Books about Simpler from Amazon.com

Strikingly different from most business books--it opens and closes with a pair of very powerful black-and-white photo essays, for example--A Simpler Way lays out a fascinating and productive reexamination of the traditional tenets of organizational behavior. Internationally known consultants Margaret J. Wheatley (Leadership and the New Science) and Myron Kellner-Rogers focus on the basic themes of play, organization, self, emergence, and notions of coherence to explore how people really systemize their existence. The authors draw upon science, poetry, philosophy, and other unconventional corporate resources to suggest a completely original method of working together. "There is a simpler way to organize human endeavor," they write. "It requires a new way of being in the world. It requires being in the world without fear. Being in the world with play and creativity. Seeking after what's possible. Being willing to learn and to be surprised."

While A Simpler Way may appear too New Age for some readers, this beautifully produced book hits the mark by bringing together an array of unexpected ideas as the authors look anew at established theories of human behavior to propose a decidedly unique way of promoting organization and achieving success. --Howard Rothman.
Price: $6.45 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the classroom, activity-based costing (ABC) looks like a great way to manage a company's limited resources. But executives who have tried to implement ABC in their organizations on any significant scale have often abandoned the attempt in the face of rising costs and employee irritation. Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing is the solution to the problems associated with large-scale ABC implementation. In this book, Kaplan and Anderson offer a revised model where managers can estimate the resource demands imposed by each transaction, product, or customer, rather than rely on time-consuming and costly employee surveys.

In their new model, Kaplan and Anderson focus on the two parameters managers need to estimate: how much it costs per time unit to supply resources to the business activities (the total overhead expenditure of a department divided by the total number of minutes of employee time available) and how much time it takes to carry out one unit of each kind of activity (as estimated or observed by the manager). Rather than endlessly updating and maintaining ABC data, this book with allow managers to spend their time addressing the deficiencies the model reveals: inefficient processes, unprofitable products and customers, and excess capacity.

Kaplan and Anderson lead the discussion of Time-Driven ABC in the first seven chapters, followed by individual cases studies of actual implementations by Acorn consultants in diverse settings..
Price: $22.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Connie Cox and Cris Evatt, the authors of Simply Organized have teamed up once again and created a new step-by-step guide to simplifying your life in only thirty days. Organized in a day-by-day format, the book offers simple steps which take in an hour or less to cut down on clutter Each section is followed by instructions for more in-depth simplifying each area (one's workplace, closets, vacation, or errand routines, a cluttered mind, and more), and a tip checklist is included for readers interested in "maximum simplification." Written in an inspirational style and a clear, down-to-earth format, 30 Days To A Simpler Life contains adages, anecdotes, and quotes from philosophers, designers, psychologists, financial planners, and other experts. The authors also include a guide to related books, newsletters, and websites to further assist readers in reaching their goal of simpler living .
Price: $5.75 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This is the book for you if you've ever had the urge to tell off your boss, quit your job, hurl your Palm Pilot into the trash, and move to a farm. Written by bestselling stress consultant and psychotherapist Dr. Richard Carlson Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, it advocates the cultivation of a personal mindfulness and "thought navigation" to foster a sense of mental calmness and increased creativity and productivity.

With sage tips reminiscent of those in Jon Kabat-Zinn's Wherever You Go, There You Are, Carlson recommends a "Psychology of Mind" approach that involves being fully present in each situation and not letting the attitudes of others ruin your day. This way, your thoughts become more organized--wiser, if you will--and you get more work done without even trying. This time management trick is what he says will improve your life--not a cell phone or an electronic scheduler or a personal assistant. Carlson's advice can be taken to heart, as he's used these techniques to improve his own life. While he was working on his Ph.D., he rose at 4 a.m. and "gulped down ten or fifteen cups of coffee" each day just to get all his work done, and would bristle if family emergencies took him away from his studying.

Not only does Carlson promise to help boost one's productivity, but he says that relationships and intimacy will improve as well. He maintains that disagreements--at home or at work--are less likely to blow up into full-fledged arguments if you're being calm and levelheaded. "A mind operating at the speed of life can see things as they really are," he writes. "Slowing down gives you needed perspective during times of transition and stress. When you operate at the speed of life and your child desires privacy, you'll probably remember that almost all teenagers go through phases of wanting space from their parents....Rather than take it personally, you'll be able to see the bigger picture. If your mind is moving too quickly, events as well as your own thoughts about events become much larger than they really are."

For anyone fed up with life's chaos, Slowing Down to the Speed of Life should prove to be an immensely helpful mental health manual. --Erica Jorgensen.
Price: $3.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"If 'in adversity is hidden opportunity' then lurking around the corner must be the Mother of All Great Chances " With our environment on its knees, our great myths and cities crumbling, Ferenc Mate argues in this passionate, darkly funny book that now is the time to begin our lives anew, on a more human scale. With our lust for mechanized "progress" we have damaged and endangered not only our planet but also our communities, families, and even friendships. He warns that our environmental movement by itself is as effective as "trying to stop a freight-train with a feather." He argues for fundamental change--by each of us. We must place simple human needs and the human spirit far ahead of material wealth. We must rethink our concepts of career, home life, habits, and what we call security and success. And we must resurrect our foundations: the small town, the family, and a dignified caring self. Only then will our earth become the paradise we once had and mistakenly took for granted..
Price: $3.43 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Andy Griffith Show continues to have a huge worldwide following. While many factors contribute to the show's ongoing popularity, many fans continue to point to the basic moral principles upheld by each and every episode. The Way Back to Mayberry takes an irresistible look at these moral themes and values promoted by the show and examines them in light of biblical truth. Each episode is described, and then the message of each show is looked at in detail, along with a biblical example of the theme, and an application for our lives today. This heart-warming book wanders back to a place where life seemed simpler and attention was paid to the little things..
Price: $7.47 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Pamper your visitors with this luminous guest book. Featuring Kinkade’s well–known painting “Home is Where the Heart Is,” this keepsake registry with lightly ruled pages and favorite quotations from his bestselling book, Simpler Times, will extend a warm welcome to every special guest.

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Price: $6.25 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Talented people in today's organizations waste an estimated 40% of their time on unnecessary cooperation, communication and control. Old-fashioned skills are too expensive and too slow to use in complex companies. Speed Lead distills the experience of more than 35,000 people in over 200 leading companies. The resulting radical view has enabled organizations to unravel the spaghetti of complexity, reduce project cycle times, and curb the costs of unnecessary travel..
Price: $15.43 [Notify me when price goes down.]

To enhance and sustain its lean journey, a company must implement information systems that fully support and enhance the lean initiative. In this book, Jean Cunningham and Duane Jones introduce a case study of an actual lean implementation involving an IT system of a mid-size manufacturer, highlighting the IT issues faced during lean transformation. The book suggests changes that will be required in an information system to make it a partner with, rather than a barrier to, a company becoming a lean manufacturer and ultimately a lean enterprise. It showcases opportunities that will arise for the information systems team to eliminate waste and apply lean principles in its own operations..
Price: $31.10 [Notify me when price goes down.]