Getting Things Done vs. First Things First

So... I'm actually going to talk about two books today: Getting Things Done by David Allen and First Things First by Stephen Covey.  They are both time management books, but they approach the topic of time management very differently.  First a little about what I considered to be the pros and cons of each approach.  Hopefully this will help someone else out there.

Getting Things Done
I was actually surprised at how much I liked David Allen's approach to time management.  He has a very "bottom up" approach.  Meaning, he believes in focusing on the immediate tasks at hand and then thinking about long-term stuff once you have the day-to-day things taken care of (at least that's what I got out of it).

Pros

• He emphasizes writing EVERYTHING down.  Whenever you think of something you need to do or might want to do sometime, you should write it down.  His reasoning behind this is pretty sound.  If you try to keep too many things in your head, your brain can't handle it.  You will constantly feel like you're drowning because you can never accomplish everything.  If you write it down your brain will give you permission to forget about it.  He recommends having at least 3 lists: a Next Action list (where you put the specific next action you need to take to accomplish any given task), a Someday/Maybe list (to store all those thoughts about classes you might want to take, books to read, etc), and a Waiting For list (to record packages you are waiting for or tasks you are waiting for other people to complete).  [Note: I think this applies to emotions and journal keeping as well.  If you're trying to work through a problem or you're really upset about something, I've found that writing in a journal is an incredibly powerful way to get over the issue and move on without blowing up at someone.]
• He emphasizes keeping a running to-do list.  Rather than putting non-date specific items on a to-do list for a certain day, he recommends keeping them on a separate list.  That way you don't have to keep writing them down and transferring them  when you do not accomplish that task  the day you wanted to.  Allen likes this concept because you are less likely to get discouraged by how much you don't do and you can focus on the date-specific tasks instead of putting an equal claim on the things you can do any day.  I like it for the practical reason of only writing something down once.
• Since it's a fairly new book, he has solutions for people who like to plan in any way, and he makes it simple to implement his strategies.

Cons

• He doesn't believe in putting anything down on a daily to-do list unless it is mandatory to do it on that day.  Personally, I feel like this takes away some accountability for how well I'm managing my time.  If I have "buy socks" on a list of things to do at some point in time, then I'll never buy socks unless I'm forced into the store by some other urgent task.  I'll never call anyone because they're not on my list of things to do that day.  Sometimes it's good to create artificial deadlines.  Having to re-write tasks each day creates a sense of accountability.  Each day you're having to look back on what you didn't accomplish the day before and that gives you a chance to think about how you can improve your time management skills for that day.
• He doesn't believe in putting too much of an emphasis on values or prioritizing things.  Throughout the book I got the feeling that he doesn't believe in putting priority on certain events or values.  In some spots he even says specifically that he doesn't really see the value in writing a mission statement or judging some goals or "to-do" items to be worth more than others.  I guess his thinking is that if you are able to do everything on your list then you'll hit all the important things.  The whole time I was reading this book I had the following quote from Sister Beck's talk at General Conference running through my head: "A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently."  There's no way I have time to do everything I need to do, so if I put everything onto a list (whether it's a Someday/Maybe list or a to-do list) then I'm only going to do the things that seem fun that day and I'll put off doing the important things.'
• It seems like it would be easy to go overboard and have too many different lists and then you're back to where you started.  

First Things First
This book was a LOT like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  A lot of the same stories, advice, etc.  So I skimmed it quite a bit.  If you're looking for specific strategies for how to implement things from 7 Habits, this book is a good one to read.

Pros

• Covey and team encourage you to first figure out where you want to go with your life before you start filling it up with activities.  They recommend first figuring out what your values and priorities are, then writing a mission statement which reflects those values, and then set goals for how you're going to achieve and live those values.  Then you make sure to schedule those things first before you add anything else in.
• Weekly review.  They encourage you to set aside some time each week to review your week, see what you want to do better and plan for the next week as a whole.  I think viewing the week as a whole unit would help to eliminate a lot of the need to transfer things from day to day. 
• It seems fairly easy to adapt the principals of the book into whatever phase of life you are currently in.  I was able to picture myself applying these principles as a student, a professional, and as a homemaker.  
• Very in line with gospel principles.  You can definitely tell he's LDS by the emphasis he puts on knowing what direction you want to go.

