Customer Reviews

My boss told me about this class and I asked her to please sign me up for it, but I approached it without any great expectations, to be honest. The term "time management" throughout my life has always meant "how to squeeze more joyless, stressed, forced productivity for productivity's sake out of every microsecond regardless of how it feels"; "how to trap yourself in a prison of your own making and eliminate all spontaneity and fun from your life"; and "how to make yourself do things faster regardless of whether they even get done well at all (and they won't!)." I could not possibly have been more wrong. This class is about learning to understand your own brain and giving it the help it needs to live the life WE want. It isn't about forcing anything. It isn't about trapping and contorting ourselves to satisfy the toxic, unchallenged dictates of a more-is-better society. It isn't about a one-size-fits-all solution that never fits me and leaves me worse for trying (or for not wanting to even try it!). And it certainly isn't about shame for "being bad" at something that we "should" be good at or that other people are automatically better at than us. I had to hold back tears as Mary Ellen defined the various executive functions of the brain and had us rate ourselves on each one. These things have NAMES. They are discrete brain skills that dovetail into each other and can help or hinder each other. And if they have names and discrete identities, then there are also names and discrete identities for the techniques we can use to help our brains where we need it. And everybody is different and nobody is good at all of them! Even with all of my reading lately about ADHD, I did not know that there was more than one executive function in the brain and I thought I just suffered from the so-called "executive dysfunction." The three and a half hours of this class could have been eight hours or a whole week and I would have been equally engrossed the entire time. One might even say that I "did not feel the time go by." 😉 It left me wanting to know more – much more. Every single fact, quote, illustrative anecdote, and resource that was shared was absolutely dense in richness and relevance. I wish there were a recording of it that I could review because I couldn't memorize or write everything down fast enough to make it stick and every word out of Mary Ellen's mouth was a pearl; I didn't want to miss a single one. I am excited to review my workbook later and to give some more measured thought to which of these skills to start implementing right away. Finally, I just want to say that Mary Ellen herself is what my dad would have called in his Colombian Spanish "gente gente" – a lady of real class and decency. She is completely compassionate, relatable, down to earth, and soothing in her presence, genuinely funny in an understated way, and clearly an intellect. She is obviously a world-class trainer whose mere presence delighted me and... view more

Incredibly usable and relatable content! I feel that I am highly organized and efficient with my time, yet I found many useful tools to help me improve on my strengths and weaknesses, at work and home.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a training by Mary Ellen on Brain-based Time Management. What was uniquely different about this training was her exceptional expertise on linking time management with the executive brain functions. Her ability to link science to practical strategies made the difference and is why I will use the strategies she provided. I would highly recommend any organization looking to provide an outstanding and practical training on time management to reach out to her.

My team and I had the pleasure of having Mary Ellen come to our office to do a group training with us. I know at least a few people on my team were less than excited when we began but by the end of the training, everyone had fully gotten into the tools Mary Ellen gave us. I think hers is the best time management course I have ever taken because it's not just time management tools she teaches. She helps you discover what your learning styles are and how your brain works. She gives you numerous tools to learn how to work with the way your brain operates, so that you can put the time management tools into practice, and more importantly, to be successful in maintaining the tools in your everyday life. If you are reading this and are on the fence about whether you would benefit from her wisdom and this course, do yourself a favor, TAKE THE COURSE. I promise you will not be disappointed. Thanks again, Mary Ellen, we so appreciate you. | Urban League of Portland

Hi Mary Ellen! An issue has me confounded at the moment. I’m not sure why, but taking in (much better than watching) your videos helps center me. The Mental Flexibility series turned out to be the the first step in what I hope will become a successful resolution to my problem. When I have a lot mental background noise it’s a relief to be able to access your library. Your concise videos turn on my cerebral noise canceling. I know they don’t solve problems, but your courses and presentations have helped me find new ways to navigate through life with greater purpose, satisfaction, and MUCH less stress. Thank you!

I really enjoyed your Brain-based Time Management AND Brain-based Planning classes. I’m implementing the planning system with my planner and I am using the techniques with lists, analog clocks and timers to “see” time better. Your technique for teaching is very easy to follow with the provided notebooks and applying each of the techniques/concepts to our own situations throughout the class. I appreciate all of the different options you give so we can all experiment to find what works best for us. Great tools and the way you explain the "why" for each tool is very helpful to remembering the tools. Thank you!

