The Hamster Revolution (Book Review)

The Hamster Revolution, by Mike Song, Vicki Halsey, and Tim Burress, is a great little book on managing email and the large amount of information that we receive daily.

Harold, the main character, is so overwhelmed with email that he feels like a hamster on a wheel. Luckily, he meets a coach that helps him to organize and reclaim his life.

The four strategies to control email are:

1. Reduce email volume
2. Improve email quality
3. Info-coaching sustains results
4. File and find it fast with COTA

The book provides clear directions on how to do each. For example, to reduce email, send less! Before sending, ask if it is needed, appropriate, and targeted. To improve quality, strengthen the subject line (this also makes it easy to file) and sculpt the body. Info-coaching involves teaching others in your organization to follow the same techniques.

COTA is a system for filing not only emails, but also electronic and hard copy files. It stands for clients, output, teams, and admin.

The Hamster Revolution is a quick, enjoyable read with great, easy-to-implement ideas.