Cons

• There are no Franklin Covey planners that actually fit the format described in the book.  Which is just disappointing to me because it means they don't really practice what they preach.
• There's a lot of "prep work" before you get down to actually planning out a week.  Not good if you're looking to do this quickly.

Conclusion
Time management is a deeply personal thing for people.  No one system is going to be a perfect fit for anyone... the same is true for me.  There are definitely aspects of Covey's method that I love (having a plan for your life, planning a week at a time, reviewing the past), but there are also aspects of Allen's method that I already use and love or would love to use (writing everything down somewhere and having a running to-do list).  So what am I going to do? 

Well... that's a good question.  I'm still working on that one.  Once you have a clear idea about what you need to help you with your time management it's a lot harder to find exactly the right thing, but I'm sure that once I figure it out... it will be so, so worth it.

MUST READ!!: Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Note: In order to do this book justice I think I would almost need to write a book about it.  In order to preserve my readers' I've decided to just write about the impact the book has had on me.  If you've had a similar experience with this book or another book, please share!  If you're interested in reading it, go reserve it at your local library!

I don't know where to start with this book except for to say that it honestly changed my life.  This book goes right up next to The Feminine Mystique in terms of books that have dramatically altered my approach to life (which is saying quite a bit).  If it helps to give you an idea of how much I loved this book: I started reading this book as a checkout from the library, but about halfway through it i just had to go buy my own copy.  I went and scoured the DI looking for a copy of this book (I would've gone and bought it from a bookstore, but I was already at the DI looking for something else so I figured I might as well look for it).  It was actually good enough that after having read it I decided I wanted to own a copy... that rarely happens.  With most of the books I read I'm just fine reading it and then returning it to the library (I don't know how many books I've bought from a bargain book bin, read, and then given away... growing up my sister Allie would inherit loads and loads of books from me each year).

A little (or maybe a big...) back story as to why this book had such a big impact on me.  I love organization, I love efficiency.  Every year since I came to college I've worked on developing a time management system that worked for me.  Now that I'm out of college--for the time being-- I'm finding that my planner needs have changed.  I no longer faced with pressing deadlines or long lists of things that need to be read or researched in the near future.  My planner has a lot more carry over each day because it's more of a "holding place" for ideas for things to do eventually by the time I get home from work I'm too lazy to pull out my planner and actually look at what I wrote in there.  As a result, finding my planner for the next year has been much more important to me.  I've already started looking all over the internet for planners; I've drawn up a list of things I need/want in a planner; I've made lists of the pros and cons of going digital... I've done it all.

As I did research on-line I came to realize that there were 2 schools of thought when it comes to time management and productivity: the Covey method (as outlined in 7 Habits and First Things First--which is now on my to-read list) and the Getting Things Done method (from David Allen's Getting Things Done--my next read!).  So, I decided to read the books that have inspired these two methods of time management to see of they could help me figure out what I need.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, did just that.  It didn't answer my question at all of what type of planner I should buy, but it DID answer my question about how to set up my planner to make it work the best for me.  Some of the highlights of this book for me were the concepts of writing a personal mission statement, planning on a weekly basis instead of a daily basis, and spending an hour a day on your "Daily Personal Victory."

Personal Mission Statement.  I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before (well I kind of did, but not really), but the concept of a personal mission statement really resounded with me.  It makes perfect sense to me to spend a significant (several hours, days, or even weeks) amount of time reflecting on what you want to accomplish in life and what you want to be remembered for.  Covey emphasizes working backwards when coming up with your personal mission statement.  Begin by thinking about your funeral.  If you had one speaker from your family, one speaker from the community, from your job, and from your church, what would you want them to say about you.  What qualities or achievements would you want them to mention?  Once you know what you want said about you, you know where your goals and values truly lie, and then you only have to go back and figure out how to achieve those things. 

