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 » (Unabridged)

DOUGLAS C. MERRILL, most recently the President of Digital and the COO of New Music for EMI Recorded Music, was the chief information officer at Google until April 2008.  Previously, he was a senior vice president at Charles Schwab and Co. and an information scientist at the RAND Corporation. He has a Ph.D in Cognitive Science from Princeton University.
 
JAMES A MARTIN is a PC World technology blogger, whose articles have appeared in many publications and on web sites including Washingtonpost.com.
 

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 What's more, he says, many of the ways in which our society is structured are outdated, imposing additional chaos that makes us feel stressed, scattered, and disorganized.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...

Library Journal

Trying to get organized in the more fast-paced world of the new technologies can often lead to stress and a subsequent decrease in productivity. Merrill (former chief information officer, Google) and technology blogger Martin here offer a practical guide on the subject. Part 1 focuses on the individual's perspective and constraints, while Part 2 discusses the need for "a radically new 21st-century definition of organization" and a new tool set for the world today. Part 3 focuses on avoiding brain strain and integrating work and life, among other topics. Throughout, the authors address many issues, e.g., effectively using search engines, and present regular summaries of their key ideas. Also of great value is a "Stuff We Love" chapter that discusses and rates search engines, desktop search tools, email, and other communication tools (e.g., Twitter); online backup storage and file syncing; to-do list managers and productivity tools; web browsers and plug-ins; RSS readers; laptops; and more. VERDICT Highly recommended to anyone who needs to get organized at work or at home and to students and business men and women.—Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY