Getting Organized in the Google Era

How to Get Stuff out of Your Head, Find It When You Need It, and Get It Done Right

By: Douglas Merrill, James A. Martin

Narrated by: Douglas Merrill

Whether it's a faulty memory, a tendency to multitask, or difficulty managing our time, every one of us has limitations conspiring to keep us from being organized. But, as organizational guru and former Google CIO Douglas C. Merrill points out, it isn't our fault. Our brains simply aren't designed to deal with the pressures and competing demands on our attention in today's fast-paced, information-saturated, digital world. What's more, he says, many of the ways in which our society is structured are outdated, imposing additional chaos that makes us feel stressed, scattered, and disorganized.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Luckily, we have a myriad of amazing new digital tools and technologies at our fingertips to help us manage the strains on our brains and on our lives; the trick is knowing when and how to use them. This is why Merrill, who helped spearhead Google's effort to "organize the world's information", offers a wealth of tips and strategies for how to use these new tools to become more organized, efficient, and successful than ever. But if you're looking for traditional, rigid, one-size-fits-all strategies for organization, this isn't the audiobook for you. Instead, Merrill draws on his intimate knowledge of how the brain works to help us develop fresh, innovative, and flexible systems of organization tailored to our individual goals, constraints, and lifestyles.

From how to harness the amazing power of search, to how to get the most out of cloud computing, to techniques for filtering through the enormous avalanche of information that assaults us at every turn, to tips for minimizing distractions and better integrating work and life, Getting Organized in the Google Era is chock-full of practical, invaluable, and often counterintuitive advice for anyone who wants to be more organized and productive - and less stressed - in our 21st-century world.

©2010 Douglas Merrill & James A. Martin (P)2010 Random House

Meh...

Just OK -- I expected more, being a big Google guy fan. Parts were interesting, but a little too much about his life with useful stuff sprinkled here and there. He does a decent job reading it himself though, in his weird Canada-via-the-Ozarks dialect.

I even bought the hardcover

What a relief! So tired of anal organizers. Thanks Douglas. Maybe not what you are looking for if you want all that exacting methodlogy with anal habits but I enjoyed it.

more a personal story than a method to organise

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The book was more about the personal history of the author than a set of tricks and techniques about getting organised in a digital age. I have read getting things done by David Allen in the past and I was hopping this book would be similar. Boy was I wrong.

What did you take away from Getting Organized in the Google Era that you can apply to your work?

to be honest not much... I am in IT and nothing he said was new or original to me.

Fast information you can you use now

Would you listen to Getting Organized in the Google Era again? Why?

Yes. The way the material is organised means you can skip to different areas of the book and still pick up useful concepts

What was one of the most memorable moments of Getting Organized in the Google Era?

That he was able to overcome dyslexia and teach himself practical methods for being organised and dealing with massive amounts of information.

Which character – as performed by Douglas Merrill – was your favorite?

The beauty is he is reading his own story and he is the character. A very likeable gentleman who likes having a bit of fun in his life rather than the stereotypical business person. He has an innovative way of using song titles whilst introducing new chapters.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

Emailing important information to yourself. So the information is recorded electronically which takes it out of your head and it is then searchable.

Any additional comments?

Overall, a solid audiobook with useful information for readers - not boring. Sounds like an interesting guy and a great self achievement story in itself without the added bonus of practical time management in a technological world. Really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it which I am using practically today.

Great Tool!

I actually loved this book. Even though I teach people how to use software like MS Office and QuickBooks, I didn't realize how interesting and useful the internet could be to organization!! I used the internet often for research and fun; but since this book, I am getting much more use out of it AND becoming much more organized with my daily information.

I really LIKE that I can reach my information no matter where I am. Great Book!

Good Book

I thought this was a really good book on how to get organized using Google and other apps. Merrill brought up good points and examples on how to search and use different applications.

Don't waste your money

An incredibly poor, almost annoying book. Also very outdated now. There are much better books out there on this subject.

Not for those who already use online tools

Perhaps I am not the target audience since I already search my email, share my calendar and have my work and private life integrated. I was disappointed and hoped for more.

Giant Google sales pitch

The whole book is a giant Google sales pitch. Dry and horrible I couldn't finish it even after multiple attempts