E is for elimination
the end of time management
forget all about it
it is mandatory to accomplish more by doing less
enter the world of elimination
how you will use productivity
being effective vs being efficient
freedom from futility
Parkinson's law
questions and actions
free the time to do what you want to do
increasing your income
effectiveness is doing the things that get you closer to your goals
efficiency is performing a given task in the most economical manner possible
keep in mind
doing something unimportant well does not make it important
requiring a lot of time does not make a task important
what you do is infinitely more important than how you do it
80/20 principle
the goal
find your inefficiencies in order to eliminate them
find your strengths so you can multiply them
maximum income from minimal necessary effort
being busy is a form of laziness
lazy thinking
indiscriminate action
elimination process should last one or two months
time is wasted because there is so much time available
avoid the 9-5 culture
definition: a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion
approaches for increasing productivity
limit tasks to the important to shorten work time (80/20)
shorten work time to limit tasks to the important (Parkinson's Law)
ask yourself three times per day at scheduled times
am I being productive or just active?
am I inventing things to do to avoid the important?
the key to having more is to do less
define a short to-do list
define a not-to-do list
questions
if you had a heart attack and had to work two hours per day, what would you do?
if you had a second heart attack and had to work two hours per week, what would you do?
if you had a gun to your head and had to stop doing 4/5 of different time-consuming activities, what would you remove?
what are the top-three activities that I use to fill time to feel as though I've been productive?
learn to ask, "If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?"
put a post-it on your computer screen with the question, "Are you inventing things to do to avoid the important?"
do not multitask
use Parkinson's Law on a macro and micro level
the low-information diet
cultivate selective ignorance
question and actions
information consumes the attention of its recipients
reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits
it is imperative that you learn to ignore or redirect all information and interruptions that are irrelevant, unimportant, or unactionable
increased output necessitates decreased input
most information is
time-consuming
negative
irrilevant to your goals
outside of your influence
go on an immediate one-week media fast
no newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, or nonmusic radio
no news website
no television at all
no reading books, except one hour of fiction pleasure reading prior to bed
no web-surfing at the desk unless it is necessary for a work task for that day
unnecessary reading is public enemy number one during this one-week fast
develop the habit of asking yourself "will I definitely use this information for something immediate and important?"
follow your to-do shortlist and fill in the information gaps as you go
practice the art of non-finishing
more is not better
stopping something is often 10 times better than finishing it
interrupting interruption and the art of refusal
be assertive
learn to be difficult when it counts
it will help you receive preferential treatment
not all evils are created equal
an interruption prevent the start-to-finish completion of a critical task
three principal offenders
time wasters
meetings
discussion
phone calls
not important e-mail
time consumers
repetitive tasks
requests that need to completed but often interrupt high-level work
empowerment failures
time waster: becoming an ignoramus
it is a matter of limit access and funneling all communication toward immediate action
limit email consumption and production
screen incoming and limit outgoing phone calls
master the art of refusal and avoiding meetings
time consumer: batch and do not falter
batching is the solution for to our distracting but necessary time consumers
time consumers: repetitive tasks that interrupt the most important
do not work harder when the solution is working smarter
empowerment failure: rules and adjustment
refers to being unable to accomplish a task without first obtaining permission or information
being micro-managed
micro-managing someone else
both of which consume your time
people are smarter than you think. give them a chance to prove themselves.
questions and actions
learn to recognize and fight the interruption impulse
have a set of rules
responses
routines to follow
review
create systems to limit your availability via email and phone and deflect inappropriate contact
batch activities to limit setup cost and provide more time do dreamline milestone
set or request autonomous rules and guidelines with occasional review of results
Based on The 4 hour workweek