While I liked the premise of the book and the some of the methods mentioned, I thought the author rambled sometimes with too many personal examples. However, a reader can manage to funnel the good stuff and use it to manage time better.

http://everydaygyaan.com/the-time-bandit-solution/ ( )

This is one of the rare non-fiction books that I actually didn't skim through to just get highlights when I first start reading as it grabbed my attention and kept it.

There is a lot of useful information that can help both the business person, a company, or an enterprising, entrepreneur who is just getting started. The author teaches us the essentials of managing out time, by teaching us what things are draining our time. Sometimes, it is outward distractions such as co-workers, or bosses, and other times you will find it is yourself. Many of us have not learned how to organize, prioritize, and delegate. This book helps us to learn when and how to do each one.

If you are self-employed, or work for either small or large companies, this book should be one of the first you pick up and keep handy. ( )

√ Avoid the Energy Vampires

Interruptions, interruptions. They are "bandits" stealing your time everyday. If you let them, a lot of your productivity will go right down the drain. You will have to get your momentum back, figure out where you were, and maybe redo some things. Be sure to call these interruptions what they are--thefts of your time. You can't deal with the bandits effectively if you don't call them what they are.

To counteract these nasty time-wasters, schedule blocks of time that you can work undisturbed. Mr. Brown calls this "Time Locking." Educate your clients and your colleagues, so that they will understand, and not be offended.

It's also important to schedule "Quiet Time." In Hawaii, the author began to understand the important of this time for reflection: "I embraced my need for Quiet Time as a poet embraces a muse."

This book is a lot like an autobiography. The author has lots of stories about his clients, and how he managed their businesses. "So, I my 30's, I simply said to my LA life, 'Enough! I disolved all my partnerships, sold off my assets, said goodbye to my clients - movie stars, athletes, singers, and all." We then hear about the author's encounter with the famous Don Ho, and see the photo of the nicely bronzed author (or is that Don Ho?)

The tone of the book is too much about the author and his successes, and too little about solving the reader's problems. Honestly, who cares about the author's success with Don Ho, or with Roy Rogers? The author strikes me as a nice man, but his personal stories seem oftentimes intrusive.

Besides the time-locking idea, one should embrace an emotional tool-kit, which the author calls, "Focal Locking Martial Arts," with special emphasis on positive affirmation. This is part of a mental hygiene process. For example, Mr. Brown relates a scuba diving incident, in which he was forced to stay in a decompression chamber to prevent the "bends." He relied upon his emotional toolkit to help him cope with that situation.

There are many decent ideas in this book, but you have to wade through a lot of text to get to the essence of the material. As interesting as the stories are, I really wished the principles were more concisely (and more briefly) stated.

√ All in all, an "okay" book, with decent ideas. Ironically, I found it too time-consuming to get to the core message of a book on saving time.

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Time flies and can be stolen, if you don't watch out. Edward G. Brown in The Time Bandit Solution: Recovering Stolen Time You Never Knew You Had shares his twist on time management, attention management and productivity.
The people who steal your precious time might be unconscious or unintentional, other don't care as long as their questions are instantly answered by you. 40-60% of your time gets lost in this way by colleagues, managers, bosses, family, clients, and friends. So, to earn back of that time and be more in control, it's about you in this book. What's important for you? When on an average are you the most productive? What's the effect of saying 'no'? How can you say no to anyone without being blunt, or defensive. We all face many interruptions each day, don't protect our minds and souls enough. The author throws in both prioritizing, 80/20 rule, martial arts, as well yoga lessons to make his point.
Brown has his own terminology like Time Bandit, Time Lock, Quiet Time, which is used in every other sentence. Sometimes the illustrations or repetitions were distracting. I was quite happy to find a summary of the core message at the end. Now the difficult part: practice what's preached. ( )