The Personal Affairs Handbook

In this brief book, Saleem stresses the need to manage our personal affairs and responsibilities and introduces a framework which is based on the model of managing an organisation by considering an individual as an entity. The concept of 'Individual Entity' with a cluster of functional units of personal affairs and responsibility areas helps us plan and allocate the limited resources of time and money to manage them effectively. Saleem has identified eight common functional units called the Strategic Management Units (SMU) which can be analyzed and prioritized based on the basis of importance and urgency using time and money. As an essential feature, Saleem first identifies and briefly analyses all the SMUs that are required to be managed effectively and attempts to help the reader understand and develop his or her own strategy based on the framework provided. Since the type of issues and the nature of problems and strategies needed differ and vary from individual to individual, examples are also provided to illustrate the different 'Individual Status' (IS). Moreover, the book provides a framework for the analysis of 'individuals as organizations or entities' in the light of the external environment in which they operate (live) and the internal environment that determines the strengths and weaknesses of an individual. Therefore, it is essential that we understand the concept called Individual Environment (IEN) or the overall environment in which the individual lives which are internal and external in nature. This would essentially help us identify and analyse the SWOT factors within the context of one's lifecycle stage and Individual Status (IS). Saleem believes that personal affairs and responsibilities of an individual as an entity can be and should be managed responsibly and effectively in order to achieve life goals and objectives. Among several affairs and responsibilities, every individual would need to focus on a handful of core management units such as health and fitness, work and career, leisure, relationships, and sleep. All of these units would also need the input of two key resource factors noted above, time and money. Here, he also discusses how these scares resources can be allocated effectively to manage the core SMUs identified.