Plan on a Weekly Basis.  When Covey finally started talking about time management in Habit 3, he recommended something I had been thinking for awhile.  Planning for a week at a time makes a lot more sense than planning for each day.  He recommends sitting down at the beginning each week and deciding on what your goals are for that week, and what things you need to accomplish that week.  Once you have a master list of things you need to do, you can go through your calendar for the week and plug those things in.  When you look at the week at a whole and plan accordingly, your daily to-do list is going to be a lot more manageable.  This is something I really find applicable to me.  I have to write everything down on my to-do list as soon as I think of it or else I'll forget it.  As a result, on days when I'm really on top of writing everything down I'll end up with 20 or more things to do that day, because I just plug things into that particular day.  What if I were to set some time apart each week to do that?  Then I could actually plug things into the day they're actually going to get done rather than having that feeling of failure when I have to transfer things from day to day until they're finally done.  (This is actually something I love about 2-pages-per-day planners... you have a whole blank page for writing down all those things you suddenly think of and then at your weekly planning session you can look through the last week to see what you need to put on your plans for the next week).

Daily Personal Victory.  In essence, this is your personal enrichment time.  Covey recommends spending at least one hour each day improving yourself physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.  I love the thought of this and really want to try to implement this!  It goes hand in hand with the two other things I mentioned (which makes sense since the daily personal victory is Habit 7).  If you know what your personal mission statement is, and if you're spreading out everything you need to do throughout the week, you're more likely to take the time to put yourself first for some portion of time each day.  Spending one hour a day on ourselves equates to 4.17% of our time, but what a difference that time makes!  If you think about productivity in terms of how much output you get for your input, then that hour each day is going to be your most productive hour of the day.  By exercising you get all sorts of benefits (more energy, more endorphins, a higher immune system) that will allow you to be more productive throughout the day.  By spending some time reading or studying something each day you will keep your mental faculties sharp and learn new things which will greatly improve your situation in life (if you let them).  By spending some time each day studying the scriptures, praying, or meditating, you'll gain a new sense of peace and purpose that will carry you through even the most stressful times in your life.  By spending some time each day focusing on building your relationships with other people you will have a network of people who will be there to help you through the hard times.  Isn't it amazing to think about what 1 hour a day can do for you?

So that's my challenge for today.  If you haven't read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People yet, read it.  If you've read it, but it's been awhile, read it again.  No matter what though, search the book for one or two things that profoundly touch your life in some way.  I bet you won't stop at just one or two though...

Mary Poppins Comes Back by Pamela L Travers and a Plea for Help

I tried... I really did.  I wanted to love Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back as much as I love every other children's book, but I just couldn't do it.  Maybe it's because Mary Poppins to me will always be an absolutely lovely Julie Andrews singing about how "a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."  The Mary Poppins I grew up with was a wonderfully sweet woman who was "Practically Perfect in Every Way," a woman I could aspire to be.  She was the perfect mother filling in for a slightly silly woman who spends all day parading around trying to get women the right to vote (which is actually an interesting issue I'm working on developing in the paper I'm revising... more on that later).

What bugs me the most about these books is not necessarily seeing one of my childhood ideals brought off her pedestal, but rather the lack of punishment for incorrect behavior.  In the books, Mary Poppins becomes the woman everyone depends on, yet she is constantly shown to be vain and sometimes downright rude to people.  She uses her magic to manipulate situations and keep the children interested in what adventures might happen next rather than using it to improve family relations and help people.  It bugs me that in a children's book an adult would be genuinely looked up to and respected while not behaving correctly.  I guess I just expect that in a children's book, correct behaviors will be rewarded and incorrect behaviors will be punished... especially in older books since children's books have had to evolve away from strictly moral stories.

Anyways, enough about that.  Now for my plea for help.  I'm currently working on revising one of my senior research papers entitled "The Rise of the Modern Heroine: How The Feminine Mystique Shaped Young Adult Literature" so I can use it as a writing sample for applying to graduate programs.  I'm wanting to bolster my paper with more samples of books that show strong and weak female characters (they don't even have to be main characters... they just need to be talked about enough that I can get a good sense of what the girl is like).  I'm trying to focus mainly on American literature since 1900. 

If you have any ideas for books that show really strong female characters or really weak female characters let me know!  I could use all the help I could get!

Love This!

Unfortunately, my major gift receiving opportunities (my birthday and graduation) have just passed.  Otherwise, I would have thrown out my list and just asked people for these books.  Random House is reissuing their Looking Glass Library series... and I want to own every single book!  Here's the article from the School Library Journal website where they talk about the series. 