After 38 years of more than substantial gainful activity I became disabled. A few years later I was diagnosed with ADHD. I have been dealing with it all my life, but due to other factors (additional diagnoses) ADHD went undiagnosed and untreated. Medication helps immensely, but the ingrained scattered brain persists. Mary Ellen Baker at The Time Professionals and the site gobraingo.com has helped me immensely. I’m living life with less confusion, getting more done, and enjoying life more. I am excited about, and making real progress toward, getting back to work in a way that is productive an meaningful. That sounds like a commercial, but it is true. I really got excited after my first class because it makes REAL sense and gave me a lot of hope. The classes are something that the organizationally impaired can do for themselves that no medication or therapy will. The training helps me know myself, know my limitations, and learn the tools to get around or surpass them. It’s an INDIVIDUAL process that takes time, But the great part is that you get results right away. Long ago I realized that a good education isn’t about stuffing your head full of knowledge, but about how to keep learning and growing, effectively, lifelong. I’ve developed, and still tweaking, my individual process and it’s working for me. If this sounds like an infomercial, I won’t apologize. I would be in one and I wouldn’t accept payment, because Time Professionals is life changing. Someone else would have to write the script - though. No one believes an infomercial.

People should be required to do two things: Work in customer service - and take this time management class.

MaryEllen's Brain-based Time Management class opened up a new way of thinking about behaviors and the possibility that these can be changed/modified to better meet the desires and expectations we have for ourselves! The elasticity of our brains to use new tools, concepts, and strategies to support new habits and learning is extraordinary. Mary Ellen shared valuable resources to help us in our exploration of our "brain personalities" and I'm excited to get started using new tools and knowledge to better support my brain's executive functioning!

Mary makes these trainings interesting and individualized. She first evaluates the class on their particular needs by asking each individual what their everyday looks like and what they would like to gain from the training. Not only in their work field but personal life as well! You're not going to be disappointed, or bored and will leave with a better understanding of what you can do as an individual to assist yourself in getting your time organized to better your own self sufficiency and care. I've taken this training 2 years ago when I first started my position as a county case manager and implemented the skills she gave me. I just took it again for a refresher as I recently was promoted to supervisor, which proved to require a much different approach to my known organization skills. I knew I'd benefit from taking this training again. In the middle of the training, it dawned on me that from what I learned from her 2 years ago has brought me so much success in my work life. I realized in the refresher coarse that I implemented the advice from the first training I took 2 years ago, of having a hard notebook to write down tasks with tabs and checklists and considered myself very organized. I let her know that once I finally used all of the pages of my notebook in the 2 years of case management, it was a grand closure to a new notebook as I was promoted the same day I used the last page. I am excited to use my new notebook for my new position and hope to feel the same satisfaction as I did with my last planner. I will continue to take her courses periodically to refresh myself on the amazing advice she gives. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to learn from her!! If you're hesitant about taking her class, don't be. You won't regret it and will find success in the skills you've learned from her yourself!!

A great course! Mary Ellen has a welcoming and engaging virtual presence. I really liked having a workbook to actively use as concepts were explained. It was validating to know that my need to exercise and move BEFORE I embark on big tasks was actually very beneficial to me. It was also helpful to learn new tools to help keep me focused and motivated to complete those same tasks. I must get a whiteboard notebook and a digital timer!! Thank you, it was wonderful!

Mary thank you so much for your time, and knowledge. Your class is by far the best I’ve taken through the COCC and County professional development series. I’ve been taking these classes since they started (10 years ago?) and try to do at least one class each session. I was very impressed with the class and tricks that I learned. I can apply it to all aspects of my life – work, family, and my personal life. I only have one problem, that I can’t make other people in my life take the course.

Best Virtual Class with great useful information. Instructor was very easy to follow and understand. Great class great instructor.

I had no idea that everything that I thought was "wrong" with my brain could be "fixed!" The tools that Mary Ellen taught us are fairly simple and can be implemented easily. I cannot wait to finally get organized, both physically and mentally. Great class. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to work smarter and not harder!

City of Beaverton, Oregon just scored big with this class. Mary Ellen knows the content inside and out and demonstrates how to tap into the brain to get organized and get things done. Well done!

CLEARS stands for California Law Enforcement Association of Records Supervisors. We are the Superior Chapter which include 21 counties in the northern part of our State (up to the Oregon Border). Mary Ellen's training on Brain-based Time Management was taught by Zoom. The participating counties were Placer, Sacramento, Nevada along with Rocklin PD and Truckee PD. Mary Ellen was very knowledgeable and kept the class interested in her techniques and suggestions for Time Managements with her strategies and tools. Some class participants said they have put her tools to use. Also, some said they will put her strategies to use in their work and personal lives. Everyone thought the training was great! We would recommend this training for all aspects of work. Everyone took something valuable away with them.

