IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT THE TIME TO DO IT RIGHT, WHEN WILL YOU
FIND THE TIME TO DO IT OVER? by Jeffrey J. Mayer. Simon & Schuster, 1990
INTRODUCTION --- The time management system that will save you up to an hour a day! Living and working in a pressure cooker (p11-16)
PART 1 --- Make your desk work for you (p17-46)
1) The perils of a "Pilamaniac" (19-24)
2) The moment of truth --- the showdown between you and your desk (p25-26)
3) Creating and using a master list (p27-33)
4) Creating and using your own master files (p34-46)
PART 2 --- Make your day work for you (p47-155)
1) Give yourself a raise --- putting a higher value on your time will help you save time (p49-51)
2) Things to do today --- master your work with your master list(p52-54)
3) First things first ---how to establish your priorities (p55-56)
4) Don't panic --- handling emergencies (p57-59)
5) Prime time --- use your most productive time to do your most productive work (p60)
6) The sidetrack syndrome --- how to handle detours and trivial details (p61-63)
7) Your most important date --- schedule an appointment with yourself to get your most important jobs done (p64-66)
8) No trespassing --- how to avoid interruptions (p67-69)
9) Do not disturb --- finding privacy when you need it (p70-72)
10) Don't put it off --- how to lick the procrastination habit, which is usually based on "fear of failure," which is tied to striving for perfection, which becomes a "self-fulfilling prophecy," which leads to guilt because you know you could have done a better job --- if only you had not waited until the last minute! (p73-80)
[1] Questions to determine degree of procrastination:
(1) Do you have a tendency to leave your unpleasant projects until the last minute?
(2) Do you hope that if you put off tackling some problem, it will just go away, or somebody else will solve it?
(3) Have you ever thought to yourself that you could do a better job if you had more time?
(4) When you fail to get a job done on time, do you blame someone else?
(5) Do you overload yourself with work, then complain that there is too much to do?
(6) Are you running out of excuses and alibis to explain why your projects are not getting done on time?
Techniques to overcome procrastination:
(1) Bore yourself to death
(2) Don't be tripped up by trivia
(3) Give yourself a reward
(4) If a carrot doe not work, try a stick --- Ask yourself: "What will happen if you never do it?" Let your imagination wander. "What is the worst possible consequence?" This kind of guilt and doomsday thinking can help you put things in their proper perspective. Remember, if the important things don't get done well, bad things could --- and usually do --- happen!
These little tips can help put you in the right frame of mind to tackle and complete any "important" project since procrastination is a habit that can be broken.
[2] Think before you act
[3] One step at a time saves time --- Why not break a big project down into smaller components and tackle them one by one?
Before you begin to do any work, take a red pen and write in the margin of your outline the length of time you think it will take to accomplish each portion of the project. Your estimate does not have to be exact. Then add up the total amount of time you think will be needed to complete the work. To be safe, increase the figure by 50 percent so you will have a cushion for unexpected interruptions.
If you follow these small steps, it will be easier for you to get motivated and start your work. There won't be any procrastination or inertia for you to overcome!
[4] Getting the job done --- don't be paralyzed by perfectionism. The time you spend thinking and getting organized will virtually eliminate all the time you used to spend worrying about the upcoming project!
11) Mark it "urgent" --- setting deadlines for yourself (p81-83 )
12) Addition by subtraction --- emphasizing the important, eliminating the unimportant (p84-89)
[1] Don't get indigestion
[2] Learn to say no
[3] The priority payoff formula (p86-89)
Give each item on your "Master List" a numerical value based on its level of importance:
(1) This work must be done, and must bew done well. It's a big part of my job!
(2) This work is necessary, but the organization's future does not depend on it
(3) Nobody really cares how or when I do this job
Now give each item on your "Master List" a numerical value based on the
amount of time you think you will need to complete the work:
(1) This demands a major investment of my time!
(2) This requires a modest investment of my time
(3) I could do this job with my hands tied behind my back
13) Don't do it all yourself --- the art of delegating (p90-93)
14) Who's minding the store? --- how to make your meetings shorter and more productive (p94-103)
15) Wheeling, dealing and mealing (p104-109)
16) Sorry, wrong number --- timesaving telephone tactics (p110-116)
17) Put it in writing ---rely on notes, not your memory (p117-122)
18) Tools of the trade --- how to use calendars, address books, and other office organizers (p123-131)
19) Go with the flow --- save time handling routine paperwork and correspondence (p132-136)
20) Read to save time and save time to read ---how to get your reading up to speed (p137-141)
21) Get off the beaten track --- do things at times when nobody else is doing them (p142-143)
22) On the road again --- staying in touch when you're out of town (pp144-146)
23) High-tech temptations --- timesaving --- and time-wasting --- office machines (p147-149)
24) Beat the clock --- how to give yourself more time to think (p150-152)
25) Quality time --- time saved at work is time for yourself! (p153-154)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (p157)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (p159)
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