do have to admit the new process caused me some angst because it is a process change but I’m sticking with it because I have already seen the value. As an added bonus the author responded to my questions of clarification, which was very helpful and reduced the angst. It is a process life raft in the stormy sea of tidal wave emails, check out his website video explaining the process and benefits.
George C. Massey
Laughing at the Wonderful Improvements in My Work Day!
WOW! This has been an unbelievable stress reducer and productivity enhancer! I had a coworker tell me this morning how amazed they were at all the projects I was involved in and how I was able to keep all tasks and communications current. That’s CYD. I’ve been a devotee of David Allen’s Getting Things Done system for years, so this is a tremendous privilege to have such a powerful Outlook customization tool for my day-to-day work.
Evan Nehring
Buy this book!
I’ve tried countless times to figure out a way to get in control of the Email Dragon. Never have been able to come up with a SYSTEM to do it. Jim’s book describes a system that makes the most of Outlook while working around its deficiencies. I’ve never been able to get Outlook operational because of its complexity. Every time I’d try, there were so many decisions to figure out that I’d just give up and go back to my old, known (and woefully outdated mailbox) This tiny skinny book is a step-by-step, fast and easy tool to get it done NOW.
Suzi Elton
Full package!
I modified the GTD system to meet my needs several years ago but I was still experiencing inefficiencies with follow-up when delegated to others. CYD provided several methods that complete the package me. Very excited to get started!
Sheri Rawlings
So far so good
I like the suggested procedure to address the review all your emails titanic task, it is better than the one I’m using right now. I need to use it for a period of time and evaluate how good the improvement is.
R. B. Garcia
It’s working for me
This works. I implemented the Outlook settings and have used this CYD system for the past week. I’ve tried numerous Folder and Categorizing organizing methods to better manage my inbox and tasks… but have always failed to maintain it as I tend to just leave everything in my inbox and to-do list grow beyond control. But this CYD method forces me to Do-Delay-Delegate-Dump and makes it very difficult to just “ignore”. I’m using Getting Things Done methodology better than I’ve been able to previously. Instead of using the Outlook “Task” facilities, I am “Posting” non-email tasks in my Inbox so everything is always in my CYD management screens and the tasks cannot be overlooked/ignored/forgotten. I know it’s only been a week, but like I said, once this system is set up in Outlook it practically forces you to follow the rules and be more productive. I’m a big fan.
Mike M
If you live out of Outlook, it’s great
It has great ideas, although I’ve gotten out of using outlook so much for holding this sort of stuff and have just moved onto online GTD systems at this point. Current favorite is GTDNext!
Russell Jackson
Practical book on managing todo items with Outlook
Great book on how to organize your todo items with Outlook! Dramatically changed how I used Outlook within one week.
Heath Lovell
Yes and Yes
Read, or at least skim, Getting Things Done. Then sit down with your email and let this book help you incorporate all of that into how you manage the constant stream of emails that derail even the best laid time management plans.
Maria Ratliff
Turns a pile of email into a plan for action
A whole new way to look at email and how to handle it.
Christopher Blanchard
Used it immediately at home and at work
After reading just the first half of this book, I couldn’t wait to get to work the next day. I immediately deleted 10 folders and substituted with 4 categories. It was a great improvement right there. Beyond the intended benefit of making you more organized, the book gives you the opportunity to change your mindset and think about what you do in a different way.
Then I came home and saw that my personal e-mail was entirely different. It’s not task oriented, but personal interest and people oriented. Yet I was able to re-think now, using the skills from McCullen’s book to re-arrange my personal communications life.
Again, I eliminated folders, substituted categories, and used rules to control my personal inbox. We all get lots of semi-junk e-mail at home, probably more than at work, where it’s not really junk, but we’ve subscribed to this or that list because we might want to read it, or go to that restaurant, or this event.
So the CYD system helps again, in managing that flow. I recommend this book to anyone wanting kick up a notch their productivity at work and their free time at home, removing a layer of stress too. Bottom line, it is a really good Outlook tutorial as well.
Mike Shaw
Great book
Every aspect seems covered for Outlook/email daily, weekly and yearly management. Some things can be flexible because of the search folders implementation. It’s highly recommended.
Diego Yglesias
Terrific way to manage the Inbox monster
Jim’s book provides a well thought out and clear guide to putting some of the Getting Things Done principles into your Inbox.
The changes you make to Outlook are easy to understand and put you back in control of the Inbox monster. I started with an Inbox that irked me every time I opened Outlook. After putting Jim’s methods in place, I can now open Outlook and feel comfortable knowing what’s in need of action and what needs to be moved off for later, or deleted.
I recommend you take the time to read Jim’s book at least once before you start making changes. A good understanding of the ideas and concepts will help immensely when you start to implement the changes.
Robert D