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Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload

Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail OverloadAuthor: Mark Hurst
Publisher: Good Experience Press
Category: Book

List Price: $22.99
Buy Used: $8.97
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Seller: dbz123
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 117 reviews
Sales Rank: 157,509

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 192
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.9

ISBN: 0979368103
Dewey Decimal Number: 650
EAN: 9780979368103
ASIN: 0979368103

Publication Date: June 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Also Available In:

  • Kindle Edition - Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload
  • Hardcover - Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of E-mail and Information Overload

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Bit Literacy is essential reading for anyone who has experienced "digital overload": the daily flood of e-mail, multiple todo lists, a cluttered desktop, documents in various file formats, and the constant distraction of cell phones and other devices. More than a quick fix or another "how-to" guide, this book offers an entirely new way of attaining productivity that users at any level of expertise can put into action right away. This is "bit literacy," a method for working more productively in the digital age, with less stress. Mark Hurst - who has reached hundreds of thousands of readers through his Good Experience e-mail newsletter, Uncle Mark technology guides, thisisbroken.com, and other websites - has revealed the way to survive, and thrive, in the digital age: "Let the bits go."


Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 117
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5 out of 5 stars The Best I Have Ever Come Across--and It Wasn't the FIrst!   September 16, 2009
Patricia A. Romboletti (Playa Del Rey, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Mark's book took care of two big issues for me almost instantly. I have read many books on managing emails, information, getting organized, etc. and this is hands down the best!

I am passionate about productivity and like many, I was frustrated by two big issues: 1. Keeping up with the 100's of emails that I get daily. 2. Creating a centralized "to do" list so that nothing falls between the cracks.

The day after the book arrived, I was on a flight across the country. I brought the book with me and started to read it before my flight and during taxi and take-off. I read enough in that short amount of time to be able to get into action. Once airborne, I logged onto the WiFi signed up for a subscription to Gootodo.com (short for Good Experience TO Do List) and with that fabulous tool in my tool chest, I proceeded to get my inbox to zero!

More important, with the Gootodo.com system, I now have a way to ensure that it will stay that way. I simply forwarded any item that needed further action (a call, a formal response, etc.)to Gootodo.com and it was added to my TO-do list on the specific day that I knew I would have time to deal with it. And, I can use Gootodo.com to add anything to my TO Do list either by sending an email or by logging on and entering it manually. The system is elegant--you have to try it to see what I mean.

The book is amazingly logical, simple to follow and worth it's weight in gold if you want to efficiently and effectively manage the bits in your life. Mark give numerous specific examples to illustrate his techniques---he has made it so easy--I predict that like me---it will transform your digital life in hours!




3 out of 5 stars Lovely writing, but some idiosyncracies in the specifics   August 19, 2009
Dinah Sanders (San Francisco, CA USA)
I began with a very positive reaction to the book: "I had forgotten how much I enjoy Mr. Hurst's writing. Between the jazz in my earphones & this book, I had an astonishingly pleasant ride on the #22 bus today."

But I come to a mixed review in the end. It turns out that while I enjoy Hurst at a high level, I find some of his very specific recommendations to be overkill. (Also, for a forward-thinking guy, it's odd that he hangs on to the quaint use of a hyphen in
"e-mail"; like "news-paper" anything this prevalent in our lives shortens up to a single word).

I hope that Hurst will revise this in a few years to focus more on the underlying principles and less on some of the specifics which may or may not be standing the test of time.

Worth reading, definitely, but take it in context with other specific advice regarding your daily practices. (Comparison with Merlin Mann's upcoming Inbox Zero (which he's writing now & does not, as of August 2009, appear on Amazon yet), for example, will probably benefit you).



4 out of 5 stars Spring Cleaning   August 19, 2009
A. Monsted (Darlinghurst, NSW Australia)
I saw this book somewhere on the Remo General Store website, and thought if it got Remo's vote then it must be pretty good.

The book starts out well, identifying the common problems of heavy users of email, and those of us drowning in a sea of mp3s, photos, and other digital media. After identifying the problems many of us have faced for years with a growing sense of "what do I do with all this stuff and how do I find it when I really need it?", Mr Hurst goes on to offer very useful strategies for dealing with email overload and filing other media.

Now, one might feel suspicious when one encounters growing references to Mr Hurst's online to-do manager [...] that the book is a veiled advertisement for that service. Which, in one sense, it is. But only because gootodo deals with to-dos in a new way that is not matched by any other program that I know of. It's very clever and I'm a convert.

You'll feel like you've done a good bout of spring cleaning if you follow the advice in this book and it will lighten your load.



5 out of 5 stars More than well worth the time   June 2, 2009
Travis B. Eneix (San Francisco, CA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I first heard of Bit Literacy during a podcast interview with Mark Hurst over at Precision Change. I was intrigued, and decided to check out the book. So glad I did! Mark's concepts are simple, radical, incredibly useful and revolutionary. I am currently taking a year off of employment to write, so some of the concepts in the book are not directly applicable to my needs, but those were not the core concepts. Mark's revolutionary concept that bits have weight in terms of time, and emotional impact (stress levels caused by dealing with the ubiquitous suckers) was a huge breath of fresh air. Truly Bit Literacy is a guide to survival and sanity in the Information Age. Simple, straightforward, no nonsense, worth it.

I no longer dread my inbox.



5 out of 5 stars Ultimate Bits of Advice   May 20, 2009
Anne R. Sedler (New Jersey)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Leonardo da Vinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Bit Literacy provides simple methods for choosing to let bits go or for storing them wisely. Mark Hurst has mastered the art of teaching us his solutions. They are easy to understand and easy to implement. Emptying your inbox daily, managing follow-up items on time, and finding files quickly so you can do your work and enjoy your life; now that's the ultimate sophistication!

Showing reviews 1-5 of 117
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