Curating Your Life: Ending the Struggle for Work-Life Balance

(Hardback)

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Choosing the things you keep in your life and where you focus your energy is doable, and Gail Golden shows you how.

Curating your life means selecting those activities that are most important, meaningful, and joyful for you and fiercely focusing your energy on those endeavors. It also means putting a whole bunch of stuff in the back room, to be reconsidered at another time.

Curating your life means sorting your activities into three categories:

The things you are not going to do, at least not right nowThe things you will be mediocre at The things you will be great at

This is not simple. But the payoff is amazing. Living a well-curated life is doable. You get to succeed at the things that really matter to you, and you still get to enjoy life. Join Gail Golden on a tour of how to curate your life for success, happiness, and fulfillment.

Reviews

In engaging prose, [Golden] shares techniques for self-reflection, bulleted lists for setting priorities, and expanded ruminations at the end of chapters. While Goldens book is aimed at those who feel overworked, readers of all ages and circumstances will learn from Goldens purposeful approach to life. This delightful fusion of psychology, business, and self-help will be a boost to anyone feeling overwhelmed. * Publishers Weekly *
Golden piles on dozens of case histories to prove her point. In a very colloquial manner, she moves readers toward greatness, acknowledging that its realization demands talent, opportunity, and fierce dedication. Every chapter ends with key takeaways, a good way to understand and test Golden's theories. * Booklist *
Gail Goldens book, Curating Your Life, provides inspiration and guidance about how to live a life of productivity and joy. Her chapter on re-curating reinforces some of the ideas in the new book Im writing about constantly reinventing yourself and not turning into a used-to-be. Packed with wisdom, facts, and wonderful stories, this book is a must-read. -- Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times #1 bestselling author of "Triggers," "Mojo," and "What Got You Here Wont Get You There"
Gail Goldens Curating Your Life reminds us all that nobody has it all, but when you refocus your energy, you can do anything better. Goldens strategies for identifying what you are best at and harnessing your energy capacity will inspire you to lead a more productive life. -- Fred Cook, Chairman, Golin, Director of the USC Center for PR
Enough with work/life balance! It never existed. Instead, performance coach Gail Golden teaches us to curate our lives. She proposes that we make the tough choices, so we focus our energy on the tasks that make us most productive and joyful. This book is for everyone from senior executives to early-career employees who want to maximize their impact and still have fun. -- Laurel Bellows, Managing Principal, The Bellows Law Group, Former President, American Bar Association
Simply put, Gails approach works. I have seen first-hand how it optimizes performance and enhances lives. Gail truly provides a perspective that blends the expectations for high performance with compassion for the realities of life. -- Terri Friel, Former Dean of Heller College of Business, Roosevelt University, Professor of Supply Chain Management, Capella University, USAT and Ironman Coach
Curating Your Life is not for those looking for a simple, easy life hack that will allow them to do more, better, in less time (while looking fabulous). In this smart, helpful guide, Gail Golden exposes the futility of trying to do and have it all encouraging us instead to achieve greater harmony, fulfillment, and effectiveness through reflection and intentional choices. -- David Mooney, Chief Executive Officer, Alliant Credit Union
Gail Golden has created a masterpiece for busy people who want more meaning in their lives. She draws on her background in psychology and business to teach us how to "curate" our lives in a purposeful way. She artfully highlights the cardinal mistakes people cant help but make and empowers us to sort out whats most important in life and use our energy for that. If you're beyond busy, this is a must-read. -- David Grossman, Leadership and Communications Expert, Founder & CEO, The Grossman Group
Gail Golden shows us the pathways to focusing our energy to be both more productive and more fulfilled. -- Andy Polansky, Chairman and CEO, Interpublics Constituency Management Group (CMG) and Executive Chairman, Weber Shandwick
Gail Golden provides a new prism to look through to address the work life balance challenge facing leaders in a world with ever increasing demands on their time. Its a highly engaging read that will inspire you to curate your life. -- Pamela Forbes Lieberman, Corporate Director and Former True Value Company CEO
In our overamped world, we need practical ways to focus our energy on the things that truly matter. Gail offers just that. Its a timely antidote to FOMO culture and the debilitating chase that accompanies it. Through sage, sometimes counterintuitive counsel, Golden shows us that curation is the cure for much of what ails us. -- Tom Yorton, Founder of Shyne Advisors, LLC, Former CEO Second City Works, and Co-Author, "Yes, And"
Curating Your Life provides a candid and validating compilation of the hidden and conscious views of what it means to be human and the continuous aspirations we share to bring balance and self-awareness to our lives. Refreshing and honest. -- Ellen Rozelle Turner, President and CEO, William Everett Group
Perfection on all fronts at all times is totally overrated. Gails relate-able, sensible, and often humorous ways to overcome the traps of needing to be always perfect are right on. This book is a must read for everyone navigating today's frenzied and demanding world of work. -- Andrea S. Kramer, coauthor of "It's Not You, It's the Workplace: Women's Conflict at Work and the Bias That Built It" and "Breaking through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work"
Finally, a book that dispenses with clichs about having it all and work life balance. Gail translates her years of experience into a helpful guide for curating the life we want. She shows us how to maximize our potential by focusing on what's really important and casting aside the distractions that deplete energy and focus. A must read for anyone trying and failing to be a Super Woman. -- Karen Horting, Executive Director and CEO, Society of Women Engineers
Gail Goldens Curating Your Life is revelatory, sound, and balanced. Too many of us have felt periods of over-obligation and inadequate self-care that require acknowledgment and action. Goldens idea of curation is both thoughtful and ruthless and provides a perspective not found frequently in a busy life. A must-read for CEOs, achievers, and passionate leaders a well curated life is doable. -- Heather Becker, CEO, The Conservation Center
Curation is a familiar concept to many librarians; we curate collections, programs, and reading lists. According to Golden, it is also possible to curate ones life to achieve a happy work-life balance. Beginning with the directive to identify your values and proceeding through the clearly defined chapters that follow, the book guides readers through the process of life curation, with the end goal of shifting focus from managing time to managing energy. Populated with case studies and executable ideas, the format and style are accessible and appealing. The curation concept and framework that are explored and explained will appeal to librarians of all stripes. * American Libraries *

Author Bio

Gail Golden, MBA, PhD, is the Principal of Gail Golden Consulting, LLC, an international management psychology consulting firm. She utilizes her experience as an entrepreneur, business owner, and consultant to senior leaders of both Fortune 1000 and non-profit organizations to help businesses navigate rapid change by accelerating the development of senior leaders and their organizations. Gail wrote an advice column, Shrink Rap, in The London Free Press from 1998-2000 and has extensive experience as a public speaker for audiences of corporate leaders and has taught at the University of Chicagos Booth School of Business. She has been quoted in numerous publications including Fast Company, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Today's Chicago Woman, Crains Chicago Business, The Chicago Tribune, and many others. Gail lives in Chicago.