Why you may ask do I want to own the books?  Well for starters, they're all hardbound, library quality books.  Which means they are meant to stand up to lots of loving.  Plus, I believe that children care less about when a book was actually published as long as the cover looks cool and it's written in accessible language.  If these books are still around and being read today, then they're worth investing in.  On top of all that, I'm a sucker for a coordinating set of books (that's a topic for another day though). 

I also love the fact that a modern author who kids are already familiar with introduces each book.  The authors have really tried to write appealing introductions meant to sound like a recommendation from a trusted friend (according to School Library Journal). 

Overall, if you like older books and want to have a well-trusted set of books in your home, this set may be for you.  Since it was published before, and Random House is just republishing the series so they can update the covers and provide new introductions to each book, I'd definitely trust these books to be ones you want to own.

P.S. If you're interested in getting periodic newsletters via e-mail from School Library Journal, Library Journal, or Publisher's Weekly, go here.  I subscribe to 6 or 7 different newsletters, and although I get some about webinars or panels, the majority of them are really great!  They have links to interesting articles, books and authors that are selling really well, and lots of advice from librarians on encouraging reluctant readers.

Stalky & Co by Rudyard Kipling

This book has single-handedly been the reason I haven't been reading books a lot lately.  It's not that this is a bad book... it's just that Rudyard Kipling is just really, really hard for me to get through for some reason.  I think it's because he moves so slowly compared to modern authors.

That being said, once I got into the book I liked it.  It wasn't the greatest book ever, but there's definitely a reason people are still reading Kipling.  I think the best part about the book is that it's very episodic.  So I could read a chapter, go read another book, and then come back to this book without feeling completely lost.  As a result, this book would be a good book to keep in your car or purse for long lines, waiting to pick someone up, or the doctor's office waiting room.  Actually, any of Kipling's works would be good books for that. 

Next up... Mary Poppins Comes Back. I really really had some problems with Mary Poppins, but I'm giving the sequel a chance in hopes that my major issues with the book will be resolved.

After that, I'll be reading a couple of the big time management books that everyone talks about.  I've started researching the planner possibilities for next year (next year starting in July or August), but before I can commit to anything I need to figure out what my time management style is and I figure reading a couple productivity books will help.  Plus, I need a break from Kipling and children's lit.

How I Saved My Father's Life by Ann Hood

I'm a day early!!  I officially feel awesome about myself. 


Anyways... I really enjoyed this book!  It follows Madeline, a 12 year old girl, who believes she has saved her father from an avalanche only to have her parents divorce and her father marry Ava Pomme, a sophisticated New Yorker.  The story mostly follows her during the first year of her parents' divorce as she comes to terms with what happened.

I really like this story because it deals with a theme every person can relate to even if their parents are not divorced.  Madeline has to come to terms with her father, who she thought was perfect, actually left his family for his new wife.  At first, she believes it's all her mother's fault for being so ordinary, but as she spends more time with her father and his new wife, pieces start to fall into place.  The story doesn't end with her having all the answers, but instead with her realizing that even though her father did something horrible, he's still her father and will be a big part of her life.

As someone who luckily didn't have to go through my parents' divorcing, I can't speak to how accurately this book portrays those feelings.  As an adult who has had to come to terms with the fact that my parents are imperfect people though, I loved how the book presented that realization.  Madeline was allowed to hate each of her parents for different reasons but decide at the end that she loved them both.  That's an important realization for teenagers to make... unfortunately too many people get disillusioned with their parents (or other people) and never get past realizing that they are real people.

This book could be the perfect springboard for a discussion between either a parent and their child or an older sibling and younger sibling about how adults aren't perfect, but you have to accept their imperfections and love them anyways.  (P.S. I own this book, but probably won't ever read it again, so if you want the book it's yours!)

New Reading Goal

A book and a post a week.  Due on Wednesday.  Don't expect one tomorrow because there probably won't be one.

I figure that maybe, just maybe that if I have something holding me accountable I'll actually read a book and think about it instead of just playing Minesweeper all night.  Now that I don't have the English program to keep me reading like a madman I need something new to keep me focused, and you all get to fill that role.  Hope you don't mind!