Thank you Ms Baker for providing reasoning in each area of your time planning class. I need the big picture to understand a projects purpose to plan and understanding the whys and ways to approach the master and task lists. The visual aids used in your presentation to show products and how you use them make it easier to put together our own project lists and keep track of the project tasks. I found your lesson easy listening, insightful and interactive making it one of the best virtual trainings I have attended. Looking forward to more, thank you.

We covered a lot learning about the different aspects of the brain in relation to organization, how to figure out where we need a kick in the pants to go in the right direction, and what strategies that kick in the pants might entail. Thank you. I've already put what I've learned into action and it is making a huge difference.

This class was so helpful and provided me with tools and strategies for my time management skills. I learned so much about the brain and how it works when it comes to the subject.

I found this course on target for supporting my brain while having the strange experience of getting things done with a sense of spaciousness. My activities don't feel forced or rushed...just completed.

I consider myself to be of a scattered mind. If I grasp onto something, it's a mild success so it’s not easy for me to transition into better habits. Since I've taken the time management class, I realized I can do long term goals through visual means. Setting my goals and and then making my progress visible keeps me motivated! It might not be considered a huge success to most, but to me it's a step in the many years of my poor self-management. It's enough to let me know I am capable of improving in other areas regarding time management.

Great! Learned a lot about how the brain and memory works and how to make mine work better. Great information.

I took your time management class last week. First, I want to say how pleasantly surprised I was with how interesting and informative your class was. I truly learned a great deal and it helped reinforce some things I already knew about myself and my planning/time management skills. Second, I would like to say that from your class and from those 10 skills we discussed, I learned that my only weakness was finishing tasks. Since then, I have been really focusing on finishing tasks before starting a new one. This mainly pertains to my hobbies as I’ve never prioritized them before. This week alone, I’ve finished 3 tasks; one of which I’ve been working on for 1.5 years!!! So thank you. I wanted to send you a message and just say how thankful I am you taught us this class and how I haven’t stopped thinking about it in the last week and how it’s really positively impacted my life since that morning.

I felt the class was well worth my time, LOL. Lots of good information presented in a way to keep me interested, engaged and not feeling overwhelmed. So many good things to take away from the class to put into practice both professionally and personally. Mary Ellen was a delight.

I thoroughly enjoyed the class. Relevant content and well presented. The workbook was also useful which I intend to reference in the future. Thank you!

Completed the 3 hour workshop and the content was well organized, relevant and easy to consume. Mary was entertaining and knowledgeable. Recommend this to all busy professionals!

One of the most useful courses I've taken - practical, helpful, I am beginning to apply these techniques and I feel it will enhance the way I work. I would like to take the longer Mindfulness individual class. THANK YOU!

Mary Ellen Baker provided realistic, useful strategies combined with education in executive function to empower those in the class to improve our efficiency AND calm/mindfulness. I have tried classes like this before, and this is by far the biggest "bang for the buck."

Melissa, thank you for a very interesting workshop! The first third really pushed my buttons, whew, but by the end, I was seeing the light. I was feeling bewildered at first, but by the end I was feeling a bit of confidence and baby-stepping into success! I wrote a four page list today of things that have to get done. I crossed many of them off and got that dopamine hit, lol. I am going to do my best to incorporate what I learned as best I can.

Melissa, I loved your class yesterday. Thank you for an eye opening experience. This morning I set goals and did not get distracted. So far, an improvement of my usual behavior. I will read all the printed notes you have given me and continue to apply these new skills. I’m so glad I took the class. It was great! I’m also practicing creating a home for every thing in my house. Things look better. I’m trying to make way for action.

This course took me to the next evolutionary stage! I was struggling with doing anything that took more than three steps, which means pretty much anything more complicated than frying an egg. I had a thousand different time management books, calendars, phone apps, and bits of unsolicited advice (thanks Mom), but none of them was suited to my executive functioning, or lack thereof. Mary Ellen showed me how to master time, and tailored everything to me, including incorporating things that were already working for me, rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Now I can actually set and achieve meaningful goals, and I don't feel like a total failure at life. At the end of the course, I was even arriving on time! Level up Player One!

I had a hard time motivating myself for work because of the many branches of my job, I often felt overwhelmed with it all, some days feeling like I just couldn't work. After even the first meeting with Mary Ellen, she taught me simple tools in a way I could understand it, and now I'm much more excited about going to work because I'm more organized in a way that best suits my style. I even use these tools at home for personal projects and feel like I have a lot more free time to do the things that fill my cup. I can't thank you enough Mary Ellen, you are truly a time saver and made this a wonderful experience. Thank you!

