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.

I thought this book was ok, but I suspect that anyone who reads Lifehacker on a regular basis, or is a GTD devotee, will find themselves finishing the book with few new practical tips. In fact, I flat out disagree with some of his advice. For example, the author recommends naming all files with the initials of the author first. To me, this significantly limits sorting abilities within a folder. I just don't get that.

The best news about this book is that it is extremely inexpensive on the Kindle. For that reason, I might recommend it to that audience. As well, I thought his writing in the first two chapters was superb (though I found it dropped off in quality later in the book).

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!

Someone had recommended to me this book a few years ago and I finally got around to getting a copy.

For the past several years I have attempted to get my "digital life" under control and I have read a few other books on the same subject. Frankly, I was overwhelmed with starting the process (yet again).

What was different about this book is the methodology. Other books require lots of tools, gear and time to get started and to keep the process going. Mark's book is short, straightforward and doesn't have a lot of the "overhead" to get your "bits" undercontrol. I would definitely recommend it to others.

Why should you read this book?
1. It will help you lower your stress levels because you will feel more in control of what you need to get done at home and at work.
2. It will allow you to enjoy your free time more.

This book is an easy read that has helped me manage the "bits" in my life, primarily e-mail traffic, "to dos" and the huge amount of electronic media available.

This book appeals to those who aren't tech savvy as well as those who are very familiar with IT. Some of the pieces are basic if you're a programmer or IT person, but it's easy to skim those few parts.