Also, if you read this on Google Reader, you should look at my actual blog.  I changed the whole look and feel thanks to the Google Template Designer and I LOVE it now!!

P.S. Don't be surprised if the form my reviews take changes somewhat in the future.  Just let me know what you like/don't like about the new reviews so I can take that into account.  I'm working on a project that I'm not quite ready to share with everyone yet.  I need to work through some logistics first in my head.

Saving Fish From Drowing by Amy Tan

I got this as a "whoopie" present at the 2008 O'Bryant New Year's Eve party, but didn't get around to reading it until now... which I really regret.  I'd always look at it and figure that someone had given it because it wasn't a very good book (for heaven's sake it hadn't been opened at all!).  I had only held onto it because no one else's presents looked any better.  Finally, when I decided I was going to read all the books I owned, I had to read it.  And I really really liked it.

If this book is any indication, Amy Tan has a beautiful writing style.  I loved how the story line moved.  There were two different related story lines that went back and forth beautifully, partially because there was the same narrator seeing everything.

This book really got me thinking about the way the media influences our views and perceptions of events.  In this story a group of tourists are kidnapped by a misguided group of indigenous people who believe the tourists will save them.  The story gets on the news and everyone tries to put their own spin on it.  The situation was really interesting to me because it's something that happens in our everyday lives.  The media tries so hard to make the smallest story huge, and big stories become ridiculous.  The book, true to life, told of all the different news outlets scrambling to get exclusive interviews with family members, friends, anyone connected to the people who had been kidnapped.  Any new piece of information (no matter how small) was heralded across the TV screen. 

So overall, I really loved this book.  Everything I've just told you makes it sound like a deep, serious book, but some of the situations are just so comical that you can't help but laugh.  It's not a terribly quick read, but it is worth it.

Attila by William Napier

For those of you who follow me on Goodreads, I'm sorry you have to read my review twice. I promise to make this one more in depth and relevant. For the rest of you, here goes.

If this book is any judge, Napier can write a decent historical fiction novel. Attila is the first of three novels about, you guessed it, Attila the Hun. And it's a really interesting book! I didn't really know anything about him, so this book was a good introduction. For instance, did you know it was Attila the Hun who finally brought down the Roman empire once and for all? And did you know that he was a "hostage"? Rome's way of securing allies was to trade youth from prominent families of the two nations. So Attila spent much of his youth in Rome while a Roman boy spent much of his youth with the Huns. This was done as security--if one nation turns on the other, they risk the death of their hostage.

That being said, I unfortunately can't recommend this book in good conscience. Napier has a particular love for the "f-word" that I just can't accept. As much as I would love to read the rest of the trilogy, I can't because I know he'll use it more and more throughout the trilogy as Attila grows up and goes into battle more and more. It's so disappointing, because Napier has a wonderful book other than that! And it wouldn't be that difficult to take the swearing out. He only has soldiers use it in battles and skirmishes. I know, I know, he's just using it to "stay true to his characters," but do you know what? I felt like he betrayed his characters by making them say those things. Each use of the word felt unnatural in the character's mouth. I felt like he was just using that word to stir people up and not because that's what his character would've said.

So, in the end, this great book is brought down. And now I have to find a different book about Attila the Hun to satisfy my curiosity on what happened to him.

Just So Stories for Little Children by Rudyard Kipling

I loved this book. That's all there is to it. Kipling has written a very cute collection of short stories telling how the world came to be as it is currently. Sure, it has a very heavy British Imperialist influence, but it's just so stinkin' cute that you can't help but love it.

My only problem with the book? Figuring out when I can read it to my kids without feeling bad about telling them blatant lies. Maybe if I get into the habit of reading fairy tales with my kids before bed I could slip this in as a collection of fairy tales. Because in all honesty, these stories are really the perfect model for the lies we all tell little kids when we're not ready to tell them the scientific truth about why some things are the way they are (or when we really don't know the answer).

The thing I love the most about the book? There's a clear cause-and-effect theme throughout the stories. You behaved in X manner, so now Y will happen to you. It's said out loud to the audience and in direct connection to the punishment that is usually meted out. I don't have any kids, but I imagine this might be a good way to introduce how a relatively short lived behavior might have long term consequences. If you have kids and you've read these stories since having kids, let me know if you think that works.