Your class is life-changing. Ever since I took your class I practice being present in the moment and using checklists. When I don’t use checklists I wake up and am distracted in conversations by my to-do list. Changing that behavior allows me to sleep! I also understand so much more about how I relate to my spouse. Thank you!!! I appreciate you!

Thank you, Melissa, for a great class. It is exactly what I need....tomorrow I will go and buy the thirty folders. And I assure you I will be calling for help if I get stuck. My plan is to have it ready and running by next Sunday. You have given me a great gift and I am so very grateful. Learning new strategies to make life more meaningful made for a remarkable day!!

Mary Ellen was amazing! She helped me and my coworkers with our time management through different classes and gave us useful and sustainable techniques to stay more organized. Following the classes, she returned to my office on numerous occasions to help me create a jobs binder for my position. It was a challenge to figure out how to pass on a usable how-to guide for the next person who will take my role, but Mary Ellen was patient, dedicated, and put a lot of thought and hard work into the project we worked on.

Mary Ellen was awesome in coordinating a one-on-one training with me, customized to my unique and varied position. I juggle a lot of balls and with Mary Ellen's help I have a way to stay organized and free up my mind to be able to enjoy what I'm doing without worrying about dropping one of those balls. Thank you for your great ideas and generosity of spirit!

I loved this class! I received a system that encompasses my personal goals and my work goals. There were many useful tools and approaches. I'm looking forward to the planning class now. The system was well thought out and the class was well prepared. And fun! Enormously supportive of our busy, many-tiered lives.

I found the process for time management useful and easy to follow. I filed everything for the first time in many years, and I've stuck with it since January (it's now April). So glad I did it. The project management part I haven't used that much yet, so not as sure about it.

I loved the instructor, the class, material, the way the information was communicated. I left the class feeling energized, motivated, and positive with several takeaways.

I got a lot out of the class, both for work and home. Mary Ellen clearly explained the class structure so we knew what to expect of the 3 hours class. She explained the complicated topic of brain science in an understandable way, utilized the many styles of learning, visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Included many relatable examples, and offered many different practical and useful tools to try out to help manage your time. I think everyone came away with something they could try!

Melissa, Thank you again for your time and energy - I got a lot out of our class and have started parts of my system already.

Melissa, I loved your class and your message. My husband and I are enjoying putting the concepts to work. My adult daughters, who took the class with us, loved your teaching — especially you.

Today was fantastic!! You did such a great job presenting the material. Looking forward to adding these practices in my daily routine.

Melissa, your classes are great and you are such a fantastic teacher. I loved your class and have been really conscious of how I am organizing things, it was so interesting and a good challenge. Plus parts of it were so affirming.

I'm 64 years old and wish I had gone to Mary Ellen''s time management class when I was an adolescent. Now I have tools and the skills to easily plan my days, months & a year all in one place. I am now much more realistic about how much I can accomplish in a given period of time. In our fast paced society, I'm out of the rat race, and yet more productive.

I really enjoyed the class and purchased my 2019 Day Planner yesterday with an eye toward getting more organized...baby steps. 😊

We had the pleasure of having Mary Ellen present the first part of the Time Management Training to our Workforce Recruitment and Training team. This came at a great time for us as recruitments & projects are starting to pick up. I personally found her science evidence-based approach on how our brain works and how it relates to time management fascinating! My colleagues & myself were engaged throughout the whole session! We were able to go back to work with realistic & effective tools to help better plan & manage our workload. We are already looking forward to the second phase of the time management series next month!

Really loved how this course gave me tangible skills in managing my time effectively! I started meditating right after taking this course and really improved my mental state in getting to focus...who knew the brain was so powerful in time management and focusing. I also now must have an analog clock wherever I go : )

My 13 year old child was diagnosed with ADHD and a friend recommended this course to help with organization skills. The entire family had to attend together which benefited all of us. The experience was well worth the time and financial commitment. We went to help my son but in the end, we all gained skills. My daughter who is naturally organized became even more so and her grades improved. I think this course helped her refine her natural skills. I learned how I was making poor time management decisions that hurt the whole family. My son improved his skills and was not embarrassed or resentful. Mary Ellen is very respectful and patient. I would highly recommend her and her class.

I’ve had trouble managing my time since time immemorial. I’ve taken several time management courses in the past and tried my own methods, all with limited success. Seventy percent of my job involves writing so I’m forever on deadline. I almost always meet my deadlines but it’s often right down to the wire. After taking this course, I feel like I’m finally getting a better handle on time management. I’m a visual learner so the visual tools helped me grasp the concepts and learn the techniques. Mary Ellen is an excellent teacher. Stop procrastinating and start being punctual.