“What is the hardest thing that company boards have to do? I can answer this with considerable authority, having been on a board for all of two months. The hardest thing is not strategy. It isn’t complying with hundreds of petty regulations. It isn’t setting the chief executive’s pay, or even sacking him. Doubtless, these things can be hard. But harder is arranging to meet at all.”

“Even if you’re not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future. The following eight strategies encourage you to think productively, rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. These strategies are common to the thinking styles of creative geniuses in science, art, and industry throughout history.”

“Taking control of your finances is easier when the rest of your life is in order. If your mind is swamped with worries about work, or home improvement projects, or obligations to friends and family, personal finance can become a low priority. You have other Stuff to worry about. David Allen’s Getting Things Done provides a system for tackling all of the Stuff in your life. I’ve avoided mentioning Getting Things Done before today. But I’m currently writing a couple of articles that will make more sense if you’re familiar the concept, so an introduction is in order.”