The saddest thing about Kipling for me is that I can only read one or two of his books before I have to read something else. I tried to start Puck of Pook's Hill, but I just couldn't do it.

The Wizard of Oz Series by L. Frank Baum

That's right, The Wizard of Oz was not the only book written about the wonderful land of Oz, it's a whole series with 15 books (at least 15 written by L. Frank Baum... his nephew took over the series after that and it's really not worth reading after the 15). After spending the last monthish reading this series here are a few things that struck me.

1) There are two types of books in this series. One type introduces new people into the land of Oz (this comprises most of the first half of the series), and the other type shows the characters fighting some evil force. All of the books deal with some misfortune, but a good handful have the people of Oz fighting the forces of evil and greed and destruction. If you want to go all academic (okay, okay, you talked me into it... I'll go there) you could look at the forces working to destroy the land of Oz and how they relate to problems in America at the time. Especially with greed... since Oz has no money and everyone loves each other it's a very good foil to the American capitalist system and how broken it was in the 1910s and 1920s when these books were written.

2) The land of Oz truly holds the answer to the majority of the problems in our world. How much better would the world work if there was no money and instead everyone was doing their best to help out their neighbors? People would go into professions based on their ability to help other people instead of the amount of money they would make. We would need very few laws because bosses wouldn't take advantage of their employees, businesses wouldn't take advantage of their customers, and individuals wouldn't take advantage of those around them. How much more would we be willing to give if we didn't question other people's motives? It reminds me of a story one of my professor's told towards the end of the semester last year.

There's a homeless man on the street asking people for money. One man stops, talks to the man, and gives him all the money in his pocket, a $5 bill, without passing any judgments on the man. Awhile later another man passes by, stops, talks to the homeless man, gives him $20 out of the $100+, but gives him a lecture on how he expects the man will only use this money to buy drugs or alcohol instead of food. Which man gave the homeless man more?

Although this story isn't the exact same as the situation in the land of Oz, I think that it shows the necessary step to achieve an Oz-like land--getting past our assumptions of people. If we could just quit assuming that every person is trying to take advantage of us, how much better would the world be? I believe that if we quit looking at people with suspicion they would rise to our expectations. And each individual would be happier because they would be looking for the good in people instead of the bad. The world could be a happier place just because we wished it so. You may call it wearing rose colored glasses in a dreary world, but I call it unpeeling the smog covering the world and revealing the techni-color landscape that is Oz.

Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

The cover of the book calls this "The explosive follow-up to Freakanomics," but I think I definitely liked the first book better. That's not to say that this book isn't good... it is, but personally I liked the first book better.

In case you haven't read either book, in which case I suggest you get your name on the waiting list at your local library, these books are not about economics in the typical sense of the word. There's no discussion of "the economy" or how our spending/lending practices will cause trouble. Instead, these books take a few basic economic principles such as supply and demand and the trickle down effect and take a look at how they operate in our society. In some ways it feels like a sociology book more than an economics book... but it definitely doesn't feel like a textbook any way you look at it.

I don't really know how to talk about this book without having to get into a whole bunch of details, but one of the things I thought was the most interesting was the discussion on altruism and the environment. For a long time, sociologists/economists were doing experiments that proved people were basically altruistic, but they had one big design flaw in the experiments... the people knew they were being watched. When people didn't know they were being watched, they were decidedly less altruistic and behaved much more like what we would expect people to behave like. What does this have to do with the environment you may ask? Well, what doesn't it have to do with the environment? Basically what it comes down to is the fact that people won't change something that doesn't have a negative consequence for them (and even then people won't necessarily change). Which means (in my own opinion, not that of the book) that for individuals in a society to become more eco-friendly they need to either A) see the negative impact of humanities actions on the environment, take it to heart, and change their ways; B)have negative consequences set in place (either through laws with penalties being enacted or through a social ridicule program--such as that against smoking); or C)make the eco-friendly options cheaper.

Personally, I think that option A is the most effective because you're getting people to actually care about the cause which means they'll care more about being eco-friendly in all aspects of their lives, but it's a slow, winding road and you'll never get everyone to see your point of view (especially since the majority of people don't have the luxury of time or money to care about how their decisions impact the environment or themselves). Option B just leads to a lot of laws, which I'm against because I don't think that making laws is that effective. Which leaves Option C... making it economically advantageous to be eco-friendly. As someone at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder right now, I think this is the best way to enact massive change.

Think about it this way. You're the owner of a chain of grocery stores and you've just been convinced that the number of plastic bags used by customers in your store is solely responsible for global warming, so you'd like to encourage people to quit using so many disposable plastic bags for their produce and to carry all their purchases to their car. The most effective way to get people to re-use their bags or to use sturdier cloth bags is to start charging them for each new disposable bag they use. If you were going to be charged $.10 for every bag you used, you'd be a lot more likely to spend $1.00 to buy a cloth bag to carry your things in because you would see a return on your investment relatively quickly. And this isn't just a hypothetical situation... in the Midwest there's a grocery store chain called Aldi who charges for every bag used, and you know what? People will do anything they can most of the time to not have to buy one of their bags. They either bring they're own bags or they'll use the boxes that the cans and other packages come in so that they can save that $.30 or $.40 per trip. I doubt that every customer in the store cares about being eco-friendly, yet most of them are participating in an act that is eco-friendly. What if more businesses worked like this?

So, back to the book. Freakanomics and Superfreakanomics are great books to get you thinking about things. Some of their statistics and arguments are a little out there, but the authors' intent was to get you thinking about the world around you in a different way. I think they definitely achieve this in a way that is accessible to the masses. At least I find these books to be entertaining.

P.S. If I'm going to reach my reading goal I have 354 days left to read 121 books (including the books I'm currently reading.

P.P.S. I just won another book from Goodreads Firstreads! This one is called Attila and it's about Attila the Hun... I'm pretty excited!

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

I know I said I wasn't going to read a book I didn't own until I finished reading all the books I did own, but when the wait list for a book is two months, you read it when the library tells you it came in. That being said...

This was worth the wait. Three Cups of Tea is the heartwarming true story of Greg Mortenson's mission to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan to provide a secular, nonextremist education for every child. And I think that's what sets this book and this cause apart from others. Mortenson has found a way to connect an already worthwhile cause to America's fight against terrorism. He argues that many of the extremist come from extremists schools funded by extremist groups. If we really want to fight terrorism, we need to provide an alternative education that doesn't force American values or knowledge on this population.

Mortenson's cause and approach to fighting terrorism and poverty really caused me to pause and reconsider how Americans "solve" problems. The American government throws billions and billions of dollars in aid money without it really doing much long-term good. Where as Mortenson with a few thousand dollars (he estimates it costs about $20,000 to build and fund a school) can change the mindset of an entire village for a lifetime. What if we took that approach to solving problems both in the world and in our own country. Instead of offering unemployment or welfare, give grants for people to be able to continue their education and still provide for their families that way people without any usable skills can afford to get training (whether that means taking a few computer classes so they can be a secretary, going to vo-tech to become an auto mechanic, or going to a university so they can get a degree) and people who may have outdated training can take a refresher course. What if, instead of sending tons of food over to starving nations, we sent more agriculture specialists over to help local farmers find foods that will grow in their areas that provide adequate nourishment?

And I think the thing I love the most about Greg Mortenson's mission is that he allows himself to only focus on education. He doesn't go into a town, bring them all-new Western style clothes, lots of food, and modern amenities. He goes into villages where people have asked him to come, employs the local men to build a school out of local materials, employs a school teacher and then leaves (well of course he keeps tabs on the school). He avoids contaminating the villages as much as possible with his Western ideals (although one could question how Western his ideals are since he spent most of his childhood in Africa).

Bottom line: read this book if you haven't already. I've read a lot of reviews where people say they don't love the writing style, but this book isn't about the writing. It's about the message. And in my opinion, the message is one everyone needs to hear.

Google Books vs. Amazon Kindle for PC

I've had a war going on inside my head and although it's winding down, a trick play on either side could start it all back up again. I recently discovered Amazon Kindle for PC. You can actually buy any Kindle book you want without having a $250 Kindle!! Which is absolutely fantastic! Since discovering this I've been trying to decide which is better... Google Books or Kindle for PC. Here are the pros and cons of each. Note: I was NOT paid by either company to write this review and I am only looking at PC based reading options (aka... the actual Kindle may have some distinct advantages that I'm not mentioning). This is more a review for those who are interested in e-books but don't want to invest a lot of money in an e-book reader quite yet.

Google Books- Pros

• It's a web based thing, so you can access the book you want from any computer (you can save books to your "library" so that you don't have to search for it every time you want to read it).
• You won't be tempted by all the books you could purchase if you only want to look at free books.
• It's a digitized page of a book, so you see pictures, diagrams, etc. and page numbers.
• Since it's a digitized page of a book, you can have a better sense of how far along you are.
• You can skip to the chapter you want to start at.
• They have most of the classics whose copyright has expired.
• You can find lots of random fun things to look at just by browsing their page.
• You can download some books as a PDF or EPUB (both of which are compatible with the Barnes and Noble Nook e-book reader, but not the Kindle)
  
• If you can't (or don't want to) read the full book on Google Books you can search for it at your local library or book store through links on the page.
• Google Books has an application for iPhone/iTouch an Android powered phones.
• They have 1.5 million public domain books and have just reached an agreement to sell full access to books still under copyright (authors and their publishing companies will receive 63% of the profits) which should (according to the blog world) bring the total up to 3 million books available for full reading.
  

Google Books- Cons

• It's a web based application, so you have to have Internet access to read a book on there (unless you have the foresight to download it to a PDF earlier).
  
• You can't adjust font sizes.
• Even if the book is saved in your library, it won't save your place in the book, so you have to remember it yourself.
• Google Books doesn't have it's own e-book reader, so unless you want to by a Barnes and Noble Nook your only options for reading the book include eye strain from looking at a computer screen for too long, trying to read on an iPhone/iTouch or Android phone, or downloading the whole thing as a PDF and then printing (aka... you probably won't want to read for an extended period of time without investing some serious cash).
  

Amazon Kindle for PC

• The book is stored on your computer, so you don't have to be connected to the Internet to access and read books you've already downloaded (meaning you could read War and Peace on an airplane without it taking up any room in your luggage!).
• They have lots of free versions of classics (umm... I downloaded 55 books in one afternoon) as well as versions you can pay for (I'm assuming the versions you pay for might include pictures or something like that... I don't really know).
• You can buy current bestsellers if you want to for a lot cheaper than getting it hardcover in the bookstore.
• It saves your place. Theoretically I could start a book on my Kindle, and pick up right where I left off reading on Andy's iTouch or a Kindle (if I had one).
• If you want to invest some money, you can buy a Kindle which offers a much better, more book like reading experience (Andy's Aunt Cindy got one for Christmas and it really is nice to read on).
• You can adjust the size of the font for easier reading if you need to.
• The one click purchasing brings up a list of other books you might be interested in (which is why I downloaded so many books in one afternoon).
  

Amazon Kindle for PC- Cons

• No page numbers which makes me feel a little lost.
• No pictures (at least not in the books I downloaded, although admittedly I only downloaded the books I could get for free, so maybe books you pay for include pictures).
• You have to download the Kindle application to your PC and then download books to it (making it harder to use spontaneously at your grandparents' or a friend's house if you wanted to).
• You have to set up an Amazon account (which I doubt many people are opposed to doing, but if you prefer to have as few accounts as possible, you may find this to be annoying).
  
• Less books available than Google, and less interesting old magazines.
• Not compatible with a Mac.
  

Overall, I think I like Google Books better what sent me over the edge on that side was the fact that A) Google books is literally a snap shot of a book... you can't get a better digital book experience than that and B) the sheer number of books available! Amazon Kindle definitely has it's place in the world, but let's face it Google rocks! I'm excited to see whether Google decides to market it's own e-book reader or if they just partner with the Nook and other readers who support PDF and EPUB file formats.

All this research has led me to decide that if I ever get an e-book reader, it will be one that supports the file formats of Google Books (such as the Nook) so that I can download books from there. Until then though, I'll be using my computer and the library to satisfy my love of books.